Big Indiana Bass

Hailing from the deep, clear waters of Table Rock Lake in Missouri, Brian Snowden is a structure fishing wizard. But as he proved at the recent PAA event down on Lake Toho, he can hold his own on the shallow vegetated lakes of the Southeast also. 'Big Indiana Bass' put our 10 questions to this versatile angler to get a better feel for his style and how he approaches each tournament.

Q - Specialist vs. generalist – do you see yourself as one style or the other technique wise?

BS - I feel I am a generalist which helps on the national events.

Q - In practice, better to cover lots of water or learn an area intimately?

BS - First day cover lots of water to learn what type of stuff is on the body of water.

Q - How long do you try a pattern without a bite before abandoning it?

BS - One hour.

Q - Easier to win a local one day (BFL, etc.) or a 3-4 day regional/national?

BS - One day events.

Q - How much practice time do you believe is optimal for you to be able to compete effectively?

BS - Three days.

Q - How critical is bite timing (i.e., finding "afternoon" fish, "morning" fish, etc.) versus fishing your fish all day -- don't leave fish to find fish?

BS - I do better fishing fish all day.

Q - In practice do you stick 'em or shake 'em?

BS - I will catch a few to see the size in an area.

Q - Bank beating vs. structure fishing – do you prefer to comb large amounts of shallow water or drag fewer specific deep spots?

BS - I like to fish structure spots.

Q - Any thoughts on making daily adjustments to your fish patterns (how critical)?

BS - It is very important to make adjustments to your fishing pattern throughout the day.

Q - Favorite big fish technique?

BS - Swimbaits

You can get more information about Brian at the following sites:

• Table Rock Guide Service
• Brian's Toho Win (PAA)
• 2006 Bassmaster's Classic Interview 

Q- Tell me about the pressure on Indiana waters.

TM - Well, 90% of the water in the state of Indiana is pressured water, because if you look at the stats, especially the Federation numbers, Indiana for years has been one of the largest Federations in the country. We also have about the least amount of fishable water than any other state. We have less water and more fishermen, so everywhere you fish is pressured water. Here you’ll run across 10 boats in one little bay, while in other states you’ll have a whole 200 acre bay all to yourself. In Indiana that’s impossible. You always have one boat ahead of you or one boat behind you.

Q- How do you deal with all those boats?

TM - My look on that is that I just try and treat everybody the way I’d want to be treated. I try not to cut nobody off, don’t try and get too close to them, try not to stir up the water on them.

Q- What becomes your strategy when fishing our pressured waters?

TM - Ninety-nine percent of my success in fishing, whether it’s been tournaments or my guide service, has been fishing shallow water. Anything over 2 feet is too deep of water for the shallow water fisherman. One of the reasons I do that is because fish like cover, and the shallow visible cover is a lot easier to see and fish. We’ve got some really nice electronics now days, and I’ve got some nice electronics in my boat, but it takes a lot of time to go out there and find those little hidden spots in deeper water.

Q- Tell me about your technique for shallow water.

TM - I fish slow, real fast. There’s a lot of ways to do that. For example, I’ll toss my bait out and fish through an area fast until I hit a piece of cover. Once I hit a piece of cover, I stop. In the Bassmaster Classic, 75-80 percent of the fish I caught was by just holding my rod still with the bait against the cover, not moving it at all. That’s one of the keys, especially for big fish. So learn to fish slow when you get into cover. When you find the cover, slow down.

Q- And your bait choices?

TM - So in doing that, what I try to do is find baits that look natural or work naturally when they’re still instead of when they’re moving. That’s why I like the Stupid tube. A tube, with these little tentacles on it sitting still, with any type of current or any movement at all, they’re wriggling around a lot.

Q- How about tackle choices?

TM - I use fluorocarbon line because you can feel a lot. But the most important item in my opinion is the rod. The reel just takes up and collects line. Most of the time when I’m fishing, I’m dragging, because I can feel a lot better that way. So you want a high quality rod.

Q- Any other tricks for pressured water?

TM - In certain instances I really like a jet boat so I can get to unpressured water where people don’t fish all the time. With a jet on an 18 foot flat-bottom boat I can run across 2 inches of water. It’s what I typically use on most of my guide trips.

Rod Yoder - Graphic Designer, Bass Angler and owner of RedShad.com has been fishing competitively now for over 17 years. In that time frame he has won over $50,000, all from the back of the boat. His resume includes 4 BFL/Redman wins in the Hoosier Division, a win in Nov. 2006 in the Bassmaster Series Regional on Neely Henry, and a 2nd place finish in the Bassmaster Series National Championship on Guntersville in January 2007. We sat down with Rod to get his thoughts and strategies on fishing competitively from the back seat.

Q - Which came first for you, bass tournament fishing or bass tackle shop?

RY - Tournament fishing. I fished my first tournament in 1991. It was a Redman tournament on the Ohio River. Actually, that was the first time I had ever been in a bass boat. We had just been on a family vacation and I looked at getting a guide and boat for the day. The cost made me decide against it. Later that summer when I looked at the cost of entering a bass tournament, $75.00, I realized what a great deal it was for a non-boater. You get to ride with a boater for the day, and he takes you to his best spots and shows you his best kung fu. Where else can you get 8-9 hours with a guide and boat for $75-$100?

Q - Briefly, what is your “real” line of work (your day job) and how did the online tackle shop idea get started?

RY - I am the Senior Graphic Designer for a scientific instrument and services company. I also do a fair amount of design/web/photo work on the side for a number of tackle manufacturers. At one point I was looking for a better way to rig a weedless tube – that was how the Little Pek jig came about. I decided to put together a web page and see if it would sell – a way to help cover my fishing expenses. I never really had a plan to run an online tackle shop… It just grew into being out of my love of fishing along with my abilities with web design: “I found a way to do what I do and have it have to do with what I’d rather be doing.”

Q - Where did the name “RedShad” originate from?

RY - When I first got connected to the internet, back in 1997, I ran across a sign-up to beta test an online WWII flight sim. I needed a nickname for my online persona and I wanted it to be related to fishing so I was known as RedShad. I ended up buying the domain name, redshad.com, and used it as a portfolio site for my graphics work and as a playground for learning web design. Later I added a subdomain, tackle.redshad.com, and that became what it is today, an online tackle shop.

Q - Given the current state of the economy, have you noticed any slowdown in tackle sales or has it not really affected you?

RY - I was just looking back over the last year and I have not seen a noticeable drop other than the seasonal variances one would expect. I do know that the fishing industry in general has been hit hard. Without getting political, I will only say that we all hope for the best.

Q - What has been the top selling bait purchased by Indiana anglers (as opposed to out-of-state buyers) from your store?

RY - My number one seller has been the Little Pek Jig. It is such a versatile little jig head. Second, has been the new Little Pek Shake wacky jig. Basically, the baits carried on RedShad.com are there because they are what I personally use and have had success with.

Q - Did you fish state tourneys before there was such a thing as a co-angler, and if so, which format (if either) do you prefer as a back boater?

RY - Yes, when I started, there were boaters and non-boaters all competing for the same tournament pot. The only difference was that one owned the boat. You each had half the day running the trolling motor and determining where to fish. So as a non-boater I was competing against the entire field of anglers rather than just the other non-boaters. I did have some success in that format winning a Redman tournament (predecessor to the BFL) in 1993. Today, with the angler/co-angler format, there is a more level playing field for the co-anglers. I like it. I like it a lot. There may be something different in how I am wired. I really do enjoy fishing with a wide variety of anglers and being forced to adjust to their fishing style. That is the trick to being a successful co-angler - the ability to adjust.

I told myself early on that the longer I can go being happy as a co-angler, the better off  I will be. No payments, no insurance, no worries about electronics or lower units, etc. One of my fears is that someday I will win a boat and I will be ruined as far as being satisfied to be on the back deck.

Q - Is there an ideal minimum/maximum amount of tackle for a co-angler to carry? Could a guy survive on just one outfit?

RY - Just once, I would love to get in someone’s boat with one rod and a small pack of lures. I actually think in some cases it could be beneficial. But… there is always the unknown on what your boater will do and where he will take you. And the fear of not having something I need overtakes me. Normally, I end up taking 5 rod/reel combinations. The majority of the time may be spent using only 1 or 2 of those rods, but I can never be sure which ones it will be. The most I have taken is 7 rods, but that is actually too many. Ideally, 4-6 rods is reasonable.

Q - Is there one outfit that gets rigged and carried with you 90% of the time during tourneys, regardless of location (your “go-to” or confidence rig)?

RY - The first 14 years of tournament fishing, it was a red shad Power Worm rigged with a 5/32oz Top Brass weight and a red glass bead. (This is where the “RedShad” nickname came from.)  Not that this rig is no longer carried, but more recently, my go to rig is a 7’ Shimano rod, 8# test Seaguar INVZX line and a 20# test saltwater snap. Laying on the back deck, protected behind the passenger seat back, often are 3 or 4 small jigs: 1/8oz Little Pek with a Zoom Speed Craw or 3” Powerbait Beast, a 1/16oz and 1/8oz Little Pek Shake wacky rigged with a Zoom Double Ringer, Yum Rib Fry or Zoom Swamp Crawler. This rod paired with a quick-change of finesse baits has played a large part in winning over $40,000 in the last 3 years… Due to this success it has become very hard to put that spinning rod down!

Q - From a co-anglers perspective, are there some waters that are more “fish friendly” to the guy in the back of the boat here in Indiana?

RY - Each lake or river has the types of water that can either be an advantage or disadvantage to the co-angler.  For example, if paired with an angler who has any skill at boat control, it could be a disadvantage to be fishing piers on Lake Wawasee – he will pick each one apart before you have a chance. But if you were out fishing a deep weed line on a windy day on this same lake, it could be an advantage to the co-angler who can concentrate on fishing rather than fighting the trolling motor. Similarly, it can be tough trying to pitch to a stump-lined channel bank behind a good angler in a creek off the Ohio River. But if the creek is narrow enough, turning around and casting to the opposite bank, away from the boat and trolling motor prop wash, can be a big advantage. Just don’t be intimidated by the angler who suggests, “We’ll fish that side on the way back.”  Bwa ha!

Q - You’ve probably been drawn over the years with some pretty good sticks, as well as some not so good sticks. Can you share any insight you’ve been able to glean as to what you believe makes a guy a better than average tourney angler here in the Hoosier state?

RY - One of the more successful anglers I’ve fished with on the Ohio River is Dick Shaffer. The one thing that was obviously different in his approach was the fact that he would consistently make multiple casts/pitches to the same target – often to the point of wondering if we’d ever move on! He would vary the angle of each cast or switch from a small crank to a jig and back. It was painfully obvious I had no reason at all to make a pitch anywhere close to a stump or laydown he had worked over. By contrast, I recall one partner who set the hook by a stump and came up empty – kind of shake it off as though it were nothing and pitched to the next stump. I followed up on the same stump and nailed a good keeper. This happened twice that day and gave me a top five finish.

The most important thing, whether a good angler or not, there is always something one can learn from each partner one draws. I look for those things, make mental notes of them and treat them as gold.

Q - As a co-angler, how do you handle the gas money situation? What is the going rate to offer and do you offer it at the pairings, the morning of the tourney or sometime after your day on the water?

RY - I have always made a point of offering gas money at the end of the day when cleaning out all my tackle from the boat. I have a much better feel then of the amount of running around we did. It used to be standard that I would offer $10-$15 but with the way gas prices have gone, that has more than doubled. $30 to $40 is more like it now. Quite often, a boater will say the offer is plenty and only take part of it. I don’t argue.

Q - On our small waters, do you think pre-fishing a tourney helps or hurts most guys?

RY - Yes…

From the boater’s stand point, I have seen where a pattern or location that worked in practice has changed and the boater totally focused on what he knew worked, fails to adjust. But I have also been paired with boaters who brag about never practicing, only to drive 20 miles up the river, or idle 45 minutes up the idle zone at Monroe to find that there is no water where they hoped to fish or the lily pads that existed last year aren’t there! Probably the number one thing an angler can do before tournament day is, at the very least, get out and drive around the areas he expects to fish making note of water levels, clarity and other conditions.

As a non-boater, I have found that a day or two spent on the water before a tournament is very helpful. Since I am usually practicing with a boater, the one thing I am not looking for are specific locations – if I showed up with another angler at a good spot from practice, I would quickly lose my practice partner! Instead, I look for the types of cover and presentations that are working. Mix that info with what information I can gather from my tournament partner the night before the tournament and that is what I base my rod/bait selection on for tournament day. But always, always keep an open mind towards adjustments.

Q - How much attention do you pay to the guy in the front of the boat on tourney day and to what or how he is fishing? Do you match his style/presentation or do you prefer to go in an opposite direction?

RY - I would love to have the chameleon’s ability for disconjugate eye movement – I would have one eye focused at all times on my partner’s casts and retrieves! I not only want to know what he is throwing and how, but also where. If he ever misses a target or angle, that is what I want to hit.

Rule of thumb as far as presentation, I usually start with an opposite presentation to my partner’s, at least until the fish tell me different. For example, if he is fishing the horizontal, I fish vertically. In other words if he is throwing a spinnerbait, I might follow that with a jig or worm. The difference may be more subtle though, like a Pop-R vs. a buzzbait or a flat-bodied crank vs. a more bulky crank. Rarely have I found myself throwing the exact bait as my partner. It all depends on what his fishing style and boat control allows. But again, once the fish give us a clue, I listen, and adjust accordingly.

Q - On the site, we’ve documented the declining rate of participation in many of our state tourney circuits these past several years. Many circuits that used to average over 100+ boats now average something closer to 60-75 boats per tourney. Is that something you’ve noticed as an angler at these tourneys, and has that made your job as a co-angler easier (less competition)?

RY - You can’t help but notice the difference. I’m guessing the number one cause is the rise in gas prices. But also, there are more circuits available to choose from including team circuits. Obviously, it will be easier to qualify for a regional or other post season tournament when the cut is 30 out of 60 rather than 30 out of 150. But as far as winning a tournament, the winning weight is probably not much lower in a 60 boat tournament vs. a 150 boat tournament. But the payout is.

Q - A tube, a Senko or a Shakey head?

RY - Senko… I love to fish soft stick baits. I love the pitch and forget presentation. I love the subtle not-even-sure-I-felt-something sensation that turns into a split second decision to swing. I love it. I love it. I love it.

Q - What one piece of advice would you give to aspiring co-anglers in Indiana?

RY - Do it! If you don’t own a boat. Or if you’ve always wanted to fish in a tournament. Just do it! Don’t even think of it as a competition. Think of it as paying for the opportunity to fish for the day. At 75 or even 100 bucks, it’s a deal. You will learn a lot. You may make a new friend. And on top of that, you could catch a few fish and win a paycheck! But be careful… it is addictive.

Q - What are your plans for 2009?

RY - I am excited about this coming year. Besides fishing the Indiana Bass Federation Invitationals and a few Hoosier Division BFLs, I will take a small step up and fish the Central Division Stren Series as a co-angler. Tournament fishing in Indiana can be extremely frustrating. Often, it can be like banging your head against the wall just trying to catch a keeper. Fishing the Stren Series will allow me to go places where, even if I don’t do well in a particular tournament, at least I will be able to enjoy catching fish. I am really looking forward to Kentucky Lake and the Detroit River.

One other change for 2009: I have made a commitment that if  I finish in the money, half of all cash winnings from the Stren Series will go directly to my local chapter of  Habitat for Humanity. I am thankful for the fact that I have been blessed with the financial ability to pursue bass fishing in the competitive realm. I am truly excited about the upcoming season but I want it to be of benefit to something other than self. We are all responsible for ourselves and our families but just as important, we need to care for our neighbors. Habitat for Humanity exemplifies this care.