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« July 2015 | Main | September 2015 »

August 26, 2015

Updated Corps Lake Profiles

Now that the reservoirs around the state are finally getting back toward normal levels, the Army Corps of Engineers have started updating their lake water profiles, and it appears they are trying out a new format. This new format gives you a large graph showing data readings for both water temperature and oxygen profiles. The water temperature is nice to see to be able to follow the presence of a thermocline, but arguably even more important are the oxygen profiles. While the two tend to correlate fairly well, the oxygen profile is usually going to be the limiting factor, for without oxygen you can't have fish life. The critical threshold you want to be looking for is the 2 mg/l (ppm) level. Not much can survive below that level for very long, and most species prefer to have at least a slightly higher level.

Using that information when looking at the updated Lake Monroe profiles, you'll see that critical oxygen value right around the 12'-13' level. In the simplest terms, there is no need to fish any deeper than that depth since no oxygen = no fish. The one thing to keep in mind is that these profiles are taken in a single location on a single date, and water chemistry can change on a daily basis due to a variety of factors including air temperature, wind, rainfall, and a host of other factors. That said, it's one of the quickest ways to help eliminate some water when searching for bass or other gamefish.

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August 20, 2015

Bass Unlimited TX - Sullivan Lake

BUTXThis weekend there is a benefit tournament at Sullivan Lake for Bass Unlimited.  This is a great organization that is fighting to give us a greater voice in all things Bass Fishing. If you are interested in fishing it please view the attached flier for the details.
 
Please share with anyone who may be interested.
 
If you have any questions,
Please contact Jim Vanzo at (812) 208-9684

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August 18, 2015

Dan Chopp Memorial TX - Geist

Geist

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August 17, 2015

Bass Pro Shops September Fishing Tips

150815_0000Why You Should Fish The Humps And Flats

During the fall, bass like to move around from one hump to the other during the day. Find the right hump, and you could have some fantastic bass fishing.

The best humps are in river-run reservoirs where some current is present. Usually, they will be on top of the hump and extremely aggressive during power generation.

When flow subsides, they drop back to the deeper sides and ends and are less likely to hit a bait. These humps are also great places for night fishing.

Flats are another hotspot to fish during the fall. Try the biggest main lake flats and fish the deepest edge right where it drops off into open water. Fall bass will gather on this edge and move up onto the flat to feed but drop back and suspend when a front passes. The absolute best fishing occurs when schools of baitfish gather  on these flats.

 

Fall Crappie Fishing Strategies

You may be thinking about the upcoming hunting season, but don’t forget that fall is also an excellent time for crappie fishing.

As the water cools, crappie will begin to move from their deep water summer hangouts to relatively shallow water at about 6 to 12 feet, and they can be pretty aggressive.

The best time to fish is prior to a major cold front, and you should find them in shallow water, filling up their stomachs for the upcoming winter.

As the front passes, expect them to move back off the bank, possibly back to their deep water dropoffs.

I like to use jigs in the fall, but if you're finding it hard to get them to bite, try minnows. When crappie get tight lipped, you put a minnow in front of their face, and they have a hard time resisting it.

Hunting camp will be even better when you serve up a bunch of golden fried crappie.

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August 13, 2015

Shimano 2015 New Rods & Reels

Got my hands on the specs for some of the newly introduced or updated product lines of Shimano rods and reels that were debuted at ICAST last month. Most of those pertaining to freshwater bass fishing are highlighted below.

 

Casitas

Citica

Nexave

Poison

Stradic

Zodias

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August 10, 2015

Summer Buzzbaiting

150809_0000Got a semi-break in the weather Sunday afternoon and decided to hit the lake for a couple hours. I haven't been focusing much on bass lately, but thought with the cloud cover, light breeze and scattered drizzle, it would be a great opportunity to have some fun. Any time I'm catching fish is fun, but to me, putting the trolling motor down and covering tons of water while chunking a buzzbait is right at the top of the list. So that's what I did.

First, the tackle. A 7'4" MH Denali Mark Tyler Multipurpose rod, a great buzzbait and Chatterbait stick which also doubles as a good mid-depth cranking rod, paired with a high-speed Shimano baitcast reel and 16# Toray fluorocarbon line. Lots of people say don't throw topwaters with fluorocarbon line, but I don't see any problem using it with buzzbaits where the line is out of the water much of the time and the bait is in constant motion. The extra abrasion resistance you get with fluoro is a benefit, and I'm not so sure you don't get better hooksets than with mono - at least that's my working hypothesis right now.

150809_0001The bait was an Accent Fishing "Game Changer" buzzbait in black - small blade. I added a large 4" Ouzu Goby trailer. A couple thoughts here. First, the metal line clip on the Game Changer does a great job of holding soft plastic trailers. Nothing worse than having your trailers constantly slipping down the hook shank on every cast, throwing off the balance of the bait. Some type of good keeper whichever brand you throw, is very important in my eyes from an efficiency standpoint. Having a great squeal right out of the package like this bait does is also a nice bonus. No more time spent tuning buzzers to get the setup dialed in - just like the custom bait I also throw.

Next, trailer or no trailer? I almost always opt for a trailer, and often a large one, especially with dark-colored buzzers. There are several reasons for this. One is added weight for better casting, especially roll casting into tight spots. Another is better profile. An overlooked benefit is added mass. This helps in two areas. It slows the bait down while keeping it from sinking too fast, both positives in my book when chunking buzzers. It also serves to get you better hookups. This is due to the fact that at least part of the time, bass are still using suction feeding to try and eat your buzzbait. With the added mass at the back end where the hook is, the bait is much more likely to end up in the basses mouth when compared to just a skirted bait. When throwing lighter shad colored buzzbaits, I'll often go with a smaller spinnerbait-type trailer due to better profile matching, but it still serves the same purposes.

So the final tally was about 20 bass in just a few hours including a limit of nice chunks over 15". I got a little wet in the effort, but I'll dry out as will the boat - and I had a blast watching a bunch of bass blow up on my buzzbaits - so it's all good.

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August 09, 2015

Morse Res. & the White R. Pics

Received several pics from "Doc" Friedman and 'BJ' from their two recent outings, one on the White R. and the other on Morse. You can probably figure out which is which from the fish and backgrounds, so I'll just post them all below.

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August 08, 2015

Indy League Fishing - Live from Geist Tomorrow!

Go to www.indyleaguefishing.com and click on the Live Leaderboard to catch all the action starting August 9th 2015 at 7:30am.

 

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August 03, 2015

West Boggs Renovation Update

BoggsDNR officials are happy with the outcome of a project to improve fishing at West Boggs Lake in Daviess and Martin counties.

In fall 2014, officials drained and treated the lake to eradicate gizzard shad and other undesirable species in an effort to restore a balanced fishery.

After the renovation, the lake was restocked with 104,374 largemouth bass, 462,476 bluegills and 195,245 redear sunfish, all fingerlings. A total of 816 adult largemouth bass also were restocked after being salvaged by anglers during spring bass tournaments and by biologists during fall electrofishing. There were 55 adult channel catfish returned as well.

DNR biologist sampled the lake on June 22 to monitor the survival and growth of fish stocked last fall.

The fish appeared to be in good shape. More importantly, no gizzard shad were detected.

Largemouth bass fingerlings, which averaged 3.9 inches when stocked last fall, now average 7 inches and are fat, according to fisheries biologists. Bass collected ranged in length from 1.9 to 12 inches and the electrofishing catch rate was 213 bass per hour. Spawning activity by salvaged bass was also evident by the presence of new fingerlings.

Bluegills and redear sunfish are making excellent gains in growth, too. During surveying, bluegills were collected that measured as long as 6.7 inches. When stocked last October, bluegills averaged 1 inch; they now average 3.6 inches. The electrofishing catch rate was 39 bluegills per hour. Redear sunfish were collected up to 3.9 inches, and averaged 3.8 inches.

Black crappie are scheduled to be stocked this fall.

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August 01, 2015

Hollow Body Frog Tip - "Walking" Your Frog

FrogArrows have feathers. Rockets have fins. Kites have tails. Have you ever wondered why? The short answer is largely due to the stabilizing effect these features have on the overall object. By creating more surface area, these things add drag to the overall package, especially at the rear. By doing this, you effectively place the center of pressure below/behind the center of gravity. Think of how a wind vane works to perhaps get a better picture of where I'm going. 

With the warmer weather and getting later into the seaso150729_0001n, hollow body frogs are entering into the picture as effective topwater baits. One of the more common complaints  or questions is in regards to getting these baits to "walk." And while there are other design features that can help in this regard, as well as in selecting the proper rod to get this desired action, a large part can be attributed to the legs of your frog right out of the package. Most companies leave the legs really long (see above pic). So while this looks good, and is fine for straight retrieves over heavy slop, if you are fishing more open water and want to use a walking-type presentation, you usually need to shorten the length of the frog legs (skirting) to assist with this.

A good start is to pull the legs up and cut them off at the point equal to the length of the body. This is likely the longest you will want them to be and still easily walk. That was where I started last week after not being able to get a particular frog to walk right out of the package. Even after this initial trimming, more had to be removed. Start small and just keep taking off a quarter or half an inch at one time, then retest. As soon as you get it to the point where you are satisfied, then stop trimming. By removing the extra leg length, you are reducing the amount of drag the legs create in the water, thereby shifting the two earlier mentioned properties closer and closer together, actually making your frog more and more unstable, which is exactly what you want to be able to easily walk the bait.

Some guys like to offset the leg length, cutting one side shorter than the other. Again, this is to decrease drag on one side of the frog, thereby using physics to help turn the frog in one direction. However, I prefer not to do this. I'd rather keep the legs equal in length and just shorten them more until I get the right walking action. Making one side shorter than another makes the bait always want to favor one side of the frog. It has the same effect as the torque and rotation of a buzzbait blade, always causing the bait to run to one side or the other. I say keep the legs equal for better overall balance and straighter walking tendencies.

By following this procedure with my newly opened frog last week, I was able to bring half a dozen bass to hand with a walking type retrieve, including the nice 4 pound fish in the picture. Give it a try the next time you are having trouble getting your frogs to walk. 

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