Due to “food sources and clarities,” he regards the next seasonal progression as “a time of extremes.” According to Murray, this time of change is triggered more by “the length of days (daylight) that just the temperature.” It is especially manifested in deep clear lakes where he says you’ll find bass “extremely shallow or extremely deep.”

But more than that, says the 2-time U.S. Open winner, “Both extremes could happen at the same time.”

John’s theme for the night seemed to be more about adjusting. “Shallow fishing is the easiest, and topwater is #1 in the fall,” he said, pointing to such standards as buzz baits or the time-tested Zara Spook.

But he also suggested the “pencil popper” a hot offering of late on the national tour, mentioning “The One” from Paycheck Baits. The difference with this lure is it is both a “walker and a splasher” stirring up a lot more commotion than many other surface baits.

Another lure type that needs a good look in the fall is the “wake bait.” Among those you might have heard of are the Roumba and the RC series that run just below the surface and offer “a little bit different look.”

On the deep side, Murray is a long-time proponent of the one-ounce jig in water 30 feet or deeper, but pointed to the increased use of the “flutter spoon” as shallow as 10 feet and much deeper. Instead of vertical jigging, these baits (such as a Krocodile) are cast, not vertically jigged.

“You need patience to wait for them to get down,” but he says when the bait is large, the pop and fall retrieve can be fished all through the water column. Fished on fluorocarbon, he advised you’ll recognize a strike when the bait “stops” on the fall.

Regardless of what you typically use, Murray says things never stay the same forever. “You have to be able to change.”

And this fall is a good time test that premise.

My Dad used to say, “A Con Man doesn’t look dangerous or dishonest. If he did, he couldn’t fool anyone.” In other words he is likable, possibly respectable–and that’s how he gains our confidence, (the root of con in con man.) He’s not some scary guy that requires a sketch artist.

The con is the great manipulator and his methods are diverse. He gets you to think he is something else or that reality is something else to keep you from digging deeper or even trying to make you appear as the suspicious one. But in case you didn’t realize it, these manipulative personalities are in every walk of life–and that includes bass fishing–and a great deal of study has been directed at the matter.

Dr. George K. Simon, if you need a source, wrote In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People. From what I’ve read, this guy fingers many of the past as well as current bass cheaters still at large.

From a much longer list of  manipulative techniques (click here for the whole list) I pulled out some that are absolutely spot-on.

Lying by omission: This is a very subtle form of lying by withholding a significant amount of the truth. This technique is also used in propaganda.

Denial: Manipulator refuses to admit that he or she has done something wrong.

Diversion: Manipulator not giving a straight answer to a straight question and instead being diversionary, steering the conversation onto another topic.

Evasion: Similar to diversion but giving irrelevant, rambling, vague responses, weasel words.

Covert intimidation: Manipulator throwing the victim onto the defensive by using veiled (subtle, indirect or implied) threats.

Shaming: Manipulator uses sarcasm and put-downs to increase fear and self-doubt in the victim. Manipulators use this tactic to make others feel unworthy and therefore defer to them. Shaming tactics can be very subtle such as a fierce look or glance, unpleasant tone of voice, rhetorical comments, subtle sarcasm. Manipulators can make one feel ashamed for even daring to challenge them. It is an effective way to foster a sense of inadequacy in the victim.

Seduction: Manipulator uses charm, praise, flattery or overtly supporting others in order to get them to lower their defenses and give their trust and loyalty to him or her.

Projecting the blame (blaming others): Manipulator scapegoats in often subtle, hard to detect ways.

Brandishing anger: Manipulator uses anger to brandish sufficient emotional intensity and rage to shock the victim into submission. The manipulator is not actually angry, he or she just puts on an act. He just wants what he wants and gets “angry” when denied.

Okay. Now do you see him out there?

But not everything in there was tackle. There were pictures from decades past in drawers and files covered with Elsinore dust. But one file caught my eye: printed in black letters it said merely, D-O-M-E-N-I-G-O-N-I.

I remember those days in the early 1990′s so well. The Metropolitan Water District’s front manin a $500 suit, making pleas for public input and offering hopeful pledges.

CLICK to enlarge

But certain ironies were too much to ignore as I read through the files. Although the reservoir area was commonly known as the Domenigoni Valley for a pioneering Swiss family, it was also referred to as “Diamond Valley.”

The irony? From the MWD’s own informational flyer dated Feb. 1994, it was suggested diamonds and sapphires were thought to be mined near Hemet.  Discovering an abandoned mine shaft, some found what they thought were diamonds. It turned out they were tourmalines–basically, false diamonds.

Cool, huh?

While the MWD disputes it later moved to change the lake designation (saying “Domenigoni” was never the intended monicker) a “naming contest” began immediately after the Domenigoni family filed won a lawsuit against MWD for several million bucks. No motive to change the name there, eh?

Elsewhere in the old files, the response summaries to the public meetings were particularly interesting. I photographed a couple of questions and answers from the Feb. 4, 1993 meeting (there were 16 pages of stuff). It’s pretty obvious, back then, people had real concerns. I wonder what their feelings are some 16 years later?

But then, in retrospect, Diamond Valley or Domenigoni Valley or even Disingenuous Valley, it probably doesn’t matter. The fish are biting now. We’d still be calling it DVL.

In this case, Lawrence Taylor, a writer/editor for nearly 20 years, as well as the current PR guy for PRADCO, was just recognized for his influential outdoor writing. Specifically, Taylor was named Arkansas Conservation Communicator of the Year for 2010 by the Arkansas Wildlife Federation (AWF) at the 73rd Annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards Banquet, last Saturday.

According to the news release I got, “Each year, as part of the Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards, the Arkansas Wildlife Federation selects an individual or organization that has provided outstanding media coverage that keeps the general public informed of environmental issues and needs impacting The Natural State.”

While you sometimes hear about “award-winning” writers, many times those awards are not particularly critical in nature. I think this one is different as the Federation looks for real performance and influence within his outdoor-oriented part of the country.

Congratulations, LT!

Sometimes it’s a big deal and sometimes it’s something pretty small that makes fishing easier. When it comes to handling fluoro leader material for all the splices to braid, the Shark Tooth is one of those small pleasures. After just a couple of trips, I can say this: the thing works.

Of course, it doesn’t look like much (frankly, like something little girls use to hold their hair in place) and it was devised by fly fishermen, so we would never think to look in that direction, but it’s handy and complete. It allows you to pull off just what you need, provides a protected stainless steel blade to cut the line, and keeps the tag end under control.

As you can (sorta) see from the photos, the components are pretty simple. A length elastic with the cutter (shark tooth) riveted on with two hollow fasteners. The “holes” through the shark tooth (the one behind the blade, is the key one) serve to feed line, which you then draw across the blade and while thumbing the plastic protector, to cut cleanly.

Things to note. First, wrap the Shark Tooth strap around the spool with the blade pointed in the same direction as the line unwinds. Then stretch the band out and take the tag line and thread it through the “back” hole from underneath. Finally, when you dispense line by pulling the tag in one hand, use your thumb and forefinger of the other hand to serve as spindle or axle so the spool turns.

I had thought there might be a risk of abrasion as the leader goes through the metal grommet, but I can’t see or feel anything with the leaders. And, when you think of how fussy the fly guys are, including their use of a lot lighter material than we like, I think we’re going to be just fine with these–for less than 5 bucks, too.

Another thing it’s done for me is let me use every yard of a spool of fluorocarbon. When you use “whole spool” fluoro, unless you’ve measured out pretty closely, you always end up with line at the end of the spool. Now I don’t waste those last few turns.

TONY LAIN on 'em early

Part-time tournament pro Tony Lain may not get all the hours he wants to fish, but this proven performer (most recently a qualifier for the CBC State Championship) regularly delivers in the clutch. And one of his secrets to success is to mine every moment–especially the morning hours.

For the Sun City resident, that means hitting the best water at first light. “In the tournament situation, you want to fish your big fish water–points, humps or flats next to deep water–at that time. That’s prime time for a big bite.”

Depending on the seasonal conditions, what he uses will vary, of course. “If there’s a reaction bite, I’m throwing a Revenge spinnerbait deep runner. If it’s a crank bite, I’ll use a square-bill deep diver. And if there’s topwater, I go with a Jackall Bowstick. That’s a bad dude in the morning for big bites.”

As with most successful competitive anglers, there is always a clock ticking. Having already planned for the approach, he’ll have the key rods and baits on deck. There’s no digging in the locker during those precious low-light moments.

But one thing everyone wants to know is when to do you break from a spot, so I asked him, how long does he push an approach. He paused, then said, “For me, under tournament conditions, I’ll work a spot 15 to 20 minutes and then get off to the next one.”

But that’s not the whole story. “They say never leave biting fish, but if they’re not the right size, you’ve got to leave them,” he advised.

After that, experience takes over. Having left a spot, he said, “We normally have a milk run in our minds–several humps offshore (sounding a lot like Diamond Valley, though he never mentioned it by name.) Or in a crunch you go and fish a point.”

But in thinking big early, he never waivers. “In low light, you need to throw your bigger baits. Even with worms, you don’t want your 4-inch Robo, you want that 12-inch Power Worm.”

I ask that for a good reason after doing some reading this weekend. While I’ve heard reference to threadfin shad spawning more than just once (a year)–and that in early summer–I really hadn’t confirmed that in my head.

And I should have.

So when I looked at some available data (click here), I realized that yes, there could be multiple shad spawns in the front of summer, and then again later when those conditions generally repeat themselves at the end of summer.

Because of the numbers involved and the reputed short life-span of the baitfish (around two years), it seems pretty apparent that those “mature” or larger shad that are supposed to dominate the fall season, are probably more of a theoretical presence. In other words, if you take a million 2 1/2-inch shad and they lay say 10,000 eggs each, and do this three times in 12 months, what is the forage base going to look like?

The young of year grow to just under an inch in three to four weeks, and maybe up to 2 1/2 inches in the first year. No matter what is left of the mature, max-aged adult shad that are still alive, they are going to be lost in a sea of smaller baitfish. If that’s the case, then, when we drop down in size of our offerings, we are not doing anything unusual, we are just going in with another bite-sized bait.

Yet, that’s not all bad because where this kind of biomass is present, it also means that all the fish–all sizes of predator fish–are faced with equal conditions. And in all likelihood, the fact that shad tend to school by size, and that larger shad hand in the upper stratum of water, it also figures the predators that want more bang for their bite are also shallow.

It’s not enough to match the hatch. I think it’s presentation including levels, angles and vibration may have more to do with drawing strikes. Whatever the finesse methodology, it has to have more to do with drawing attention to the bait, rather than mimicking to the last detail.

What touch do you “add” that draws attention to your bait?

As we’re about to do a banner change on the KGF home page, I thought I’d come up with one last contest featuring some nice Sebile baits for the winner. In this case, I’ve got a couple of smaller Magic Swimmers, plus a Bonga Minnow topwater and a Koolie Minnow rip bait. You know what that stuff costs, so it’s a nice take-home for one question (plus a tie-breaker, if necessary).

As they often do, foreign manufacturers (speaking specifically of the design) often come up with their own versions of popular U.S. lures. In the case of the classic “lipless vibrator” lure, there are lots, however, the original design (and even the first notable modifications) were all plastic, not metal, U.S. products. That’s what I want, no Sonars or Silver Buddies or Gay Blades.

For fun (and profit) can anyone give me the names of  five baits or models of those lures, from U.S. companies ONLY. I can think of at least four brands that had or have these lure types, but there is wiggle room (pardon the pun) because there were differing model names among those. You can draw from those model names if you like.

Just give me five only. If I get more than one response with the correct answers, we’ll go with the following tie-breaker.

As a spin-off from the lipless crank came a series of tight vibrating, lipped baits as well. Luhr Jensen has a popular one, but more than 25 years ago, so did Bomber. To break the tie, name those two “fast” lures.

RIB WORM no more?

UPDATED–Not intentionally, but the “bug” that got into my site and shut me down also gobbled up my lead paragraph. The gist of it, I’ve been waiting for a couple of months for a reorder on 4-inch Yum Rib Worms. Instead, today, I got word that one of my favorite worms has been discontinued.

For almost three years, this fatter-than-the-other-guys’ ringed bait has more than made my day on many a trip. I’ve had partners just shrug their shoulders or grit their teeth, once they realized there wasn’t going to be a better way to catch ‘em than the Yumster and an 1/8-ounce Owner darthead.

Unfortunately, the bass market sometimes goes with lean and sexy instead of chubby and reliable. So says Lawrence Taylor, PR director for Pradco Outdoor Brands. In his words, “A company spokesman said slow sales is the reason for discontinuation of any product.”

As a consolation, he noted, “Special orders can be arranged though.”

Right now, though, I’m shaken. I’ve got some watermelon and smoke/red/black, but I’m leery of substitutes.  Sure, there are other ring worms around, but none with the same feel, the built-in LPT scent attractor, or the confidence I have built up with the big three: green pumpkin, watermelon/red flake and the watermelon pepper.

But maybe, just maybe history will repeat itself. After all, Yum is part of the same company that once discontinued the Pop R! What a comeback that bait made.

Well, okay. I’ll try and get through this the best I can. But tell me, Owner didn’t say they were going to stop making their dart head, did they?

GARY KLEIN, former PAA board member, is leaning toward B.A.S.S. circuit

“Change is good–sometimes.” So says former Oroville resident and 29-time Bassmasters Classic qualifier Gary Klein.

In this instance a lot is changing in his professional career. Not only has ESPN sold B.A.S.S. to a new ownership group led by former TV host Jerry McKinnis, but Klein’s Triton boat sponsor was purchased by Platinum Equities, already holders of Ranger, Champion and Stratos brands.

On the one hand, this might seem like an opportune time to advance the cause of the player driven Professional Anglers Association (PAA) which has commenced its own tour. After all, Gary is a former member of its Board of Directors.

But it’s not happening.

When I caught up with him practicing on Lake Conroe yesterday (site of the PAA’s huge Toyota Texas Bass Classic) Klein told me,  “I haven’t been competing in PAA because of scheduling, but I’ll be competing in the last two.”

But it was evident he was miffed over last year’s snub in the TTBC, an event originally spawned by pro fishermen. “I was not part of it last year. They had some points system that had me (way down). I would put up my year and my career against a lot of guys (for a shot at the $200,000 in prize money).”

As it turned out, the tournament took 15 from FLW, 15 from B.A.S.S., 15 from PAA and 5 provisional spots for Toyota sponsored pros. Obviously, Gulf States Toyota was pulling the strings, which is prima facie evidence that there is no “Big 3″ in bass organizations. That’s because PAA, as yet, cannot stand on its own.

“BASS and FLW are still owned by third parties. PAA is angler run; but time will tell,” says Klein.

Reflecting on the sale of B.A.S.S., he says, “I look at it as a positive. I’m excited for B.A.S.S. and I applaud Jerry and I will support him to the best of my ability. The brand (B.A.S.S.) has been around for a long time. If Jerry puts on a competitive (tour) and I have the credentials, I’m going to be involved.”

As for the merry-go-round within the boating industry, Klein says, “It’s a positive for Triton because Earl (Bentz, the founder) is still a part of it. That’s a really good thing and gets them out from under the corporate umbrella and should get them more one-on-one with the dealers.” As Gary suggests, “It certainly needed a change of direction and Earl has reached out to everyone of us (on the pro staff.) He brings a personal touch.”

Which gets us back to the PAA, which Klein has enthusiastically supported from the beginning. “I’m not saying (Toyota demands) are a bad thing nor that they (the PAA) don’t have hurdles to overcome. I’m just not involved with them.”