Today’s Top 5
I had a 5-pounder I threw back because we didn’t need it.
Zack Birge, Wheeler, 15 for 47-00, won by 7 = stout:
> The place looked real similar to some stuff he fishes back home on Grand Lake. It was a 100-yard stretch of bank with a big, shallow flat that quickly dropped off into a deep creek channel. The main features were a series of log jams that provided ambush cover for bass moving up from the depths to feed.
> “I went through the area in practice once and didn’t do any good, but I decided to go back and throw something different. Most people were throwing small spinnerbaits or small crankbaits or were flipping, but I tied on the biggest spinnerbait I had, a double willowleaf with No. 6 and No. 5 blades, and just slow-rolled it down those jams.
> Birge threw two different spinnerbaits – 1/2-oz
River2Sea Bling spinnerbait (chartreuse, blue and white) and a
3/4-oz Santone (shad). The smaller offering produced greater numbers of fish and the larger one enticed a few kickers.
Caught on Sugar Lake Mexico, Oct. 25. Hmmmm.
My doctors tell me I’m ahead of where they thought I’d be.
– Stacey King talkin‘ ’bout recovering from cancer. Stoked he’s on the mend. More:
> “I’m doing a lot better than most people do at this stage, but it seems awful slow for me.”
> “I’ve being out fishing three times now for about 90 minutes to 2 hours. “The last time out, I was out for 3 hours and I got tired pretty quick. It helps in building my strength back up, though.”
> “I would like to fish again, but I’m certainly a long way from spending 8 hours on the water right now. If it works out and I get strong enough, I may do it again. If I can do it, I’ll do it just to prove to myself that I can.”
Name that movie….
Many of you are saying, “What the [bleep] are you even talkin’ about right now?” My fellow anglers speaketh my language.
– Ak-tor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Facebook. Posted this before that:
> Bass, carp, bullheads and sunnies…I raise ’em fat on my farm.
> Cold weather is makin’ my babies sluggish and slowing down their metabolism. Had to switch from spinnerbaits to soft plastics – Texas-rig style.
News
1. GEICO is multi-Classic sponsor.
2. 2015 AOY derby on Sturgeon Bay.
Where I guess there’s no wind??
3. Hackney on BassEdge Radio.
4. Bernie Schultz’s Ranger for sale.
5. Opens registrations started today.
6. AR: Bass Cat’s Pierce on AGFC.
Ron Pierce now on Arkansas Game and Fish Commission:
> Governor Huckabee, who appointed Pierce, says he has known Pierce for years and that they fish together.
What?? Someone who fishes on a game and fish commission? Holy cow! That makes…sense!
7. Bass U Swindle crankin’ class.
8. GA: Water willows in West Point.
9. MO: Lake of Ozarks is clean.
4 years and $740K later, that’s the verdict. Did anyone think it had a pollution problem??
10. Cabela’s adds Luke Bryan line.
Whoever that is…?
11. Merc sales up in Q3.
12. Bass U schedule now out!
Go! Totally worth it x 10!
Bernie Schultz: Throw the Original Floater.
When the last time you threw the Rapala Floating Minnow? Make yourself throw it – works!
> As temperatures drop, bass head shallow – to the backs of creeks and ditches, or along the inside edges of grass. There they target shad and other types of baitfish, fattening themselves for the long, cold winter ahead.
> This happens throughout the country, and when the water is clear enough, surface lures are often the best choice.
> One lure that fits this category, but often overlooked, is the
Original Floating Minnow by Rapala. The “Floater” has been around for more than 70 years, and it remains as one of the most productive topwaters of all time.
> All Floater Minnows are shaped from select strips of balsa, which provide the desired buoyancy. Combine that with their streamlined, minnow-like profile and natural reflective finish, these lures can emulate the movements of struggling baitfish perfectly.
> Twitch by twitch, bass are hopelessly drawn to them. Simply cast past any likely target, allow the lure to lie motionless for a few seconds, then twitch the rod tip gently a couple of times. That’s when the Floater works its magic.