Bass Angler's Guide Print Magazine by Bass Angler Magazine

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GONE FISHING PROMOTIONS Billing Address: PO Box 2805 • San Ramon, CA 94583 Phone: 925-362-3190• Fax: 925-362-303

PUBLISHER / EDITOR Mark Lassagne • mark@ezbass.com

SALES DIRECTOR

Mark Lassagne• mark@bassanglersguide.com

ART DIRECTOR

Steve Adams steve@316design.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Aaron Coleman • Fred Roumbanis Mark Tyler • Randy Pringle • Cliff Pirch Doug Chesmore • Sean Minderman Mark Lassagne • Ken Cook • George Roth Kent Brown • John & Tammy Morrow Bobby Barrack • Greg Gutierrez Sieg Taylor • Dave Rush • Tony Stoltz Andy Cuccia *Cooch* • Ted Nguyen Jay Yelas • Tony Franceschi • Andre Moore Ross England • Jamie Cyphers THANKS GUYS & GAL!

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Mark Lassagne

(510) 724-2275 4 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

to you down, we are going back with one book for both regions. This magazine will cover New Mexico to Northern California, including fishing information in Washington and Oregon. We may perhaps never be able to include event dates for the great northwest due to their planning timetable. However, we will continue to expand our coverage as it becomes available. Our goal is to give you the information you need in the best and easiest format, we can. The Bass Angler’s Guide in our 14th Your comments and suggestions are year made some radical changes last always welcome. year going from the old calendar format to a magazine. The main reason Sincerely, for the change was we wanted to Mark Lassagne expand and bring you more useful information. There was just no more P.S. Thank You for your support! room in the old calendar format. It seems most anglers were happy with the format change, except for the missing calendar squares (date grid). We have this year reinstated these squares. In attempt to keep the cost

Inside The Guide 2006 Grid Calendar With Events! 8-3 33 Circuit Contact Information California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and More!

53-54

39 Tony Stoltz

Westernbass.com – A Bass Fishing Community and Resource Haven

Direct From The Pros:

41 Andy Cuccia *Cooch*

9 Aaron Coleman

42 Ted Nguyen

10 Jay Yelas

45 Tony Franceschi

Jigs for all Seasons

Preparation & Budgeting For Tournaments

Finding’em As Fast As 1-2-3! How Instinct And Faith Play Into My Fishing ...

12 Fred Roumbanis

How To Prepare For A Big Tournament On A New Lake

15 Mark Tyler

2006 Western Edition

Clear Lake Year Round!

47 Andre Moore Finesse Flipping

49 Greg Gutierrez Fall at Lake Shasta

50 Ross England

Come From Behind

Swimbaits

16 Randy Pringle Seasonal Patterns

19 Cliff Pirch

Lake Roosevelt, AZ

20 Doug Chesmore

Fish Finder Interference

by Jamie Cyphers

Preparing For Success

24 Mark Lassagne

On Location:

Fishing Line

Reversal Of Fortune In Bass Fishing

Columbia River

28 George Roth

Brownlee Reservoir

31 Kent Brown

by George Roth

Catching Bigger Spotted Bass

32 John & Tammy Morrow

___________________

Fishing As A Team From Pre-fish To Win

Classifieds:

34 Bobby Barrack 36 Sieg Taylor

by Bob Adkinson

On Location:

Ultra Finesse Drop Shot Rods

Spring Bass, Delta

On Location: Lake Powell

23 Sean Minderman

27 Ken Cook

___________________

Buy, Sell & Trade Some Stuff

Go From the Back “Young Man” to the Pointe End

38 Dave Rush The Moon Phases

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 5

De-fflating Deep-C Caught Bass Bass caught in water 35 feet or deeper may have an over-inflated gas bladder (swim bladder). If released immediately, the fish can usually swim back down to the proper depth. However, if held for a period of time in a live well (for example in a bass tournament), the fish tires and its muscles can no longer compensate for the pressure. One indicator of this condition is that the bass appears to be bloated with an extended belly; another, and probably the best, is that the bass floats in the livewell or on the surface of the lake without being able to swim down below the surface.

cedure. Deflating a bass in a livewell or holding tank is much easier than trying to do it while leaning out of a boat. To deflate a swim bladder, you will need a 2inch hypodermic needle. These needles are sharp, so use caution when using them. Use the above picture as a reference to the correct location to insert the needle. Imagine a line from the notch in the dorsal fin to the anal opening.

The insertion point will be on that line at a point about 1 inch below where the imaginary line crosses the lateral line. When inserting the needle, lift a scale and go under it rather than through the scale. Angle the needle towards the front of the fish and carefully insert the needle until the point should be close to the center of the fish. The distance that you have to insert the needle will vary with the size and thickness of the bass. You should hold the bass under water after getting the needle started. When you hit the swim bladder, air bubbles should come out of the back of the needle. Very gently squeezing the bass will assist the swim bladder in deflating. When the air bubbles slow down and the bass no longer appears bloated, carefully withdraw the needle. The bass should now be deflated and able to swim down below the surface of the water.

An over-inflated swim bladder should be deflated to assist in the healthy release of the bass. Remember to keep the bass in water as much as possible during this pro-

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January 2006 Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

DRAW

TEAM

PRO-AM

Sunday 01

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team

NEW YEAR’S DAY 02

Bartlett AllStar Couples Team Berryessa Spanish Flat WON VR Team Delta Russo's Anglers DRW Team Diamond Valley Dual Federation Draw McClure Barretts AC SemiPro ML Team Millerton Fresno 100% BV Team Nacimiento WON CC Team San Vicente Main American Bass SD Team Silverwood American Bass HD Team

Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team Mc Clure PH Jigs 100% ML Team Perris WON IE Team

Fred Hall Fishing & Boat Show ~ San Francisco 09

Berryessa Spanish Flat 100% WR Team Cachuma Anglers CC Team Delta Tracy Oasis Team Fisher's Landing WON CR Team Folsom Browns WON FH Team McClure Barrets NorCal ProAm Morgan Lake Anglers NM Team Nacimiento Main 100% CR Team Oroville Dam American Bass ORO Team Perris Anglers P Team San Vicente WON SD Team Shasta Lake Anglers SCC Team

Berryessa Markley Anglers FH Team Clear Lake KV Casino American Bass NC Tm Delta Hook Team Diamond Valley National Bass DV Team Millerton Fresno Federation Draw Oroville BD Billards 100% NR Team

ISE Fishing Show ~ San Mateo 16

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Camanche WON ML Team Castaic Anglers SC Team Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team Diamond Valley Anglers DV Team Folsom Brown's American Bass F Team Lake Pleasant AllStar Team McClure American Bass ML Team Mead Callville WON NV Team San Vicente National Bass SD Team Shasta Jones WON SCR Team

Berryessa Spanish Flat Angler NC Team Delta Tracy Oasis Team Diamond Valley WON DV Team San Vicente ABA SD Draw Shasta Packers American Bass SCC Team

ISE Fishing Show ~ Sacramento FLW Tour ~ Lake Okeechobee - ProAm 23 / 30

24 / 31

Bartlett AllStar Team CastaicWest Anglers C Team Diamond Valley Federation Draw Havasu Windsor Anglers CR Team Martinez, Fisher’s National Bass CR Team Nacimiento Anglers PC Team Perris Ramp 5 or 6 American Bass IE Team Pine Flat American Bass BV Team Pyramid American Bass GE Team

Perris National Bass IE Team Super Bowl Sunday

WONBASS North ~ Shasta Bridge Bay - ProAm ISE Fishing Show ~ Denver 8 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

Finding’em As Fast As 1-2 2-3 3! In today’s fast paced world most people want results yesterday. In the world of tournament bass fishing it’s no different. In fact with the pressure, competition and ever changing conditions of your typical tournament, you just might want to get today’s results last week. So let’s talk about where, when and how to find today’s limit as fast as possible. POINTS Every body of water has at least one “point,” and that’s a great place to start fishing. But why? Points give both prey and predators horizontal or vertical routes between shallow and deep water. And with multiple directions for shad, blue gill, trout and other fish to maneuver it’s easy to see why an apex predator like bass would live there. Point’s present bass with so many feeding opportunities, it’s like living in a supermarket. So let’s go shopping! HUMPS This is one of my favorite places to fish. There’s something about not being able to see my target that gets me excited. Humps are always shallower than the surrounding structure, and are like a magnet for bass. Whenever you find a foot or more depth change there’s a good chance “a dog” could be lurking nearby. Humps usually are made of rock, clay, sand or some other firm structure. The surrounding landscape can give you a pretty good idea of where they’re likely to be. Islands, rocky banks and landslide areas are a tip-off you could be in the right place. When you find a hump always make your first cast to the shallowest part and then work deeper. The most active fish are on the shallowest part of the hump and the inactive bass hang on the edges. ROCK, TULE & WEEDS This combination usually is found in river systems like the California Delta, or natural waters

like Clear Lake. I think it’s the combination of structure and cover that attracts the bass. A lot of times they have a tendency to look for deeper spots near the bank where the rock-tule-weed combination is present. When I say “deeper”, I mean as little as 6 inches or more. Even on low-tide at the California Delta those little holes are going to hold fish. And on high tide this is one of the first places to turn-on because the bass are already there. They don’t have to migrate to the spot. So what makes this combination so good? The rocks provide a vertical structure that allows bass to put their tail or nose against. Rocks tend to hold heat in the winter and be cool in the summer. They also attract crawdads, insects and other critters for bass to feed on. Tules give bass great vertical cover to suspend in. I say this because most of my bites in the tules come on the fall. Tules generally grow on hard bottom, which is an ideal place for bass to spawn and live. Weeds are the equivalent of an apartment building full of prey and predators. The weed stock acts like a wall, with the tips serving as the roof. Living weeds produce oxygen. Dead ones produce heat. Bass are attracted to green weeds in warm weather and dead ones when it’s cold.

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The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 9

How Instinct And Faith Play Into My Fishing ... It is an interesting question. I am sure many an angler has pondered his own answer during some quiet moments. Most of us are always trying to get better as fishermen, so we do some deep introspection to gain an understanding what exactly it is that makes us tick. First of all, I must say that instinct and faith are but two of many ingredients that can make up a great angler. There is a lot more that goes into being a good fisherman. Certainly hard work and practice are very important. So, too, are the intangible variables in a person’s heart such as desire, determination and the will to succeed. There is certainly a lot that goes into a successful life in any profession. I delve into these details of success quite extensively in my autobiography “Jay Yelas, A Champions Journey of Faith, Family and Fishing”. Instinct and faith have certainly been two important ingredients in my fishing career. I can see where it could be quite easy to confuse the two for some people. However, the two are indeed quite different. Many anglers have experienced those “hunches” or “gut feelings” on the water that ultimately led to a great catch of fish. Guys want to find a way to bottle those experiences up so they can experience the thrill again. I guess it would be a good deal if you could take a “good hunch pill” in the morning before a fishing trip. Especially if you could bottle Kevin Van Dams’ hunches. Wouldn’t that be something! Unfortunately, there is no such pill. Instinct, to me, is a part of someone’s natural ability. Fishermen are all born with different amounts of natural ability. Many people don’t think that natural ability correlates with fishing, but it does. Fishing is no different than music or art or business or another sport. Some people are just born with a God-given gift or talent for a certain activity or endeavor. The top athletes in any sport were blessed with a whole lot more natural ability at birth than others. This certainly applies to bass fishing. Instinct, then, is an extension of ones natural 10 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

ability. Some guys just have a better feel for the game than others. Fishing comes so naturally to them. It is easy. They have great hunches or gut feelings on the water because God designed them that way. These guys’ possess a God-given gift that few have. Frequent, true hunches just come naturally to these guys. Other fishermen get instinctive hunches sometimes, still others get them once in a while, and some of you reading this have no idea what I am talking about! Instinct is also affected by the sum of all our experiences on the water. Information collected by our minds after years of on the water experiences somehow gets integrated into the core of who we are. It goes way deeper than just our mind, these repetitions of days on the water somehow get ingrained in our hearts, our personalities. Faith is somewhat different than instinct. A

spiritual person might be inclined to believe his instinctive hunches are from God speaking to him while he is fishing. I believe the Holy Spirit does, at times, speak to some on the water, but most of the time our instinctive hunches come from our God-given natural ability and the sum of our experiences. Interesting, isn’t it, that you can be a great fishermen with or without faith, but you can’t be a great fishermen without instinct. Another way of saying the same thing, is that all great fishermen are great because they were blessed with a tremendous amount of natural Godgiven ability. It is just that some of them don’t recognize where their gifts came from and thank Him for it. As a Christian, my faith centers on Jesus Christ. My faith in His death paying for my sins, and his resurrection meaning I can have a relationship with Him everyday. That is what faith is all about. It is not about a formula for catching more fish. My faith inspires me to give God the glory when I do catch fish, because he has given me the gifts and talents to do so. When you really think about it, God gave us our natural ability from which our instinctive hunches flow. So when you have a great hunch and it pays off with a nice sack of fish, you should give God the Glory because he is ultimately responsible for the hunch! Jay Yelas You can find a copy of Jay’s book, “A Champions Journey of Faith, Family, and Fishing” today at barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.

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How To Prepare For a Big Tournament on a New Lake It can be exciting albeit a little intimidating to go to a lake you’ve never been to before, fishing against locals that have spent most of their lives on the lake. Proper planning and preparation for your venture to this new body of water is critical. Always utilize as many resources as possible, months in advance. This preparation should include the following: Order topographical charts and study them, look for familiarities to the types of water you already know and that fit your style of fishing. Most of your research and practice can be done weeks, even months, in advance. Try to locate an area on the topographical map that has a multitude of structures of all types in as condensed an area as possible. Use the intranet to research local fishing

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reports, tackle dealers in the area, past tournament results, annual weather patterns that directly relate to the phase in which the bass are in; and the daily, weekly, and annual water fluctuations of the body of water you are about to fish. On a new body of water an angler has a tendency to limit his or her fishing to a location without taking into consideration possible weather changes. Due to unpredictable weather changes, an angler must learn how to adjust to these weather changes as fast as possible. Imagine strong wind changes from every direction; rain, fog, and any other acts that Mother Nature may throw at you. This will help you make quick adjustments during the course of the tournament. Visit the local tackle shops and question them regarding any possible man-made changes to water levels and flow (including lock opening and closing schedules). Learn geographical structures and what primary source of bait lives in the water. This will be a good starting area to test your techniques on this new body of water. You will be able to determine what type of baits the fish are biting, how deep they are, and test your personal fishing techniques. This allows you to get the most out of your practice time. You won’t be wasting your time running around the entire lake. Once you locate a pattern that works for you and the type of structure the fish are relating to, you can start roaming the lake looking for more areas. The key is to approach a new area with an idea and a location of where you want to start fishing. I tend to find an area as far away from the main launch site and work that area until I pattern a way to catch the fish. Then I begin to work my way back towards the ramp looking for similarities and hopefully find five or six areas that I will be able to utilize during the tournament. This way, in my

mind, I have not left a stone up-turned. When practicing I always catch one or two fish in an area before I stop swinging on hook-sets. Try not to catch more than a fish or two in a single area if you know the quality is there. If you catch more than a couple of fish in an area during practice you

are potentially beating up the area and the fish won’t be there during the tournament. Don’t forget, you won’t be the only fisherman hitting these areas. A common mistake for anglers is to overfish an area during practice. For best results, start your research early. Don’t go to any new waters with any predetermined plan of attack. Versatility along with confidence is the key. You must have the skills and be willing to change your techniques at a moment’s notice. If you find an area with fish try to become intimate with the area. Most importantly, trust your instincts. See you on the water …. Fred Roumbanis Sponsors: Okuma Fishing Tackle Maui Jim Sun Glasses Power Pro • Snag Proof Yakima Baits• Put a Sock On It Yamaha Motors • Ranger Boats

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Monday

DRAW

Tuesday

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

TEAM

Wednesday

February 2006

PRO-AM

Thursday

Groundhog Day

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Cachuma Main American Bass PC Team Castaic Main American Bass SC Team Delta Tracy Oasis Team Diamond Valley Anglers DV Team El Capitan Main American Bass SD Team Oroville Dam American Bass ORO Team Pine Flat Doyle 100% BV Team Shasta Lake Anglers SCC Team Silverwood American Bass HD Team

Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team Diamond Valley National Bass DV Team Oroville Spillway Anglers GC Team “DUAL” Oroville Spillway Anglers SemiPro NC Team Perris WON IE Team Pine Flat Deer Ck Federation Draw

FLW Stren Series ~ Lake Havasu - ProAm

Cachuma Anglers CC Team Castaic West National Bass SW Team Delta Russo's 100% DR Team Folsom Browns WON FH Team Havasu WON CR Team Lopez Marina 100% CR Team Mead Callville American Bass CR Team Melones Glory Hole NorCal ProAm Millerton WON GV Team Morgan Lake Anglers NM Team Oroville CBAF Team Otay National Bass SD Team Perris Anglers P Team

Delta Hook Team Delta Ladd's Federation Draw Don Pedro Anglers SemiPro ML Team Folsom Brown's Anglers FH Team Melones Glory Hole 100% ML Team Perris National Bass IE Team San Vicente Federation Draw Shasta Packers American Bass SCC Team

FLW Tour ~ Lake Murray - ProAm

Valentine's Day

Clear Lake KV Casino 100% WR Team Delta Russo's National Bass DR Team Don Pedro American Bass ML Team Martinez, Fisher’s National Bass CR Team Lake Pleasant AllStar Couples Team Pleasant Harbor American Bass CA Team

Berryessa Putah Ck American Bass NC Team Cachuma Anglers CC Team Delta Tracy Oasis Team Melones Federation Draw Otay ABA SD Draw

ISE Fishing Show ~ Los Angeles WONBASS South ~ Havasu - ProAm

Bartlett AllStar Team Castaic WON SC Team Clear Lake KV Casino WON VR Team Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team Delta Russo's WON DR Team Don Pedro Anglers ML Team El Capitan WON SD Team Elephant Butte, NM Anglers CNM Team Fisher's Landing AB Y Team Mead Callville American Bass NV Team Millerton American Bass BV Team Nacimiento Anglers PC Team Oroville Bidwell WON SCR Team Perris Ramp 5 or 6 American Bass IE Team Shasta Bridge Bay 100% ProAm

Delta Russo's Anglers DRW Team Diamond Valley WON DV Team Folsom Brown's American Bass F Team Shasta Phils 100% NR Team Sonoma Engineers Ramp Anglers NC Team

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 13

March 2006 Monday

Tuesday

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

Wednesday

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

DRAW

TEAM

PRO-AM

Sunday

Bartlett AllStar Team Delta Russo's 100% DR Team Havasu, Windsor National Bass CR Team Millerton Fresno 100% BV Team Mohave Cottonwood WON NV Team New Melones Anglers ML Team Oroville Dam American Bass ORO Team Otay Main American Bass SD Team Santa Margarita American Bass PC Team

Berryessa Spanish Flat Angler NC Team Berryessa Spanish Flat Anglers NC SemiPro Clear Lake Lake Port Federation Draw Dual Delta Ladd's National Bass DR Team Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team Don Pedro PH Jigs 100% ML Team Folsom Browns WON FH Team Mohave Cottonwood WON NV Team

FLW Stren Series ~ Clear Lake - ProAm FLW Tour ~ Pickwick Lake - ProAm Lake Amistad Sun Country Team Long Beach Fred Hall Fishing & Boat Show

11 Alamo WON CR Team

Clear Lake KV Casino Anglers FH Team Anderson CBAF Team Delta Ladd's Federation Draw Berryessa Spanish Flat 100% WR Team Diamond Valley American Bass DV Team Casitas Main American Bass SC Team Castaic West National Bass SW Team Melones Anglers SemiPro ML Team Clear Lake KV Casino WON VR Team Oroville 100% FuturePro Delta Ladds Anglers DRE Team Perris WON IE Team Diamond Valley Anglers DV Team San Vicente AIM Marine Team Havasu Windsor Anglers CR Team Sonoma American Bass NC Team Hogan WON ML Team Margarita WON CC Team Mead Callville American Bass NV Team Morgan Lake Anglers NM Team Oroville Spillway Anglers GC Team Pine Flat American Bass BV Team San Vicente National Bass SD Team Silverwood American Bass HD Team Arizona Bass Federation ~ Havasu - Draw Hook Line & Sinker ~ Delta Team TOC ISE Show ~ Phoenix

St. Patrick’s

Day

Bartlett Main American Bass CA Team Casitas WON SC Team Berryessa Spanish Furture Pro Team Delta Tracy Oasis Team Casitas Anglers SC Team Diamond Valley WON DV Team Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team Diamond Valley National Bass DV Team Don Pedro Flemming Dual Federation Draw Don Pedro Flemming NorCal ProAm El Capitan Federation Draw Elephant Butte American Bass NM Team Folsom Brown's American Bass F Team Lake Pleasant AllStar Couples Team Margarita White Oak 100% CR Team Perris National Bass IE Team McClure American Bass ML Team San Vicente ABA SD Draw Nacimiento National Bass CC Team Shasta Packers American Bass SCC Team Otay WON SD Team Powell Bullfrog WON LP Team Powell Wahweap American Bass LP Team Pyramid American Bass GE Team Shasta Jones WON SCR Team Success WON GV Team Utah Federation ~ Lake Powell Bullfrog - Draw

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Delta Russo's Anglers DRW Team Delta Russo's Anglers Dual Team Delta Tracy Oasis Team Don Pedro Flemming Future Pro Team Elephant Butte, NM Anglers CNM Team Fisher's Landing American Bass Y Team HavasuWindsor American Bass CR Team Lopez Anglers PC Team Oroville 100% ProAm Perris Ramp 5 or 6 American Bass IE Team Shasta Lake Anglers SCC Team

Delta Russo's WON DR Team Oroville BD Billards 100% NR Team

Mead Callville WONBASS South ProAm

FLW Stren Series Lake Shasta ProAm

14 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

Come From Behind Tournament fishing can be an emotional roller coaster. Many times our performance doesn’t live up to our expectations. Usually a really good prefish before a tournament can lead to high expectations in that event. Unfortunately, reality sometimes strikes on tournament day, and we find ourselves pitifully down on the bottom of the leader board. Being on the bottom half of the leader board is a situation I’ve been faced with more than I would like to admit. Thank goodness most tournaments I fish are multiple day events, so there is always a chance for that miraculous comeback on day two. I have fished in many tournaments over my career and have come back from poor starts on numerous occasions. Sometimes even coming back to win the event! Most of the time however, winning is just too far out of reach and we simply have to go into “damage control mode”. Catch the best possible limit on day 2 of the event to help save points for the circuit, and of course save some pride. One classic example of this ‘in my career’ was in 2003 when the Bassmaster Tour finally came west to fish the Cal Delta and Clear lake. I was chomping at the bit; my expectations

were extremely high to do well on my “home waters”. After the first day of the Clear lake event, I was almost in last place with one pound! What happened? How could this happen to me? I was borderline a mental shipwreck after this first day of competition. I saw my whole season flushing down the toilet right before my eyes. I knew it was gut check time, and I needed to comeback, and comeback fast! That second day of the event I tried something that was new to me. Not a new bait or technique, but a new mental approach. I entered that day with no expectations as to where or how I would catch fish. I told myself to trust my instincts, have faith in my own ability, and believe the fish would come. I began to see the lake that day in a new light and began fishing the current conditions opposed to how I expected to catch them the day before. I milled around the lake and with a combination of sight fishing and flipping I caught a 20lb limit that propelled me from the standing sheet cellars to the top half of the field! That limit saved my tour season points, a little pride, and qualified me to move on to the last two remaining events. I believe that first day crash and burn was

mostly in part to the high expectations I had on the day. Once things didn’t work the way I had planned, the whole day just unraveled. I have since changed my mental approach in multi-day tournaments. Limiting the amount of expectation I put on one fishing spot or technique helps me focus on the current conditions. This allows your instincts to really control the day, and be better at moving with the ebb and flow of the fish activity. Having bad tournament days is something that happens to us all. What matters most is how you rebound from those poor starts. Keep a strong positive attitude, and even if you don’t make that miraculous comeback, analyze what happened and try to learn from it. If you learned something, even a bad tournament can be a positive for your future success. ><))> Basscat Boats, Mercury Marine, Kistler Rods, Luhr-Jensen, marktylerfishing.com

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 15

Seasonal Patterns

Seasonal patterns have been haunting anglers for years. You might have been casting top water bait in December because it worked in August remember there are no written rules on when to throw different baits. However there are better percentage baits to fish during different times of the year to add more fish to your day. That’s what makes bass fishing so unpredictable and challenging. When pattering bass in different seasons I look for water temperature. This will tell me how fast or slow I need to fish and what food sources are most available. This will help me select colors and water depth for the baits I need to throw. Let’s start with winter. The water is extremely cold, low to high 40’s. The fish are going to be very sluggish. Keeping the bait in their face is very important. Bass primarily will not chase bait very far for a meal. Fishing slow with plastic baits like Berkley Gulp or Berkley Power Bait due to their heavy concentrated scent, allows the bass to find it. Strike King Wild Shiner suspending rip baits, number three and four Strike King Crank baits fished in a slow, stop and go technique can be very effective. Persuader’s jigs accented with the new jig craw trailer fished with a slow crawling action, no hopping, completes my arsenal for the winter. In all of these baits, crawdad color and shad colors are my favorite. Worms and jigs, I use red & black, black & blue, brown & orange and greens. For the cranks and rip baits, chrome & blue, chrome & black, red & black, white, and chartreuse are some of the best. Keep them in the

16 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

strike zone as long as you can, fish sloooooow. An important fact; clarity of the water and color selection is very crucial. If the fish cannot see it, you won’t “get bit”. Spring time is big fish time. This is where the water starts reaching temperatures from the mid 50’s to the mid 60’s. You will be fishing prespawn, spawn and post spawn bass that will be positioned in different areas such as breaks, flats and tight to shoreline. You will need to decide which bass you are going to target to create your pattern. In spring Mother Nature is very active in all walks of life. Lizards, Frogs, Turtles, baby Ducks, small birds and we can’t forget the bass’s public enemy #1, the blue gill. With all these different food sources, just about any bait you throw will work. Try different techniques. This is a great time to try something new. Look outside the box, be creative and have fun. Summertime, when the water reaches from the high 60’s to 70’s, just like spring any bait will work. With the warmer waters you must look for moving or cooler water in your area. This is where you will find an abundance of food sources for bass. The bass’ metabolism is at its peak; their intake of food is fast and furious. Large baits like Persuaders swim baits and Double Buzzer buzz baits, Berkley Bat Wing Frogs and Power Hawgs, can help you put a “good ole’ biggin” or a “big ole’ goodin” in the boat. Remember a large bass would rather have one large meal then swim around exerting a lot of energy chasing smaller

baits. When fall ends your season, the water temperature starts to drop from the high 70’s. Patterns change rapidly. Just about all baits will work in fall, but “hear me now” with dropping temperatures, versatility and adjustments are very important. Anytime you get weather stability bass are easier to pattern. With a two degree temperature swing it could change you from throwing buzz baits to spinner baits. This time of year it could be sunny in the morning then in the afternoon it could be overcast, so color selection changes are extremely important. Don’t get stuck on “what happened yesterday”. Remember, fishing year around, rely more on the temperature of the water then the actual season. Mother Nature can be ahead or behind on her “seasons”. Good luck and let’s get on those fish. Randy Pringle Sponsors: Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Adams Marine, Stockton Nissan, Persuader Bass Baits, Assassinator, Berkley, Gulp, Power Worms, Spider Wire, Trilene Line, Fenwick, Abu Garcia Reels, Daiichi, Tru-Turn, X-Point Hooks, Windjammer Eyewear, Strike King Crank Baits, Bottom Line Depth Finders

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Monday

Tuesday

DRAW

TEAM

Wednesday

April 2006

PRO-AM

Thursday

Friday

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit Region, Event Type

Saturday

Sunday

Cachuma Anglers CC Team Casitas Federation Draw CastaicWest Anglers C Team Delta Ladds Anglers DRE Team Don Pedro American Bass ML Team Folsom Honorbound Team Havasu Windsor Anglers CR Team Perris Anglers P Team Pine Flat Doyle 100% BV Team Powell Wahweap American Bass LP Team San Vicente Main American Bass SD Team

Daylight Savings Time Begins

Don Pedro Anglers ML Team Folsom Brown's Anglers FH Team Perris WON IE Team San Vicente AIM Marine Team Shasta Packers American Bass SCC Team Sonoma Corp of Engineer Anglers NC Team Trinity Federation Draw

Utah BASS Federation Spring Qualifier ~ Bullfrog, Lake Powell - Draw Arizona Bass Federation ~ Pleasant - Draw

Cachuma Main American Bass PC Team Castaic Main American Bass SC Team Delta 100% FuturePro Delta Tracy Oasis Team TOC Don Pedro NorCal Team Lake Roosevelt AllStar Couples Team McClure Future Pro Team Millerton American Bass BV Team Nacimiento WON CC Team Oroville Dam American Bass ORO Team Powell Bullfrog WON LP Team San Vicente National Bass SD Team Silverwood American Bass HD Team

Delta Russo's Anglers DRW Team Diamond Valley American Bass DV Team Don Pedro Anglers SemiPro ML Team Kaweah Federation Draw Melones Glory Hole 100% ML Team Oroville Bidwell WON SCR Team Powell Bullfrog WON LP Team Powell Bullfrog WON LP Team Sonoma American Bass NC Team

WONBASS South ~ Pleasant Pleasant Harbor - ProAm

WWW.BASSANGLERSGUIDE.COM

FLW Tour ~ Beaver Lake - ProAm

Sun Country ~ Allen Henry - Team

Castaic FOCL Eve Team

Casitas National Bass SW Team Castaic Anglers SC Team Clear Lake KV Casino 100% WR Team Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team Delta Russo's 100% DR Team Diamond Valley Anglers DV Team Elephant Butte American Bass NM Team Folsom Browns WON FH Team Kaweah WON GV Team MeadCallville Anglers CR Team Oroville Spillway Anglers GC & SemiPro Team Perris Ramp 5 or 6 American Bass IE Team Powell Wahweap American Bass LP Team Pyramid American Bass GE Team San Antonio N Shore 100% CR Team

Alan Henry, TX Anglers CNM Team Clear Lake Harbor Future Pro Team Fisher's Landing WON CR Team Folsom Brown's American Bass F Team Lake Pleasant AllStar Team Lopez Anglers PC Team Mead Callville WON NV Team Mohave Cottonwood American Bass NV Team Perris Anglers P Team

Easter Sunday

Powell Wahweap American Bass LP Team

Camanche Federation Draw Clear Lake Red Bud Anglers NC Team Diamond Valley National Bass DV Team El Capitan ABA SD Draw Mead Callville WON NV Team Shasta Phils 100% NR Team

National Bass CC ~ Santa Margarita - Team Stratos Western Regional ~ Delta WONBASS North ~ Delta Russo's - ProAm 22nd & 23rd Anglers Choice South ~ Havasu - ProAm 21st & 22nd

Alamo Main American Bass CA Team Berryessa Spanish Flat WON VR Team Cachuma WON SC Team CastaicWest Anglers C Team Clear Lake KV Casino 100% ProAm Delta Russo's WON DR Team Don Pedro WON ML Team Fisher's Landing American Bass Y Team Havasu, Windsor National Bass CR Team Lake Roosevelt AllStar Couples Team MohaveCotton Wood Angler CR Team San Vicente WON SD Team

Clear Lake KV Casino American Bass NC Tm Delta Ladd's Dual Federation Draw Diamond Valley WON DV Team

Anglers Choice North ~ Oroville - ProAm The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 17

May 2006 Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Thursday

Friday

Cinco de Mayo

Saturday

DRAW

TEAM

PRO-AM

Sunday

Cachuma Anglers CC Team Clear Lake KV Casino 100% WR Team Delta Ladd's Anglers SemiPro DR Team El Capitan National Bass SD Team Havasu Windsor Anglers CR Team Kaweah 100% BV Team Lake Pleasant AllStar Team Lopez Main American Bass PC Team Mead Temple Bar American Bass NV Team Nacimiento National Bass CC Team Perris Ramp 5 or 6 American Bass IE Team Pine Flat Future Pro Team Powell Bullfrog WON LP Team Pyramid American Bass GE Team Shasta Lake Anglers SCC Team Ute, NM Anglers CNM Team

Clear Lake 100% FuturePro Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team Diamond Valley American Bass DV Team Don Pedro Anglers SemiPro ML Team El Capitan AIM Marine Team Oroville Bidwell Anglers FH Team Perris National Bass IE Team Powell Bullfrog WON LP Team

FLW Stren Series ~ Delta - ProAm

Camanche North Shore NorCal ProAm Casitas Eve Anglers SC Team Castaic WON SC Team Delta Ladds Anglers DRE Team Delta Russo's WON DR Team El Capitan WON SD Team Elephant Butte American Bass NM Team Havasu WON CR Team Lake Pleasant AllStar Team Lopez WON CC Team Mead Callville WON NV Team Navajo Lake Anglers NM Team Oroville Spillway Anglers GC & SemiProTeam Perris Anglers P Team Pine Flat American Bass BV Team Powell Wahweap American Bass LP Team Tulloch WON ML Team

Mother’s Day

Mead Callville WON NV Team Navajo Lake Anglers NM Team Powell Wahweap American Bass LP Team

FLW Tour ~ Kentucky Lake - ProAm

Castaic West National Bass SW Team Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team Delta Russo's 100% DR Team Don Pedro NorCal Mixed Team El Capitan Main American Bass SD Team Fisher's Landing American Bass Y Team Havasu Windsor Anglers CR Team Lake Pleasant AllStar Couples Team Margarita White Oak 100% CR Team McClure American Bass ML Team Mead Callville American Bass NV Team Oroville Dam Future Pro Team Roosevelt Badger American Bass CA Team Success WON GV Team

Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team Hemet Federation Draw Oroville BD Billards 100% NR Team Otay ABA SD Draw Perris WON IE Team Pyramid Federation Draw

Sun Country ~ Ute - Team Anglers Choice North ~ Clear Lake CV Casino - ProAm

Memorial Day

18 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

Diamond Valley Anglers DV Team San Antonio Anglers PC Team

Delta Ladd's National Bass DR Team

Lake Roosevelt, AZ Located about an hour and a half northeast of Phoenix, AZ, Roosevelt Lake is one of the most versatile lakes in the West. Solid patterns can be built around both shoreline cover and offshore structure throughout much of the year. Fishermen can take their most productive techniques and find their own niche to catch bass on this lake. Historically, Roosevelt has been known as a great lake for catching good numbers of bass while still having the potential for catching a 1014 pound trophy. Add that to the recent runoff that lifted the lake nearly 100 vertical feet flooding thousands of acres of prime fish holding cover and this could be the new lake of the West in a couple years. There was a great spawn this year for all species in the lake and the bass already look like Clear lake footballs. Largemouth bass are the most numerous in Roosevelt, but there is also a good population of smallmouth. The predominant forage here is threadfin shad and crayfish. There is also a very large population of bluegill and crappie that provide plenty of fuel for bigger bass. Early spring bass can be caught on spinnerbaits, shallow cranks, drop shots and jigs. In the past a football head jig was really popular, but with heavy brush covering nearly every shoreline now a flipping’ style jig is much more efficient. I’ve had great success recently with a ½ oz. watermelon/ watermelon rind colored wood jig from

Strikeworks. Late spring action can be had on a wide variety of lures including topwaters, soft jerks and lots of other shad imitating lures. You can target big fish while they are still shallow with swimbaits and oversize topwaters that shun smaller fish and select for bigger bites. One of my favorite big fish techniques is swimming a Castaic Bluegill around the tops of submerged mesquites and salt cedars. These treetops are a prime location for big bass ambushing bluegills, which seem to be their preferred food this time of year. I use a Rogue 764 rod because you need lots of power and leverage to control fish in these tight locations. This particular bait requires this soft tipped rod to ensure a hookup as it comes through holes in the treetops. Summertime fishing on Roosevelt almost always revolves around some type of worm fishing. You can catch bass a dozen other ways at times during the summer, but a worm is solid from beginning to end. Most Arizonians opt for night fishing during the heat of the summer as do almost all of the summertime tournaments. Fifty fish nights are more normal than uncommon. Fall fishing once again revolves around the shad so consequently shad imitating baits become very effective. Both shallow and deep action can be found. Lipless crankbaits, spoons, spinnerbaits and topwaters are all productive depending on the

weather and water conditions. Off color water can be located in the backs of coves and in both river arms. Main lake areas are likely to still be fairly clear with around 10 feet of visibility. Winter fishing normally remains productive and sometimes excellent for all but a couple weeks. Water temperatures usually hover around the low 50’s. Deep cranks, jigs and Carolina rigs produce well when fish are relating to cover. Bass suspended near schools of shad can be caught with jigging spoons, spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. Winter is also the best time of year to specifically target smallmouths. One of the favorite local techniques is fishing an inline spinner with 4-6 lb. line along rocky banks. If you haven’t heard of Roosevelt Lake then you will soon as much Western attention is likely to be directed there in the near future. To get local information and a current fishing report you can contact The Tackle Box in Tonto Basin located about 10 minutes north of the lake at (928)479-2108. Sponsors: Skeeter Boats Yamaha Castaic Soft Baits Rogue Rods Antich Development

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 19

Fish Finder Interference How frustrating is it to see all those fuzzy line across the face of your depth finder. Why can’t I have a clean clear picture? Hopefully some of these tips will help! There can be several different causes of interference on fish finders. The most common of these is caused by turbulence or air bubbles passing across the face of the transducer. This not usually a problem with bass boats because in a bass boat the puck (transducer) is generally epoxied to the hull rather than mounted on the transom. But if by chance your puck is mounted on the transom and the interference changes with boat speed then you may only need to adjust the transducer as so no bubbles cross the face, see your installation manual for the correct placement. If your manual is lost or misplaced www.Lowrance.com has depth finder manuals you can view or print out online to help you with the correct puck placement. Engine noise can also be a problem. This can be isolated by shifting the boat into neutral and revving the engine. This type of interference will show up on the screen consistent with the speed of the engine. If this is the case your alternator could be the culprit. An additional type of interference might be the engine’s secondary ignition system spark plugs, coils or wires. Make a note if the problem occurred after a repair then back tract on just what repair was made. The battery ground on numerous cases has been the perpetrator this would be the first item to check. Insure all of your battery cables are clean tight and in good condition. Start with the simplest things first. Look around for loose or frayed wires, loose connections in the bilge area in conjunction with under the engine cowling. Some other items 20 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

that can cause interference: Bilge pumps, aerator/live well pumps, cell phones and trolling motors. Each of these problems are relatively easy to isolate, note which item is on or running when

the interference occurs. The hardest part ‘is’ when you find the problem to actually fix it. Sometimes it can remedied in as little as a few minutes or it may take many hours. If your problem is a live well or bilge pump insure you transducer wire is routed away from the pump, check your pumps operation, a bad pump could also cause some interference. Inspect your transducer wire for breaks in the shielding. The wire for your transducer is shielded with a woven ground wire inside to hopefully prevent interference if this is broken anywhere it may allow a false signal to enter and thus cause interference. Some companies have kits to repair transducer wires which will incorporate some soldering. The trolling motor over the years has repeatedly been the culprit and nearly always the most

difficult to repair. Different trolling motor / depth finder combinations have different problems along with different fixes. Like the radio in your car a depth finder operates on a frequency, trolling motors emit a frequency and if they are both on the same frequency there possibly will be interference. Since there are numerous combinations the interference problem is often times repaired by trial and error. With that said here are a few things we have found that helped the problem: 1.Check all of the battery ground cables, be sure they are clean and tight, check the power wire for the depth finder insure they are clean and tight too. 2. Assure the depth finders are powered from the main battery and not the trolling motor batteries. 3. Cut a piece of and old inner tube and place it between the transducer puke and the trolling motor to act as shield from trolling motor electrical noise. 4. Install a ferrite filter on the transducer line then one on the (red wire) power line to the fish finder it self. 5. Ground the trolling motor foot pedal (run a wire from the foot pedal to the main battery ground) 6. Ground the trolling motor (run a wire from the trolling motor head to the main battery ground) If these attempts are unsuccessful we will remove the puck from the trolling motor and install it in the front of the hull usually by the front drain screen we hope that this will cure your interference problem but after all that it still fail we suggest “Sight Fishing” Doug Chesmore Ocean Air Electronics

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Monday

Tuesday

DRAW

TEAM

June 2006

PRO-AM

Wednesday

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Berryessa 100% FuturePro Team CAM Bassllo, NM Anglers CNM Team Casitas WON SC Team CastaicWest Anglers C Team Clear Lake KV Casino WON VR Team Delta Russo's Anglers DRW Team Don Pedro NorCal Eve Team Fisher's Landing WON CR Team Lake Roosevelt* AllStar Team Millerton Future Pro Team MohaveCottonWood American Bass CR Team Oroville Spillway Anglers GC & SemiPro Team Perris Ramp 5 or 6 American Bass IE Team Pleasant Arizona Bass Federation Open

Castaic West National Bass SW Team Clear Lake KV Casino Anglers FH Team Delta Ladd's Dual Federation Draw Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team Diamond Valley American Bass DV Team New Melones Anglers ML Team Shasta Lake Anglers SCC Team Oroville American Bass ORO Team

Utah BASS Federation Summer Qualifier ~ Flaming Gorge Reservoir - Draw

Casitas Eve Anglers CC Team Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team Delta Russo's Future Pro Team Don Pedro American Bass ML Team Elephant Butte American Bass NM Team Havasu Windsor Anglers CR Team Lake Roosevelt AllStar Couples Team Mohave Cottonwood American Bass NV Team Perris Anglers P Team Pleasant Eve Harbor American Bass P Team San Antonio Eve American Bass PC Team Santa Margarita National Bass CC Team

Diamond Valley WON DV Team Don Pedro PH Jigs 100% ML Team Trinity Trinity Alps American Bass SCC Team

WONBASS North ~ Clear Lake Knocti Harbor - ProAm

16 Castaic FOCL Eve Team

Summer Begins

Delta Ladds Anglers DRE Team Delta Ladd's Anglers SemiPro DR Team Diamond Valley Anglers DV Team Lake Roosevelt AllStar Couples Team Melones WON ML Team Powell Bullfrog WON LP Team Santa Margarita Anglers PC Team

Casitas Eve American Bass SC Team CastaicWest Anglers C Team Delta Russo's 100% DR Team Don Pedro Eve Anglers SemiPro ML Team McPhee Lake Anglers NM Team MeadCallville American Bass CR Team Pleasant Eve Harbor American Bass P Team

Father’s Day

Clear Lake Red Bud Anglers NC Team Clear Lake Red Bud Anglers SemiPro Team Delta Ladd's National Bass DR Team Powell Bullfrog WON LP Team

Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team El Capitan ABA SD Draw McPhee Lake Anglers NM Team Oroville Federation Draw

Utah BASS Federation ~ Starvation Reservoir - Team FLW Tour ~ Lake Champlain - ProAm

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 21

July 2006 Monday

Tuesday

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

04 Independence Day

Saturday

PRO-AM

Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team

Castaic FOCL Eve Team

Delta Ladds Anglers DRE Team Delta Russo's National Bass DR Team Pleasant Eve Harbor American Bass P Team Santa Rosa, NM Anglers CNM Team Shasta Lake Anglers SCC Team

Cachuma Anglers CC Team Delta Russo's Anglers SemiPro DR Team Santa Margarita Anglers PC Team

TEAM

Sunday

Casitas Eve Anglers SC Team Delta Russo's Anglers DRW Team Don Pedro Eve Fleming Anglers ML Team Elephant Butte American Bass NM Team Pleasant eve Arizona Bass Federation Open

DRAW

Clear Lake Red Bud Anglers NC Team Delta ProTeen Event Otay ABA SD Draw

Clear Lake Federation Draw

ISE Fishing Tackle Show ~ Las Vegas, NV

24 31

22 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

Castaic West Anglers C Team Delta 100% FuturePro Pleasant Eve Harbor American Bass P Team

Delta Russo's American Bass DR Team

Preparing For Success In this fast growing ever changing sport of Tournament Bass Fishing one thing is for certain, from the legendary veteran to the rookie teenager it can be anyone’s game. But unforgiving bodies of water, fierce competition, and high costs cut the game short for many. Preparing for a tournament is not just about the check list, it is about your mind set. The Master List: This is a great way to avoid the forgotten necessity. I have a list of everything I like to have in my boat as well as a separate list for my truck. You do not have to take everything you own to a tournament, laminate the lists so that you can check off what you want and don’t want to take. Clear You’re Conscience: Take care of the unfinished business. Insure that your equipment is in excellent working order. Plan out your stay at the tournament site. Taking care of business ahead of time will allow you to concentrate on fishing once you are there. Pre-fish: This is one of the most important aspects to tournament fishing. Consider that on any given body of water you will have a peak performance day based on your experience. Everyone is different as well as their experience with the body of water. I have found that on most bodies of water that I fish once a year my peak performance is between the 2nd and 5th day. However, 4 or 5 years ago it was on the 6th or 7th day. Paying attention to when you do well and how long it takes you to figure out a lake or river is to your advantage. Can pre-fishing hurt your chances of a good finish? I have found that prefishing hurts my chances on a body of water that I

know very well, such as my home lake. If you find that you always catch them (or find them) on a certain body of water on the first day you fish, consider no pre-fish. Manage Yourself: Don’t over do it! Fishing too many hours or days or even fishing a spot for too long can create a burn –out effect. Get on the water as early as possible. Stay out as long as you are comfortable. If you start feeling discouraged take a break, go back to the truck, cool off and create a fresh start to the lake. Hitting the do over button in practice is a good idea but heading back to the truck in the tournament is not. Blocking out a missed opportunity or getting over the loss of your honey hole can be difficult when it counts. Keeping the negative thoughts out of your mind in the tournament can be life saving. Managing yourself is about managing your mind. Discouraged, exhausted, uncomforted all eat away at your positive focus. Open Mind: This is how you find them. Avoid any pre-conceived notions like dock talk or your buddies’ fish. You will do best by using your own abilities to find fish. Use your instincts and be alert. Just start driving down the lake and clear your mind – you will find that you drive right to them. It’s not always that easy but using your instincts will enable you to find fish more consistently. Always keep a high level of awareness; I believe a honey hole always has a tip-off. Your instincts are dictated by your experiences, some spots that look good to you look good to many and some only look good to you. Do not worry about how many guys are fishing the same areas you are, fish them all. You are doing more than trying

to find a spot to fish. Build the Pattern: This is how you find more of them. One fish will tell you where another one is. Take the time to look around and pay attention to all the details. It is not just about what the fish is holding on like weeds or wood, look at all the factors. Zero in on the depth and other factors that you think are key. Once you catch a second fish consider all the common factors. This will help you find other areas holding fish. Some patterns work all over the lake and some just in one area. Develop a different pattern the next day and compare what you have found. I like to test my patterns in an under pressured area of the lake or river, and go to an area of the lake or river that I don’t think my patterns will work and see if I can develop a variation. I have found that complacent in practice does not equal success. The more you learn about the body of water the better chance you have of understanding the fish. Understand the fish: Time of year, water temp, weather and forage all play a role as to how a bass will react. Consider the key factors to your patterns, zero in on what the fish are doing and ask yourself why they are there. Consider the factors that could alter your pattern. Cold front, high winds, fishing pressure, a pattern does not last forever and some last only that day. It is highly likely and common for the fish to move or the bite to change and when they do keep an open mind, manage yourself and build a new pattern one fish at a time.

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 23

Fishing Line It’s the day before the tournament and you see most all the fisherman frantically changing there line. So you change your’s too right! Is there a reason? Or do we just do it because everyone else is the pros do it and it seems to just follow down the line, doesn’t it. Do we really need to change it every week or two? Let’s look at the manufacturing process so we can make our own educated decision. First of all I am not a scientist I’m a fisherman so we won’t get to exact here. Fishing line is made of nylon; co polymer is more than one type of nylon mixed together to provide a line to provide a better product than only one type of plastic. Today’s fishing lines are made from specific formulas engineered to meet specific needs. Simply the manufacturing process of Fishing Line starts with plastic or nylon pellets that are melted down to an exact temperature. Then the plastic is forced (extruded) through a hole of an exact size much larger than the finished diameter. These machines that extrude and process the fishing line are almost 100 yards long and very expensive. After extrusion the line is sent to and through several big rollers which stretch the line to an exact diameter. Specifications for the diameter vary widely among manufactures the higher the quality line the more exact the tolerances. While the line is being stretched it is also being hydrated which is very important for the finished product, line absorbs water and if it’s too dry it will be brittle. Picture a machine 100 yards long with 6 or so rollers a few feet thick with fishing line woven thought them. After going through this extrusion, stretching and hydrating process it is tested and rolled on big rolls, like 5kg spools. These rolls are stored in a special room for a predetermined period of time. Note a lower quality line may have shorter wait time from storage to consumer. After the storage time is complete the line is tested to insure tensile strength, diameter and durability. If the line fails it is tossed away were not talking a few hundred yards here it more like 50,000 yards or however much line was extruded in that batch. This inferior line can be resold to another manu24 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

facture, re-branded to another line company or ??? A few years back I acquired this knowledge from the general manger of Sufix Line Company. He went over the complete process start to finish. Sufix has a special proprietary process to hydrate the line during the stretching phase. There tolerances are very stringent grab a micrometer and check it yourself, the diameter is very consistent start to finish. Sufix line is wound on the rolls stored and retested, if the line fails any of the tests it is discarded or sold to another manufacture, not reused or re-melted by Sufix. Fishing line is hydroscopic which means it absorbs water and also water can evaporates from it. When line looses it moisture is becomes weak brittle and will break much below the rated strength. When your line has been out in the sun for a while it dries out and you will need to replace it. The next reason for change would be stretch; once line is stretched it looses its strength. If you had a snag a pulled the line to were it almost broke, that section of line is no longer useable and needs to be replaced. Another reason is twist, you that tangled mess on your spinning rod after you used it all day. Line also gets nicks and scrapes which could be a bad deal with

a five pounder on one end and $1000 big fish purse on the other. Fishing line can last many years if stored in a cool dry location. So when do you change your line? For me on average I change it every three to six months for all of my rods. Certain condition call for more frequent changes liked if you fish in the desert during the summer your line will become brittle and need to be changed more often than if you reside in Oregon. You will start to notice things like casting, knot strength breaking easier on a snag, these are a sign you need to re-spool. If I’m fishing a tournament I will insure all of the rods I’m using have fresh line on them, no sense taking a chance. If during the day a get a snag I may peel off the amount of line that was stretched to prevent a lossed fish. That has to be one of the worst feelings to break off on a fish. Can you feel that empty feeling in your stomach and your knees go weak? Sponsors: Luhr Jensen • Skeeter Yamaha • Lowrance Quantum • Eagle Claw Gemini Sport Marketing

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Monday

Tuesday

DRAW

TEAM

Wednesday

August 2006

PRO-AM

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Cachuma Anglers CC Team Delta Ladds Anglers DRE Team Flaming Gorge Utah Federation Team

Delta Ladd's Anglers SemiPro DR Team

Westernbass.com ~ Clear Lake - Ralley FLW Tour ~ FLW Championship - ProAm

Castaic FOCL Eve Team

Clear Lake KV Casino 100% ProAm Delta Russo's Future Pro Team Elephant Butte American Bass NM Team Melones Eve Anglers ML Team Melones Eve Anglers SemiPro ML Team Pleasant Eve Harbor American Bass P Team

Shasta Lake Anglers SCC Team

ABA SD District Championship ~ Otay - Draw

Cachuma Anglers CC Team Conchas, NM Anglers NM Team Delta Russo's Anglers DRW Team

Utah BASS Federation Fall Qualifier ~ Flaming Gorge Reservoir - Draw Anglers Press ~ Frog Tournament Delta - Team

CastaicWest Anglers C Team Delta Russo's Future Pro Team Pleasant eve Arizona Bass Federation Open

Sun Country ~ Conchas West - Team

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 25

September 2006 Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

Labor

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Friday

Saturday

DRAW

Sunday

Day

E Castaic FOCL Eve Team

Bob's Marine ~ T.B.A. - Stratos Owners AllStar ~ Championship - Team AllStar ~ Championship - Couples

Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team Delta Russo's 100% ProAm Folsom Granite Future Pro Team Pleasant Combined Glendale PD Event

17 Delta Hook Team Oroville 100% FuturePro

WONBASS ~ Lake Mead - US Open 13th - 20th

Delta Tracy Oasis NorCal ProAm Melones Future Pro Team

24 Delta Tracy Oasis Team

Sun Country ~ Amistad - Team Arizona Bass Federation ~ Martinez - Draw AllStar ~ Best Bet Team Championship Anglers Choice Southwest ~ Clear Lake - Team TOC

WONBASS ~ Lake Mead - US Open 13th - 20th CONT.

30 Delta Tracy Oasis Team

WON Bass Tri State TOC North ~ Clear Lake - Team

26 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

TEAM

PRO-AM

Reversal of Fortune in Bass Fishing Anyone who has fished for any fish species very long has had those days where the “wheels come off”. One day they’re tearing the paint off the lure, any lure, and the next day, you can’t buy a strike. It happens to the best and worst of us. It really hurts your ego when it happens in a big money event where points, money, and careers are all on the line. I can say from experience, that ending on a high note is a whole lot better than crashing on the last day. It leaves a lot better taste in your mouth for the long drive home, than that of falling down the standings, like a rock, on the last day. A recent BASS Northern Open at Lake Erie is a good example. I spent several days of practice looking for isolated spots on the many rocky humps near the famous Bass Islands off Sandusky Bay. For each day, I would look at about 15 spots and find big smallies using 2 or 3 of them. These prime spots I programmed into my Lowrance GPS and planned to return to each of them at some time during the competition. Knowing smallmouth bass seldom stay on a given spot, I knew I needed many of these key spots in hopes some of them would continue to produce. I found that I could get strikes from the smallies using a 4” Berkley GULP Sinking Minnow on a ¼ oz. jig head when the wind was blowing, or when there was cloud cover. I used mostly 10# Berkley Vanish

Transition Fluorocarbon line for all my fishing. As usual, the zebra mussels were horrible on all of these offshore rock piles, and I believed the heavier line was to my advantage. My fishing wife, Tammy, was hooking fish and losing many of them behind me using 6# test Vanish Transition and this fact finally registered on me. She was getting more bites and bigger fish using many of the same lures I was, only with the lighter line. DUH! During the first day of competition I visited some of these prime spots I found in practice and managed a limit that weighed 15-14 using my 8# and 10# lines. I did not have the bites I thought I should have had, nor were they from the biggest bass I knew were holding within some of these structures. Most of these fish were caught during the first half of the day. I found myself about 5 pounds off the lead and knew I needed bigger fish for a move up the leader board. I started the second day of competition on my best spot and caught one big fish using 8# test, then proceeded to lose two giant smallmouths over 4 pounds each in the first couple of hours. After trying a few more spots, suddenly it was noon and I still had only one fish. That’s when the light bulb went off over my hard head and I pulled a lighter Abu Cardinal spinning reel and Berkley Series One rod from the locker on my Triton. It was rigged with 6# test Vanish and a TruTungsten Drop Shot weight below the same 4”

Sinking Minnow, nose hooked. Using this rig, I managed to salvage the day with three more good fish and ended up the day in 35th place with about 28 pounds of bass. I was still about 10 pounds off the lead, but with one more day to fish I had a chance to move up. Besides, I was fuming at all those brown fish. On the third day I went to my first and best spot and after my Co-angler had me down three fish to one, I pulled out my 6# test rig and proceeded to cull up to a total creel of 21# 03 oz. I think two things made this possible; first the 6# test, second the drop shot rig, and third, the GULP Sinking Minnow. Those big smallies just love that GULP. They literally would not let it go when they got a taste of it. This was the biggest weight on the third day by the entire field, and moved me up to 10th in the standings for a huge charge in the points. Several lessons are available for learning from this story; lessons that too often have to be re-learned. When it is calm and clear water, use lighter line. A drop shot rig works great in these conditions, especially when everyone else is using a jighead.GULP! Is like Magic for lethargic bass. Stay on the best spot, when you can find it. Never, Ever quit learning! Bass Wishes, Ken Cook ><))>

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The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 27

Ultra Finesse Drop Shot Rods Clouds hung in the mountain valleys; the cool morning air was heavy with moisture. The rod tip danced lightly above the calm surface, then became still. As the rod was slowly raised, it began to bow under the additional weight of a bass that had just inhaled the bait. Before the fish could detect the presence of the angler, the reel began to take up line, causing the small, sharp hook to penetrate the fish’s upper lip. After a spirited fight, the fish was carefully placed into the livewell. One of the hottest bass fishing techniques to strike the U.S. in recent years has been the drop shot rig. In its simplest form, it consists of tying a hook to your line with a Palomar knot, then leaving the tag end to attach the weight. This results in the bait being suspended above the sinker where it is easier for the fish to distinguish. The drop shot technique is reputed to have originated in Japan. If you talk to steelhead and catfish anglers, they’ve used this technique for years to suspend their baits off the bottom of lakes and rivers across the country. Since the late 90’s, anglers in the Western U.S. have refined this technique for the clear, deep-water impoundments they fish. Since then, this presentation has migrated East where fishermen adapted it to their own fishing conditions. As a result, drop shotting is no longer just a finesse method, but can be used with heavy line to present an 8” lizard along weed edges or worked over a stump laden point. Because of this, rod selection is dependent upon the type of cover or structure being targeted. The remainder of this article will go into detail about the rod that is best they are often the most challenging. In order for the angler to present a

28 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

plastic bait in an enticing manner, feel the bite and then bring the fish to the boat, the rod has to have certain fundamental characteristics. This includes a flexible tip and adequate power in the butt section, along with being the correct length for the conditions being fished. Other factors that affect rod performance are guide selection and the handle design. All of these variables must be considered when constructing a comfortable, well balanced rod. The tip section of a drop shot rod is one of the most important aspects of the rod. An ideal drop shot blank has a tip that flexes with the slightest amount of pressure. This is because the angler is fishing the rig on a slack line and almost always, the bite is never felt. Only a slight tightening of the line is detected. With a rod that has a very limber tip, the angler detects the bite by “feeling” the line tighten up while the tip of the rod stops moving or “goes dead”. Heavier action rods don’t allow the angler to “feel” these slight differences in the weightlessness of the presentation and can also signal a touchy fish to spit the bait before the angler even knows there is a bass on the other end. The soft tip action is also essential to maintain pressure on the hook while fighting the fish. As the fish surges, the rod will move easily with the fish, exerting constant pressure on the hook. This light rod will also require that you take your time and not pressure the fish. A rod with a stiffer tip action would be less forgiving and likely tear the hook from the delicate tissue that lines the fish’s mouth. Remember, this is a light line technique and you won’t be able to simply muscle a decent sized fish into the boat. The length of a typical drop shot rod can vary from 6’3” to 7’0” but may range from as short as 6’0” to as long as 7’6”. When using the finesse method, the rods are typically shorter. The shorter length makes it easier to fish vertically below the boat. Longer rods provide an advantage when casting, as they produce longer distances with the light Weights associated with this technique. Handle design is a matter of personal choice. There are numerous styles to choose from. Whichever you choose, some of the most important traits would be overall length, comfort and sensitivity. Reel s e a t

placement should allow the blank to balance well in the angler’s hand. By holding the reel seat loosely in the palm of the hand, the rod tip should be moved with a slight increase of pressure placed on the handle. I personally use my thumb and index finger to provide motion to the tip. A popular method in California is to tuck the handle under the arm, then shake the rod tip. When building an ultra finesse drop shot rod, or any rod for that matter, additional weight to the blank should be minimized as it will effect the rod’s action. For this reason, I have been using the lightest guides I have been able to find, which are the RECoil single-foot, Nickel / Titanium guides, produced by REC. If you prefer a ceramic guide, then the Fuji New Concept, J-frame, guides are a great choice. They are available in either a stainless steel frame with alconite ceramic inserts or the titanium frame and silicone carbide (SiC) inserts. With these desirable traits in mind, my search of numerous blanks available from a variety of manufacturers has resulted in the discovery of what I consider the ideal blank. The Shikari SHII P 7000 has been designed with a flexible tip section, which makes it well suited for the ultra light drop shot technique. This blank is rated for line in the 3-6# class and weights ranging from 1/32 to 5/16 of an ounce. It has a hinged action, where the flexible tip becomes stiffer, providing the power needed to fight quality fish. When fighting a large fish with such a light rod, the type of material the blank is constructed from is important. I elected to use the lower modulus (less stiff) blank, as it is more flexible than a higher modulus blank. This reduces the likelihood of breaking the rod when battling an overzealous bass. When the tournament clock is ticking and you need to put more fish in the boat, reach for the ultra light drop shot rod. This rod will allow you to use the lightest line possible, thus increasing your chance of fooling even the wariest bass. See you on the water! ><))> George www.georgescustomrods.com http://phoenixblazerods.com Quick Drops: www.westcoasttackleandcompany.com Western Marine / Ranger: www.westernmarineinc.com

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Monday

Tuesday

DRAW

TEAM

October 2006

PRO-AM

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team MeadAmerican Bass South Team Classic

Federation State Classic~ Clear Lake - Draw

Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team Shasta Bridge Bay Future Pro Team

Delta Hook Team

Anglers Choice North ~ Shasta - Team TOC WON Tri StateTOC South ~ Havasu - Team

Delta Russo's Future Pro Team

Delta Tracy Oasis Team

100% ~ FP TOC - Team

23 30

24 25 31Holloween

Delta Tracy Oasis Team Lake Oroville American Bass North Team Classic

Daylight Savings Ends

National Bass~ Delta Russo's - Team TOC

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 29

November 2006 Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Friday

Saturday

DRAW

TEAM

Sunday

Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

Future Pro ~ T.B.A. Classic - Team 100%Bass ~ TBA - Team TOC FLW Stren Series ~ Championship - ProAm

Election Day

Veteran’s Day

Delta Tracy Oasis Team

Delta Hook Team

Anglers Choice North ~ Oroville - ProAm

Thanksgiving

Sun Country ~ Team Championship

PRO-AM

30 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

Delta Ladd's Stockton Bass Team

Delta Tracy Oasis Team

Catching Bigger Spotted Bass It seems that when we are headed to a spotted bass fishery many times we are expecting to catch smaller fish and often focus on numbers instead of quality. Playing the numbers game when you are fun fishing or fishing with your kids is what makes Spotted Bass so much fun but on tournament day you need to remember it’s quality over quantity. Sometimes we have a hard time getting away from the schools of 12-14 inch spots and find ourselves weighing in that dreaded 7 pound bag of spots. Hopefully I can help you with some techniques and thoughts on how to catch larger spotted bass. The Spotted Bass is the nomad of the bass family and they spend a great deal of time suspending over very deep water or just living in water 50-90 feet deep. The reason that Spotted Bass remain such a mystery to many bass anglers is we have very limited experience fishing these depths and many experienced bass anglers reluctantly admit they have never caught bass deeper than 40 feet. The angler that spends considerable time on our spotted bass lakes knows to stay with these fish many times you will find yourself fishing in the late summer and fall from 40 to 80 feet. I have tried to break out some of my favorite baits and techniques by time of year for you to use a guideline. Winter: By far is my favorite time to chase big spots and be prepared to catch them in 5 or 50 feet of water. I said the Spotted Bass is the nomad of the bass family and this is the time of year that you will really see this theory come into play. So many times we try to get our limit in the live well and then go chasing the larger bite. In the winter this plan for me is reversed and the first couple hours on the water are the key to catching that kicker fish. When the water temp is in the low 50’s to high 40’s I like to start off my day with a crankbait and cover as much shallow water as possible. You may only get a couple strikes during this time but they may be the biggest of the day. After the first couple of hours I usually start fishing deeper and stay there the rest of the day. My favorite technique for deep spotted bass is dragging a ¾ or 1 ounce jig on 12-14 pound Berkley Vanish. I make vertical drops under my boat and drag the jig with my trolling motor, keeping an eye on my front depth finder. I prefer a football head jig with no weed guard and a light wire 4/0 Gamakatsu hook.

I fish a lot of the hula grub type jigs in green pumpkin and cinnamon purple however I am usually not without my live rubber jigs and pork when the water gets really cold. My all time favorite deepwater color in rubber and pork jigs is purple. I think this color is more visible in deep water than any other. Rod selection is very important and I prefer the Lamiglas 724 Senko Rod for deep jigs. Keep the jig on the bottom in 40 to 60 feet of water, fish the creek channel breaks and long points and remember if your not losing jigs you are not fishing them right. Spring: We usually have rising water at this time of year in our lakes and the big spots are on the prowl and looking for an easy meal. The nastier the weather the better for early spring spotted bass this is the time for a ripbait or spinnerbait on long points leading into major creeks, secondary points in main creek channels and if you have running water in the backs of the creeks remember that Spotted Bass have a tendency to think they are Trout and they will be in the shallow running water in the backs of the creeks. When the fish start to make their first move shallow I like a ripbait that will dive a little deeper down to 8-12 feet or a spinnerbait in ¾ or 1 ounce that I can get down 8-20 feet. You can keep it pretty simple with colors with Ghost Minnow, Chartreuse Shad or Table Rock Shad in the ripbaits and Chartreuse with Chartreuse Blades or Gold Blades on your spinnerbaits. As the water warms and fish are getting closer to spawning I look for larger fish on isolated bushes or trees and I like to fish a weightless bait like a Berkley Gulp Sinking Minnow or Jerk Shad. Just prior to the spawn the spots will group up in large numbers near the areas they are going to spawn in. Summer: One of the most overlooked times to catch large spotted bass due to the heavy boat traffic on most of our good Spotted Bass lakes. This is however the time for topwater and don’t think it only works first thing in the morning. Remember that Spots will travel in large schools, suspend and often live far from the shore. This is the time to start fishing your topwater baits far off the bank on long points, island tops or anywhere they can move up shallow and feed and then move back into deeper water. It is not uncommon for Spotted Bass to

come out of 20 feet of water to hit a topwater bait this time of year. It is hard to beat a walking bait like the Super Spook, Vixen or Rover for these fish and I keep the colors pretty simple with Trout Patterns and Shad Patterns being my favorite. I do change all my treble hooks on these baits to one size larger Gamakatsu Round Bend treble hooks. You can experiment with colored hooks and feathered tails to help you build some confidence in this type of bait. At this point I am experimenting as well with the red hooks. Two of my other favorites are a small popper like the Bubble Pop or the Rico and big Spots will crush a buzzbait as fast as a big largemouth will. Fall: The toughest time to target big spotted bass in my opinion as the lakes are usually dropping, the bait is very deep and fish are likely to be anywhere from 10 to 100 feet of water. Big Spots are no different than big Largemouth and when the trout start roaming around chasing baitfish they start roaming around chasing the Trout. This is the time when you can catch some giant Spotted bass on swimbaits but this is also the time when some of the best soft plastic fishing will also work very well. Try dropshotting with ¼ or 3/8 tungsten weight around the baitfish you will see on your meter. The heavier weight this time of year will get you down to the deeper water and give you more control of your dropshot rig. I also fish a small 4” power worm on a ¼ ounce darthead on 6 or 8 pound test Vanish line this time of year as well. Fall can be one of the most frustrating times of year for Spotted Bass and often it is when we are fishing TOC’s on deep, clear reservoirs after a summer of chasing shallow largemouth on the Delta or Clear Lake. Hopefully this will give you a few places to start when you are looking to catch bigger Spotted Bass and if your going to fish deep you need to learn how to properly deflate the swim bladder on these fish. Good Luck on whatever Spotted Bass lake you wind up on. Kent Brown is sponsored by: Triton , Mercury, Motor Guide, Pinpoint, Mercury Quicksilver Propellers and Lubricants, Lamiglas, Berkley, Gamakatsu, Plano, Trilene, River2Sea, Pflueger, Dual Pro, Galaxie Marine, International Sportsmen’s Expositions, Northlake Ford. The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 31

Fishing A sAT eam As Team From P re-ffish T oW in Pre-fish To Win Fishermen often ask us what we do to be such a consistent team. We wish we had a simple surefire answer for you, but the truth is, as you well know, tournament fishing is a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. Since both of us work full-time our pre-fish time is usually very limited. We have to make the most of our time both off and on the water. We know we must concentrate on our strengths and fish smart from pre-fish to tournament. To help illustrate our tournament strategy we are going to take you through our 2004 TriStates Championship win at Lake Mohave from pre-fish to win. Tri-Sates Championship is always an exciting tournament to fish, but at Lake Mohave? Lake Mohave is known for its good size bass, but she really makes you work for them and she certainly is not very generous with numbers. We knew we had our work cut out for us to do well. About 3 weeks before the tournament, John pulled out all of his records on Lake Mohave. (Tip # 1- Keep records of everyday fished. They are invaluable.) He reviewed what patterns and lures were working and what areas had produced the best in October over the last 5 years. He also talked to a friend who had fished Mohave a few times over the previous couple of months. This information gave us a starting point for our actual pre-fish days. What we found out was that a medium diving bluegill colored crankbait, a clear super spook and a 4 ½ “ People’s Choice FX ROBO Worm drop-shot were working when fished around grassy pockets near Cottonwood and the northern power lines. It is now 2 weeks before the tournament. We start paying close attention to weather reports for the desert. We are ready to see if what we researched will work. It is Saturday morning when we launch. The first thing we do is check water level and temperature. We started out fishing around Cottonwood. Tammy’s job was to dropshot and John would throw the crankbait and topwater. (Tip # 2- Always mix it up in practice. Tammy will always fish a worm while John tries everything else). We found the grass was green and healthy with a lot of bluegill present. Topwater baits were not really working, but the crankbait and dropshot were. On Sunday we decided to pre-fish down south near Catherine’s Landing. We found a good dropshot bite along steep walls. John did not get any bites fishing his crankbait or topwater. We are narrowing down our techniques. At this point it looks like dropshotting will be our primary technique. Also, we are very careful not to hook any fish (Tip # 3 Do not hook fish during pre-fish on the Colorado River lakes, even a week before the tournament). 32 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

It is now one week before the tournament and we are on our 4 ½ hour drive to the lake.We use this time to discuss our pre-fish strategy. We know there will be many teams pre-fishing and many fishermen sticking fish. Lake Mohave does not do well with this kind of pressure so we know the bite will get even tougher. We start thinking about what adjustments we’ll need to make. We decide to launch out of Cottonwood because this is where we think we will fish in the tournament. The fish are bigger and we know this area of the lake very well. We continue to mix it up pre-fishing. Tammy is still getting bit with the dropshot, but John is not having any luck with the crankbait. It is very clear the fishing pressure is affecting the north end of the lake. Many people we talk to tell us they will be fishing the north end in the tournament, hoping to catch the better fish. We have a lot to think about on the way home. Fishing has gotten very tough. We decide we will gamble that most teams will run north so we decide we’ll fish south right around Catherine’s Landing, the tournament launch site. It will be very important to get every fish that bites in the boat, but first we will have to get the bites. The right tackle will be key. It has taken us years to refine our tackle, especially for worm fishing. What we currently use is what we think helps us catch and land more fish. The rod we use is a custom dropshot rod made by Mark Higashi from Performance Tackle. It is a 70XF DSR. We use a Shimano Chronarch MG 50 reel, 8lb. Sugoi grey fluorocarbon line, size #2 Owner rigging hooks and 3/16 oz. Kanji Tungsten steel dropshot weights. The tournament week has arrived. Because of work demands we are only able to pre-fish one day prior to the tournament. We launch out of Catherine’s and just fish a couple of spots to see if the dropshot is still working. Luckily it is. Again, we are careful not to hook any fish. To do this we cut off the bend of the hook, leaving the straight shank to insert into the worm. We go in early to make sure our tackle and boat are ready to go. We don’t want to beat up our spots and we want to stay positive. We prepare our tackle, which is very simple, two dropshot rods. One rigged with 8 lb. Sugoi fluorocarbon line and a second one with 6 lb., just in case it gets very tough, which we know it will. Thinking ahead and trying to anticipate factors that may affect the bite is key. It is so important to watch for weather changes and anticipate how the fishing pressure will affect the bite and then make the appropriate adjustments. For example, we know that on day two it will get very tough so we will have to downsize our line, weight and worm. We also keep in mind that just

because a technique, retrieve or a certain worm color worked the day before does not mean that it will work the day of the tournament. Subtle changes can affect the fish. When things aren’t working make adjustments. If we are confident the fish are still there then John may try a different worm size or color while I might change my retrieve from shaking the worm to dragging it. Another strategy we use when we are not getting bit is to rotate spots. Sometimes it is just a matter of timing. Finally, day one of the tournament has arrived and we are ready and feeling positive. We stick to our plan and stay close. We notice that many teams ran north as we had hoped. This takes the pressure off our areas. We rotate our spots, both dropshotting a 4 1/2” ROBO People’s Choice worm. Tammy catches two 4-pound bass in the same spot a couple of hours apart. She had switched to an oxblood color ROBO worm because she thought the fish might have become conditioned to seeing the same worm. It worked. We are thinking that these fish just might win it for us. We weigh in 15.5 pounds and are in first place. Day two arrives. We know it is going to be very tough, we have to catch a limit. We downsize our line to 6-pound test hoping to get more bites. Our plan is to stay close until 9:00am when the bite shuts down near Catherine’s. We will then run up north near Cottonwood to try and catch a better fish. The bite ended up getting very slow. We were only able to catch 2 fish by 9:00am. We stick with our plan and run up to the Cottonwood area. At the third spot John catches a 3-pound bass. Whew! We run the rest of our spots without any bites. Time to run back south. We rotate our spots again and catch 4 more bass, culling twice. We weigh in and have a total 26.26 pounds. We have won our second Tri-States. What a great feeling. Worm fishing may not be the most exciting technique to fish, but we truly feel it has made us a consistent and profitable team. Don’t be afraid to give it a try. Good luck and good fishing. We’d like to thank our sponsors: Angler’s Marine, Ranger Boats, Mercury Marine, ROBO Worm, Kanji International, Performance Tackle and Kaenon Sunglasses.

EVENT COLOR LEGEND:

Monday

Tuesday

DRAW

TEAM

Wednesday

December 2006

PRO-AM

Thursday

LEGEND: Lake, Marina (if listed) Circuit, Region, Event Type

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Arizona Bass Federation ~ Roosevelt - Draw

Delta Tracy Oasis Team

Delta Hook Team Delta Tracy Oasis Team

17 Millerton American Bass BV Team

Winter Begins

25 Christmas

New Years Eve

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 33

Spring Bass, Delta

If you are an angler that loves to throw reaction baits, then pre-spawn on the California Delta can be the absolute most glorious time of the year. Many of these largemouth bass have been in their deeper water haunts over the last few months and are now beginning to feel the “urge” to begin their trek to their shallower feeding grounds. An angler doesn’t even have to be able to see the fish before it can be caught ... a real, “throw- back”, period of time. Areas that have been void of bass over the last 3 to 4 months are now beginning to show some signs of life. Much of this activity will be short lived, so the angler must pay close attention to the success he/she experienced on this/these particular day(s). The water is still extremely cold. However, the bass have an inner clock that makes them aware that they are on a time schedule and need to fatten up for the rigorous spawning cycle ahead. Pre-spawn to me, today, implies retrieving baits at the proper speed and at optimum depths. This was not always the case. I was always under the impression that while throwing a spinnerbait, the “flicker”, or visually seeing the flash of the blade was essential to success. Jimmy Houston Outdoors on Saturday mornings was the only visual learning tool that I had, so that was the way I fished a blade. In the early ‘90’s Gary Dobyns and I teamed up in Delta tournaments. It was during this period of time when I realized the importance of retrieving a spinnerbait at the proper tempo during the spring months. Gary would always tell me, “slow that thing down, you’re bringing it too fast, get some depth”, after his schooling my spinnerbait success increased dramatically. Michael Jones, an outdoor writer for Bass Master Magazine, cemented the concept of depth and speed from a different angle. Mike and I went out in March of ’95 when I was on an awesome spinner bait bite in the south end of the Delta. Many of these pre-spawn fish were in the 2 ½ to 4 pound class with the occasional 5 pounder thrown in. We went up and down a couple of rock walls on the outside of some spawning coves tossing white/chartreuse and blue spinnerbaits for a few hours with minimal results. We continuously slow 34 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

rolled our blades through the different depths down to 12 feet. Mike had enough of this and said, “if you really think they’re here, then I’d better show you how to catch them”. Mike tied on a split-shot rig and began to catch my “spinnerbait” fish with a little Mickey Mouse worm. He would throw the worm rig out and let it sit for a few sec-

onds then move it two feet and let it sit again. This process would be repeated all the way back to the boat, covering the same zone(s) our blades had been in for hours. Back then most of us “Delta Rats” wouldn’t be caught dead with a #5 split shot and a little bitty “bluegill” hook in our boats, but that has changed quite a bit since then. I had a long discussion with myself that evening, wondering why my hot to trot spinnerbait fish wouldn’t move 6 inches to eat my spinnerbait while they would pummel a little Southern California hand poured worm. Once again, depth and speed were the key ingredients. There are many days in February and March on the Delta when the key depths for the Largemouth are between 1 to 5 feet and the preferred speed is moderate to fast. These are usually the days that create a lot of phone conversation with your fishing buddies when you get home. All reaction baits are a play on these types of days i.e. crankbaits(shallow runners/ crawdad, chartreuse-blue), spinnerbaits(white-chartreuse, white w/ gold blades, chartreuse-white-blue, and versions of the prior mentioned with orange highlights) and don’t forget to throw a couple of frogs

and buzzbaits in the boat. The various swimbaits on the market could be utilized during this period of time also. For swimbait fishing, choose those that will allow you to cover the different water depths from the surface to 12 feet. Rainbow Trout, baby bass, golden shiner and blue gill colors get the nod here. Be sure not to leave the house without your flipping’ stick and a few bags of Reaction Innovation beavers in California #420, sprayed grass, coonnasty and rhythm and blues in the standard size as well as the double w i d e . Trying to pattern pre-spawn fish can be very easy some days and a real tough nut to crack the next. Try staying in close proximity to dead end sloughs or spawning bays. When you find a few fish milling around on a particular stretch of bank, look for isolated structures within the boundaries of that bank. Hard clumps of tulles, sparse tulles off the bank, isolated pieces of wood (no matter how small they are), indentations in the rocks, rocks that come out a bit further than the rest, docks that are closer to the bank, docks with older/broken boats berthed there, docks with lots or less vegetation, docks with a plant growing off of one side etc. Once an area is found with a population of bass, you’ve got to become a fisherman/woman and figure out which lure to choose out of the hundreds of pounds of tackle you’ve got crammed in every spare compartment of your boat. If that sounds too difficult, then just thread a watermelon/red or green/pumpkin Doc Waters Helix “Fat Stick” Texas or Wacky style on to a 4/0 hook with 15# monofilament and fish it weightless all day. Frogs into Toads, Bobby Barrack My sponsors are, Wife(Stacey), Snagproof Lures, Terminator Lures, Reaction Innovations, Doc Waters, Minn Kota, Lamiglas, Humminbird, “The Gilly”(Reno), A.C. plugs, predator worms, D.J.’s rod repair, J.D.’s reel service, Russo’s Marina, Kevin’s prop shop www.bobbybarrack.com

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 35

Go From the Back “Young Man” to the Pointe End

A Tournament Anglers story… Sieg Taylor stepped from the back of the boat to the front. Becoming one of Bassmasters most successful non-boaters and making the transition to the front as a Professional. Sieg has four top tens and won two boats out of the back with Bassmaster*. In 2005, Sieg stepped to the point end of the boat and not only won his first Professional Everstart Tournament, but broke records in the process. I have to give credit to my dear wife Deedrian…for marrying a dreamer and to my good friend Pat “The Back Deck Pro” Wilson. There is no finer non-boater in the tournament world today. You to can do the same with a dream, a goal and a positive outlook. First the dream. Dreams are just dreams…unless you put them into action. I decided to put my dream into three parts: Fish less for a few years and then be able to fish forever. The idea to fish out of the back would help me save valuable time, When fishing large tournaments as BASS and FLW. The thought of showing up with my equipment and fishing was delightful. Not having to pre-fish for days and drag a boat all over the West Coast was great. The time I saved was spent planning and winding down my business and personal relations in Fresno, California. Learn as much fishing behind the best. Every Pro I drew, I learned something from. I liked the non-shared format of fishing out of the back with Bassmaster. I always respected the Pro in the front and realized he had much more at stake at the game than I did. I completely tuned 36 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

out the Pro and thought of him only as a person taking me to the fish. I always watched their moves. What baits they threw, where they threw them. I remember fishing with Bink Desaro from Idaho. He was flipping and had missed a beautiful hole. As the back of the boat got closer to that hole … I tossed a Senko in…BAM…five plus came into the boat. I quickly learned to keep my eyes open and that my job was to catch one fish at a time, until I got a limit. I always downsized my baits, dropshoting a four-inch worm as my go-to bait. Another case was fishing with Justin Kerr at Lake Havasu. Justin was throwing a TD Minnow. Two Large Smallmouth came up and wanted to eat it, however the bait only went down two feet. I saw what was happening and put on a Deep Diver Pointer 78. It ran six to eight feet. Within five minutes, I had a three-pound largemouth in the boat and a two plus smallie. I always respected every Pro I drew and thanked them all each time with a mailed card of appreciation. I have become friends with a lot of the Pro’s I have drawn. I believe if you take care of people, people will take care of you.

Live on the finest bass fishing body of water in the West. After four years of planning, the dream was now coming together. The move became official on New Years Eve 2004, as we rolled the UHaul Truck into our driveway for the last time. With the lake in front of us and a beautiful view of Mt. Konocti, we had arrived at Clear lake. It would be a little more than three months, when I put my skills, learned from the back of the boat to use. It was my first Tournament from the point end of the boat. The Clear lake Everstart Series. The next four days would change my life forever. I had always dreamed of such a tournament, but remember dreams are just dreams…unless you put them into action. I went swinging for the bleachers. After the dust settled, I walked away with 94 pounds – 11 ounces for a 16 fish limit. The most weight an Everstart tournament had ever weighed. The first Everstart Pro* to go wire to wire and the all time average of 5.92 pounds per fish. You to can live the dream…first you must have the dream … then you must put it into action. Sieg is married to his beautiful wife Deedrian. They have two children, Makenzee and Zackary. Sieg Taylor is sponsored by G3 Boats, Skeeter and Yamaha When not fishing Sieg is a Motivational Speaker, Real Estate Investor and owner of www.nosweatmist.com. A fine line of detailing product.

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WesternBass.Com – A Bass Fishing Community and Resource Haven WesternBass.Com is the West’s largest online fishing community and the fastest growing fishing website in the nation. Nearly 75,000 unique users each month use the pages of WesternBass.Com searching for current fishing reports, hot tips on the latest techniques and on how to use the best tools to help you catch more fish each time out on the water. WesternBass.Com, established in 1998, is a suite of twelve state websites that serve eleven western states. The site was built and designed by fanatic bass anglers trying to create an interactive web site that would emphasize fellowship within the entire bass fishing community. With each new article that is written and report that is filed the goal of the site is to try to bring the bass fishermen out West a bit closer together. Whether you’re a beginning angler or a seasoned veteran, WesternBass.Com has something for you The site is comprised of what we call Interactive and Resource areas. There are several interactive sections where anglers can exchange information to gain a fishing advantage. With literally hundreds of report pages covering big water lakes to your local bass ponds, here’s a place to find out how fish are being caught and released in your neighborhood lake or that lake a couple hundred miles away that you’ll be fishing in your next tournament. New reports are coming in every day and all anglers are encouraged to post a report each time they go fishing. Even when the bite is not all that great there is usually some information to be passed on via a report that will help others. Some lakes covered on the site have over 6 years worth of reports already in place for users to look at and analyze. This can also be a good place to brush up before a tournament Fishing Forums are online bulletin boards that allow you to post a message and get a variety of responses back from other anglers. Almost any question is fair game in these forums and you’ll find a wide-ranging group of pro anglers and guides to weekend warriors ready to respond with answers. Fishing Forums are utilized by a great many industry ‘movers and shakers’ as well and just about all the tournament organizations out West.

More boats, baits, rods and reels are sold in the site’s Classified Forum then any other fishing website in the entire United States. Anglers from around the country have found the classified ad forums to be the best place to sell, trade, buy and barter a wide range of goods and services. Other interactive pages on the site allow you to share photos of your latest and best catches and the original ‘Find A Partner’ page that allows anglers to find team partners, get sign up partners

for tournaments or even just a back seat on someone’s boat for a day. If you’re looking for a bass club to join or trying to find a guide to hire, there are specific pages to help you do just that. The site also features a page of fishing links to other websites that is second to none on the Internet. Each state has featured and regional lake information that includes reports and tips. Fishing News gets updated each and every day with updates from local fishing tournaments as well as news from nationwide product manufacturers and tournament organizations such as FLW Outdoors, the CITGO Bassmaster Tournament Trail and US Anglers Choice. Cal Tatum , Dan O’Sullivan and George Kramer are but a few of the columnists contributing to our article library that is also the official online archive for BASS WEST Magazine. Mike Folkestad, Jay Yelas, Dee Thomas and Mike Long all have wonderful writings for anglers to read and enjoy as well as musings from more regional anglers such as Andy ‘Cooch’ Cuccia and Ron Cervenka.

The Video Rental Library has over 100 bass fishing videos available. All the brand new movies from the best anglers across the nation, such as Skeet Reese, Aaron Martens and Mark Kile are as well as a lot of ‘standby’ shows like Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston and Roland Martin can be rented. Radio programs are archived on the site as well. Bass Weekly Radio shows are available and soon California Sportsmen with Sep Hendrickson will be archived as well. More radio programming is coming to WesternBass.Com each week and is easily downloaded or streamed from the site. New for 2004 is WesternBass.TV; streaming bass fishing video. A marriage of television and the Internet to deliver bass fishing programming via your computer 24 hours days. Seminars with the best pro anglers and guides sharing tips and techniques filmed on the water and in tackle stores and club meetings. Produced strictly for broadcast on the World Wide Web. Gary Dobyns, Andre Moore and Dave Rush have films on the site that you won’t find anywhere else. This video library already has over 15 programs and it just opened April of 2004. More videos are filmed and uploaded each week. WesternBass.TV allows anyone to check out a guide before they book the trip as well as to tap into better information from some of the best anglers in the West. You won’t have to wonder anymore if someone’s been misquoted because with video you get to see and hear it come directly from the star of the video. There’s a whole lot going on all over the Internet to help you catch more fish. Best part about this is it’s all absolutely FREE. Use WesternBass.Com as your entry to the wide and sometimes wild world of bass fishing out West! For more information please visit http://www.westernbass.com/ and http://www.westernbass.tv/.

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 39

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Jigs for all Seasons For me, there is a jig for all seasons. It is the one bait I will have tied on and ready to go at all times, Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall. The jig’s versatility in imitating forage that a bass feeds on is endless. It is not limited to just imitating a crawdad. With the wide variety of plastic trailers today, we can present a wide array of forage imitations to include baitfish, amphibians and many other critters that happen to fall into a bass’ dining room. Winter – The Jig-n-Pig combination is king when the temps are low and a bass’ metabolism is sluggish. Keep it simple, a brown or black jig tipped with a black/blue pork chunk will draw strikes from bass during the colder months. Slow down your presentations, and keep that bait on the bottom and moving. Probe shallow in the morning, move deeper through out the day, and then as it warms from the high sun, move back to the shallows. Key on rocky northern banks for best results. Spring – The Jig-n-Craw excels at this time of year when bass are in their pre-spawn mode. They are aggressive and protective during this period and will strike larger than average sized baits. A plastic craw, with big floating claws, is a tempting target bass can’t resist striking. Whether pitchin or flipping shallow, or casting deep to cover or staging structural changes, fish your jig erratically with a variety of hops and pops off the bottom and through the cover. Target the outer rims of a bass’ bed when they are on the nests. Don’t over look attaching a 6” lizard to your jig, at this time as well. Summer – The Jig-n-grub is the ticket here. Post

spawn bass will begin to have an attitude change during this period. They are fending off blue gills and other predators from their nests, as well as through the hot summer days, they cruise the shallows looking for an easy meal. Spawning gills and bream are their favorite target. Brown jigs tipped with a 5” Single tail grub, imitate their forage of choice at this time. Select grubs with purples, blues and orange color patterns. Spend more time swimming the jig at this time of year in the shallows, or the drop and fall technique to deeper haunts on ledges and rock piles. Fall – The Jig-n-Twin Tail, the best of both worlds in the fall. Bass are still eating bait fish forage, but as the temps begin to drop, their attention turns back to crawdads as primary forage. Big bass will gorge themselves with craws through out the day in preparation of putting on as much body fat for the winter than at any time of year. Fall bass can be very aggressive, and will more often than not strike a jig on the fall. The twirling double tail legs of this grub enhance the appeal of a big bulky jig. Look for drastic structural changes, where it’s easier for a bass to simply move up and down the water column to feed. Try these simple but effective seasonal bait choices and tactics through out the year for your jig fishing adventures. No doubt, you will enjoy greater success catching bass on your local ponds. Keep A Tight Line!

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Preparation & Budgeting For Tournaments The thought of participating in a fishing tournament has crossed the minds of most recreational anglers. It is derived from our innate desire to compete and to test our skills and measure how we would fare against other anglers. Consequently, escalating numbers of recreational anglers are testing the tournament scene, and the popularity of fishing tournaments is of the rise. But without proper planning, tournament fishing can be a very difficult and trying endeavor. Tournaments are held every weekend throughout the country. Some are big events with national coverage, and others are local affairs with much less fanfare and publicity. But to succeed at any level of competition, one must properly plan for such endeavors. Here are some guidelines that will help be a better tournament competitor to have many more successful and enjoyable days afloat. Equipment maintenance and expenses: The most common mistake any tournament angler can make is to assume that their equipment is in working order prior to leaving for a derby. While your boat may be running fine the last time you fished, it is imperative that time is taken to inspect your equipment prior to leaving for the tournament. Make sure that any repairs needed are taken care of prior to leaving home. This is basically nothing more than preventive maintenance, which must be done regularly to avoid equipment breakdown during the tournament. Two examples of this are as simple as cleaning livewells of any sand or debris to prevent pump failures and taking the time to tighten loose nuts and bolts, which can loosen more during hard use at the tournament. Furthermore, anglers must examine and test their trolling motors, combustion motors, trailer bearings, batteries, rods and reels and other equipment used during competition. It is not necessary to have brand new equipment, but it is important to maintain your equipment on a regular basis. Most manufacturers have general maintenance schedules that should be followed, and by following those tasks, your equipment will last longer and fail less. You must consider your all equipment as essential tools that you will utilize in your pursuit of a successful day of competition on the water. 42 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

Repairs done at the tournament will not only adversely affect your concentration as a competitor, but it will also hurt your pocket book. Moreover, repair services and parts are not always readily available at some tournament sites. While emergencies never happen at a convenient time, setting aside funds for such will lessen the stress in dealing with such situations. Entry Fees: Most tournaments are scheduled well in advance and the entries fees are posted in conjunction with the schedule release. For example, if there are five tournaments scheduled for the season at $100.00 each, the total entry fee is $500.00. You should set aside money each week or month prior to the start of the season. This will not only help ensure you will have enough saved for the upcoming season, but it will also help pay for some unexpected expenses that could over-extend your pocket book and take away your financial ability to compete. Competing is tough enough to begin with let alone on an empty pocket book, this can surely impair your judgment. Lodging, Food and Gas: While many tournaments may be held close to home, some will require extended travel and this cost must be taken into consideration. Part of fishing any derby is pre-fishing time. Some are able to take the adequate time to practice, however many times work and family obligations do not allow for such. Taking the time to research the amenities that are available at the waters you are competing at will result in a considerable savings. With the availability of the Internet, one can shop rates for lodging to find many discounted rates. Finding a travel and practice partner to share expenses will also help in the quest to minimize these expenses. Other lodging options such as camping or staying at “friends of fishermen” homes are definite alternatives in saving money. Many anglers overlook the expenses of driving to and from the place of lodging as an important factor in keeping the expenses in check. In short, saving a few dollars at a hotel thirty miles away from the lake may not be a savings. Considerable savings can be realized if the

angler is willing to pack some food and willing to cook instead of eating out at each tournament. The savings is even greater if one can plan food-cooking expenses with other fellow anglers whether lodging together or not. By planning ahead and bringing supplies to the tournament will also save money on gas expenses spent on unnecessary driving to buy basic necessities. Practice time can also become a major expense if not planned properly. As a friend of mine always preaches: “fun fish at the lakes you are going to compete on”. This may seem odd to some anglers, but it does make sense as the expenditures spent on the “fun fishing” will not only help anglers learn the waters they will competing on, and the same time it allows an angler to enjoy the time on the water with friends and family. Fishing Licenses, launch fees and other incidentals: Purchasing your license prior to the event will not only ensure that you are abiding to state and local regulations, but it will also save time and gas in trying acquire one after you have arrived at your destination. At some tournament sites, marinas charge a launch fees. Although this expense cannot be circumvented during competition days, taking the time to locate other launch locations will save money — especially if you plan on spending considerable amount of time practicing. Trailering to different parts of the lake to launch each day may also save funds for other expenses. Many lakes sell a year-round permit, which can be another savings if you are going to compete at this location again. All the above suggestions are what I consider controlled variables. Careful budgeting planning will not only allow for a safe and enjoyable experience but more importantly, it will allow you to put your concentration where it is most needed and that is competing. Be safe and considerate to others on the water and great fishing to you. Ted Nguyen Sponsors: Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Shimano, P-Line, Hastings Rod Manufacturing, Osprey Lures, Southwest Boats, and Neff Construction.

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Clear Lake Year Round! Clear Lake has long been known as the “Bass Capitol of the West”, and while it still is arguably the best fishery in California, it has gone through some changes in the last few years. The bass are reacting differently now that shad have taken a strong hold in the lake here are some general guidelines you can follow to make your trips more productive. Winter: In the winter, shad will congregate into large groups and the bass will do the same. They will bunch up in areas that hold their food source and this can make them difficult to find. However, when you do find them it will be like hitting the Lottery! Your electronics are extremely important this time of year and I will not even drop the trolling motor unless I can see bait on my meter. Because the bait will be so bunched up, you may have to cover a lot of the lake before you find them so don’t get discouraged. I like the south end of the lake this time of year and will concentrate my efforts from Redbud to Buckingham. The best baits for me this time of year have been ripbaits, crankbaits, drop-shotting 6in plastics, and if you see fish on your meter under a large school of bait, don’t forget to try a jigging spoon. Spring: In the spring the bass will not only key on the shad but will also start to follow the migration of hitch into the shallows. As groups of shad begin to disperse and hitch head for the shallows to spawn, the bass will follow and spread out as well. While bed-fishing can be productive in the spring I like to target pre-spawn fish because they can be caught from before the bass make it to the beds until just before summer when the majority of the fish have spawned. This is the time when spinnerbaits, ripbaits, crankbaits and big swimbaits shine. For the largest bass this time of year I like to target the first break just outside of shallow flats. This is where the biggest bass will stage before making their charge to the banks to spawn. I prefer to search for these types of areas in the north end of

the lake at this time of year. Summer: If there is one body of water you want to be on in the summer, it has to be Clear Lake. While the average size of the fish goes down this time of year, the pure numbers more than make up for it. This time of year the bass are back to keying mostly on shad and the shad are spread out all over the lake. Docks, rock piles, flooded bushes, tules, whatever type of cover you like to fish, you will catch fish around it. In the mornings and well into the day, you can experience some of the best topwater action of the year. You can

throw Poppers, Zara Spooks or frogs and it’s a pretty sure bet that you will catch quite a few fish. Last year in July, I pulled up to a single dock that had some baitfish activity around it and caught fifteen fish on a popper before they quit biting! If the topwater action slows down pick up a crankbait, like a River 2 Sea Twin Vibe or High Deep Crank, and cover water. By concentrating on points or banks with some kind of sharp drop, you will find your share of fish, especially if shad are present. If you like plastics, pitch Senkos around docks or drop shot your favorite plastic bait underneath them and you won’t be disappointed. While many lakes are less than stellar in the summer months, for the last few years you could

count on Clear Lake to produce, in my opinion, the best fishing in the state. Just about the entire lake is productive during the summer months but I prefer to spend my time in the mid-lake areas, from the Rattlesnake Arm to the Narrows and down to Konocti. Fall: As the fall transition takes place, shad will begin to ball up again and you will find the bass in concentrations once more. It again becomes a game of covering lots of water until you find the bait and the bass. In the beginning of Fall top water baits like Zara Spooks and buzzbaits are good bets for covering lots of water and catching quality fish. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits will also help you cover water and they imitate shad extremely well. Once you find some fish, if they stop biting the topwater or the crankbaits you are throwing, go back through the area and try drop shotting a 6 in. worm. The slower presentation will help you get a few more bites before you decide to leave. As fall progresses and gets colder, vibrating baits and ripbaits become my baits of choice. The shad will get a little deeper and targeting steeper banks and drop-offs will begin to produce your best catches, just make sure that there is bait present in the areas that you are fishing. I will begin to gravitate back towards the south end of the lake this time of year searching for just these kinds of areas. The “Good Ol’ Days” of fishing are happening right now at Clear Lake. All you have to do to take advantage of it, is trailer your boat there, have your favorite tackle rigged and look for the shad. Once you do that, you will have struck gold in one of the finest fisheries in the United States. Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Minn Kota, Humminbird, Pflueger Reels, P-Line, Powell Rods, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Rodstrainer, River2Sea

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46 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

Finesse Flipping Flipping has been a favorite west coast technique since Dee Thomas invented it back in the early seventies. More tournament wins on the California Delta could be attributed to this technique than any other. Flipping has evolved throughout the years with the creation of better equipment for anglers to use. Finesse flipping, the use of smaller than average baits for flipping, is growing in popularity due to the high pressure situations anglers face today. Rods and reels have gotten so advanced over the last twenty years that anglers can now flip and pitch baits that were once too small and light. I use Shimano Castaic super free reels exclusively for flipping and pitching. The thumbar engagement and super free spool feature of the Castaic is critical for serious flippers. I take all the braking out of my reels when flipping and pitching. I simply open the side plate and push in all the magnets then loosen the cast control knob until it almost falls off. Now you’re ready to go pitching more accurately with a low trajectory. There are many good rods available today for Finesse flipping. It is important to choose a rod with a soft tip and plenty of backbone. I use a St Croix TBC76MHMF for flipping and pitching small baits. This rod has a great tip and is forgiving when setting the hook with lighter tackle. When I’m pitching extremely small weights, like 1/8oz or 1/16oz, long distances I will go to a Legend Elite 70MHF by St Croix. Choosing the right line for this technique is crucial. Sunline’s Shooter Fluorocarbon is the best line for finesse flipping that I have used. Shooter is limp but, also very abrasion resistant. I have caught redfish on Shooter underneath barnacle

covered docks and mangroves with this line when I should have been busted off. It is absolutely awesome. Typically I’ll use the sixteen or twenty pound tests for Finesse Flipping. In heavy vegetation I’ll use twenty or thirty pound Spiderwire Stealth for its grass cutting abilities. Using monofilament and coated fluorocarbon lines is just a waste of time and usually disappointing. The Reaction Innovations Smalley Beaver is my number one Finesse bait. I rig the Smallie on 3/16 to 1/16 tungsten bullet weights pegged. I have been using Gamakatsu’s 2/0 EWG Superline hook until recently. I’ve designed a new hook for Reaction Innovations called the BMF flipping hook will be out soon and the 3/0 was designed for the Smallie. BMF hooks are designed for flippers who set the hook hard and want a stout hook. I have also had great success using a prototype Flirt 6.95 worm. Rigged the same as the Smallie Beaver the Flirt 6.95 was deadly in Florida dead sticking it in the grass. Other baits that work great for this technique are Baby Advantage jigs, small tubes, reapers, and curl tail grubs. I use the same basic colors with my larger baits that I use with the smaller versions One of the biggest things you have to remember when finesse flipping is why you are doing it. When fishing pressure gets so bad that you have to downsize there are other factors to consider besides just bait selection. Be very quiet! Slow your trolling motor speed way down to keep from spooking the fish. Powerpole is making an eight foot hydraulic anchor for bass boats that is going to change the way we fish. This anchor allows you to sneak up on a spot, such as a tule point or hole in the grass and remotely anchor yourself there. This tool allows you to make multiple casts

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The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 47

The Fisherman’s Knot

48 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

Fall at Lake Shasta Shasta is loaded with Spotted, Small Mouth and Largemouth bass, and has something to offer bass anglers throughout the year. Like most any lake, Shasta can challenge even the most experienced of professional anglers. But through out the fall under most conditions even novice anglers can experience the thrill of hooking hard fighting bass by the dozens and even up to a hundred a day. One reason the fish population has done so well in Shasta is the amount of available food for the fish. Shasta has a great crawdad population and a tremendous amount of shad. There is also brim, bluegill and crappies. Then there’s Trout, Steelhead and Salmon feed the big dawg bass. Speaking of these silver sided devils, they come up in schools during the fall and bust on the surface shad just like bass, so keep an eye out it’s a blast to get a big Trout or Salmon on top water. Understanding the bass’s food source is an important factor for locating and catching bass. Fall is the time to catch more and bigger bass on jigs. The bass are becoming more active getting ready for winter and they key on these craws as one of there main food sources. I keep my jig color selection simple varying the weight of the jig depending on where the fish are. As for colors brown and purple or brown and watermelon are the most productive combinations. Depending on the depth of the fish I will use ¼ oz. casting jigs to 1 oz. football jigs to get the job done. Fishing in

the 10 foot range gets the 1/4oz jig and fish in the 50 foot range will get the 1oz model, the right weight insures I can keep the jig on the bottom at all times. The equipment I use is stout, I prefer a Medium Heavy Okuma IM-8 Rod with a 5:1 Okuma Enduron reel, 15 pound test line couples the jig to my rod, and when I swing on a fish I swing for the fence. With all of the active schools of shad in the lake, fall is a great time for throwing spinner baits, rip baits and top water baits. There is a system I use to determine which bait to use. I’ll describe my methodology to locate and determine my first actions to pattern and catch these bass. As soon as I start to pull away from the boat ramp I turn on both of my PinPiont finders and start looking for the bait fish. I look to see if the shad are bunched up in small or large schools, I look for signs of active fish chasing bait or suspended. I will idle the boat over a couple of points and over a couple of cuts, again looking for the positioning of the fish and bait. It is important to have a quality fish finder; otherwise you don’t know what you’re looking at. If I see the bait or bass active in 30 foot of water I will start to run points and targeting the 20 to 30 foot ranges with jigs, plastic worms and an occasionally spinner bait. When the fish and bait are in the 10-15 foot range I will whip out a rip bait or top water of some sort and start running the points

to cover as much water as possible. The equipment I use to cover the water is technique specific depending on the bait I’m using and the depth of the fish. Fishing small plastic worms I will use a 6’6” medium action spinning rod with a large spooled Okuma Reel such as the 30 series VS or Inspira. I start with 8 pound test but will scale down to 6 pound test if I’m not getting the bites, I’ll experiment with both, sometimes these guys are line shy and won’t bite with 8lb or heavier line. For reaction baits like spinner baits and top water Vixons the rods and reel are the same a 7’ Medium action Guide-Select rod with a low profile reel like the VSystem or Nemisis loaded with either 30 pound braided line or 12 pound test mono. For rip baits I use a 7’ Medium Light Okuma GS rod with the same reel and 10 pound test fluorocarbon line. I hope this helps you have a productive day on Shasta and remember, when fishing Shasta in the fall turn on your electronics to locate your fish and be ready to change with the conditions. Take plenty of band aids for your thumbs because spotted bass have teeth and make sure you take some one else with you so you have a witness to your fish story and to verify your 100 fish day. Have fun Fishing, Greg Gutierrez <))><

The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide • 49

Swimbaits “I have tried throwing swimbaits but have never gotten a bite on one yet so I have kind of given up on them.” Therefore, another conversation begins on one of the highest reward presentations in bass fishing...and one of the most frustrating. I typically share my experience with these oversized creations, it was my third season of throwing a swimbait before I got my first bite and fish, a monstrous reward of a two pound, four ounce scrapper! The next day on the lake armed with my two swimbaits and the success of the previous trip, I got my second bite and fish, nine pounds, twelve ounces, now that is what it is all about! Now I have the confidence to carry a selection of these unusual baits in my boat most of the year. If you have been unsuccessful with these big baits ‘but’ really want to add this presentation to your bag of tricks, this article is for you. Begin by tipping the scale in your favor. You will need a body of water you know well and where you know people catch swimbait fish. You will first need to choose a bait to start fishing. Along with an outfit that matches the size/weight bait you have chosen. You will need determination, set days aside to work on the water and get used to working your bait. Finally, you should seek out someone you know who has enjoyed success with these baits and ask them for some coaching. Choosing the right body of water is a key place to start. Some lakes have great reputations for producing fish on swimbaits, every angler on the West Coast knows of Clear Lake’s reputation, and it is well earned. Others require specialty

approaches that even test the patience of the most experienced angler. In my opinion, a beginner has an excellent chance of catching a fish on a swimbait on Clear Lake in March and April. Now you know what lake and when! The most productive and easy to learn swimbait on Clear Lake during the spring is the 3:16 Lure Company’s Mission Fish. How do we know this, ask anyone who fishes this lake in spring and the majority of them will list the Mission Fish as one of their first choices. The fish will be moving into the tulles to stage and spawn and this bait is very successful at coming through the vegetation and getting bites. For the beginner, go with the fiveinch size in the shad, hitch, or pearl color. A twopound fish will smash this bait as hard as a seven pound fish. This particular bait runs on the light side for swimbaits so your equipment choices are simpler. Use a seven to seven foot six inch graphite rod in a medium heavy fast action. Good examples are the Powell 704, Rogue SB796, or Loomis IMX844. If you have chosen a bigger bait to start your hunt with, look to the Rogue SB807 or SB808, good rods at reasonable prices. These rods all have soft enough tips with this weight bait to allow the fish to “load” the rod tip before you set the hook, a flipping stick does not. Use a quality reel that can hold enough 20 to 25 pound test monofilament to make some real long casts and have some backing still on the spool. Keep the gear ratio of the real down in the 5.0 to 1 range, as you will not be burning these baits. Now that you have the equipment and the mindset, dedicate the time to practice on the water. Ask your coach for a little help in getting

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50 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

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you started in the right direction, “fish the tules in four to six feet of water on the North end of the lake”. And the particular bait in this example...do not set the hook until the rod loads up, this isn’t jig fishing! For the sake of the drill, I filled in the blanks for my lake; you fill in the blanks for your choice of lake. I have yet to coach someone through the beginning phase of this process for my lake and had them have an unsuccessful trip and I truly believe if you can catch your first swimbait fish, you can catch many, many more. Follow this template and it won’t take you three seasons of trial and error like it did for me. Ross Is With Tackle-it Shop in Clear Lake www.clearlakeguideservice.com www.3:16lurecompany.com www.powellco.com

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Lake Powell Like a mythical creature, Lake Powell’s numerous fingers spanning over 180 miles and offer over 1900 miles of fishable shoreline. Long considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lake Powell is located on the Utah Arizona border in the heart of famed Color Country. A visual treat to all visitors the scenery alone is worth the trip, add to that the fact that Powell is one of the finest fisheries in the Western United States and you have the perfect recipe for a trip of a lifetime. Venturing up Lake Powell anglers will find a wealth of opportunities to catch Largemouth, Stripers, Walleye, and even Pike. However, the incredible Smallmouth fishing really sets this lake apart. Anglers targeting these feisty bronze backs can expect 40 to 80 fish days in both the spring and fall with average sizes in the pound and a half range. While fish in this class offer plenty of excitement it is the three to four pounders that really gets my blood going, but to catch these guys you need to think outside the box. Most anglers come to Lake Powell with the perception that because of its crystal clear waters and lack of visible cover that it’s a finesse only lake, I can tell you noth-

56 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

ing could be further from the truth. Dismiss the Myth! If you are venturing to Lake Powell this year and really want to tap into the true nature of the beast, then you want to attack it with pure power. Forget the finesse worms, 4lb line, and # 4 mosquito hooks. While these techniques will produce plenty of bites, they will not consistently produce the larger fish that inhabit about every square mile of this 160,000-acre impoundment. Starting in the spring anglers should target any of the major creeks located on Powell. The Bass will be migrating from their main lake winter haunts to the backs of these creeks toward spawning flats. Water temperatures in the creeks will always warm first and thus offer the best first of the year fishing. Look for primary and secondary points adjacent to spawning flats, and you will always find big schools of smallies in early spring. To target these fish I like to hit them with 1oz Yamamoto jigs, 3/4 to 1oz Pepper Hawg spinnerbaits, and larger wide wobble cranks that dive to 12 to 14 feet of water. Color selections this time of year will vary with water clarity, but the two main

forages will be crayfish, and both Threadfin and Gizzard Shad, so brownish green on jigs, and white on the reaction baits seem to work best. As spring gets into full swing and water temperatures approach the sixty degrees mark I go shallow with a barrage of jerk baits and lipless cranks targeting any spawning flat I can find. Spawning flats on Powell seem to be sandier than most lakes because of the lack of gravel, so don’t be afraid to hit these sandy no nothing looking banks, smallmouth will spawn in these areas, I have caught plenty tournament winning fish on these overlooked areas. Once again, it is the old rule of thumb, big baits catch big fish, so do not down size. Instead, cover water, and use a faster than normal retrieve as Smallmouth are highly aggressive and will just try to kill anything stupid enough to come in their path. As the spawn, hits full swing bed fishing is second to none Schools of bass literally take over an area and the real key is just to look for the larger fish. With it’s clear water this is real easy to do, basic bed baits like Tubes, Jigs, Lizards will all work great, the one thing to keep in mind is because of the water clarity you may want to keep back and

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make longer casts to the fish. Summertime fishing on Lake Powell can be just incredible. The reaction bite is on, and utilizing baits that will cover all areas of the water column is the trick. For me I like to start with big noisy baits like Mega Strikes Cavatron Buzz Bait, Rio Ricos, or Andre Moore’s Vixon, anything I can move fast and catch the attention of a school of fish. I like to start on outside points in the mouth of cuts, bays, coves, anything close to the main lake, this is where I find the majority of larger fish. Its kind like the line at the ice cream truck, where is the biggest fattest, meanest, kid? Not at the back of the line that is for sure! He is at the front; getting fed first The same is true with Powell bass. The bass will be waiting for the Stripers to move the food to them, pushing the shad into a kill zone, and you can bet the biggest bass will be first in line. During the day, I like to target big broken rock on the side of canyon walls with white 1oz Yamamoto Hula Grubs. Like all clear water reservoirs shade is a huge key, whether it docks, and tire reefs, floating tumbleweeds, tamerask, Cottonwoods, ledges or just giant slick rock walls. Bass have a huge advantage over their prey in these low light areas and will congregate there all day. Throwing crankbait’s, rip baits, jigs, senkos, flukes in these areas can trigger inactive bass at any given time as well. This is one of the few times of year I Drop Shot on Lake Powell and when I do it’s still with a bait like a five or six inch Senko, I once again am always throwing baits that keep the pesky smaller fish away and ensure that when I swing its on a good quality LP Bass. Fall fishing may be the best of the year! The key is to find the grass most of which are back in the creek areas of the lake, so were almost backtracking to the same areas as spring. The major difference is finding the bait, which in recent years seems to be everywhere. Following striper boils will usually key you off to good areas of bait, move to the closest shoreline from the boils for hungry mixes of

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both Large and Smallmouth. Bass are just roaming this time of year gorging themselves on everything they can, and when your bait crosses their path they won’t stop till they eat it. The big key again is to find the bait, so you just wanna burn all the water you can on trolling motor constantly fishing fresh water. Look to the back of sandy bays, flats, cuts anywhere there is grass and the bait should not be far. This time of year everything goes out the window, structure, cover, depth, all become totally meaningless, it’s all about the shad. Moreover, when you find them, you will find mind-blowing schools of bass, 50 to a 100 fish in one area. You can target these schools all day long, using about any technique you like. Just remember to “dismiss the myth” If you want to catch big LP, bass give them a meal. My top bait selections for Lake Powell include: Lucky Craft LV 500, Pearl Ayu and Chartreuse Shad. Reaction Innovations Vixon, Super Spooks, and Lucky Craft Sammy’s and Gun Fish, shad colors. Mega Strikes Cavitron Buzz Bait in Bleeding Shad. 2 series Yamamoto Grubs (6 inch) in colors 221,176, 031. Pepper Jigs 3/8 ounce in Brown with 221 Yamamoto twin tail (97 series) White 1oz with 031 single tail (18 series) Lucky Craft CB350 and Pro Tune DD in Ghost Minnow, Chanteuse Shad, and Pearl Ayu. Pepper Hawg and Yamamoto Spinnerbaits 3/8, 3/4, 1oz. Colorado, Willow in Shad Patterns. Yamamoto Senkos 5inch in colors 221, 327, 306. Reaction Innovation Flirt 4.95 in / Spanish Fly, Spring Break, and Sloppy Joe. Jamie’s Sponsors include: Legend Boats, Mercury Marine, Gary Yamamoto Baits, Bradshaw Chevrolet, McCoy Line, Mega Strike Industries, Mojo Weights, Pro Image Line Hobie Sunglasses, and Bassdozer.Com.

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Columbia River As the Columbia River meanders through eastern Washington from its headwaters in Canada, it follows a river bed carved out of Basalt rock and waste land. The river bed was formed by the waters of the Missoula Floods that occurred several times over the past millennium. If one can imagine the water level in eastern Washington was 800 to 900 feet deep and traveling at approximately 65 to 70 miles per hour. Some of the most magnificent scenery seen in eastern Washington is evidence of these horrific floods that occurred during these times. The Hanford Reach Area below Priest Rapids Dam is the last free flowing stretch of the Columbia River it is 46 miles long, quite shallow and has very fast current. This area is very popular for sight seeing tours and has some excellent Smallmouth fishing. If you are not familiar with this area it is extremely hazardous to navigate. There are three rivers that feed the Columbia River on Lake Wallulla the Yakima River, Snake River, and the Walla Walla River. These three rivers all add color and increased temperature to the Columbia which has very clear water. The Columbia River has nine dams in

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Washington which are used for flood control, power generation, and irrigation water for the Columbia Basin Project it also provides water and power for the state of Oregon. There are several species of fish in the Columbia such as Sturgeon, several types of Salmon, Steelhead, Shad, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Walleye and a host of other species. Smallmouth Bass fishing on the Columbia River is second to none. Two of my favorite pools to fish are lakes Umatilla and Wallula. Lake Umatilla lies between McNary Dam and John Day Dam. This body of water is approximately 70 miles long and has excellent habitat for Smallmouth Bass. Both the Oregon and Washington shores provide a variety of points, flats, drop offs, current breaks and excellent spawning areas for the bass which accounts for the tremendous numbers of Smallmouth in this pool. This body of water is deep, wide, and has much less current than the pool above McNary Dam, however current is important when fishing this

body of water because the fish are use to the current washing food downstream and when the current slows down the fishing becomes difficult because the fish scatter and no longer relate to current breaks. There is very little pressure on the fish in this body of water from Monday through Friday as it is unusual to see another bass boat. This is one of the reasons why the fishing is some of the best a person can find. Anglers can expect to catch anywhere from 30 to 50 Smallmouth per day during the peak season. My personal best was in August 2002 when a friend and I caught and released 135 Smallmouth in 11 hours! One of the conditions to watch for is the wind in this area as it can become hazardous. The season is open all year however my guide business runs generally April to mid October. The best times to catch trophy Smallmouth are either April to mid May and again in late September to mid October. It is possible to catch Smallmouth in excess of 6 pounds, check the 7 pound 2 ounce Smallmouth caught by one of my clients Paul Lindberg on October 10, 2003. It can be seen on

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my web-site, www.Adkinsonbass.com. The forage base on both lakes Umatilla and Wallula consists of several different types of minnows including Sculpin, Peamouth, Resided minnows, Northern pike minnows, Shad, and others. They also will feed heavily on Crayfish. I use a variety of baits for Smallmouth including Crankbaits, Kalin Grubs, Rattletraps, jerkbaits, flukes, Senkos, topwater, Terminator spinnerbaits, Basstrix lures, and gitzits in Watermelon green which is known locally as “Ol Ugly”, my only claim to fame because it’s named after me. In the spring I use a lot of plastics when the bass are spawning either Kalin grubs, gitzits or Basstrix lures can be utilized to entice the Smallmouth to bite at this time. Use anywhere from 1/8 to 3/8 lead head jigs depending on the water depth and current. Concentrate on flats that have a hard bottom which attracts the Smallmouth to their spawning areas, cast these lures in these areas and you will experience some explosive strikes when you get your lure in one of their beds! Summer time in late June through mid September can be very productive. One of my favorite lures at this time is the ½ oz. Rattletrap by Bill Lewis in Blue and Chrome. It is possible to catch two bass at a time when using this lure. This is also a time when I fish drop offs and under water humps in deeper water. The bass have a tendency to go a little deeper during the hotter summer months. In the fall mid September to late October, Lake Wallula in the Richland area where the Yakima River enters the Columbia can be very productive

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for big Smallmouth. Cast either Senkos or Flukes in Shad patterns on the Yakima Delta where the current pushes bait fish up into the shallows. Big fish are attracted by top water baits at this time of year such as the “Rico” by Lucky Craft or the “Pop R” fish the Pasco side of the river in 4’ to 10’. As I mentioned earlier, I had a client catch a 7lb 2oz Smallmouth on a “Pop R” using a Lamiglas Titanium 703 Spinning rod with 8# McCoy Mean Green line. Another popular method at this time of year is the Carolina rigged Zoom Lizard in Watermelon Red Flake. Look for weed lines with current and drag this lure around these areas for quality Smallmouth. The Columbia River in the Tri-Cities, Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, has been the site of four BassMaster Open Events since 1998 and is scheduled for more in the future. The Columbia River here in the Tri-City area has world class Smallmouth fishing. For more information on fishing this area contact Bob Adkinson at www.adkinsonbass.com . Good Luck and Safe Fishing. Bob Adkinson

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Idahos Brownlee Reservoir History of Brownlee Reservoir Nestled between the boundaries of Idaho and Oregon, lies Brownlee reservoir. It was constructed on the Snake River between 1955 and 1960 by Idaho Power for the purpose of hydroelectric generation. Brownlee reservoir was named for Mr. Brown and Mr. Lee who operated a ferry across the Snake River in the mid-1800’s. This body of water has since become a favorite destination for anglers in search for smallmouth bass, as well as other species of warm water fish. Brownlee is a canyon reservoir located in what is classified as high desert. The reservoir covers 15,000 acres and is 41 miles long. Its maximum depth is 290 feet with an average depth of 95 feet. The maximum width is 1.2 miles. The shores offer a variety of fishing opportunities ranging from gravel flats to vertical rocky bluffs. Species of Fish The angler hoping for a variety of fishing opportunities won’t be disappointed. Smallmouth bass is one of the favorite species sought after in this reservoir. It supports a population of both smallmouth and largemouth bass, with the smallmouth being the dominate species. They will be found throughout the reservoir. The largemouth will typ-

60 • The 2006 Bass Angler’s Guide

ically be found in the upper section of the lake and the Powder River arm. Large numbers of crappie are harvested every year throughout the fishing season. The most productive time is in the spring and early summer months. It is not uncommon to find a school populated with 10-13” slabs inhabiting the steep bluffs and points. Also encountered are bluegill and an occasional pumpkinseed. Yellow perch can be found in schools, moving along the shorelines or suspended over submerged points and islands. The most effective bait will be small jigs or live worms. If whiskered fish are your choice, a healthy population of channel cat, blue cat and flat heads are easily found. They will often surprise an unsuspecting angler by hitting moving baits such as crankbaits, rattlebaits or soft plastics. Cut baits and worms will insure plenty of action with these heavy, line stripping fish. For fishermen with a desire to catch rainbow trout, these fish can be found in the deep, cooler sections of the lake near the dam. Fishing is best in the winter months by trolling with rooster tails, spoons or Rapala’s. Bank fishing using worms or Berkley Power Bait can also be productive.

Prepare for the trip Brownlee reservoir acts as the dividing line between the states of Idaho and Oregon. A license from either state will allow you to use the facilities of either state to put in or take out boats, as long as you do not fish from the shore, dock, or a docked boat in the state which you do not hold a license. The current Idaho limit is 6 bass over 12”. Before wetting a line, be sure to check the regulations for the state you have a license. When preparing to fish Brownlee in the early spring or late fall months, bring extra clothing, as dramatic weather changes are not uncommon. One of the more common factors encountered is wind. Certain sections of the reservoir have a tendency to have more wind than others, so a move to another section may prove helpful. In the event it doesn’t, a drift sock or an anchor may salvage an otherwise frustrating day on the water.Rainfall is most common in the early spring and late fall months. Summers are typically dry, but intense thunderstorms can appear suddenly. Be aware of the weather conditions around you and tune in to a local radio station for a current weather forecast when conditions are questionable. The lake can get rough when high winds blow, so be safe. In the

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summer, the days are long and hot. It is advisable to bring plenty of fluids to drink. Water is best, but sport drinks are fine, too. It is important to take the time to actually consume the drinks, as they won’t keep you hydrated if they are riding around in the bottle. If you consider consuming alcoholic beverages while fishing, I’d advise against it for two reasons. 1.) Beer and water (lake) should never be mixed. Save that for later, when you are sitting around the campfire, recounting your fish stories. 2.) Beer acts as a diuretic, causing you to urinate more, thus resulting in dehydration. Again, drink water during the day and celebrate later.Sun block is another important item to have in the boat. I prefer to use Bull Frog as it is water proof and has a SPF of 30 to 45, depending on the product you select. I’ve personally found the gel to be the easiest and least messy to apply. If you’ll apply it to the sun exposed areas first thing in the morning, you won’t have to worry about it, even if you decide to go for a swim in the heat of the afternoon. You’ll avoid painful sunburns and future trips to your dermatologist. Seasonal Patterns

Spring As the water begins to warm in early spring, the fish will move from the deep winter haunts to the channels and ledges that lead to the spawning flats. You should look for banks with a 45 degree slope and in the back of coves. A variety of techniques can be used this time of year, depending on the stage of the spawn you wish to target. Smallmouth will typically spawn once the water temperature reaches the 55 degree range. This is a time where suspending jerkbaits such as the Lucky Craft Staysee 90 will work well. Bass will often respond best to a bait that is retrieved using a jerk and pause motion. You will need to experiment with your presentation as the mood of the fish can change dramatically as the temperatures change. In clear water, use the natural colors such as Ghost Minnow or Aurora Pro Blue. In water that is more off colored, Chartreuse Shad or Table Rock Shad are excellent colors. Crankbaits that are retrieved along the bottom, bumping into rocky structure, will often trigger some of the larger bass to strike. It is best to imitate a crawfish in a natural green, brown or red color. In discolored water, a brighter color, such as a Citrus Fat Free Shad is a good choice. Another method to target the fish holding on the spawning flats is a Carolina rigged lizard. Fish react well to watermelon pepper or green pumpkin baits. Hula grubs fished on a football head jig can also be productive when using natural colors to imitate a crayfish. Don’t forget topwater baits as the water continues to warm. Some of the most aggressive strikes will come from fishing topwater baits such as the Storm Chug Bug in chrome / black back or firetiger.

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Summer After the spawn and as the weather continues to warm, the fish will move to the deep water points and ledges. They will move up shallow in the early morning and evenings to feed, so this is a good time to throw reaction baits. Crankbaits, rattlebaits and spinnerbaits work well this time of year. The early morning and late evening hours are also a good time to throw topwater baits. Hunt for shade among the bluffs to extend the topwater bite. Once the sun hits the water surface, the fish will return to the deeper water. You will need to move out with the fish and search for structure that they will hold on. A great presentation is a drop shot when fishing the clear water in the lower portion of the reservoir. Hand poured baits excel for this application and SnakeBite baits by Brian Quinnett are

to the Friends of Brownlee. This group has worked closely with Idaho Power and other regulatory commissions to maintain a more consistent water level. This has improved the spawning conditions for bass, crappie and other resident species. As a result, the fish populations have rebounded from previous years where numbers were less than optimal. During the winter months, the reservoir is usually near full pool. In preparation for spring run off and to assist the salmon smolt in their down river migration by increasing flow, the water level is lowered. The water levels during the summer months will typically remain steady until the demand for energy increases to the point that the water is used to generate electricity. During this time, algae blooms can be quite profound, especially in the upper portions of the reservoir. The fall will see the reservoir refilling, once the need for additional energy subsides. You can obtain current water level information by connecting to the Idaho Power website at

some of the finest. My favorite styles are the 4” finesse worm and the 3” leech in green watermelon / pepper, green pumpkin / pepper and black / red flake. Smallmouth aren’t typically very picky and will often bite anything, but it is a good idea to stick to the natural appearing baits in the clear water areas. Mike’s baitfish is my favorite when attempting to imitate small crappie fry. Other deep water techniques such as the c-rig with a ¾-1 oz Lindy weight will work well when drug over the structure at depths of 20-50 feet. A hula grub rigged on a heavy football head jig will also be effective. Don’t forget about downsizing your rig and split shotting small baits such as a tube or a minnow imitation. Fall This is one of the most productive times of the year as the bass are aggressively feeding in preparation for the winter. They will be found chasing schools of crappie fry and will regurgitate them as you bring them to the boat. Reaction baits will work well as the bass will move shallow to feed. The drop shot, c-rig and hula grubs continue to work well. Be alert to the fact that the fish may demonstrate a preference to suspended baits over bottom baits in this situation and adjust your method accordingly. Water LevelsWater levels can vary depending on the time of year and amount of mountain snow pack available as run off. The amount of variation has decreased significantly in recent years, thanks

http://www.idahopower.com/riversrec/waterlevels/r eservoir.asp or you can call their toll free number at 1-800-422-3143. How to get there There are a number of boat ramps available to access Brownlee reservoir. The main ramp on the Idaho side is Woodhead Park, which is owned and operated by Idaho Power. It is located two miles above the dam and offers modern camping facilities complete with heated bathrooms and showers. This campground can be found about 80 miles northwest of Boise, Idaho. Follow highway 95 to Cambridge, Idaho then turn onto highway 71, which will then wander through the mountain canyons to the dam. The road continues until it ends at the Hells Canyon gorge. If you are approaching Brownlee from the Oregon side of the reservoir, Spring Recreational Facility near Huntington, Oregon is a good place to launch your boat. There are no camping facilities available. When the water level is about 26’ below full pool, the main ramp is no longer usable. There is an old ramp to the side that will allow launching a boat when water conditions are lower. A huge rock is present between the ramps, so care must be used when driving the boat to or from the ramps, as it is not marked with a buoy Contacts For information regarding the current conditions at Brownlee Reservoir, contact the following businesses:

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Guides Amador, Pardee & Camanche Gil's Guide Service Gilbert Camargo 209-274-6996 specializing in Night trips at Amador and Smallmouth at Pardee www.fishgil.net

Clear Lake Clear Lake Guide Service Ross England 707-349-1427 www.clearlakeguideservice.com

Ca Delta, Don Pedro Fishing Instructor Guide Service Randy Pringle 209-543-6260 www.fishinginstructor.com Ca Delta Back to Class Guide Service Bobby Barrack 925-684-9904 www.bobbybarrack.com/

Mother Load Lakes Camanche Jack's Guide Service Jack Billington 209-296-6200 www.camanchejacksworms.com Ca Delta, Clear Lake Andy "Cooch" Cuccia 925-625-5148 www.coochsfishing.homestead.co m Ca Delta Gone Fishing Guide Service Mark Lassagne 925-676-3474 www.ezbass.com Guide Listings on www.westernbass.com

Boat Dealers Adam's Marine Skeeter Suisun, CA 707-429-1111 www.adams-marine.com

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Anglers Marine Ranger, Champion, Tracker Anaheim, CA 714-666-2628 www.anglersmarine.com Boat Insurance 1-800-BASSBOAT Stan & Ken Vanderburg Specializing in Bass Boats 800-227-7262 Tackle Shops Bass World West 2144 N Tustin Ave Santa Ana, CA 92705 714-667-6006 www.basworldwest.com Coyote Bait & Tackle South San Jose 8215 Montery Hwy Coyote, CA 95013 408-463-0711 www.coyotebait.com

Dave Bass Shack 651-C West Grant Line Rd Tracy, CA 95376 209-835-6537 www.davesbassshack.com

Escalon Bait & Tackle 2235 Jackson Ave Hwy 120 Escalon, CA 95320 209- 838-6722 Extreme Angler 1625 Main Street #4 Oakley, CA 94561 925-679-3115 www.extremeangler.net

Fish Tales Bait & Tackle 32235 Mission Trail # B11 Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 951-609-2277 Fisherman's Warehouse Sacramento 9035 Folsom Blvd Sacramento, CA 95832 916-362-1200

Fisherman's Warehouse Manteca 2201 E Yosemite Blvd Manteca, CA 95336 209-239-2248

Fisherman's Warehouse San Jose 1140 South De Avza Blvd San Jose, CA 95129 408-873-0113 Fisherman's Warehouse Fresno 4175 E Ashland Ave Fresno, CA 93726 559-225-1838 Fisherman's Warehouse Rocklin 4430 Granite Dr. #B Rocklin, CA 95677 916-415-0800

Hi's Tackle Box 3141 Clement Street San Francisco, CA 94121 415-221-3825 www.histacklebox.com Hogan's Sports 1500 Contra Costa Blvd. Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 925-686-1985 Hook Line & Sinker 3100 Main Street #260 Oakley, CA 94561 925-625-2441 Hook 2 On the Water 925-684-0668

J & T Tackle 1750 #E Los Angeles Ave Semi Valley, CA 93065 888-968-3474

Limit Gift & Tackle 12607 E Hwy. 20 PO Box 704 Clearlake Oaks, CA 95423 707- 998-1006

Mel Cotton's 1266 West San Carlos Street San Jose, Ca 95126 408- 287-5994

www.melcottons.com

Nor-Cal Fishing 1776 Arnold Industrial Way Concord, CA 94520 925- 609-7100

Ocean Aire Electronics Depth finders / GPS 125 Harbor Way #7 Santa Barbra, CA 93109 805-962-9385 www.oceanaireelectronics.com Phil's Propellers 3037 Twin View Blvd Shasta Lake, CA 96019 800-462-3917 www.philsprop.com

Tackle Warehouse 3536 South Higuera St San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805-784-0901 www.tacklewarehouse.com

Tracy Oasis 12450 West Grimes Rd. Tracy, Ca 95376 209-835-3182 www.tracyoasismarina.com Troy's Outdoor Sports 2907 West Capitol Avenue West Sacramento, CA 95691 916-373-1290 Walton's Pond 14837 Washington Avenue San Leandro, CA 94578 510- 352-3932

Marinas Camanche Recreation Center 2000 Camanche Rd. Ione, CA 95640 209-763-5166 Boat Rentals, Great Rates Russo's Marina 3995 Willow Rd Bethel Island, CA 94511 925-684-2024

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