July 2015
ISOutdoors enjoying the outdoors and sharing it with you
Tail Water
CATFIST Canine Care
The MowWak
RIG
J u l yJuly2 2015 015
CONTENT thunder shower trout fishing tailwater catfish canine care
COLUMNS
Food Plot
hitchhiker
Make Bow Hunting A family Affaire
fishing the americas bass fishing
The MowWak Rig
big game destination nation w omen outdoors
publisher Brock RAY
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Planting for great hunting is time well-spent. By Brock Ray
Whitetail
Food
Plot 101 Whitetails need protein and nutrients throughout the summer for growing big antlers. Hardened antlers are 40 to 50% protein, with the remainder made up of primarily phosphorus and calcium. The best way possible for maximum antler growth, he needs a diet rich in protein, phosphorus and calcium. Getting fawns into the best condition possible ensures that they too will have the best chance of reaching their genetic potential later in life. The solid matter making up a doe’s milk is composed of an amazing
32% protein. The health of fawns relates directly to growing big antlers. A high protein diet is even more critical for lactating does than for antler growth, so an entire herd is greatly benefited by a great food supply. Many self-styled whitetail property deer managers fail to appreciate the significance of the mid-summer stress period. It is nearly as stressful as mid-winter. The reason again relates to food quality, which is often in short supply during the summer. This is also the time that these animals have additional needs for growing antlers and nursing does. At this time of the year there are no acorns and the existing naturally occurring browse is comprised mostly of stems.
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Serious whitetail management is a yearround chore. During the summer stress period there is a nutrition gap that negatively impacts antler growth. For bucks, antler growth is secondary to survival. Horn growth results from surplus nutrients and minerals as well as minimal stress. During the summer deer browse on hundreds of different forbs, (or plants.) Whitetails eat a wide variety of plants from alfalfa and soybeans, to maple and honeysuckle leaves. The list of plants deer won’t eat is shorter than the list of those they will. Unfortunately, during late summer much preferred browse matures and dries out. This is when these animals key in to agricultural crops and food plots when they are available. During July these animals transition to food plots when they are available to them. If you managed property for whitetail, unless you provide a food plot where high quality, protein-rich food sources are readily available, your bucks will not grow their biggest antlers and fawn health suffers. These animals require foods high in protein and minerals during the summer with a greater shift toward carbohydrates in fall and winter. You need to plant food plots that produce lots of protein and extract key minerals from the soil.
Fertilize with calcium, phosphorus and protein mixes as well liming your food plot. What to plant depends on where you hunt, but for most hunters it is clover. The best clovers are those that will grow on your property. If all varieties grow well on your land, then opt for clover with the highest crude protein levels. The protein level of white clover compares favorably with that of alfalfa. Chicory is a close second to clover as a source of high protein, high mineral food source. Again, it is important to have plantings that extract minerals from the soil efficiently. Alfalfa is great for larger food plots for summer nutrition, and it is the most economical option. The overall size of a food plot is an important consideration. An acre of clover covers the food needs of up to six deer. If your property holds 50 to 70 animals, at least 8 to 12 acres of summer food plots should be planted. Many property managers prefer to keep their food plots small and spread out around their property. If you determine that you need 5 acres, it is far better to plant five one-acre food plots than a pair of twoand-half acre plots. This also enables you to spread out hunting pressure more evenly. Great summer food plots produce high quality bucks and top notch hunting fun.
Tail water Cat
Truly huge cats prowl the currents in the shadows towering dams. By Buck Wilder
Tail water cat fishing may be the strangest, most intimidating of all freshwater angling. Upstream is a skyscraperlooking megalith holding back a world of water. When water is jettisoned through the turbines of the dam, the tailrace is an unpredictable flow comparable to flood stage anywhere else. Tail water river fishing is not for novice river boaters, but in the right crafts with an understanding of the inherent dangers, the opportunities of catching the wealth of catfish stacked up in these rivers is worth learning. Virtually all rivers and lakes hold loads of catfish and July is a prime time to catch these tasty to eat fish. What makes the first few miles of a tail water river so special is the availability of food. Shad, alewives and other baitfish plying the upstream reservoir are sucked into the turbine intakes and are spewed out downstream killed, injured or dazed. Catfish residing in the tailrace know the dinner bell has sounded.
atfish;
July’s Most Predictable Fishing
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Experienced tail water river catfish anglers prefer upstream generation at dams, often calling this high tide. Lack of generation is referred to as low tide. The difference is like night and day, typically resulting in raises and drops of surface levels by ten-feet. During low tide, catfish (especially those over 20-to-40 pounds) locate at the bottom of the deepest holes. They can still be caught, but you really need to know where to angle for them. At high tide tail water rivers come alive. Catfish move into feeding lanes where ledges, rocks and other current obstructing cover enables them to snatch passing food with the least possible expenditure of energy. The biggest catfish hold sway over the best feeding spots, while further down the pecking order smaller catfish establish themselves where they are aggressive enough to fend of trespassers. The most knowledgeable river rat fishermen know the location of the prime, big cat holes; this was hard earned knowledge about which they are not likely to share
even under duress. This is fine though, because almost all tail water rivers are so crowded with catfish that catches of 100 pounds per day are not unusual for even relative newcomers to fishing such bodies of water. Drifting fishing with the current has the benefit of also occasionally allowing everyone to pass over prime holes either by design or happenstance. Drift fishing is a using your boat like a yoyo. While some fishermen drift along with the current, the suggested approach is to do a controlled float by using the motor of the boat to manipulate their downstream progress. The simplest drift fishing technique is to hang well weighted lines over the side of a boat at various depths. It works well, but it is pretty passive fishing that does not permit anglers to modify depths nor cast to explore water adjacent to the boat. Casting
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and retrieving from a boat works best and is also the most fun. Traditional catfish baits such as chicken gizzards and stink baits work in tail water rivers. However, most guides prefer catching a supply of shad or other locally occurring bait fish. Live or dead, these are highly effective and snatched by catfish with gusto. The biggest key is to have tackle heavy enough to handle catfish up to 50-to-60 pounds. This translates to using 20-pound test line. Depending on the speed of the current and how deep you need to offer bait, plan on using at least
an ounce of lead, and be prepared to tie on more. While the surface might appear to you to be class two rapid, the structure at the bottom creating this appearance is likely to hold really big blue cats lurking in the still bottom water beneath the rushing overhead current. If you have never drift fished for catfish in a tail water river, by all means do not make your first trip on your own. Hiring a guide may save your life, and at the very least, net you more fish. Air conditioners are running full blast in July, so every hydroelectric dam in the country is providing them with power as fast as they can move upstream water through the turbines. Yep, it’s a darn good time to fish these man manipulated catfish hot spots. Â
Canine Care Summer flea problem know-how.
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Attempting to control fleas on dogs is a multi-step process. Adult fleas spend most of their time on a dog, but the flea eggs, larvae, and pupae are found in abundance in bedding, and grass. For every flea that you see on your dog, there are likely to be hundreds of eggs and larvae where your animal lives and in your home and yard. Therefore, a truly effective flea control program always includes treating your dog’s environment as well as your dog. Flea control in the outdoor environment and kennel generally involves eliminating the habitat in the yard and kennel areas where fleas are most likely to occur. Fleas tend to like it where it is moist, warm, shady, and where there is organic debris. They will also tend to be where dog spends more time. Be sure to concentrate on areas such as patios, under porches and dog houses. Rake away any organic debris such as leaves, straw, grass clippings, etc., to disturb flea habitat. It is perfectly normal to see live fleas on a dog immediately after spraying or dipping. It takes time for the flea control products to work. Until all of the fleas where your dog lives have died, you will still see some
fleas. This is especially true if you had a big flea problem to start with. Persistence is the key here. It is essential to keep following an effective flea control program for a long enough time to get rid of all of the fleas, in all life stages. This may take several weeks to 6 months or more, depending on your particular situation. There are a number of flea control products, including once-a-month topical products, sprays, dips, shampoos, collars, powders, oral, and injection medications. Once-a-month topical insecticides that are applied to a small area on your dog’s back are easy use and are long lasting. Some kill fleas and ticks, and others just kill fleas, so check the label carefully. Ingredients generally include permethrin, fipronil, imidacloprid, spinosad, metaflumizone, and selamectin. Examples include Bio Spot-Spot On for Dogs, Advantage, K9 Advantix, Frontline Top Spot, Comfortis, Promeris, Vectra 3D, and Revolution Flea control sprays can come as aerosols or pump bottles. It is unnecessary to soak the pet with the spray, but be sure to spray all parts of the animal. Spray a small amount
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Hoedown
If shooting varmints until you shoulder is battered is your idea of fun, then prairie dog hunting is for you. By Brock Ray
I’m a huge rifle enthusiast who loves to go prairie dog hunting this time of year. When you find the idea location where you can easily unload 500 rounds plus a day shooting prairie dog, well it is just more fun than most people should legally experience. Prairie dogs are members of the squirrel family that earned their name from pioneers arriving west who thought the alert chirps of these rodents sounded like dogs barking. My first prairie dog hunt occurred in Arizona a few years ago when Don Kirk and I visited the Ruger factory in Prescott. They took us out on some ranch lands that were silly with these big-eyed varmints. We shot until our trigger fingers were tired. We had great fun, the ranchers were pleased as punch, and I found a new thing I needed to do as often as opportunities presented themselves. Where I live in northern Alabama there is not one single prairie dog, so I have to confess a jealousy for those hunters living in close proximity of where these troublesome varmints can be wacked and stacked from sun rise until sun set. There are five different species of prairie dogs: the white-tailed, the Utah, the Gunnison, the Mexican and the black-tailed. All five of these species are now at a small fraction of their historical numbers. Prairie dogs live in the dry grassy areas of the western
plains. Some species of prairie dogs live at higher altitude on high, dry plains. The black-tailed prairie dog, the most common member of the species, reside low, dry grasslands from Canada through the western plains states. Prairie dogs live in complex networks of underground tunnels with multiple surface openings. Raised-burrow entrances indicate dog towns. The tunnels themselves contain separate “rooms” for sleeping, rearing young, storing food, and eliminating waste. Very social critters, they live in families. Known as “coteries,” these family units make up neighborhood clusters that often
Interstate sportsman
grow into towns. Burrow openings are a bane to livestock and pockmark ranches that have long traditionally been eager to reduce the number of these animals on their property. Thus was born the sport of dog zapping. Prairie dog hunting is more like going to a dove shoot than anything else I can compare it to. Shots range from 100 to 400 yards, meaning that most experienced dog shooters prefer fast, flat shooting, small caliber center fire rifles mounted with high resolution, high power scopes. Popular calibers include the 22.250 Savage, .222 Rem, 6mm Rem. and .257 Roberts. Recommended bullets are usually the lightest offered for these calibers, as speed is a highly desired performance characteristic. Rifles should be sighted in to shoot 1-inch 3-5 shot groups at 100 yards. Prairie dogs’ vital
areas are approximately this size. Locate a prairie dog town by contracting local hunting outfitters. The best shooting is on private land, and most of it is tied up these by outfitters due to the growing popularity of the sport. I like to arrive early in the morning so I can set up my shooting bench or ground cloth within 100 to 200 yards of the edge of the prairie dog town. Then the fun begins. When the sun rises, the dogs will begin to poke up out of their burrows and you can begin picking your targets. Aim through the scope and place the crosshairs squarely on the prairie dogs’ chests. This way if your shot is a bit low or high, you will still make a clean kill. When you are steady and have your target picked, squeeze the trigger slowly and watch for your hit.
Interstate sportsman
Make bow hunting a family affair. By Shelia Foulkrod
If you are looking to spend time in the woods the solution could be to be more inclusive in the family. There are many ways to do this. From a personal standpoint, I do not think there is a better opportunity for getting everyone in the family involved than when you have a whitetail on the ground that has yet to be found. Not only can you let youngsters help you find and follow a blood trail, it also gives them a glimpse at how you honor the animals you shoot by making sure they are recovered so they can be eaten. Whenever possible, I strongly recommend you let the kids and your spouse solve the puzzle. Allow them to share in your accomplishment by being the ones that conclude the hunt for you. My old friend Terri Boyd has a neat way for getting her kids involved in hunting. She
and her husband love to make jellies and pies from wild grapes, strawberries and other sweet edibles. Summer after summer they tramped about the mountains of northern Pennsylvania where they lived, looking for and picking these berries and such. An avid female bow hunter, Terri uses such treks as opportunities to watch for whitetail signs and to introduce his children to where these animals live and are hunted. My husband Bob and I do much the same, frequently involving first our children, and now our grandchildren who help scout and plant food plots. Occasionally, these outings do not sound as appealing to youngsters who these days are quite content to sit in
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front of a computer game. However, experience has taught me that while it may take some coaxing to get the family to come along, you are instilling memories they will recall and tell about long after every computer game slips from their memories. Bow shooting is one of the best ways to get the family involved in your passion of bow hunting for whitetail, although I will tell you up front that many times you can interest a child or other family member in archery but not bow hunting. These days most bow makers offer excellent junior bows as well as lightweight bows of low poundage for female shooters. If putting out the cash for a new bow for every family members taxes yours budget, put the word out among fellow bow hunters, archery club members and at your local bow shop that you need an used youth or low poundage bow. Once young shooters out-grow youth-size bows, they usually are still in excellent condition, and almost always available at big savings over new bows. Walk through 3D tournaments where ar-
chers shoot at lifelike targets of whitetail, black bear and other popular game animals, are a natural extension for you to introduce your family to once you get one or more of them shooting their own bows. Be careful though, as in this fast paced archery venue, it is not unheard of for the student to pass the skill level of the teacher. Whenever possible, make an effort to get kids in the woods, especially prior to and after the close of the hunting season. Teach them to help you shoot. Show them your tree stand locations and explain why you hunt here and not over there somewhere. They will appreciate you sharing your knowledge of bow hunting and woodsman ship, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Lastly, do not over do it. Share in measured increments, and remember to let them show you what they enjoy most in life. Life, like bow hunting, is a game of give and take. Make the most of it with your family.
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If you grew up fly fishing for trout in the East, you probably dreamed about fishing the streams and rivers of Yellowstone National Park. Of course, if you grew up near those streams, every eastern fly-rodder hates your guts. Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the world, and is located in sections of the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. It spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles, comprising lakes,
canyons, rivers, and mountain ranges. Besides stellar fishing for trout, the park is also known for its wildlife, geothermal features, varied forest ecosystems, and the dominant subalpine forest. It would take you years to fish all of the streams and rivers in this large national park. So here’s a thumbnail sketch of the best and some of the least-known waters you can fish in park boundaries.
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Yellowstone River The Yellowstone River offers spectacular fishing, with some of this flow being easy to access, while other seldom-fished areas require considerable legwork. The section of river from Yellowstone Lake down to Chittenden Bridge opens for fishing on July 15. A road parallels the river for this entire stretch. This portion of the Yellowstone holds great fly fishing for native cutthroat trout on dry flies. Matching the hatches on this section of river is more important than it is on any other waters in Yellowstone National Park. Below Chittenden Bridge, the Yellowstone plunges over two gigantic waterfalls before disappearing through the Grand and Black Canyons to where it exits the Park at Gardiner. Downstream of the lower falls, anglers catch native Yellowstone cutthroats as well as brown and rainbow trout. Large attractor dry flies and nymphs are most effective in
the turbulent canyon pocket water. Here the Yellowstone is big water, and anglers should use caution when wading. Firehole River The Firehole is a unique river. It offers easy access to great fly fishing alongside Yellowstone best opportunities to see lots of elk and bison. Many of the Park’s most spectacular thermal features are located on or near the Firehole. These are dangerous as well as beautiful, meaning you must use caution when fishing the Firehole. This river is most productive early and late in the season, when water temperatures are below 70 degrees. Brook trout dominate in the reaches upstream of Old Faithful, while rainbows and browns are common downstream
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of Biscuit Basin. This is an aquatic insectrich flow with outstanding hatches of mayflies, caddis flies, stoneflies, midges, and even damselflies. Firehole trout are picky, meaning that, when they are rising, matching the hatch is the best way to take these trout. When surface action is not occurring, nymphs and soft hackle wets will produce if dead drifted. Madison River The Madison is easily accessible, and offers a variety of angling opportunities. The river winds its way ten miles downstream through scenic valleys before exiting the Park near West Yellowstone. The Madison has multiple personalities. Some reaches are largely shallow riffles, while others are deep runs and pools. Other stretches of the
Madison are more like the tranquil, clear water flows of a large spring creek. In the latter you match wits with sophisticated, angler-wary trout that test the skills of even the most accomplished fly fishermen. The Madison is most productive early and late in the day during the early July to late September season. The spring creek areas demand a stealthy approach. However, the runs, riffles, and pools are not nearly as technically demanding. Drifting a nymph or ripping streamer through the deeper reaches of such sections of the Madison is productive in terms of both trout numbers and size. Gallatin River Another easily accessed river, the
Gallatin offers a smorgasbord of water types, from cottonwood-lined meadows to a smattering of fast-flowing, pocketfilled runs and riffles. Since the Gallatin remains colder longer than other park streams, fly fishing there peaks in early July, when mayfly, caddis fly, and stonefly hatches fill the air.
The Gallatin is best known for its average- to nice-size rainbow trout. Most 窶話ows will tape 12-inches long or less, but donﾂｹt let that make you become complacent. Trophy-class trout also occupy these waters, especially in areas with modest fishing pressure. The
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Gallatin has a well-deserved reputation for providing great fishing one day and poor catches the next. Gibbon River If you want it all, then the Gibbon is your best option in Yellowstone National Park. It is a small river, but along its length one can find placid meadow reaches, fast and steep canyon water, and classic riffle-run-pool habitat, all divided by crashing waterfalls and thermal features. The road runs along most of its length, making access easy. Attractor dries and nymphs work well in fast runs, while matching the hatch is critical in meadow reaches. Later in the season, fish feed on terrestrial insects that fall into the river off of overhanging vegetation, so be prepared with hopper, beetle, and ant patterns. Lamar River Located off the beaten path in the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park, the Lamar is overlooked by many fly fishermen trekking west for trout. It offers both road and backcountry access. High country runoff often lasts until late July, making the Lamar a late-bloomer in
terms of peak fishing time. Much of the time, matching hatches is not necessary for great fishing, as large attractor dry flies, terrestrial patterns, and stonefly nymphs are always productive here. Nearby Slough Creek is beloved by dryfly enthusiasts, as the cutthroat trout here liberally sip the surface. This is a meadow stream for most of its length, with periodic fast-flowing canyon stretches separating the meadow reaches. Road access is via the dirt road leading to Slough Creek Campground, but many anglers choose to hike to more remote waters. Fly fishing is best beginning when the runoff subsides, and lasts until the first snows kill off the terrestrial insects that the trout feed on later in the season For more information about fishing and visiting Yellowstone National Park, visit www.yellowstonenationalpark.com
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The “Mo-Wak” Rig by Roger Lee Brown, “The Bass Coach” I know it’s been awhile since my last article, and I certainly appreciate all the daily emails, phone calls, and letters that I have received (at least 200+ per week), but I have been having a bit of a painful recovery after my back surgery last Spring. I also wish to apologize to and thank all of the three-day (bass fishing school) students and charter inquiries that I couldn’t schedule this past season due to a full schedule (along with my recovery). Lord willing, this season I hope to accommodate
those of you that I couldn’t get to this past season. I am scheduling three-day students and charters at the present for this upcoming season so, if you wish to enroll in the three-day bass fishing school, now would be the best time to do it! My teaching and charter season usually starts around mid April and continues through October or November (depending on the seasonal climate.) Now that that’s out of the way, here is the one! Numeral Uno! The cat’s meow!The rig that will definitely make the difference between catching and not
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catching fish. I simply call it the “Mo-Wak” rig, because it’s really two different rigs (which are the Mo-Jo & Wacky rig) put into one.First, let me explain what these two rigs are and their presentations. Mo-Jo Bass Fishing Magic The “Mo-Jo” rig (also known by some anglers as the “Mo-Jo Magic” rig) is rigged by either using a 1- to 2-foot leader with a swivel, hook, and a light weight. This set-up can be also rigged without a swivel, using a pegged weight to allow it to slide up and down whatever leader size you wish. This rig has been used by some of the top pros for years, but has been a well-kept secret because of how well it works at catching bass. I would even go as far to say that 80% of my former bass fishing school students have never even heard of this rig, so the Mo-Jo may be new to you, as well. The Mo-Jo rig can be used just about any place – under certain conditions. When I rig a Mo-Jo, I usually use the lightest weight I can get away with. First I grab a 3/16-oz. slip weight and put it on my line (always put it on the line point
first!); next, I usually tie on a 1/0 or 2/0 worm hook to the end of my line. Then I grab a toothpick (you can use a rubber peg made by some of the different companies, but a toothpick is much cheaper!), and peg my weight. After this is done, I choose my bait depending on what I feel the bass would want under the conditions and environments where I will fish the rig. I‘ve found that some of the following baits are very effective on the MoJo rig: (Yamamoto’s) Senkos, (Zoom) Centipedes (also known as French Fries), (Yamamoto’s) Twin Tailed Hula Grubs,
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Lizards, Worms, and there are, of course, many more. Yamamoto’s Senkos are probably my favorite!Now, to complete this rig I will choose one of these baits and Texas rig it on the hook, and then I will slide the “pegged” weight up the line to what ever leader size I wish. That’s it!
the Senko, you insert the bait into the middle of the hook, thus causing plastic to dangle on both sides of the hook when working it. This rig can be deadly, and many anglers have been using it in recent years with much success but, like any presentation, you can find a flaw.
Now, cast the Mo-Jo rig to where you think the fish are, let it slowly drop to the bottom. Periodically, slowly lift the tip of your rod, then let it fall again and reel up the slack in your line. The slower you work this rig, the better! If the wind starts to pick up when fishing this rig, you can do one of two things; use a heavier weight, or face the boat into the wind and cast straight in front of the boat. These two changes will keep some of the slack (or bow) out of your line.
Without any weight added, this can be a very tough rig to work in windy conditions. Sometimes a Senko can be very effective when you just Texas rig the bait without any added weight, but again the wind can be somewhat of a deterrent. This technique can be used just about anywhere you can find fish, with great success.
Go Nuts withthe Wacky Rig The next rig mentioned is the well known “Wacky Rig,” made very popular with the (Yamamoto) Senkos. The difference between the Wacky rig and the Mo-Jo rig is quite simple – the Wacky rig is usually used without any attached weight and, instead of Texas rigging
Now, between these two different rigs the best is yet to come. Here are a couple of examples that I have encountered in the past couple of years with some of my students, pros, and a couple of charters. Catching Bass When They Shut Down About two years ago, I had two students from Nevada that fish club tournaments. Both of them were fairly new to bass fishing and wanted to learn how to
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catch bass during conditions where the bass seem to shut right down (boy does this happen a lot!). Anyway, the second day of the school, sure enough, we encountered those same conditions on Lake Champlain (which is usually where I teach). We tried a good variety of different baits and presentations, but they weren’t doing the job. Normally, when you have a lake shut down, the best technique you can use is the slowest presentation you can muster. Well, we tried the Mo-Jo rig without much success, then we went to the Wacky Rig, on which we had a couple of short strikes. However, as soon as we went to the Wacky Rig, the wind started to pick up a bit and I knew we needed some weight to fish this rig consistently. About mid-day, with only a couple of fish caught between my students and myself, I started getting a bit frustrated—like most of us do under these conditions, right? Anyway, after taking three steps back and a deep breath I started thinking of a way to catch these stubborn fish. That’s when I came up with the Idea of joining these two rigs together. So, I took
a Mo-Jo rig and, instead of Texas rigging the bait, I took a Senko and Wacky rigged it on the Mo-Jo, then made a cast. A couple of minutes after it settled to the bottom, a fish just about ripped the rod out of my hand and literally hooked itself! Guess what? To our surprise, about a3½-pound smallmouth bass boated on the first cast. A few minutes after I released the fish, Ron (one of my students) screamed “Yeah – I got one on!” and, before he even got it in the boat, Fred (the other student) yelled, “It works!” Long story short, we caught several fish in a short time in the same area where we had been getting the short strikes. So, wanting to be sure about this modification I had made from the two different rigs, we went to another place and the same thing happened. We caught several fish there as well and, for the remainder of the class period, we caught plenty of fish for the day. Now It’s the Mo-Wak This started me thinking about how to refer to this modification of the two rigs. The name I came up with was the “Mo-Wak” rig.
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Since I have been using and teaching this new rig, all my clients and students have been amazed at how well it actually works, and plan to keep a rod rigged with it always on deck.
NC, Don Pedro, CA, Sam Rayburn, TX, St. Johns River, FL, Santee Cooper, SC, Lake Lanier, GA, Kerr Reservoir, NC, Candlewood, CN, and a few other places. In every area, I had great success.
Later on in the season, I had a wellknown pro who was going to be fishing the Bassmaster Elite Series tournament out of Plattsburg, NY. He needed some help, so since there was an open slot in my three-day school well before the cut-off period, he enrolled. We went out for three days and fished different parts of the lake, to get him somewhat comfortable with different areas to fish. Guess what? He was one of these “Drop Shot” fanatics who catch numbers, rather than size, for weight. The same time he was using the Drop Shot rig, I used my Mo-Wak rig, and my fish averaged at least a pound (if not more) that each of his fish.
One question that I get from students is how to work the Mo-Wak rig in grass or vegetation. The answer, quite simply, is to use a hook with a little wire weed guard on it.
Don’t think for a moment that the MoWak rig is just a technique that works only for us “Frozen Brains” up here in the Northeast. Since I have started using this rig, I have taught students on Lake Anna, VA, Shasta Lake, CA, Lake Norman,
I really suggest that you give the Mo-Wak rig a try and see for yourselves. I think that you just may become addicted to it and will use it for years to come. If you have any questions about the “Mo-Wak” rig, or wish to enroll in my three-day bass fishing school at your home lake or mine, or just wish to charter a day of bass fishing, you can phone me at (518) 597-4240, or visit my website, or email me at rlbrown@capital.net . Until next time, take care and God bless you always!
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