Every day I get emails from readers and subscribers that have become friends. I am blessed by these messages – they make my heart happy. Keep ’em comin!
Some men want to talk about fishing alone – others share stories about their family, or their faith. Some want to talk about what it means to be a father, a brother, a son – a man.
These conversations are valuable, in many ways.
I’d like to start featuring & sharing some of YOUR wins in all of the above categories, because they are too good to keep to myself.
Enter my new friend – Brother Marty.
Not that long ago, I saw a comment pop up on an older video that just so happened to be the video that started all of this – I was a mess, completely depressed, building a business, drinking way too much, frustrated, but I wanted to share the fact that I was turning over a new leaf in the hopes that it would help a few other anglers…
The fact that Marty got something out of this – that it spoke to him on some level – made my day. This led to an email conversation, where we began to discuss strategy:
Hey A.J., hope you are doing well. I have been enjoying your videos on minimalistic fishing. I actually paired down 12 tackle boxes into two for my trip today. While, I got skunked, the guy I was fishing with did as well. But I got to tell you, it was so much easier having to dig through two tackle boxes rather than a dozen. My first tacklebox was strictly terminal tackle. My second tacklebox was a collection of baits which allowed me to attack the entire water column. I took about four top waters, four spinner baits, four crank baits, and a collection of Senko‘s and jigs. Like I said, no fish but still a lot of fun. I’ll look forward to following your content. Keep up the good work. By the way, just from your channel name, I’m assuming you are a Patriot. My wife and I are as well. God loving, gun toting, folks who love the USA and what it once was (and hoping it will be again).
– Marty
Marty was on The Path
We went back and forth a bit more – I talked about how this was a process, not a destination. I still fail constantly at this – have WAY too much stuff (just look at the pictures in this post to see what I mean…) but the act of minimizing the junk will help us focus where it counts: on the water.
… and hey… good news… Marty sent me two updates since then… check this out!!!
AJ, hope you are doing well my friend. Today’s fishing… it couldn’t have been better! The big bite was on. Though we weren’t in a tournament, we would have probably won any tournament we entered with today’s bag. Our 5 biggest fish weighed 27-10. I caught a 4-10 and a 5-8, while my buddy landed a 4-0, 5-14, and a 7-10. If my math is correct our bag would have weighed 27-10. We caught several 2’s and a few 3’s and broke off (we saw them) a 4 and a 6. Honestly, my best day ever on the water.
Again I only took two 3700 tackleboxes; one with terminal tackle and one with assorted lures. However all but one of our fish were caught on a wacky rigged Senko style bait. The (top 5) bass was caught on a jig. Still enjoying your videos. Keep up the good work.
-Marty
Couple big gals for Marty & his buddy…… couple more… WOW.
Now here’s the icing on the cake – you ready?
Last Friday, he sent me this:
Morning AJ and happy Good Friday. So this just happened. I reworked my two 3700’s. I did not take a terminal tackle box. Instead I loaded one with various colors of Senko style baits along with the necessary hooks. The other one, I loaded with a couple spinner baits, frogs, buzz baits, etc.. Probably a dozen or so lures. I caught this 6-3 as I was considering calling it a day. It was cold and rainy, I hadn’t caught a fish … and I needed coffee. LOL. It is my personal best. BTW, caught her on a Bama Craw Yum Dinger. Have a great weekend.
– Marty
Marty & His New PB!
So… does Minimalist Fishing REALLY WORK?!
It absolutely does.
Can I take credit for Marty’s fish?
I absolutely can not.
This is the result of his hard work. His adjustments. His perseverance. His dedication.
The victory is his and his alone – and he earned it.
God… I love that phrase: he EARNED it… and I would be willing to bet, he’s gonna earn more and more in the not too distant future…
Good on ya, Brother Marty. Go get ’em.
I’m rooting for ya.
Many of you have contacted me over the last 3 years, and I plan to start writing up some of your victories as well. (You know who you are!) If you’re new here and anything you’ve read or watched has helped you catch more & better fish – let me know. It’s time we start sharing our victories with one another as we continue to become better anglers – and better men!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
These days… everything is a code red… but I want to warn you about a problem with fishing line. Specifically, spooling with braid.
The Benefits of Braided Fishing Line
Braided fishing line is strong, slippery, limp & easy to work with. It doesn’t stretch or become water-logged, and it has a super-small diameter when you compare it to monofilament of fluorocarbon with the same strength rating. For example:
Berkley 30 pound Big Game mono has a diameter of .55 millimeters.
Berkley 30 pound X9 braided line has a diameter of .20 millimeters.
That’s significantly less than half.
This is rather impressive! So… what’s the problem?
What a nice way to make friends.
Disadvantages of Braided Fishing Line
Monofilamenthas some stretch, braid has none. This can be advantageous with certain techniques, like crankbaiting, where you want to give the fish a bit more time to engulf the lure, or help prevent ripping sticky treble hooks out of their mouth.
Fluorocarbon is invisible underwater, and it has better abrasion resistance than braid – meaning it is less likely to get frayed around rocks and timber.
Caught this fatty around shallow rip-rap using 10lb fluorocarbon and a jerk.
Ultra-thin diameter braid can also get “buried in on itself”, where the line near the top layer will slip through the lower layers of line on the spool as you put pressure on the other end of the rod with a hookset, or boat flippin’ bass.
There just isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for fishing line… and we all have our preferences.
BUT… here is something to watch out for… it’s an issue you can easily avoid:
Inadvertent “Free Spooling”
Click the banner to jump to The Minimalist Fisherman on YouTube.
Jump to the 4:00 minute mark in the video above.
Laugh at my incompetence!
LAUGH AT IT!!
It’s funny now… it was not funny then… when you spool up braid (especially tiny diameter braid) without using monofilament backing, you run the risk of losing fish as the entire mass can spin freely, allowing more line to come off the spool even with your drag absolutely cranked down.
Inadvertent free spooling.
Note: a “free spool” is any spool that can move freely on the reel without any interreference from a gear or drive mechanism, etc. Line comes off (you guessed it), freely. Some fishermen will compare this to “neutral,” and when you skip backing your braid, you will enjoy this “feature” whether you intend to or not!
Is this “spinny braid” problem technically free spooling?
No.
Is the end result pretty darn similar?
Accidentally, yes.
This has been an issue with me for spinning rods, however, I have not experienced the same issue with baitcasters – but – that’s because I will usually tie my line through one of the holes in the spool on my baitcasters, which allows my braid to “lock” into place and not free spool.
If this is not an option on your reel, get some mono backing for your baitcasters as well – and hey, if you have any tips or tricks that you use for better fishing line management, comment & let me know!
Life is full of things we can't control. This is just the truth. Truth matters. That said, it's always a good idea to be mindful of the things that we can control. This will reduce headaches on the bank, in the boat... and bigger picture - throughout life in general.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Get Articles & Videos First
Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
Sometimes the good Lord puts us where we’re supposed to be – not where we want to be.
Good morning, brothers.
I was sitting in the church pews with my boys this last weekend – all 4 of them – and their very patient mother. Sitting in church is a good thing. Even in a non-spiritual sense. It helps you slow down, because you have to be still. Be quiet. Listen. Be patient.
It’s not unlike fishing.
Our day-to-day hustle & bustle is the opposite. When I was a kid the difference was not as extreme, but with everything we have these days – all the convenience, instant answers to everything at our fingertips, a plethora of 6-second video clips to satiate our “boredom”, cheap little dopamine hits nonstop… it’s a stark contrast.
My two oldest sat to the right, one of the middles on my lap, the youngest sitting with Mama. I started to think about how lucky I am to have this family, to live in this country (warts & all), and to do what I do for a living.
None of it was planned, and all of it is a blessing.
It’s far better than anything that I could have dreamed up myself.
Somehow, on more than one occasion, God has put me in the right place at the right time, to do something that I wasn’t prepared to do. It reminded me of a story from late last season…
I was Fishing for Largemouth in a Small Pond…
It was fall. The air was cool, and the pond I was fishing sits next to a playground that is usually empty. For whatever reason, on this particular afternoon, it was alive with kids. They were crawling all over the slides & swings, running, screaming, drooling, falling, whining, arguing, laughing… all of it.
I love kids, but was happy to move away from the noise and over to the nearby pond to focus on some fishing.
Some days you’re lucky and you get to fish remote wilderness, other days… you gotta do what you can with what you got!
Not a playground in sight…
I was using a heavy spinning rod to avoid backlashes since the shoreline was loaded with sticks and cattails and all sorts of snaggy items, throwing a Z-Man Bang Stick (floating, green pumpkin & blue mix) on a 2/0 Trokar Pro-V with a 1/32 ounce black bullet weight and Texas rig. (Check out the Eagle Claw Storefront to see what they have listed at this time.)
… especially in ponds where I wanted a super-slow sinking stickbait that stayed just off the bottom.
After a few more minutes, this little kid wandered over by me.
Nice kid… maybe 4 or 5… he was sporting some messed up hair and had random food speckled all over his face.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“What are you doin’?”
“Fishing. What are you doing?”
“I dunno.”
“Ok.”
“Can I fish too?!”
“No buddy, but you can hang out with me if you want… where are your parents?”
“Mommy brought me here but I don’t –
WHACK!
Hookset.
As I pulled a small largemouth bass up over the bank full of tall weeds, the kid shrieked with joy.
“IS THAT A FISH!?”
“Haha, yeah buddy it’s a little –
“CAN I TOUCH IT!?”
“Well sure you can… but… I mean where is your mama again?”
I held the small slimy fish out towards the boy, while he carefully, timidly, poked and prodded the bass, I scanned left and right as quickly as I could, hoping to find his parent(s)… but all I could see were groups of children under the close surveillance of their folks. No sign of anyone looking for my new little buddy here…
“Does he bite? Does he have teeth??”
“Uh… oh, no, he has some tiny teeth but he won’t hurt you. Here pop your thumb out I’ll show you how to hold ‘im…”
“NO!”
I laughed loudly, it certainly wasn’t the first time I’d seen a child object to putting their thumb in the mouth of a fish – so I tossed it back.
“Hahaha, no worries buddy – you let me know when you’re ready to hold one.”
“Can I keep fishing with you?!”
“I mean… yeah I think you better…”
Again, I scanned the area. This kid had been next to me for 20 minutes now.
Nothing…
We walked over to the right a bit, around the side of the pond to a little concrete platform. He was everywhere, running circles around me. Any hope I had for stealth was long gone. He picked up sticks and swung them around, hooted & hollered.
Just a kid.
I moved to the left of him in case a rouge hookset came flying free – didn’t want to snag him. In fact, the longer he was with me, the more I felt the need to protect him. Then it hit me –
What if I was a creep?
What if I wasn’t a harmless fisherman. What if I was a pedophile. A kidnapper. An opportunist… any number of bad, bad, bad things – what then?
Then this kid would be in a very different situation right now.
I shuddered at the thought of what this day could have been for this poor kid…
WHACK!
Another hookset. SOLID FISH. She flashed sideways and I could see the GIRTH. Big girl.
“Hey do you have a fish is that a fish A FISH A FISH BIG FISH FISHFISHFISHFISH!?!?!?!”
“I… uh *grunt* yeah bud just lemme focus on –
Doink.
Slack in the line.
The big girl that would have made it one heck of an afternoon just came unbuttoned…
Fortunately, I didn’t have much time to be sad, as my new buddy jumped left and right and 2 mothers with 4 children approached us. The kids ran over to join him, all 5 picked up rocks… and every single one started hurling them right where we had been fishing.
Guess I’m done.
No matter, at least I’ve finally found this kid’s mom.
“Oh hey there, sorry they’re being a little noisy! Tee-hee!”
“No worries, I’m just glad he’s back with his friends.”
“Oh we… we don’t know who he is… we thought he was with you??”
KER-SPLOOSH!
Rocks continued to fly through the air and crash into the pond. All 5 children were laughing and screaming – it was impossible to be mad even though my afternoon of fishing was clearly over.
“I don’t know who this kid is or where his parents are.”
“Oh no – well, we haven’t seen anyone looking for him on the playground…”
“Hmmm… well, I’ll keep him with me until we figure it out – hey buddy, let’s go for a walk!”
My little friend came scampering over.
It had been just under an hour by this point.
“Are we gonna CATCH MORE FISH!?”
“Heh, no big man, I think the fish are all hiding under logs after it rained rocks on ’em – let’s go look for your parents.”
We walked back to the playground.
Back to the pond.
Back to the parking lot.
Back to the pond.
Playground again.
Lap after lap after lap.
“I’m tired…”
“Yeah I know buddy but I’m not really sure what –
“Billy?! BILLY?!?! WHAT THE FREAKING HELL!!”
There was mom. Phone in hand. Pajamas. Filthy old slippers. Running. Screaming. Looking for her son… who had been with me – a stranger – for well over an hour.
“It’s my mom – I gotta go – HI MOMMY!”
He hollered and started to run towards her.
“BILLY, YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE. YOU ARE GONNA GET IT. I AM SO MAD. YOU MESSED UP BIG TIME!!!”
… was it… was it the kid’s fault he was left alone at the park for over an hour?
Was mom watching TikToks in the car while he was left to wander alone?
Hmmm… hard to say… suppose we shouldn’t assume anything.
“Hey miss, he’s ok, he wandered over to me about an hour ago when I was at the pond. Been with me the whole time – we didn’t know where you were but I’m glad he’s with you now.”
This woman turned and glared at me like I had 3 heads.
Didn’t say a word.
Looked back to Billy and started in again – reaming him – it was all his fault, you see. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but Billy boy… Billy was gonna get it.
4 or 5 years old.
She grabbed his arm, jerked it way too hard, and pulled him towards whatever car was hers.
He started to cry.
And that was it.
That was the last time I’d ever see Billy.
I stood there with my fishing rod in my hand. Bothered.
Really bothered.
So much could have gone wrong for little Billy on this afternoon… and yet… none of it would have been his fault. I was relieved he had ended up with me – just a normal dad and fisherman putzing at a city pond – but at the same time, I was bothered to see him being yanked off like that.
Blamed.
It was wrong.
In terms of fishing, my afternoon had sucked…
But as I quietly loaded my gear into the truck, one thing was very clear to me:
Sometimes the good Lord puts us where we’re supposed to be – not where we want to be.
I didn’t want to spend the afternoon fishing a lame little pond instead of a remote area.
I didn’t want to entertain some random little kid.
I didn’t want to listen to a noisy playground and watch rocks get thrown at my bass.
But I was supposed to be there this afternoon.
My hope – no, my prayer – was that little Billy’s mom realized how easy it would have been for someone to come along with bad intentions, and wander off with her son… I pray that she realizes she dodged a bullet. I pray that it never happens again. That this was a wake up call.
Maybe… maybe not…
Either way – I pray that God continues to put me where I’m supposed to be… and brothers… pray He does the same with you as well.
His plans are always better than our own.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Get Articles & Videos First
Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
Have you ever wondered how much fishing line you have left on your spool?
I’m not asking if you’ve wondered how much is sitting on the spool of your reel – I’m asking if you are looking for a way to tell how much fishing line you have left after spooling up?
Ever tossed out a spool with fishing line still on it instead of attempting to use every last yard, because you thought there wouldn’t be enough for more than one spool? It sucks, but it’s understandable. We don’t want to put ourselves in a situation where a big ‘ol fish could start ripping drag and spool us completely… but hey, good news:
This is how you get the MAXIMUM use out of a spool of fishing line.
Glad I was using braid this morning and didn’t get spooled… this was an awesome fight in the kayak!
Using the following method saves money and guesswork, but first, grab a new spool to work with:
How to Spool Multiple Fishing Reels with Less Line
I love to use braid. And fluorocarbon. And Braid with fluorocarbon leaders. Or braid with monofilament backing. These fishing lines are expensive, but you can save some money if you buy them in bulk. However, I don’t respool enough to justify 3,500 yards of braid or fluoro… so like most mere mortals, I stick with the 150 or 300 yard spools.
While most fishing reels show some sort of line capacity guide right on the side of the spool (or the reel itself) it’s typically shown in a diameter that I am NOT planning to use.
The Lew’s shown above will hold 120 yards of fishing line with the diameter of 6lb monofilament.
The Pflueger shown above will hold 200 yards of fishing line with the diameter of 2lb monofilament.
So the volume of line your spool can hold is dependent on the size (diameter), not the strength rating (pound test).
If you are doing a straight spool – let’s say we’re going to fill the Lew’s 100% with 10 pound test InvizX – then the conversion from 6lb test mono to 10lb test fluoro is rather straightforward. A common average diameter for 6lb test mono is 0.009″ (that’s inches), and an average for 10lb fluorocarbon is 0.010″ (again, inches – make sure you get the exact diameters of the lines you’re using, in the same unit of measurement).
By plugging in the diameter of both lines (0.009″ & 0.010″) and the starting capacity of the reel (120 yards) we can see that it is possible to put 97 yards of fluorocarbon on our spool.
This means that if our fishing line spool for the InvizX fluorocarbon contains 200 yards to start – we can completely spool up two of the reels in our example with 97 yards each, and even have a few yards to spare. This allows me to spool up without using some sort of line counter or wasting any expensive fishing line.
Here’s another example. Let’s say we want to put 40lb braid on our small Pflueger spinning reel that holds 200 yards of 2lb test mono (for some unknown reason) – that conversion looks like this:
Not a great idea… but even if we decided to do this, we would know that we only used 30 yards off of our 300 yard spool of braid. We have 270 yards remaining for a baitcaster.
This reel has a spool that will accomodate 110 yards of 12lb diameter line. (Again, these sizes are usually still listed in monofilament, which is why on packages of braided line you usually see a diameter for “mono equivalent“.)
I want to add some leftover mono to my new baitcaster as backing so that the braid has something to “bite into” (even though this isn’t required on spools with holes in them – just run the line through before you tie your knot to prevent slippage). This will prevent it from slipping on the spool (I know, I know, this is mainly an issue on spinning reels, not baitcasters – just work with me here! This is an example!), and I just so happen to have 20 yards of 6lb monofilament left over from my first example…
Step 1: Add the spool capacity (110 yards of 10 pound mono which is 0.013″)
Step 2: Add your backing material (20 yards of 6 pound mono which is 0.005″)
Step 3: Plug in your mainline (65lb Sufix 832 braid which is 0.016″ )
Step 4: Read the results… with this combination, my spool will hold 71 yards of 65lb braid, and the overall length of my line plus my backing is 91 yards. That is total length of the line on the spool, even though this spool is rated to hold 110 yards.
We’re using thick braid, and additional backing, but we still know exactly how much we can fit onto the reel, and how much we have left on the 300 yard spool of fishing line!
Bookmark this page.
The next time you’re respooling in the garage, griping about the price of braid & fluorocarbon, grab these calculators so you can maximize your fishing line usage!
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
My leg is about to bounce right through this desk.
I’m jittery.
Sitting here in the office, cold wind blowing hard outside the window. Thinking about my mess. Thinking about shortcomings… but hopeful about changes that will materialize this fishing season.
As you can see from these recent photos, the garage is not minimized in any sense of the word – not even close to “fishin’ ready.”
What a mess… just piles & piles of… laziness… and failure… ugh…
This is a problem – but it’s also ok – because minimizing is a process, not a destination. I fail constantly, and the good news is that it’s never too late to get back on the horse.
So today… well.. we’re getting back on the dang horse. It’s time to set some goals and make a plan for the season!
If at first you don’t succeed… maybe consider a bike instead of a horse…
What Fishing Goals Are You Working Towards This Year?
Let talk about the importance of setting goals… that almost got weird.
Goals are necessary if you want to grow in any area. I don’t care if it’s business, health, or fishing – you need to set goals and track your progress or you’ll always be guessing whether you’re moving forward, or just treading water. Goals give you something to shoot for, and tracking lets you see how far you’ve progressed.
I have 8 big, aggressive goals for the year. Do any of these sound like something you want for yourself? Then steal them. Several. Work towards ’em. Let me know how it goes!
Do any of the goals below sound like things that YOU want?
Goal #1: Build New Rods the are Technique-Specific
Last year, one of the things that I really started to notice was the difference in feel and action when certain rods & reels were paired with certain line types and techniques.
Like most skills, this is simply the result of time. Experience. Getting in your reps. The longer you work at something, the more you start to notice the nuances that you missed when you were starting out. I know that building a few rods tailored to the way that I now fish will make a big difference.
It's been about 2 years since I worked on a rod build, and I miss the process. The last project was actually a rod repair... but this year, I want a custom ultralight rod for micro-swimbaits, a beefy spinning rod for jerkbaiting & jigging creek smallmouth, and a big 'ol beefcake for largemouth bass in the muck.
Better start buildin'!
Goal #2: Post 50 Fishing Videos
There are two YouTube channels I'm working on: The Minimalist Fisherman (3,100 subs / focuses on projects like the one above, bait reviews & fishing strategies) and Stars & Bars Fishing (85 subs / a straight up in-the-field fishing vlog that tests the techniques & concepts discussed here).
I'd like to get the channels to 5,000 and 500 subs respectively, however - I can't control the results. I can only control my effort and output. This year, that output will increase as behaviors are refined. Hopefully the results will follow. If you've ever subbed or shared, thank you very much for the assist! Latest video just went live yesterday...
Goal #3: Find New, REMOTE Fishing Areas!
As much as I love fishing city lakes... it just isn't the same as hiking in a creek all by yourself (like in the video above) or navigating the steep, winding shoreline of an old, clear quarry lake. I have a few new spots marked on the map to explore, quite a ways off the beaten path. This should mean less pressured fish that are more willing to bite, better scenery... plus, it's just way easier to have a conversation with God when you aren't surrounded by the majestic sound of lawnmowers...
Are suburban lakes cool? Absolutely... but c'mon man... compare that scenery & ambiance to this...
This is the goal and it's going to happen - even though finding new fishing locations in Illinois can be challenging. (Not that long ago I was told to leave or enjoy some lead poisoning by a landowner.) Our slogan is "Welcome to Illinois: The Land of Lincoln", but it should be...
Welcome to Illinois "Get off my Lawn!"
Goal #4: Post 125 Fishing Articles
I love writing, and the feedback, questions and stories that all of you email me after something here speaks to you. Thanks for getting in touch! This year I plan to write more, engage with you more, and be a better source of information & entertainment while I continue to learn myself. If you've ever come across anything helpful here, please share it with a friend and let me know!
Goal #5: Write Guest Posts for 3 Other Websites
It would be really awesome if the work I did here opened a few doors to new opportunities, and I was able to contribute to a few other fishing websites and spark some valuable conversations. I'm not sure how to go about making this happen... so the plan is simply to continue to work as hard as possible, here, to be ready for any opportunity that comes along.
Better to prepare ahead of time, than scramble and react.
Goal #6: Catch Over 400 Bass
Last year I ended up with 337. The year before that, 389. The year before that, 193... but the year before that??
9
Not joking.
Yes, I keep a spreadsheet and log everything.
This project, "The Minimalist Fisherman", was started in 2019. At that time, I had only ever caught smallmouth bass in Wisconsin, and I had never really targeted the largemouth bass of Illinois. Didn't even think we had much in the way of fishing in this state. Sure I fished the pits as a kid, spent many morning and afternoons sneaking into the rock quarries after trudging through the timber and along the railroad tracks - but the bite was always super-tough. Dinks. Maybe some bluegill. A tiny channel catfish here & there. I made the mistake of assuming that the bass weren't around, at least not like they were in the other states nearby...
The bass is always greener on the other side.
In 2019, after becoming a father for the third time, I decided it was time to give it another shot. Much to my surprise - I started to find a few spots that held quality largemouth bass, and soon realized the problem was not my surroundings, the problem was me.
My assumptions. My approach. My clutter.
And so the count went from zero... to 9... to just under 400... but we have yet to break that mark.
This year... we crush it... it's my last full season in Illinois, after all...
Fishing where the bite is tough makes you a better angler. Challenge yourself.
Goal #7: Get the House Listed FOR SALE
Mentioned this last year when I started the Stars & Bars Fishing channel - my time in Illinois is coming to a close. We're moving to Arkansas. The listing date is set for early next year. My folks are close to retirement, and they already have a place near Bull Shoals. I've been there to fish it. It's incredible, and The White River looks amazing as well! I've marked creeks and other nearby rivers that anglers and guides are known to wade... it's flippin' ON.
This will be much, much different than what I am used to fishing. BIG water. DEEP water. WARM winters. Crazy! So this needs to be my best year fishing in Illinois, because it will be my last... it's a bit scary after living here my entire life, but I am so excited to move south, fish new waters, explore new areas and meet new people.
For that to happen, this house needs to be finished up, completely prepped & listed "FOR SALE" in what will probably be a terrible housing market.
... 'gonna be a busy year...
Goal #8: The Most Important Goal of All...
As important as all of the first 7 goals are, the most important goal is this:
Be a better husband. Be a better father. Be a better servant.
This comes first, and everything else must follow.
While I plan to work hard this year to improve as a fisherman, obtain new knowledge and experience and then share it with my family - to put them on better fish, so they can create new memories - that all comes after being better here at home.
So, to all my fellow dads out there - let's keep this in mind:
Fishing is fun. Fishing is a passion. An obsession. Maybe a hobby. It's challenging. It's calming. It's stressful. It's peaceful.
Fishing is MANY things... but it's not the most IMPORTANT thing...
Let's go have one hell of a year.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Yesterday, I did a little bit of online shoppin’. Picked up 3 new jerkbaits in the exact same finish and size. Should be here in a few days, and I’m pretty excited – #8 Husky Jerk (two hooks, 3.125″) in Olive Ghost.
Well… because… buying 3 of the same thing doesn’t seem very minimalist, does it? Seems like I’m fallin’ off the wagon a bit, eh?!
“Here we go again!”
No no no, see here’s the thing: the goal of aMinimalist Fishermanisn’t to stop buying gear. The goal is to find out what works – why, when & where – then use that thing while taking less stuff with you so you can catch more fish.
It’s all about mindful, intentional, careful accumulation.
Last year I caught many quality fish on jerkbaits. How many had I caught in the years leading up to that point, you ask? None. I kid you not! NONE!! But as soon as I decided to dedicate time and effort into really understanding how to work the bait – the hits just kept coming!
Why?
Because suspending jerkbaits give you the ability to pause right in the gamefish strike window. They can trigger a reaction strike if they’re moving quickly, or tempt pensive biters on the pause. They’re an extremely versatile hard bait, and I was missing a lot of fish by not utilizing this tool. Adding them to the arsenal brought success.
I want that same success for you. Seriously.
So as we prep for spring fishing… I’m looking over every presentation, thinking about what to start with. If I can fish a jerkbait, I’m going for it – and this Olive Ghost color (which is semi-transparent) should play well when the water is clear. When the cover is sparse. It’ll get fished in creeks and quarries, and the bass will have time to inspect… but mark my words… this is gonna get bit… provided I can stop ‘er right in the strike zone.
Ah! Strike zones… strike windows… just how big is the strike zone of a largemouth bass?
What Changes the Size of the Largemouth Bass Strike Zone?
A few days ago we discussed the strike window of active and hovering bass (note that “strike zone” and “strike window” are interchangeable). This strike zone can change based on the speed the bass is moving, the direction it’s facing, or it’s current activity level.
This is important, but let’s list a few other factors that can increase – or decrease – the strike window:
Bass tend to feed actively for short periods of time. They will cruise just outside of cover, stropping periodically to look for vulnerable prey. During these periods of high activity, a splash won’t always spook them – in fact, a splash can attract them. They’ll move in to inspect… and sometimes, active bass will even compete with one another, which can lead to the two-bass-on-one-lure phenomenon:
Active bass have the largest strike window. They may dash up to 12 feet to maul their prey, and they are usually most active at dawn & dusk. Longer periods of activity typically take place in deeper water.
During periods of high activity, fast, aggressive presentations are the name of the game. You want to try to show your bait to as many fish as possible.
Shade tends to increase the size of the strike zone, especially in shallow water, as this is usually the result of overhead cover (protection). We discussed this in Cover & Current Breaks: Part 1. The same concept applies to both largemouth and smallmouth bass.
“The best cover will not only offer a break in the current, but provide overhead protection (from the sun and predators) as well. This means that fish may well prefer the slack water of an undercut bank to say, slack water behind a boulder. The undercut bank offers more robust protection – but both can hold fish.”
Bright sunlight tends to decrease the strike zone. It can also cause bass to hold much tighter to cover.
Cold water tends to decrease the strike zone.
Warm, stable weather tends to increase the strike zone. Plus, the strike zone can expand even further (YUGE!) right before weather fronts hit… but then, the strike zone will decrease after the front arrives.
Fishing pressure will decrease the size of the strike zone.
Take these possibilities into consideration the next time you’re on the water. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are amazing little creatures – but like all creatures that lack free will, they act on instinct. Conditioning.
They react.
Make sure you select your presentation based on what the fish show you they want – not what you think “should” work! It’s tough… but leveling up in this area will mean more fish in the boat.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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I sure have… as someone who suffers from the “winter grumblies” (which is a cute way to describe “seasonal depression”) the extra sunlight sparks something in my soul. It’s as if a fire has been lit, and suddenly this feeling of opportunity takes over.
“There’s so much to do. So many goals to complete. So many fish to pursue. I need to get moving!“
This boost usually leads to more output. I start writing more. Working on videos more aggressively. This leads to an even bigger morale boost, because I’m reminded of all the situations and presentations that were productive last year. Days & fish I had all but forgotten… like this absolutely amazing trip to the creek the first week of June.
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So in a sense, if you’re like me… you understand that we’re kinda like a largemouth bass. We have these very distinct periods of increased activity.
But enough about us… let’s talk about Billy Bass.
“Ohhh BILLLYYYYyyyyyyy!”
Largemouth Bass Strike Window Size: Active Bass
The strike window of an active bass will actually change size and shape as the the fish swims faster. For example: with more forward momentum (when the bass swims faster) they will gain forward range, but lose the ability to turn sharply to either side.
If you’re wondering what that means in people-terms, cruising bass usually extend their forward range to about 6 feet.
If the fish is literally dashing (the scientific term for this is hauling a**) they can overtake prey & lures at ranges of more than 10 feet.
This ties in with their feeding strategy, so if you need a refresher make sure to hit this article again:
These windows are less accurate predictors than those of less active or stationary bass. Why? As the speed of the bass increases, the importance of the relative speed and direction of the preyfish increases. This means that prey moving with the bass (moving in the same direction and within the strike window) are at risk – however – those moving across the strike window, or through it headed directly towards the bass (meaning the bass & prey are swimming in opposite directions towards one another) are hard to catch and often ignored.
This makes me think about past interviews with David Fritts, one of the most famous (and deadly) crankbait anglers of all time. More than once I have heard him talk about working a crankbait through an area using different casting angles to trigger a bite. There is no doubt that cranks pulled in the direction that active bass are moving or facing have a better chance of triggering a strike.
Because of this, bass usually move at chase speeds when they are able to position themselves behind fleeing prey. If prey or your presentation move out of this window, they become uncatchable and are ignored.
This means that the most effective presentations for targeting cruising bass should run parallel with the fish and into the strike window whenever possible.
This makes a strong case for the simple “cast & straight retrieve” method that so many swimbait enthusiasts swear by. Here’s an example of that working – and again… it’s so simple…
Cast it out. Work in back in a straight line. Cruising bass will overtake it. Clip taken from The Trophy Room
Largemouth Bass Strike Window Size: Hovering Bass
Around the snout (snoot?) of every bass, lies the strike window. Bass can be reasonably sure of a successful attack on prey (or a lure) if it moves into this area.
The size of the strike window varies based on the activity level of the bass.
Inactive bass = tiny window. Neutral bass = larger window. Active bass = big window!
Catching bass requires you to move your presentation into this window – or – tempt the bass to move so your presentation is within the danger zone.
With hovering bass, the direction of your presentation is still very important – however, it may not be as important as it is when you’re chasing the cruising bass discussed above.
Largemouth bass can turn sharply, especially from a stationary position. The broad body of a largemouth excels at spinning and twisting to navigate tight, thick cover. Smaller bass can turn even faster than the big girls.
Overall, the movement speed of the bass (from stationary to cruising) combined with the activity level of the bass (inactive, neutral or active) dictate the estimated (I hate that word) strike window at any given moment.
If you can figure this out, it will help you select the best possible presentations so you can maximize your time on the water.
Last year was the first (yes, the first) season where I really tried hard to get better at jerkbait fishing. I wanted to add this option to my arsenal because you can fish a jerk fast, and then pause it to let it sit in (hopefully) the strike window of a bass. If they are active, they can also follow and overtake a jerk – or literally bump their nose into it if you kill it while they are trailing. This often generates a reaction strike.
I had never caught fish on a jerkbait before.
This was my second (and only the fifth fish I caught after starting a fishing vlog).
You better believe results like this will get your attention!
Big ‘ol Chonk Largemouth on a Jerkbait. Clip taken from The Trophy Room
These days jerkbaits are always on hand. What about you? What presentations come to mind when you think of a way to attract specific bass with a specific strike window?
Now, I gotta get back to work so I can get outside with the boys this afternoon for baseball practice. Longer days and warmer weather... sign me up man.
Let's get after it!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Fishing injuries are a real thing. You know this, but guys that don’t fish aggressively would hear that and think:
“Dude how in the world do you injure yourself when you’re fishing?!”
Well… it’s really not that hard…
“DAD GUMMIT!”
One misstep and KABOOM! You’re in the drink…
So this one time I leaned over a bit too far…
But these injuries are easy to recognize, because they are external. What about our internal injuries? Injuries like being misgendered, for example?!? Where does a misgendered fisherman go when he needs a safe space?!
Maybe take a long walk off a short pier.
… I’m kidding…
“Stop acting like a fruitcake.”
That’s what I tell my boys when they say something… fruity… anyway… internal injuries bro! Tendons and ligaments! That crap hurts. It can ruin the day, the trip, the fishing – all of it. Here are three simple steps that I would strongly suggest you take to heart if you want to avoid fishing injuries.
1. Eat Right & Heal Your Guts
Our outward appearance is a good indicator of our internal health.
Proper nutrition can help your body heal, and even more importantly, help you avoid injury. Prevention is better than recovery. Read that again. A multi-vitamin is a good start… but it’s important to give your body what it needs to stay healthy. A few years ago I started supplementing my multi with additional protein (to help with muscle support) and collagen (tissue strength, ligaments, skin & nails), then added them to a smoothie loaded with spinach and fruit to start my day.
Yes, it is delicious.
By lunch time, I’ve consumed 75 grams of protein and more healthy crap than I used to eat in a week!
We’ll discuss that smoothie recipe later, but just for starters, throw a scoop of each of these in a glass with water in the morning and follow it up with a cup of milk. BOOM. Over 40 grams of protein, calcium and collagen to boot. This is a great way to start your day.
These brands are very “clean” (which is why I personally use both) and don’t contain a lot of extra junk like artificial sweeteners (Walmart and other budget brands are famous for this – it’s not worth saving $3 man). We went even further into supplementation in the Elbow Repair article, but if you’re just getting started, adding protein and collagen to your daily routine is a great first step.
Do I expect you to pull a Richard Simmons at the boat ramp?
Well no… unless you want to… ya fruitcake…
NOW we’re ready to fish…
But when you head out to the garage in the morning, take 3 minutes to stretch everything out. Simple stretches. No need to overcomplicate this. Start with the forearm routine listed in the elbow repair plan above, and add in a few stretches for your back and legs.
Just loosen up, get the juices flowin’. You’ll feel better, and you’ll reduce the likelihood of injury.
3. Listen To Your Body
I know that sounds like some hippy-dippy mumbo-jumbo, but if you lift, you know what I mean. Your body will tell you when to stop doing something.
“Fish are like… creatures of the Universe too MAAAAAAAN.”
One of the skills that we need to learn is differentiating between being sore, and being injured.
Carrying a kayak up and down a small creek for example – that’ll make you sore. Dunking & trailering your boat by yourself? Sore. Hammering monster bass? Yup. Sore.
Jacking your ankle on some rocks in the creek bed? That’s an injury.
I love carrying my kayak into hard-to-fish areas… but I’ve injured my ankles & knees on more than one occasion…
This is another rule I have taught to my boys: it’s ok to play sore, to be a man and work through the pain, but it’s NOT ok to play injured.
Playing injured is how you mess yourself up permanently.
Not worth it.
If your body tells you to stop… stop.
If you stop temporarily, your body will heal up faster. Take care of yourself, stay healthy and engage in preventative maintenance. You’ll be able to go on more fishing trips like this banger…
A Final Word on Hooks
Now, you’re saying to yourself:
“But what about hooks? You missed hooks! Can’t I get injured on HOOKS?!”
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This will be a short entry. Something popped out at me yesterday while editing another video for the fishing vlog.
My son was excited to go fishing last spring, and so… we made time. We went. 110% of my attention was focused on what we would use, where we would go, how we would zero in on our catch – you know, all of the things that get (and deserve) your attention on a fishing trip.
Long story short, when we arrived at the creek, it did NOT go as planned.
The water was very high. Flowing fast. You’ve probably experienced this: there is a point when wading through flowing water that the pressure lets you know… “Hey… it’s time to turn around… don’t mess with me… you will not win…“
Careful… there are no second chances.
We tried to push ahead, but quickly realized that not only was the fishing going to be terrible, things were getting dangerous and I was setting a very bad example for my son.
As fathers, we can’t do that.
We left. Went to another location. Still made a day out of it. Got McDonalds. He had fun.
One little nugget, before a big box of McNuggets!
It was good… but… I missed some things…
When I went back to edit the video, there was no pressure. The stress of putting the child on fish was gone, worrying about the knots and the baits and the locations and the conditions – these things were all in the past.
Watching the trip, sitting in front of a computer monitor in the office with a piping hot cup of coffee, I started to hear things I’d missed…
I heard the silly questions my son was asking me while we were walking to the creek.
(They weren’t all that silly.)
I head the wind rustling the leaves in small, sporadic bursts.
(Building from nothing to what seemed like a million tiny rattles.)
I heard the twigs snapping underfoot.
(So did the squirrels, and they noisily scampered away.)
I heard the birds.
(The birds were singing.)
Not cackling. Not screeching. Not honking.
Singing.
And it was beautiful.
The wind was beautiful.
The hike was beautiful.
The silly questions were beautiful.
Hmmm…
Didn’t notice any of this when I was in the middle of it. Just worried about “the next thing.”
Life is like that, too.
Most of us miss a lot from day to day… but maybe if we’re a bit more mindful, we’ll start to notice all of the little “in between” moments.
Yeah.
That sounds like a good goal to me.
Next time you’re out… make an effort to listen to the birds.
You’ll probably hear much, much more.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Click the banner to jump to Stars & Bars Fishing on YouTube.
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The biggest THANK YOU to everyone that makes a small monthly contribution to help keep this site active, free for everyone, and growing! I mean it. You’ve probably noticed this big button at the bottom of every post, along with a little blurb that asks you to pitch in for a sweet Pack o’ Dingers –
This allows readers to make a small monthly donation – which is awesome – but I don’t want to just put that money in the bank. I want to use it in a way that’s fun. So this spring, we’ll be starting Dinger Days on the Stars & Bars Fishing Vlog.
A Dinger Day is a day full of dingers – wait no – scratch that – a Dinger Day is a day in-the-field dedicated to all of you that support this project!
I’ll take a monthly contribution, pick out a pack of YUM Dingers, and we’ll head out to see just how many fish we can catch on that single pack. As soon as the water warms a bit, we’re going to start with a pack of 4-inchers in a color I’ve never used before: Elder’s Magic.
(Stickbaits are an incredibly versatile bait for largemouth and smallmouth bass. I have never been a “Senko guy“, but for some reason the YUM Dinger (in multiple sizes) has become a staple for me – along with Strike King Ochos, Zoom Zlinkys and Z-Man Bang StickZ.)
They all have a time and a place, but this last season the smaller YUM Dingers were the most consistent producers in my crystal-clear quarry lakes.
Big ‘ol Bass on a little 3″ Dinger
So, we’re gonna go fish ’em together.
You and me, kid.
As a team.
We’re gonna figure out the best ways to present this bait… and with something like… a billion rigging options… it’s going to take us a while. Simplicity is key. You know that I harp on the fact you don’t need a boat full of baits to have an absolute blast on your favorite body of water.
Well… let me show you what I mean.
Dinger Days. Coming Soon.
Hilarious title, but I mean this – cheers to you!
You guys are the best. Thanks for reading, sharing, and supporting!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Get Articles & Videos First
Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
The rain is pitter-pattering outside my window. Tiny taps followed by the occasional PLOP as a big cold drop travels through space from the corner of the roof to the sill…
… pat pat pat pat pat PLOP pat pat pat…
It’s calming, but… I’m restless. Restless because we have rain. Not snow.
Snow is the devil.
Rain means the snow is dying.
Good riddance.
I was talking with a friend last night about dealing with depression. He called it “being lost in the wilderness.” You can probably relate. There are times when everything seems to be… just… blegh. Right now in this country, you can feel an overwhelming sense of dread.
Stories of chemical spills, huge layoffs, corruption without justice, $7 eggs, any number of cultural issues – it’s enough to drive a man insane… it’s oppressive.
You feel it?
One of the ways to combat these feelings is to stay busy.
Busy with prayer. Busy with work. Busy with family. Busy with hobbies.
Getting busy (giggity?) can give your brain a chance to break away from the weight we carry day-to-day, even if it’s subconscious. Not that we should ignore the issues – quite the opposite – but at times, we need a break.
Fishing is that break for me, and winter is my enemy… because it slows me down.
It gives me something to chase, something to work on, something to improve, something to aim at… even if the target is a bit cloudy as the tires on the truck crunch their way out of the driveway…
Let’s just go.
… and so today, as winter continues it’s slow death… my daydreams become more vivid. The plants are greener, the air is crisp, and the fish… they are plentiful. Plentiful, and so much fun to catch on ultralight gear.
If you’re like me, daydreaming about those action-packed afternoons – the 4 presentations used in this video are absolutely killer for panfish!
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1. The Kalin’s Crappie Scrub
The Kalin’s Crappie Scrub is an inexpensive plastic bait with no salt or scent, but twin paddle tails that thump and vibrate aggressively on a straight retrieve.
Speaking of retrieve, you can see in the video that I’m using a Pflueger President spinning reel (size 20 I believe), which is just an absolute unit. Make sure you have one (or four) of these classic workhorses in your arsenal. Check out this monster green sunfish that fell for the Crappie Scrub – landed in the Trophy Room, actually.
2. The Donkey Tail by Mule Fishing Supply Co.
You’re probably sick of me talking about these… but… well… I don’t care.
They catch fish man!
I like the Jr., and my favorite color is Pasture Fire. Click below for a full review, and consider hucking these on another simple workhorse that Brother Mike (aka Brother Wiggly Worm) down at Table Rock Lake reminded me about just yesterday: the Berkley Lightning Rod.
They are cheap, and they work – I have seen more Lightning Rods on the boats of fishing guides than any other make & model.
3. The Bobby Garland Itty Bit Swim’R
This is the smallest plastic I have ever fished. Like the Crappie Scrub and Donkey Tail, they have no salt or scent that I am aware of – but they are just the right size for aggressive panfish.
They catch all kinds of gamefish, and pair well with small (1/32 oz) jig heads. There are all sorts of jigs on the market, but the Mr. Crappie offerings are always a good choice.
4. The Strike King Bitsy Minnow
Finally, if the cover allows for it – test mini crankbaits like the Strike King Bitsy Minnow (or Bitsy Pond Minnow, depending on who you ask). It has a tight little side-to-side wobble and pairs perfectly with Stren monofilament.
The extra stretch helps keep the small hooks pinned in the mouth of fish, and makes it harder to toss – or for us to tear it out. It also allows the bait to acheive maximum wobble!
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The 2021 season was all about hammering along using what worked, and while this can be a productive fishing strategy, a big part of the fun of fishing is trying new stuff!
Now… the tricky part… is finding things that are better than what you are already using, and then discarding the gear that you know you will never reach for again.
The Airtail Wiggler brings a lot more to the table than the standard worm. The hollow tail – as the name suggests – floats, causing the plastic worm to stand upright while at rest. This opens up a world of rigging options, but it’s still a plastic worm… and plastic worms tear when you set the hook. They are also loaded up with MEGA 3+ scent (strong hints of garlic), so no need to juice ’em… unless you just really wanna… (juice away – I won’t judge).
Still, when you’re looking for a worm to rig up a shaky head, or even a Carolina rig that will pop up off the bottom a bit – this can be a solid option. The big question these days is whether or not the low price offsets the lack of durability when you compare the Wiggler to, say, something made from ElaZtech.
Jury is still out… I think more testing is required.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
There are only two things that get me up & at ’em before sunshine pokes over the dark horizon outside our bedroom window.
One is fishing… the other is… well… that is not your business…
… what we do in life, echoes in eternity…
On this day, it was option #1.
I forced myself to roll out of bed and stumble downstairs when the alarm went off…
That sucked.
The carpet was dry and scratchy under my bare feet during the descent to the main floor; the air was noticeably colder.
Groggy, mental gymnastics began as I slowly staggered along, intent on pouring my first cup of coffee. Bed was especially tempting this morning, because strange weather had made it difficult to put fish in the boat with any consistency since returning from our annual fishing trip to Minocqua, Wisconsin.
The bite was just off.
“… you have to go, you have to go… the kids start school again soon, Old Man Winter is headed this way… make the time to fish before you don’t have it…”
Upon entering the kitchen, the inviting smell of freshly brewed java was… oh no… dear God no…
… missing…
Last night before bed, the delayed-start was never turned on.
The coffee pot was cold & empty.
That sucked.
*click*
*drip… drip… drip…*
I stumbled over to my desk to sit and wait. Angrily. Eyes began to droop.
“… frickin’ idiot… this is gonna take forever…”
*BEEEEP!*
Finally poured the first cup after a brief shuffle back to the kitchen. The piping hot liquid smelled delicious, and the sun was just now starting to peek over the trees.
Like slow-motion fireworks.
You could see the orange and red and yellow as it lit up the sky, spreading out with surprising speed. I thought about my fishing plan for the day.
“Gotta go with a creek man, the bite is always pretty reliable. Should be able to move at a good steady pace, covering water and locating fish.”
The truth was I hadn’t slept well, and the previous evening had been spent frantically setting up jigs & micro-swimbaits, loading a single Plano container with a handful of downsized presentations aimed at getting the attention of smallmouth bass.
A clever new combination would be my workhorse: 1/8 ounce bass jig with a green pumpkin living rubber skirt – plus the secret sauce – a single strand of blue and a single strand of orange, tipped with a Z-Man Trick Shot to match the small local forage.
Look at this saucy little nugget…
Smallmouth bass – my favorite fish – would surely destroy it. Even though said smallmouth had been throwing curveballs lately… and that off-speed pitch will getcha.
Time to throw one right back.
I took a big noisy slurp of coffee and decided to get moving.
“Today will be a good day… it’s time to go… but now I need to load the truck. The truck is empty. Why is the truck EMPTY. I should have loaded the truck last night. I didn’t load the truck. I don’t want to load the truck now. What do I need to put in the truck? WHY DIDN’T I LOAD THE DANG TRUCK?!”
I had to load the truck.
That sucked.
I angrily hurled the small kayak into the bed, grabbed the paddle and a few bottles of water plus my fishing backpack, pole, camera, fired up the engine and pulled out of the driveway.
“Construction” is one of our main seasons here in Illinois.
By 7:30 the sun had come up completely as the creek rolled into view.
With the window down the sound of water slowly gurgling past the large piles of tree trunks and branches stuck on the bridge pilings made their way into the cab. The gravel began to crunch beneath the tires as the truck pulled off the road and slowed to a crawl, approaching my favorite parking spot just off the highway…
… but it was occupied.
I would not be fishing alone this morning.
That sucked.
There are two reasons I prefer to fish by myself.
One? The silence – I like to speak to God without interruption – unless that interruption is a fish.
Two? I look ridiculous with a camera attached to my head…
Enjoy the sunrise, dork.
I grabbed my gear and dropped in.
The paddle started to swish and swash, left and right, methodically, as I made my way upstream.
Suddenly, there he was…
Up ahead… the filthy parking spot thief.
The better fisherman. The one who got the jump on me. Probably hit all of my favorite spots. Displaced my fish. Ruined my morning.
As we paddled closer to one another, a chipper, feminine voice rang out –
“GOOD MORNING!”
“Oh… hey, good morning ma’am.”
“It’s beautiful out today – make sure you check out that rock structure up ahead. It’s really neat and I got some great pictures. Have a good day!”
“Thanks, you too.”
Strangers in the creek…
We softly paddled past one another.
Upon realizing that she was simply sight-seeing, it seemed safe to start working the area. The fish were probably not bothered, and surely they would be ready to devour my fancy custom jig – you know – the one with a single strand of orange and a single strand of blue in the skirt.
I made casts for an hour without a bite.
That sucked.
Decided to stick with the jig, but make my way further upstream.
However, there was one big problem with that plan.
Well… several big woody problems.
Mother nature had decided to knock a few trees down. They sat directly on top of the riffles completely blocking certain narrow sections within the creek, and while I had been prepared to carry my kayak over the shallow, rocky areas – I was not prepared to lift the kayak over my head and climb trees.
Stop. Lift. Repeat.
But we don’t quit.
Ever.
The climbing began.
Over… and over… and over…
Thank you, Mother Nature.
I must have stopped and lifted the kayak 30 times or more.
That sucked.
Even with all of the grunting and the sweating and the swearing and the cuts and the scrapes and the blood splats peppering my arms and hands there was an attempt to move quietly.
“GAH! Is that a freaking MOOSE!? A MOUNTAIN LION??”
No… it was… a buck.
I scared a buck that was taking a drink in the creek ahead of me. Didn’t even see it.
Have you ever been isolated, surrounded by complete silence, and startled a deer? It is incredible how ungraceful these animals really are when they are trying to escape from you.
Sounded like Sasquatch ripping through the trees.
ROOOOOAAARRRRRRR SNARL ROOOOOAR!!!
“CRIPES! Is that a freaking GRIZZLY BEAR!?”
No… it’s… two racoons fighting over a crayfish.
They looked up at me for a split second, puzzled, cocked their heads to the side and bolted, plodding their fat ‘coon butts noisily through the underbrush.
“Good Lord why are all these animals so uncoordinated and loud – and why am I so paranoid?? Better slow down and pay attention so I don’t have a heart attack…”
Decided to slow down.
That sucked.
I couldn’t cover as much ground, and as a result, it took me way longer to get to the deeper water way up ahead.
The slow plod continued…
Left… right… left… right…
“Lord I hope I can paddle soon… I guess on the bright side if I’m careful I won’t break my ankles on these slippery, slimy rocks…”
That’s when I noticed something in the shallow water…
A hagstone.
“Ok great so no fish but I got a cool rock. Yippee.”
I knelt down and retrieved the treasure, rolling it back and forth, over and over in my hands. Father Time and a slow trickle had punched a hole right through the center of the stone.
“Guess the kids have wanted to see one of these since we learned they existed… super, MORE crap to carry.”
Well hello there.
I tossed the stone in the back compartment of the all-plastic ‘yak, and the noise it made was so LOUD it made me think of the animals who had startled me earlier. Sounds surrounded me. Sounds of nature. Water. Wind. Leaves rustling high above. The area was so isolated that they all seemed so LOUD.
Why was it so quiet… wait… my phone hadn’t rang or dinged or beckoned me for hours now…
No signal.
I was missing important phone calls for work.
That sucked.
Surely everything was on fire at the office.
Surely all of the websites I’d ever created were broken.
Surely someone had an emergency and was trying to get ahold of me.
Surely.
I wandered into a wider section of the creek with a nice outside bend while thinking about all the problems piling up back home. The kayak was placed carefully on the bank, and the jig was unhooked from the keeper on the rod.
In one extremely coordinated, professional movement, I flicked the lure into the fishy looking area – and promptly watched it land right in the “Y” of a massive branch poking above the water. With a skillful snap of the wrist, I proceeded to bury the hook deep in the wood. Finally, with one amazingly adept tug on the rod I was rewarded as my line freed itself from the log!
It also freed itself from the jig.
“Fffffffffffffffffff… frick.”
My line broke.
That sucked.
I stood there, knee deep in the water with the jig I had carefully, meticulously crafted the night before – remember, the one with a single strand of orange and a single strand of blue in the skirt – permanently planted in a branch 30 feet away over deep water, surrounded by entire trees that prevented me from kayaking over… and I wasn’t about to go swimming.
With the rod held between my knees, I awkwardly pulled the Plano container out and selected a simple jigworm, then tried to balance while tying a new loop knot I’d been working on learning.
Wrong. Snip. Start over.
Wrong again. Snip. Start over.
WRONG. AGAIN. Snip. Start over.
Finally, my bloody fingers managed to tie the perfect non-slip loop knot, which would give my jig just a bit more action.
Fishing continued.
Over the next hour I saw fish. Heard them splash as they jumped for bugs, saw their bellies reflect sunlight as they turned slightly sideways in the shallow water, noticed small groups of them swimming with one another, darting this way and that – but they weren’t interested in my offering…
Lockjaw.
Except for one.
*tick… tick tick*
5 hours in, exhausted from lugging the kayak through the trees, with bloodied hands and ripped up pants, I finally felt the tiniest of strikes, and set the hook.
The fight was anticlimactic.
3 seconds later I had him out of the water.
One bass.
One. Tiny. Bass. All. Day.
I caught one bass, and it was time to go.
That sucked.
I took a long look at the miniature bronzeback before releasing him back into the shallow water. So much work for ONE fish?
“This is ridiculous. It’s mental.”
The bass zipped off like a laser as soon as my fingers loosened underneath his soft belly.
I wiped my hands – hands that now smelled fishy, like success… but me & God knew the truth…
Today had been an absolute waste, and it was time to lug my kayak all the way back, over the trees and up the hill, back to the truck and eventually home…
The trip back was silent.
Not even the obnoxious deer or snarling racoons wanted to keep a loser like me company.
My head hung in shame.
At dinner that night, my wife asked me…
“How was your day?”
Are you kidding me?! Didn’t she know?? IT SUCKED! The WORST day of creek fishing EVER!!
“Waste of time! Waste of energy! Waste of money! First I got up super early – “
“So you saw the sunrise?”
“Yeah, and then I forgot to set the coffee pot – “
“So you got fresh coffee?”
“Yeah, and then I forgot to load the truck – “
“So you got to make a few last minute adjustments?”
“Yeah, and then someone was in my parking spot – “
“So you found a new place you could park?”
“Yeah, and then I ran into some lady sight-seeing – “
“So you were the only fisherman in the creek?”
“Yeah, and then I made casts for an HOUR with no bites – “
“So you got to practice your casting?”
“Yeah, and then I had to keep moving upstream and there were trees down everywhere – “
“So you got a bunch of exercise carrying the kayak into areas other fishermen won’t go?”
“Yeah, and then there was this deer crashing through the trees and a couple of racoons literally roaring at each other – “
“So you got to hear sounds most people will never hear in person?”
“Yeah, and then I had to slow down and couldn’t cover as much ground – “
“So that’s when you found that hagstone for the boys and made their day?”
“Yeah, and then I realized my phone had no signal – “
“So you got to explore the area uninterrupted?”
“Yeah, and then I broke off on a log – “
“So you got to practice that new loop knot you’ve been learning?”
“Yeah, and then I ONLY CAUGHT ONE FREAKING FISH – “
“So you didn’t get skunked?”
“Yeah! Yeah I… yeah…”
We stopped talking.
The only noise at that moment was the clicking and clanking of silverware on our finest Corelle plates as the boys devoured their food.
She looked at me and smiled, then set her fork down and folded her hands underneath her chin, well aware that the point she’d made was slowly beginning to sink in.
“Well… that sounds like it was just the WORST, huh?”
“… uh… no… maybe not…”
She picked her fork back up and began poking the food on her plate.
“… so… you going to try again tomorrow?”
“… yeah… yeah I think I will. Hey… thanks.”
One of my boys who’d hardly been listening looked up from his macaroni and blurted:
“DADDY! How was your day?!”
My wife smiled and took the tiniest sip of milk.
I smirked.
“You know what buddy… it was actually pretty dang great. In fact, it was awesome. Let me tell you why it was one of the best days of creek fishing I’ve ever had…”
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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What is the best way to target bass in [ENTER SEASON HERE]?
Examples:
What’s the best way to target bass in the spring? What bass lures work best during summer? What will largemouth bass hit in the fall? Will largemouth bass bite during winter?
Here’s the problem with that question: the bass don’t give a rip what “season” it is!
Seasons are human time periods. Bass don’t care. They don’t have calendars – if you asked them what day it was – they’d be confused!
Billy Bass doesn’t know…
So… if largemouth bass don’t care about these human time periods… what DO they care about?
A rainy spring day with some bass attacking my Ocho.
Bass operate instinctually by calendar period. These calendar periods are determined by water temperature and possibly the rising and setting of the sun (length of the day). Some guys only pay attention to 4 calendar periods, others 6, and later this year we’ll talk about the 10 calendar periods found in many In-Fisherman books – we’ll list those now for reference:
I’ll be honest… 10 calendar periods is a bit too nuanced for me at this time. Like we mentioned, some guys go with just 4 calendar periods, which is a bit too basic – however, it’s better than nothing when you’re trying to figure out where the bass might be located.
Using Just 4 Bass Fishing Calendar Periods
As the water warms, bass move in & out of rocky areas to feed. This one lunched a jigworm. A deadly option around rip rap.
If you’re going to go with the basics, here are the top 4:
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
There are many charts online that offer something similar to this:
Largemouth Bass Ballpark Seasonal Location
As an extremely general rule, this is a good place to start, but I tend to lean towards 6 calendar periods. This is a bit more involved than the 4 periods listed above, but not as hard to remember as the 10 periods In-Fisherman offers up.
Here’s why.
Using 6 Bass Fishing Calendar Periods
Try some weedless Bang Sticks when you’re working around pond muck. Rigged weightless, they go slightly subsurface, which many bass haven’t seen before.
As we mentioned above there isn’t a seasonal calendar that bass adhere to. The 4 seasons listed above are human concepts. Bass move based on instinct, water temperature, weather, food location & type, etc.
Here are 6 important water temperatures to watch for:
Winter: water temps less than 55°
Prespawn: period of warming water about 55° to 62°
Spawn: bass are on beds protecting eggs & fry from 62° to 67°
Postspawn: bass transition and recover from the spawn at 67° to 70°
Summer: warm water period with temps above 70°
Fall: green vegetation starts to turn brown and temps fall to 65°, ultimately below 55°
Combine your knowledge of the local forage + weather conditions with the water temps you find yourself fishing, and you’ll be well on your way to locating – and hopefully catching – some quality bass.
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It’s discouraging. It’s frustrating. It deflates egos. It reminds us of our mortality. It ruins plans.
It sucks.
Fisherman’s Elbow is actually very similar to “shin splints”, but it affects our arms. It’s considered a common form of tendonitis, typically signifying aggravation & inflammation of the extensor tendon at the point of origin off the bone.
When I developed it, the pain was focused on the outer side of my arm between the elbow and wrist. Simple tasks like lifting a coffee cup became excruciatingly painful. Weight lifting was near impossible (I could tell something was really wrong, even though once I was adequately warmed up the pain seemed to go away… until the adrenaline wore off…) and outdoor activities like setting a hook while fishing?
Ouch.
When you’re “dad”… you just gotta deal with it… right?
If you are experiencing symptoms like this, you might have Fisherman’s Elbow. If you’re not sure what you have going on, consult with your doctor.
(Go ahead and read that last sentence one more time for me, dumplin’…)
Note that while these names are often used haphazardly to describe ALL elbow injuries, Fisherman’s Elbow is an exterior elbow injury. The interior elbow injuries can be treated the same way, but they are considered medial epicondylitis. It is not uncommon to see the name Golfer’s Elbow applied to interior elbow injuries, for example.
No, it doesn’t have to be. Think of it more as an aggravation. That said, be careful. If your body is telling you it’s hurt, then you need to listen before causing permanent damage.
If you’re gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough…
The first thing to do is accurately diagnose your issue. You also want to rest if possible; stop whatever you have been doing that has aggravated your arm.
You will notice that the plan I developed for my own recovery includes rest, ice and compression – but there are other steps I added in as well to expedite the healing process, and ultimately regain 100% functionality in my arm.
To this day, I am pain free.
All healed up! Still dumb, though…
Not too shabby when you consider the fact that I was worried I had a permanent injury… or arthritis…
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
It means we go into prisons, set up the big boom-boom, make a bunch of very loud noise – and then we talk to the men about making better decisions. We talk about starting to develop a relationship with Christ. Starting to look for guidance and direction in different places – places other than the ones that led them here.
Locked up.
Alone.
Paying the price for bad decisions.
What does that look like? Sometimes, it looks like this…
Illinois Prison Ministry: TAJ & The RevelatorsTennessee Prison Ministry: TAJ & The Revelators
Other times, it’s much smaller.
Smaller rooms. Smaller groups.
You never know… but it’s always productive.
It’s also a TON of work.
I wish I had more examples, pictures and video… but the sad fact is that they don’t allow us to capture anything for liability reasons. The few pictures we do have are the ones quickly snapped by a warden or a C/O, sent to us after the fact in a brief email or text.
Illinois is especially strict. Tennessee is a bit more relaxed – and that’s where we’re headed this week.
If you think of it, please say a prayer for us.
Please pray for safe travel (24 hours of windshield time in 2 days with back-to-back 2 hour concerts and all of the loading & unloading – no budget means no road crew – we’ll be dead tired when we get home).
Please pray that we might do good work, and soften hearts or inspire bold action.
Please pray that we can afford gas and lodging to continue to do this, that our gear holds up and lasts for years and years – because there is no paycheck headed our way.
Well… I suppose the “pay” is knowing that we’re doing what we can to make a positive impact in the world, with our small circle of influence.
It’s enough.
The public typically doesn’t like to think about men that are locked up, but the truth of the matter is that most are going to get out.
We want to see them take a different path, so they don’t end up back in here, and they can instead become productive members of society and help build the Kingdom.
One of these days, one of the men who has seen us play and heard us speak will be at a gas pump next to your wife, he’ll be in the store with your daughter, on a bus with your son – and our hope is that by scattering seed, he will have taken his time in the clink to make a positive change. Took this message and started to think deeply, to read more… to turn his life around.
It’s never too late.
That is the hope… and these days, hope is something that I think we could all use a little bit more of.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Get Articles & Videos First
Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
That’s a sound we all know and love… if we’re talking about cereal.
If we’re talking about elbows… ugh.
“Don’t put me in, coach!”
If you’ve fished for long hours over days, months, years or decades, there’s a good chance you’ve experienced some pain or nagging discomfort in your joints, muscles and ligaments.
In this article I’ll tell you how I developed Fisherman’s Elbow, how I was able to relieve the pain, and ultimately develop and implement a non-surgical recovery plan to eliminate my pain 100%.
The goal is to give you a complete plan of action. Something that you can easily follow, that will be beneficial in many ways, and put you on the path to recovery and better health overall. If you’re confused, that’s ok – but you’re here because you’re in pain. Make the decision: today is the day you’ll start taking steps to fix your problem, even if you’re not sure how it will all play out.
WARNING: I am not a doctor, and this should not be viewed as medical advice. This is an account of my personal experience. It’s what worked for me to get back to enjoying 100% functionality in my elbow, pain free. The pain we describe here could be arthritis, muscle or ligament tears, degeneration or nerve issues like radial tunnel syndrome.
Be smart. If you are not sure what you are dealing with, seek professional consult!
Fisherman’s Elbow is a painful condition that stems from aggravating tendons running through the forearm, resulting in pain felt on the outside of the elbow. This pain becomes very apparent when performing tasks like lifting objects with your palm facing down, setting a hook, casting, squeezing and twisting – even simple tasks like putting on clothing. It may also be called Fisher’s Elbow, Tennis Elbow or Golfer’s Elbow.
The fear we all have is that the pain could be coming from degeneration of the tendons and their connections, meaning it’s permanent. The hope we share is that the pain stems from aggravation or overuse, meaning it can be reversed.
“Is this gonna be forever??”
How I Developed Fisherman’s Elbow
Personally… I was in in severe pain when I began writing this article and feverishly praying it was not permanent… because NOT fishing was NOT an option! The tendons in my elbow became inflamed shortly after I started weight training (after an extended hiatus) while also fishing 3 or 4 times per week primarily using spinning rod & reel combos. This meant casting, working baits, hooksets and fighting fish all put stress on my right elbow exclusively – and the combination led to overuse and pain. Quickly.
One of the reasons my elbow hurts…
I assumed it was arthritis.
Pain or no pain, not fishing was not an option… so I kept doing the things that were actually hurting me, even though my body was screaming at me to stop.
This stubbornness caused me to aggravate my elbow again… and again… and again… and it got worse… and worse… and worse… at one point I just gave up: “this is my life now, it’s arthritis and I just have to learn to work through the pain in order to do the things I love.“
Grin & bear it.
Be a man.
There is a time and a place to “be a man” and simply work through the pain, and there is a time and place to be smart.
Stonks.
It was time to try something different.
Fisherman’s Elbow Symptoms & Diagnosis
Let’s compare your symptoms to mine:
At the time of writing, I was in severe pain.
The pain could be felt throughout my right wrist and forearm, and especially on the outside of my right elbow.
The pain was constant and dull, but simple tasks like getting dressed led to that pain sharpening dramatically if I moved the wrong way.
I had lost over 50% of my “grip strength”, and I couldn’t lift desktop items the size of a coffee mug with my palm down and arm extended.
Fishing motions – especially setting the hook while using a spinning rod, or repetitive casting with larger baits – caused sensitivity and an increase in pain, especially upon waking the next day.
Strength training had come to a complete halt since the act of curling a dumbbell caused pain immediately and again on waking the following day.
Symptoms worsened over time. My elbow had become noticeably more irritated after returning home from a 2-week fishing trip to Wisconsin. Fishing two, four, even six hours a day – every day – was common.
The bottom line is that this situation was extremely aggravating and painful, and I would rate the sharp pains at about an 8 out of 10. Something had to be done before I created scar tissue or permanent damage.
Relief & Recovery Step 1: Figure Out What is Causing Your Fisherman’s Elbow
Like I said, my fisherman’s elbow was caused by overuse. Lifting weights (and kids), casting, working baits, hooksets and fighting fish all put stress on my right elbow – which caused my pain.
Look at your situation – fishing might be causing tendons in your arm to flare up, but what else in your day-to-day routine is adding additional stress on your arm(s)?
The repetitive motion of fishing might just be bringing the damage you are doing, with those other activities, to the forefront.
Identify these activities.
You’ll need to know what caused the injury, if you want to make sure this never happens again. Like I mentioned, my injury was caused by weight training, lifting children, and fishing – all things that I am not willing to give up.
Instead of fixing the problem, I masked my symptoms with an over-the-counter “forearm brace“. This stayed on at all times, and provided nothing but temporary relief.
Vacation pics show the arm band in every photo…… it never came off…
So, an item like this can be useful for pain relief – but it does not aid in actual recovery.
Relief & Recovery Step 2: Start This Free Program to Reduce Your Pain & Promote Real Repair
Now that we know what has led to your injury, we can go about developing the behaviors to relieve elbow pain, and yes, promote real recovery. Developing quality behaviors is one of the things I harp on a lot. I fail, like everyone else, but if you take nothing else from this website, make sure to remember this: mindfully implementing behaviors that will take you from where you are to where you want to go is a life-skill that transcends fishing. It will help you become better, in all things, if you choose wisely.
Remember:
Minimalist Fishing is the careful accumulation of quality fishing behaviors, knowledge, skill, technique and gear.
This is a tool for tracking, which will allow you to see what you are doing to both help and aggravate your injury, and how often. It is a minimalist plan for recovery – which means it is intentionally simple.
If something is easy to follow, we’re more likely to do it.
Implementing a simple plan in any situation is far better than creating a complex, technical plan that gets set aside. Anyone can understand this process. Check it out, and put it to use.
The following is a brief summary of the 2-Week Fisherman’s Elbow Relief & Recovery Plan. For day-by-day instructions, download the PDF for free.
Week 1:
Rest & Reduce Inflammation for 7 Days Take it easy, boss. Don’t go completely sedentary (some movement is required for a full recovery) but lay off the motions and activities that aggravate the tendons in your arm for at least 1 week. No fishing. No weight lifting. 1 week. Difficult… but necessary.
Apply Ice Ice numbs pain, causes blood vessels to constrict & reduces swelling. Grab some simple rice packs, keep them in the freezer and apply for 15-20 minutes at a time. These sessions should be at least 1 hour apart. Complete them the number of times listed in the recovery plan each day.
Apply Heat Heat promotes healing, relaxes muscles and increases blood flow to an area. Heat your rice packs in the microwave (don’t burn yourself…) and apply for 15-20 minutes at a time. These sessions should be at least 1 hour apart. Complete them the number of times listed in the recovery plan each day.
Stabilize the Area Grab yourself an ACE Custom Dial Elbow Strap. This brace is useful, because it allows you to increase or decrease pressure quickly. Use it to stabilize your elbow tendon in between the ice, heat and stretching sessions as listed in the recovery plan. It will help “hold things in place” without completely restricting your movement. Just be careful you don’t mask your symptoms and overuse your arm, which will lead to additional injury.
Stretch Daily The following stretches will help improve the flexibility of your tendons. Add these in daily, as noted in the recovery plan, but if you feel any pain: STOP. Keep it simple. Create a daily behavior and keep it going beyond just this process to further improve mobility. (Technical terms: Wrist Flexor Stretch, Wrist Extensor Stretch, Pronation & Supination of the Forearm) – Stretch #1: Hand flat, palm up, arm extended. Pull fingers down, towards floor (15 seconds x 3) – Stretch #2: Hand flat, palm up, arm extended. Pull fingers up, towards ceiling (15 seconds x 3) – Stretch #3: Arms straight out. Hands flat, palms up. Slowly rotate palms inward until they face the floor (your shoulder, elbow and wrist will all move). Hold 5 seconds. Then slowly rotate back to palms facing up. Every time you repeat the back-and-forth motion count it as 1 rep. (10 reps x 3 sets)
Supplementation What we put into our body has a direct impact on our overall health. If we eat crap, we’ll feel like crap. So the first thing we need to do is make sure we’re eating healthy foods. Then, we need to supplement our food with the following. Notice that I said supplement, not replace. Supplements can’t replace a healthy diet – however, they can fill in the gaps. Here’s what I take: – Krill Oil: Omega-3 fatty acids that + fights inflammation & arthritis pain. – Algae Oil: Alternate option to Krill Oil. – Glucosamine Chondroitin: Joint support, flexibility & health. – Collagen Peptides: Additional joint support + hair, skin & nails. – Protein: Most of us don’t get enough protein to support muscle growth or retention. Fix that.
Week 2:
Continue to Apply Heat Heat promotes healing, relaxes muscles and increases blood flow to an area. Heat your rice packs in the microwave (don’t burn yourself…) and apply for 15-20 minutes at a time. These sessions should be at least 1 hour apart. Complete them the number of times listed in the recovery plan each day.
Continue to Stabilize the Area Grab yourself an ACE Custom Dial Elbow Strap. This brace is useful, because it allows you to increase or decrease pressure quickly. Use it to stabilize your elbow tendon in between the ice, heat and stretching sessions as listed in the recovery plan. It will help “hold things in place” without completely restricting your movement. Just be careful you don’t mask your symptoms and overuse your arm, which will lead to additional injury.
Continue to Stretch Daily The following stretches will help improve the flexibility of your tendons. Perform daily, as noted in the recovery plan, but if you feel any pain: STOP. Keep it simple. Create a daily behavior and keep it going beyond just this process to further improve mobility. (Technical terms: Wrist Flexor Stretch, Wrist Extensor Stretch, Pronation & Supination of the Forearm) – Stretch #1: Hand flat, palm up, arm extended. Pull fingers down, towards floor (15 seconds x 3) – Stretch #2: Hand flat, palm up, arm extended. Pull fingers up, towards ceiling (15 seconds x 3) – Stretch #3: Arms straight out. Hands flat, palms up. Slowly rotate palms inward until they face the floor (your shoulder, elbow and wrist will all move). Hold 5 seconds. Then slowly rotate back to palms facing up. Every time you repeat the back-and-forth motion count it as 1 rep. (10 reps x 3 sets)
Continue Supplementation What we put into our body has a direct impact on our overall health. If we eat crap, we’ll feel like crap. So the first thing we need to do is make sure we’re eating healthy foods. Then, we need to supplement our food with the following. Notice that I said supplement, not replace. Supplements can’t replace a healthy diet – however, they can fill in the gaps. Here’s what I take: – Krill Oil: Omega-3 fatty acids that + fights inflammation & arthritis pain. – Algae Oil: Alternate option to Krill Oil. – Glucosamine Chondroitin: Joint support, flexibility & health. – Collagen Peptides: Additional joint support + hair, skin & nails. – Protein: Most of us don’t get enough protein to support muscle growth or retention. Fix that.
Introduce Daily Strength Training Simple strength training can further aid in recovery and help train muscles that you have inadvertently been neglecting. In time, this will help prevent future injuries. Stay away from heavy lifting until you have fully recovered. (Technical Terms: Wrist Extensions, Strengthening Forearm Pronation & Supination) – Exercise #1: Sit. Place right elbow on right knee. Hold a 2 to 5lb dumbbell with your palm facing up. Grip the weight, and pull it up, tightening your forearm. Hold 5 seconds. Release, then repeat. (10 reps x 3 sets for each arm) – Exercise #2: Same as before, but face your palm towards the floor and allow it to hang with the weight, bending down at the wrist. Pull the weight up, tightening your forearm. Hold 5 seconds. Release, then repeat. (10 reps x 3 sets for each arm) – Exercise #3: Take the weight in one hand and hold it straight out in front of your body. Twist your arm to the right (your shoulder, elbow and wrist will all move). Hold for 5 seconds. Twist your arm back to the left, and hold for 5 seconds. Every time you repeat the back-and-forth motion count it as 1 rep. (10 reps x 3 sets for each arm)
Reintroduce Fishing! This week – go back to the lake. Start by fishing a slow presentation that does not require a lot of action. Stickbait. Bobber with something underneath. Jigworm. Stretch beforehand. Catch a few fish but if you set the hook or make a cast and it hurts – stop. Take a bit more time off, then try again.
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My Results After Using The Fisherman’s Elbow Relief & Recovery Plan
Week 1 Results: there were a few things that I noticed after the first week. One was that I started to feel like absolute CRAP because I was inactive, avoiding exercise and not really getting my blood pumping. This could be offset a bit by simple cardio, and if I had this to do all over again brisk walking for 20-30 minutes a day would be a part of my routine.
In terms of pain… I felt about the same. I started to notice that the day-to-day dull nagging pain started to improve, but trying to pick up a cup of coffee or perform any simple action that had aggravated my elbow in the past, still hurt.
Really. Freaking. Bad.
The heat was also much more soothing than the ice, and light stretching was very helpful for providing a bit of relief. The arm brace helped to stabilize things, but I had to keep reminding myself that I was hurt – and make sure that I didn’t overuse my elbow due to the brace masking my pain.
Week 2 Results: after a full week of supplementation & ice to reduce inflammation, heat to promote blood flow, and simple stretches to improve mobility, I was ready to re-introduce certain activities like fishing and light strength training.
If I was fishing and I felt pain, I stopped.
If I was exercising and I felt pain, I stopped.
Just listen to your body no matter what step you are on.
If you feel unbearable pain, stop everything and go back to the week 1 process – and repeat.
The most important thing here, is that you become aware of these different concepts and begin to apply them, because combined, they will help you move towards a full recovery. If at any time you feel extreme pain or you feel like you are doing something that is making your symptoms worse – seek help from a medical professional.
I ended up bouncing back and forth between the week 1 and week 2 processes many times over.
My Current Status – 100% Recovered – Pain Free: It’s been well over a year since I started to use this process, and I’ll be honest – it has been repeated many, many times. After I reintroduced fishing, if I felt pain I would stop and take a few days off, reintroducing ice and rest. This is hard, but necessary.
It took many cycles before I started to get real results.
After several months, I was able to begin lifting weights again, and have continued to this day. I am much more mindful of my movements, and if my body tells me something – I listen. This has helped me minimize – and in many cases, completely avoid – additional injury.
This process helped me to get healthy and stay healthy. I developed some good new behaviors, and learned a lot about how my body operates – and how I injured myself.
Here’s a bit more info on the things that led to my injury – and some important facts I learned while researching & planning my own recovery. If you’ve read this far it’s going to be very useful for you.
Planks were part of my daily routine. I’d perform them on my elbows (5 minutes) while scrolling through memes on my phone using my right hand. I have stopped doing this and replaced planks on my elbows with straight-arm planks for the time being.
Muscle develops faster than connective tissue. “Tendons, ligaments & cartilage are much slower to develop than muscle, so muscles often outgrow the strength of the tissues supporting them, leading to strain and injury.” I was lifting too heavy and have reduced the weight I’m using, while focusing on technique and TUT (Time Under Tension).
Denying I was injured made things worse. I should have slowed down as soon as I noticed there was an issue.
Movement is required for ligament repair. Regulated inflammation can be beneficial, constant inflammation can be damaging. Do not completely immobilize the tendons in your arm.
Massaging or “unsticking” tendons can be beneficial for this same reason.
The ACE Elbow Brace I was using initially gave me some relief, but it also gave me false confidence by reducing the pain. As a result I overused my arm while wearing it and caused additional damage. Be careful.
Where do we go from here?
When I first injured my elbow – I felt an overwhelming sense of despair. I thought I was injured for life. I thought I wouldn’t be able to pick up my kids. I felt like damaged goods.
Progress leads to happiness. Injuries prevent progress, and cause us to slip back into mediocrity… or worse… to lose ground…
I was depressed. Felt inadequate. In a dark place.
If you are there right now, this information should bring you hope.
I stand before you (hypothetically) today to tell you that this kind of injury can be relieved, repaired & reversed. After I developed this process, I followed it – developed new behaviors – and came out the other side happier and healthier than before the injury.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
(Hey… if you’re wanting to get better at jerkbait fishing… start with a few of these. Husky Jerks have been solid producers for me – and they won’t break the bank!)
This ties in with a message I was typing up for a consulting client yesterday that I wanted to share with all of you, my fellow fishermen.
Just start.
Clearly define what you want to get better at this year.
Start.
Don’t wait for some “magical date”, like so many that wait for New Year’s Day.
Don’t wait until you’re sure you’ll do the thing perfectly.
You won’t.
You’re going to suck for a while.
Embrace it.
You will embarrass yourself over and over again.
Who cares?
Most people won’t see your failures – and the people that matter, won’t belittle you.
They’ll be proud of you for pushing ahead.
The haters will hate, even if you do something perfectly.
Their jeers are a reflection on themselves.
Their self-loathing.
Their inaction.
Their lack of courage.
Seeing you do something with your life makes them feel bad about themselves.
Instead of building, all they can do is destroy.
Tear down.
Let ’em.
They’re toxic, and they will congregate to wallow amongst themselves.
Let miserable people be miserable… but don’t join them.
Be a builder.
Whatever it is that you want, start moving towards it.
Today.
We have a lot more work to do this year, boys – whether that means becoming better fishermen, better business builders, better fathers, better grandfathers, uncles and husbands. Learning to exercise more, or how to eat better… or all of the above.
Whatever it is that you feel is important – start today.
I’m rooting for you.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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I’ve met a lot of really cool dudes since I started working on this website. Guys will reach out and let me know what they think about something they read, or something they’re working on. We’ll talk about fishing. Life. Sometimes personal stuff.
It’s really cool.
This morning I got an email from my buddy Ron Richards, who let me know he was heading to Texas until April.
Texas!
APRIL!!
I had to laugh. “Brother I am stuck here in Illinois sharpening hooks and organizing tackle. Very jealous – let me know how it goes and have a safe trip!”
To say that I’m envious would be an understatement. When you don’t ice fish, this is the cold reality of living in a state like Illinois through the winter months. We shut down.
Hell, it was -30° with the wind chill the other day.
-30°!!!
Ridiculous.
Ah well… thankfully, life goes on, and we would be foolish to sit about feeling sorry for ourselves instead of being productive. Let’s take a look at some really good tips that I had earmarked a few months back in an In-Fisherman article by Matt Straw simply titled: “Smallmouths My Way“.
(Matt Straw is one of my favorite writers / authors, and over the years I have found myself seeking his material out more and more. I never skip one of his articles, and hopefully one day I’ll get to shake his hand and thank him.)
1. You’ll Catch More Smallmouth Bass Using Lighter Line
Seems like common sense, right?
It ain’t… and let me tell you, it takes some steel cojones to go back to light line after you’ve had your heart broken into tiny pieces by a trophy bass.
Yes, I’m speaking from experience.
No, I do not use light line often.
Yes… I just insulted my own cojones…
Matt makes the case for light line and longer rods, culminating with a story about a 17-pound steelhead he landed on – get this – 3-pound monofilament.
Unreal. If 3-pound test can bring in a 17-pound beast of a river fish, then 4-pound test is worth revisiting for touchy smallmouth in my skinny water. Make sure to go with a high-quality line though, like Seaguar InvizX. That’s a fluorocarbon, which is my preference. Matt suggests monofilament. Just be aware of the stretch if you go this route (something those longer poles can offset).
Either way, as more and more bass are caught and angling pressure continues to increase, lighter, less-visible fishing line is going to become even more important.
I’ve landed some really nice bass on 4-pound test, including this largemouth on a Mule Jig. I’ve broke a few off as well…
All of these toys that we want to play with make noise. Pings. Dings. Noise that lets bass know we’re encroaching on their territory.
Gives ’em lockjaw.
I’ll have to remember this, because I’m eyeing up a new trolling motor that can follow a path to cart me around in the jon boat this summer when I’m fishing alone…
Better get my new battery first so I don’t get stranded anymore… but then, if the bass are spooky – we’ll go mega-stealth mode!
3. Always Have A Pole In The Water
This one can be challenging, especially if it’s windy or you’re fishing alone. However, if you are in a boat, floating a stickbait underneath a bobber on a secondary pole can be a great way to pick up a few extra bass. This worked really well for me last summer while I was trying to learn as much as possible about a new Illinois Rock Quarry.
Matt mentioned that he always has at least one pole in the water at all times. So, if he needs to retie, or if he’s eating a sandwich or fixing something that takes two hands – floating a stickbait can pick up a few extra fish in the area.
Smart.
I like to do this with Dingers and Ochos – which reminds me – if you clicked on the big blue button at the bottom of this page to support this website by pitching in for a pack of Dingers – thank you!
4. Stop Stinkin’
We all smell.
Some worse than others… especially after ingesting cabbage, or undercooked burgers… but I digress.
Matt mentioned that smallmouth bass don’t have the olfactory abilities of steelhead, but as a salmon fisherman, he got into the habit of hiding the smell of L-serine. That’s an amino acid that’s on all of our hands. It’s on racoons and bears, too.
Salmon avoid it.
Smallmouth bass might not care about L-serine, but there might be something else on our hands that they reject. It’s in our best interest to mask any offending odors.
I’m in.
Matt suggests “juicing all of your baits“, so that’s what I’m going with – even though there are a ton of scents on the market.
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Someone on their product team asked if I’d be willing to review them, in exchange for a free pair.
Normally, these offers are declined. Almost all of the product reviews on this site are for items I’ve purchased. This allows for complete honesty – it allows me to tell you if I would be willing to spend my own, hard-earned money on a product. This is valuable. It allows you, dear reader, to stock up on the items you need, not items that are paying for promotion.
Other sites are full of paid placements & purchased positive reviews. (Say that ten times fast.) Thirsty “content creators” offer glowing reviews of products that they’ve never actually used, hoping to make a few shillings and get more free stuff.
We don’t operate like that.
However, this time, it was different… this time, I was already in the market for some new water shoes…
As an avid creek fisherman, I’m always looking for products that can replace what I’m currently using. Naturally, as a minimalist – in order for a new product to be kept, it needs to be good enough to replace the old item.
“New” doesn’t always equal “better”, and by following this practice of “gear churning”, said gear is always maxed out… a handy skill, cultivated and mastered over years of playing RPGs.
When SEEKWAY contacted me, my creek fishing shoes were a tattered mess. I had switched to wearing bulky hiking boots for wading – which was not ideal… they’re heavy, and they rub against my ankles. Most trips I would return home with bloody, open sores. (Sorry for the gross visual, but it’s the truth… and it was something I just accepted as the cost of catching smallmouth bass.)
The SEEKWAY Water Shoes could (should?) eliminate these issues. They have a rubber sole and a spandex-elastic upper mesh. They fit snugly, breathe, dry fast and therefore stay light. The soles looked thicker than my previous pair of (tattered) water shoes, but not as thick as my hiking boots. The lower sides (mesh area) provide less ankle support, but also, produce less ankle blood.
I chose the black & orange combo you see here in the main pictures.
Were they good enough to replace my water shoes?
Let’s get into the meat & potatoes!
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Quality
My first day out with the SEEKWAY Water Shoes was light duty. Prior to this trip, my wife and I tried them on at home (she received a complimentary pair as well, in black & pink) and I was really surprised when she mentioned how comfortable they were. She actually wore them around the house… and continues to do so.
Talk about a hot date: “Hey honey, want to spend the evening trying on these water shoes?”
I had to agree, they felt surprisingly light and comfortable. The sides (elastic / spandex combo) wrap around your feet. It’s a snug fit, even before you cinch down the elastic drawstring.
The rubber soles were not too soft, not too hard – malleable, with a textured bottom for traction in and around water, and they moved freely as we walked about the kitchen. They felt “softer” then my hiking boots, which I’ll admit – made me a bit nervous.
The next morning, I took them out for a hike around one of my favorite ponds. There was dew on the grass, and my feet were soaked in short order. However, as soon as the sun came out, they dried faster than hiking boots or sneakers.
Do the dew.
As I made my way around the pond I noticed it actually felt similar to fishing barefoot… but without the enjoyment of ramming old hooks and sticks into the bottom of my feet.
Nothing notable happened on day one, aside from an incident with a muddy shoreline that I’ll explain down below. It was a successful trip and I was comfortable most of the day. Next, we went to a local creek to test the durability of the SEEKWAY Water Shoes…
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Quality Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Durability
Plodding through light muck and sand was a breeze. We learned this on day 1 at the pond.
For our second trip, we went to a small stream with a rocky, slightly-jagged creekbed made up of a mix of sand, chunk rock, hagstones, all rounded out with prickly brush along the shoreline.
I’ll be honest, the rocks in the creek beat up the SEEKWAY soles more than the muck and mud did.
One of the tradeoffs you have to accept if you want a comfortable, softer rubber sole, is simply less durability. I would NOT recommend this shoe if you were fishing in a similar area where you needed to hike a significant portion of shallow, rocky riffles.
However, when it came time to hoof it upstream, the shoes would pull and slide off my feet when stepping on a rock at a steep angle. This was especially exaggerated when I had to carry the kayak over the long, extremely shallow portions of the creek. The added weight made the shoes more likely to slip off.
This made me wonder if the sides of the shoes were not as durable as they seemed – but no, it’s simply another tradeoff. Soft comfortable sides don’t stay put under heavy duress.
Splish splash, just give ’em a bath.
When I got home, a quick rinse was all I needed to clean up – although I did completely remove the interior soles (which come out easily) and deep clean the shoes before setting them aside to dry.
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Durability Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Performance
By this point you can see that these shoes are designed for light duty. In that regard, they excel.
During my day at the pond I went into the shallow mucky water to release a fish, and was surprised when the heavy suction of the mud actually pulled one of the SEEKWAY Water Shoes clean off.
Even fully-cinched down, the SEEKWAY Water Shoes were no match for a deep, muddy shoreline – they were pulled right off my feet. Noted.
During my day at the creek, they were very comfortable and functional on the shore, in the shallow water and amongst the smaller gravel and sand. However, once I got into the big chunk rock they started to slip off – especially when I was carrying my kayak.
So what’s an example of “light duty” where these shoes are… wait for it… “a great fit”?
(Sorry, bad shoe joke…)
Small lakes – especially those with small, hard to access boat ramps.
I can think of one lake particular that I spent many, many hours at last summer. It’s an old strip pit, gin-clear, and the ramp is so small and tight that you have to get in the water to launch.
No way around it.
Well… some anglers tackle this problem by wearing full blown waders or large boots, like my new friend Greg here:
Go ahead, get in the water. Quarry lakes are often sandy, so you don’t have to worry about sinking into the mud and losing your footwear. Hop in the boat, as the sun comes up over the horizon, those shoes will dry off quickly. As an added bonus, it is way more comfortable to fish in these, instead of hot, cumbersome waders.
Light duty – situations like this – it’s where these shoes excel.
Oh, and don’t skip over these types of lakes… they can be challenging, and that makes the victories so much more rewarding.
If you use these shoes in the proper situations, you won’t be disappointed.
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Performance Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Unique Features
There is nothing truly revolutionary about these shoes. As we’ve covered already, they excel in certain situations – and fall short in others.
Use them in the proper scenarios and you won’t be disappointed.
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Unique Features Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Cost
These shoes are currently priced UNDER $30. You’ll get your money’s worth and then some within the first few trips – as long as you use them for light duty situations.
Very affordable.
If you’re looking for a comfortable water shoe that dries quickly, grab a pair – or better yet – do what I did and replace some old cruddy ones!
SEEKWAY Water Shoes Cost Rating
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Final Thoughts
The SEEKWAY Water Shoes are a solid option for light duty and leisure activities, both in or near water. They are comfortable enough for all-day wear around the house or in the field, and durable enough to last many trips. They’re easy to clean, they dry fast – and come in a ton of colors.
Pleasantly surprised. Will wear again (and again).
Yup, thumbs up!
SEEKWAY Water Shoes: Final Rating
Quality
Durability
Performance
Uniqueness
Cost
Overall Rating: SEEKWAY Water Shoes
How our rating system works:
Our 5-star rating system gives you a quick overview of the product. Please read the in-depth details as well – products with lower ratings can have value in certain situations!
Quality: Rates features like salt, scent, material(s), paint, finish, consistency, look & feel and/or flashing. Durability: Rates the product backbone: components, hooks, finish and overall build. Performance: Rates how the product looks & works in & out of the water. Unique Features: Rates anything different that makes this item stand out. Cost: Rates the overall value vs. the MSRP, not just the price.
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Well hello my friends – I hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas!
We sure did…
“Errrrmagerddd Christmassss!”
We’ve now entered into that weird week between Christmas and New Years Day. Many businesses close down. Many individuals take this time off to reflect, watch sportball, go through their movie collection, lounge around… or in some cases: plan.
If you’re a planner like me, this is the best week to get ahead of everyone else – while they’re sleeping off their eggnog comas!
It’s 5 degrees here in Illinois at the time of writing, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the best ways to target bass. Let’s jump back in with this important concept:
Bass are Most Sensitive to Baits Moving Horizontally
“You sure?”
“Yup.”
“How?”
“‘cuz science.”
I was flipping through the pages of In-Fisherman the other day (yes, an actual physical magazine, which is something I highly recommend) and came across a sidebar by Ralph Manns. These smaller side-sections may seem less important than the main articles, but it caught my eye. The title?
Bass Vision & Presentations
Well… that’s generic enough.
Upon closer inspection, it quickly became apparent that what this blurb lacked in quantity, it made up in quality. It starts like this:
Dr. Keith Jones, former director of the Pure Fishing Laboratory, noted that “Many fish, including black bass, appear to be more in-tune with objects moving horizontally than vertically.” He suggests bass may maintain a sharper memory for lures retrieved across their visual fields than lures drifting or falling from above.
Now, we discussed the rest of this sidebar at length in a recent article:
Largemouth Bass Vision: Horizontal vs Vertical “Bass may react to horizontal baits, but they may also be quite picky about them. Look for horizontal baits that are not widely used, especially if you are fishing pressured water. Modify your baits. Do something different. Learn how to work the baits in a way that is convincing and lifelike to the fish you’re targeting.”
We hit two main conclusions after going through the content – but I wanted to bring up one more important idea.
Manufacturers make a lot of money off of their hard baits. Cranks, plugs, jerks – there are about a billion varieties of hard baits that move across the horizontal plane.
Every year, we hear about the “hot new bait”. Pro anglers and weekend warriors alike start buzzin’ around the ramp, bragging about all the fish they’re landing on the NEW & IMPROVED XYZ.
If bass really have a tendency to prefer horizontal baits, and they also have a tendency to learn and avoid dangerous horizontal baits, it would make sense that a new / popular crankbait would have a limited window of productivity.
If an old bait is made well – if it accurately represents forage, or better yet, an easy meal, there is a good chance that at some point, bass that have been conditioned to a bait may succumb to it again after a certain amount of time has passed.
Therefore, it makes sense for anglers to collect new baits, test (then re-test) old baits, but at the same time discard the least effective baits in search of a collection of producers.
Soft plastics and vertical presentations may provide a certain level of consistency, or longer periods of productivity if the theory above is true.
This reminds me of a mutual fund.
Are you going to have runaway, explosive growth with mutual funds? No, probably not. Are they something you want in your portfolio because historically they provide safer, more consistent gains?
Yes.
Hard baits are closer to speculative investing or individual stocks – they have a chance to be explosive. Hard baits can allow you to move fast, and if you find the right one at the right time, you can land fish after fish after fish. Many of us have memorable “crankbait days”.
A late morning spent landing over 20 pounds of largemouth bass on hard baits in less than 2 hours before a storm rolled in. My most productive crankbait? A Mann’s Baby 1-Minus… and I remember each fish like it was yesterday.
I can’t really recall my last dynamite “Senko day”…
They exist, of course… but… maybe they’re more consistent and therefore less memorable? Maybe they’re less explosive?
Hard to say.
The bottom line is this:
If we’re going to collect hard baits and test them, we need to make sure we throw away the baits that don’t work well. This will help us avoid becoming collectors, or incorrectly placing our focus on stockpiling stuff. The baits that we do keep must only be the ones that we’ve had success and built confidence with. This will help us select effective hard baits in the future – maximizing our time on the water.
As a Minimalist Fisherman, maximizing our time on the water is key… and sometimes “maximizing our time” can mean different things… see below:
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
So much to be thankful for. I’ve been reflecting on the good, the bad, the true and the beautiful lately – taking some time off from writing and fishing to focus on faith, family and business.
… even spending slightly more time on Twitter, watching the meltdowns and chaos…
It’s hilarious… far more entertaining than anything on Netflix…
Let’s take a look at some of the stats from this year, and talk a bit more about what I’m really, really thankful for.
I’m thankful this website grew.
This year we saw just south of 70,000 views. Not too shabby for a little fishing site! We might surpass the 70k mark before the end of the year, based on current activity levels. That’s awesome – thanks for reading!
Hundreds of people signed up for the weekly emails, which was also encouraging. Some of the most popular articles were surprising as well:
I was especially excited to see articles on motivation and blessings elevated this year.
I’m thankful for new friends.
Several people contacted me directly via email. Some kept it short, asked questions, offered words of encouragement or said thanks for the tips – others wrote me their life story – and all of it was appreciated. A handful of new friends have sprung up as a result.
I love hearing from you guys. This has been really, really fun for me.
I’m thankful the YouTube channel grew.
Subscribers are up, watch time is up, views are up – this is a lot of fun to work on.
Click the banner to jump to The Minimalist Fisherman on YouTube.
If you shared a video, clicked “like”, subscribed, or just watched stuff – thanks!
I’m thankful tough conditions led to new lakes.
This year was weird. At first, I sat around and complained. When that didn’t make me feel better (shocker), I looked for new areas to fish. Tried baits I had zero confidence in. Failed again and again. Screamed at the heavens. Even though the conditions were tough for MANY reasons, it forced me to grow as an angler, and put me in some beautiful situations.
At The Hauser Design Group, we took on many new customers even though the economy & inflation have hit a lot of businesses hard. Saw this firsthand. Talked to business owners that had to shut their doors, fire employees, make tough decisions… I’m thankful we weathered the storm.
Created new relationships and started to work with some really cool businesses, like Jocko’s:
We’ve grown enough that it now makes sense to invest some serious time and effort in a complete redesign, and expand our service offerings.
I’m thankful y’all helped me save for a new battery.
Halfway there. Really appreciate all of the donations!
Before you say:
“Wait a second, what do you need donations for with two businesses?!”
Because the businesses pays the bills. 4 kids eat a lot, we burn through gas like it’s going out of style between school and sports, and add in paying for healthcare out of pocket… trust me when I say there ain’t much $$ leftover for fishing…
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
A nasty chill is seeping off the windows, fighting the heat. It makes the floor cold. Too cold for bare feet. I was up this morning well before the sun, and the sons. I started the day by reading through all of the articles & updates that went live throughout my last Political Detox session.
I need a refresher. After the confusing midterm results, I’m frustrated. Cold. Discouraged. Run down… and here comes winter.
I hate this time of year.
The weather, combined with an overall feeling of “what the crap is going on in this country?!” will do that to a man.
The news always seems bad. The country (and our countrymen) are always in some sort of conflict.
24/7 drama.
It’s exhausting.
You might feel the same.
From time to time it’s nice to get a little reminder about happiness.
Earlier, as I was forcing myself to work a bit and clean my email inbox, an article came through from a new site that I am following called All Pro Dad. (I recently subscribed to their daily emails because I’m a firm believer that it never hurts to consider suggestions from other parents.)
The title of the article?
5 Subtle Lies You’re Telling Your Child About Happiness
It’s a short read, and a good one. To paraphrase, the author reminds us that we need to be careful our children don’t think that happiness is controlled by other people, or that it comes from money. We need to teach them that happiness is in fact essential, and for many it’s not something that they find, but something that comes as a result of what they do.
All good points worth thinking about, instead of grumbling about the cold weather, amongst other things…
*sheepish grin*
Something struck me though… the final point was that [It’s a lie to think that happiness is] acquired by acquiring.
Ah! How very minimalist of you!
It’s a good reminder to pause and make sure I don’t allow myself to fall back into the old winter habit of buying every fishing product I can get my hands on in an attempt to take my mind off of the fact that I’m bummed out and stuck inside.
To fill the void.
That won’t make me happy, and it sure won’t make me a better fisherman.
You’re thinking, “but AJ, your most recent article REVOLVED around stuff!“
Ay, it did. It also served as a warning to readers (don’t mimic my mistakes) and was meant to be a means to an end: I need to upgrade the batteries that power the jon boat before I get stranded or hurt.
Don’t Be Stupid It’s Dangerous to Fish with Underpowered Boat Batteries “You can’t catch fish when you’re pushing up daisies. Mother Nature is not someone you want to test. Whether you test her by wading a frosty creek in frigid temperatures wearing shorts in the rain, or by heading out on a very windy day on a lake that only allows electric motors, relying on compromised boat batteries. I’ve done both in the last week…”
A Minimalist Fisherman is still a Fisherman.
Fishing requires equipment, and that equipment needs to be maintained, upgraded, replaced… but not collected.
Never collected.
Never piled up “just in case”.
Items without a purpose must be avoided, or let go.
There is a balance.
Make space, so you can think clearly. Make space, so you can focus on technique. Make space, so you can learn more about the behavior of your prey.
The happiness is in the doing. The improvement. The successes, and yes – even the failures.
Lord… if you’ve visited this site more than once, you know there have been failures… they’re not hidden away. That’s by design. They’re public, and a big part of the process.
This morning, I was failing. Focusing on what couldn’t be done. Feeling sorry for myself, and feeling like I was going to slip backwards into old habits…
During the summer months, fishing makes me happy. It’s a good way to escape the craziness of everyday life. A calm lake surrounded by birdsong in the morning. A cool, shady creek with water running past your shins in the afternoon… it doesn’t get much better than that… but it isn’t the ultimate source of happiness.
What is?
Happiness.
Yeah.
My faith, and my family… OH! – that Christmas card photo… I better get back to working on that…
We all have something to be grateful for, no matter what is going on around us.
Find it.
Seek happiness, but remember: happiness is not acquired by acquiring.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Get Articles & Videos First
Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
“Row row row your boat, straight into the wind. Merrily merrily merrily merrily batteries died… again…“
I am so sick of rowing.
This year I’ve been forced to fish differently. Bank fishing has been very unproductive. Probably several factors at play here, but whatever the reason, the challenge is good. I am grateful for the tough bite. It has forced me well outside my comfort zone… and as a result, it’s taught me many valuable lessons.
I shared one of these lessons recently, discussing a critically important concept for fishing Illinois smallmouth bass in creeks.
The Most Important Creek Fishing Tip “Last year I fished creeks all through October and into November, but I only landed dinks. Why? I’ll tell you… because on this rainy, cold October day… I figured it out…”
That article focused on tips for more fish. Sweet. Everyone likes that. Another post featured even more fishing tips. See the pattern? Fishing tips, fishing lures, fishing techniques – that’s the fun stuff!
How To Fish Ultra-Clear Borrow Pits & Rock Quarry Lakes “[The quarry lake] was beautiful. It was peaceful. It was… challenging… and after eating even more humble pie, I learned a few things that helped me connect with fish I don’t normally target… I’ll share those things with you now.”
Today though, we’re going to focus on a safety.
Why?
You Can’t Catch More Fish If You’re Dead.
Pause.
Run it back.
Reflect with me for a second.
You can’t catch fish when you’re pushing up daisies. Mother Nature is not someone you want to test. Whether you test her by wading a frosty creek in frigid temperatures wearing shorts in the rain, or by heading out on a very windy day on a lake that only allows electric motors, relying on compromised boat batteries.
I’ve done both in the last week.
The wading-in-shorts thing we covered, but the other one… fishing a lake on a windy day with underpowered batteries… that ain’t safe. Period. The reason the title of this article says “Don’t Be Stupid“, is to serve as a reminder to myself.
I have been stupid.
Here’s what happened…
The First Time My Battery Died
I was on a beautiful quarry lake. Nature was alive & breathing. Muskrats, squirrels, deer, many kinds of birds and all the awesome sounds that come along with them. They worked together. Played a song for me. Water visibility was super-high, which made fishing tricky – but it also made for some breathtaking views. My little jon boat floated over deep rocky humps covered in huge boulders and sparse grass, with steep sloping edges that disappeared quickly into the dark abyss.
Gorgeous.
Groups of largemouth bass were sitting in the sun on rocky flats. By the time I saw them there was no chance of catching them. Bass in water this clear are wary of shapes, sounds & shadows approaching. They’ve seen birds pluck their friends from the water. Still, I was able to see them clearly in the crystal-clear lake, and enjoyed watching them lazily swish their tails, moving off into the deep, dark, water.
Safe. Away from this intruder.
Scooting around in my jon boat, launching a plastic far ahead of me did bring in a few quality fish, but after a while I noticed something…
My depth finder screen had turned off. Odd. I held the button to turn it back on, and the screen lit up… until I engaged my trolling motor.
*BLIP*
Dead… weird… then I looked down and saw that my prop was spinning at about 15%… barely moving the boat. Something must be wrong with the battery… I guess?
This was a bad deal. Short on time, the misses would be annoyed if I wasn’t back to pick up the boys from school. My family is very supportive of my hobbies, but if fishing starts to cause inconveniences in our day-to-day routine, it’s going to become an annoyance.
We can’t have that.
I grabbed my emergency paddle, and started slapping water – hard. Like I was mad at it. You know that phrase “swearing like a sailor”?
Yeah.
Consider me Captain Ahab.
The jon boat is just wide enough that I couldn’t stay in one spot when paddling, so I had to move sideways about a foot in between rows. The combination of side-to-side movement and water-smacking caused me to start sweating like a you-know-what in church.
The ridiculously short paddle and my scoot-scoot-row technique allowed me to move at the speed of molasses back towards the ramp. I was never going to make it in time…
“Hey buddy, you need a tow or you just getting a workout in!?”
I looked up as a bearded man – with waders and a working trolling motor – silently approached. Like a burly angel sent from heaven, he was perched majestically atop the deck of his Lund (a far superior vessel) and clearly took pity on me.
Not one for charity, his generous offer was impulsively declined.
I hollered back:
“No thanks man! I think I got it!!”
He paused and looked at me sideways, unconvinced. Sweat continued to pour off my face, splattering my clothing and the commercial grade carpet lining the bottom of the jon boat.
“… you sure?”
I thought about letting my wife down. Being super late would be a massive inconvenience for her, and very annoying, no matter the reason. Without a doubt, future fishing trips hung in the balance.
Y’all know the dance…
“Actually, yeah man, that would be really awesome.”
“No worries. Name’s Greg. Take this rope and let’s getcha back to the ramp.”
Greg from Geneseo gave me a tow. He’s a good guy, that Greg. Be Like Greg. Thanks Greg!
A bad situation. A bearded savior. A lesson learned.
Oh, and yes – I made it back in time to get the kids – but this wasn’t my last problem with a battery…
The Second Time My Battery Died
Let’s clarify – batteries.
Plural.
On this day, I learned just how dangerous boating with underpowered batteries could be.
I went to the same lake, and the wind was blowing hard. Instead of the small emergency paddle, a longer kayak paddle was stowed under the front deck. Surely I wouldn’t need it with two batteries, but you know… just in case. No doubt about it, between the longer paddle and the two batteries, we’re definitely properly equipped! What could possibly go wrong?
Never ask that.
I stayed close to the shore and worked a Z-Man EZ Tube up under the overhanging roots. The tube jig stuffed inside was light (1/16 ounce) and the hookpoint was exposed. This, paired with a 3 foot fluorocarbon leader allowed the bait to sink sloooooooowly, with a slight spiral.
The result was a series of healthy largemouth & smallmouth bass:
Nice quarry bass snatched up my Z-Man EZ Tube on the fall. 10 feet offshore it’s 23 feet deep below the boat. Another chonk on the tube.Smallmouth like the tube, too – this lake is awesome!
Everything was clicking. My Garmin STRIKER was charting the bottom. We were making sense of these spooky fish. The sun was shining and the wind helped keep the bass fired up. Cloud nine, baby!
*BLIP*
The Garmin died.
No worries, we’ll just swap in the backup… but… man the battery didn’t last very long. Maybe an hour? Must be because we’ve been traveling into the wind. All good, the second one will last longer.
Fished another hour, pushing straight into 25+ MPH winds. Had to stay right next to shore, because when the jon boat drifted into the middle of the lake the wind was so strong I couldn’t even move forward. More and more bass came in over the side of the boat as we charted additional contours.
Finally, we arrived at the far end of the lake.
*BLIP*
…
“Oh… what? No. No no no no no nononononooooo. Really? Both of ’em?!“
Really.
Dead as a doornail.
Out came the kayak paddle, along with the sailor vernacular.
I paddled. And paddled. And paddled. After an hour I was halfway back to the launch, and I stopped to think for a second. The wind was at my BACK.
… what if it wasn’t???
I’d be stranded.
Literally.
Most of the shoreline here is almost vertical – far too steep to walk the boat back. I remembered that earlier in the day the wind was so strong that even with the trolling motor running full bore, I couldn’t move ahead. Couldn’t push through it.
If I couldn’t do that with a motor… what hope did I have with a paddle?
None.
This realization caused me to get sick to my stomach. Would I die? Well not from the wind, but I’d be stuck, and that’s dangerous. So much could go wrong. What if my batteries were dead and I went over the side of the boat and got cut up bad on some brush and timber? What if I broke a bone or cracked my face open on one of these huge boulders? It’s not impossible… but what then??
These thoughts rushed through my mind, each scenario getting more and more outlandish – yet the fact remained – if the wind had shifted direction, I’d be stuck. It’s just a situation that needs to be avoided.
Paddling resumed.
When I finally rowed around the bend and into the last 100-yard stretch by the launch, I noticed two gentlemen targeting panfish. I had passed them much earlier in the day, and they hollered out:
“Good to see you made it back, we were just about to come looking for you! This wind is nuts, we went out there ourselves but decided to come back… glad you didn’t get stuck, or tipped!”
These men were fishing in a bigger boat. Had a bigger trolling motor. Bigger batteries no doubt. Yet they decided the wind was too much to tangle with.
I was out here in my jon boat.
Lesson learned… well… kind of…
The Third Time My Batteries Died
It happened again.
Yesterday.
Just a glutton for punishment.
Now don’t get me wrong, these days I check the direction of the wind before I head to the lake – then double check before I launch. I make sure to have my two (compromised) batteries, and I have a third Power Wheels battery jerry-rigged to run my sonar (thanks, kids). The long kayak paddle is now a permanent fixture on the jon boat, and I try to start far away and fish my way back to the launch… but sometimes… sometimes the siren song of those pit bass, man… it’s just too much to handle, and I have to go explore and fish for ’em!
Things started off well.
This new rock quarry lake, not far from the other pit, was beautiful. I popped in and immediately started mapping the bottom. Had a few small bass hit a Yum Dinger in smoke / pearl laminate with a Neko weight stuffed in one side. This was tossed out on an o-ring with a light wire wacky hook. The o-ring is extremely important – not because it helps me save baits (which it does) – but because it allows me to have the least amount of plastic on the inside of my hook. This means better hookups, and more fish in the boat. It is a ton of fun fishing with these tiny hooks for strong largemouth & smallmouth bass! 8 pound fluorocarbon line is as light as I’ll go. Full spool. Everything is slathered in Dr. Juice because Matt Straw says it works – and that’s good enough for me.
In crystal-clear water like this, you learn pretty darn quick that if you don’t go light – you don’t get bit.
I continued to fight my way ahead, into the wind. After 30 minutes I switched to a green pumpkin with purple flake, and started to get more frequent bites. A few bigger fish as well.
“Well… we got two options. Hook up battery #2 and risk getting stuck way out here and paddling back… or… paddle now and fish, then hook up later and head back using the trolling motor…”
I opted to paddle into the wind, back into a bay I wanted to explore. Planned to chart the bottom contours along the way, even if we were not moving very fast.
Then the wind punched me right in the face.
Cue sailor-speak…
“^%$@!(*&#!!&*&^%!!!!!”
I was paddling as fast as I could just to stay in place. The wind would die down, slight forward progress would be made… suddenly more wind would whip up and stop me – then die – I’d move ahead 50 feet – on and on and on this frustrating cycle repeated itself until I made it to the back of the bay.
When I arrived, I had wasted 75 minutes of precious fishing time, and I was drenched.
Bad choice.
I hooked up and headed home, feeling defeated.
That night I wrote in my fishing journal:
“NEVER AGAIN! JUST STOP! This is not safe, and on top of that it’s a waste of time. These batteries are shot, and you have to figure something else out before you waste more time, get really hurt, or worse…”
Problem is… I don’t want to stop – I want to fish! It’s cold in Illinois, but they’re still biting in these quarry lakes!
That said, unless I fix my power situation, I’m done for good. This year, next year, and beyond.
Time for a Battery Upgrade
After talking to quite a few fisherman, I think I’ve found a solution. There are several new battery types that seem more powerful than my stock Farm & Fleet marine battery. Batteries that could keep me fishing for 6 or 7 hours safely, even in the wind. One that I’ve really been looking at is the Mighty Max Deep Cycle Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery… but… I can’t afford it.
This is a 200ah (amp hour) model. It is 10 pounds lighter than my 80ah (compromised) battery. It is also $950 less than a Dakota Lithium Battery of the same size.
Now word on the street is that LiFePO4 batteries can outlast lithium ion by 4x to 5x, so that is a consideration. Lithium ion batteries can also overheat and light on fire. But note that the Mighty Max is lithium iron. Lithium iron batteries are superior to lithium ion in terms of chemical & mechanical structure, plus they don’t overheat to unsafe levels.
I don’t know if LiFePO4 is the same as lithium iron (If you know, or have a brand preference, please comment below).
However, my compromised battery delivers about half that (if I'm lucky), and since my battery is a wet cell, the lower the charge, the lower the voltage it puts out. This is why the prop spins slower. Now check out the upgrade:
200ah / 30 amps = 6.7 hours
I don't run my trolling motor constantly, so even if I were to play it safe, an upgrade like this could allow me to fish for 5 straight hours safely, without the motor losing voltage and thrust. Realistically, if I ran the motor at a mid-speed average, I'd only draw 15 amps...
200ah / 15 amps = 13.3 hours...
... but sadly, right now it's not in the cards... and I need your help.
This site has always been free. The videos are free. I plan to keep it that way, because I love fishing, and I love meeting people through the site and channel. Love it. But if you've ever learned anything valuable, please consider chipping in to help me get a few upgrades, so I can keep it up.
With your help, I can get back out there, fish longer... and fish safely.
Your support directly funds the creation of weekly articles and videos that promote the development of better anglers and better men. Our country (and our kids) need both. Please share this site, and consider a monthly, weekly, or one-time donation. You are helping us make a difference!
Fine. Fine. We’ll go. Even though last year we fished all fall with minimal success. A few dinks here and there. All the big fish I made friends with last summer? They left. Not sure when. Not sure where. But the fact remains: we don’t just quit.
So we set about fishing one more time… and at first… let’s just say it was less than ideal…
Let me paint you a picture.
It’s cold.
Really. Freaking. Cold.
To call this fall morning “brisk” would be a gross understatement. Air temps? About 40 degrees. The light poncho I’m wearing is blocking the wind a bit… as are the half-naked trees… but the water falling from the sky is soaking my top half.
The water I’m standing in?
Yup. Soaking my bottom half.
I’m not great at maths, but 50% + 50% has to be close to 100%.
Pushing ahead, sloshing through the waist-deep water is helping to keep my heart rate up, but my hands are shaking. If I break off on a log and need to retie, it’s going to be extremely difficult.
Right about now I’m questioning my sanity…
It seems like the creek water is actually getting colder as the trek continues.
That makes sense when you consider the fact that I’m wading in shorts. Don’t actually own a pair of waders. Don’t own a real pair of “wading shoes” for rocky creek beds either – just a crummy old pair of hiking boots.
Clodhoppers.
Why am I here?
(I mean in the creek – this is not a metaphysical exercise.)
Simple. My business is struggling. Those of you that are self-employed know that when it rains it pours (ah, what an appropriate saying), but in between the peaks are the valleys. They’re not uncommon, and I’ve been here before, but the timing this year is terrible.
Been going 60+ hours a week for some time now to get the ship back on track. That’s why I haven’t added anything on this site in weeks. It’s been an absolute slog.
I’m exhausted.
Stress is high across the country. We all feel it.
It’s also high here at home. I did the math the other day (don’t worry, a calculator was involved) and my monthly expenses are up $1,200 between the current gas, food and utility costs. Our 4 sons eat a lot, and me and mama can put it away, too. I need to unplug and think. Fishing usually helps with that.
Never had much luck fishing creeks at this time of the year, though…
Last year I fished creeks all through October and into November, but I only landed dinks.
Why?
I’ll tell you… because on this rainy, cold October day… I figured it out…
When the water is stable and warm, clear not muddy, these fish move wherever they want, eat whatever they want, and assert their dominance over the other creatures scooting along the rocky bottom or swimming in the current beside them. Bugs that make the mistake of getting too close to the surface of the water will quickly realize the error of their ways.
I’ve seen many 3 pound smallmouth launch themselves high into the air, then come crashing back down again after making a meal out of a bug that made this mistake.
They only make it once.
Kayaking or wading a creek during these periods of high activity can be extremely productive. 30, 40, even 50 fish outings – using active presentations, no less – are not uncommon. If the creek is clear, you can use a lot of the same strategies that work on Largemouth Bass in Ultra-Clear Quarry Lakes.
How To Fish Ultra-Clear Borrow Pits & Rock Quarry Lakes “Crystal-clear quarry lakes are very difficult to fish. No rock stars here. Believe me. The banks are steep. The fish are spooky. The depths are depth-y. Other anglers, you ask? Few & far between…”
But when the water starts to drop and cool, the bass move. They are in-tune with their surroundings and can feel the water rise, or fall. The current increase, or decrease. Slight changes don’t go unnoticed. As the days start to get shorter and the water cools, smallmouth will move…
Where?
Here’s the mistake I made last year…
I have about 5 different areas where I can access several miles of fishable water, between two creeks. One of these creeks runs for about 55 miles, the other runs for about 10. Both creeks empty into large rivers.
Last year, I spent all of my fall fishing time in sections of creek about 1 or 2 miles from their mouths, meaning I was less than 2 miles away from the large rivers mentioned above.
I did this, because all spring and summer, these had been the most productive areas for both quantity and quality when bass fishing. The problem though, was that at some point, the smallmouth bass decided to empty out into the deeper, more stable water.
That means the bass – especially the big bass – were not in the creeks.
They were in the rivers.
But they can’t all leave a 55-mile creek, because there are many super-shallow areas (runs) and even some rocky barriers that block all but a trickle of water (riffles) – meaning the fish can’t make their way through these areas unless the water is high.
Some are surely trapped, and those fish would seek out the deepest pockets and pools they could find within their section of creek.
To test this theory, I moved back – about 10 miles away from the river – and guess what I found?
“Well hello there.”
Smallmouth.
Loads of ’em.
19 to be exact. I also found 4 massive rock bass, and a bonus 5-pound channel cat!
A face only a mother could love… the catfish is ugly, too.
The moral of the story, is that location matters.
By focusing my (extremely) limited time on an area of the creek that was miles and miles away from the river, I was able to fish through sections that still held quality bass. In the spring, I’ll go back to focusing my attention closer to the mouths of the creeks, when the big river smallmouth move back in.
This will allow me to target large fish, and higher quantities, while leaving the bass that remain in the creek all year alone until I have to fish them.
Huge difference. Had I not tested this theory, these big bronzebacks wouldn’t have been caught.
This is why we don’t quit.
The following presentations helped me pick this section of creek apart.
Here’s How to Fish for Fall Smallmouth Bass
Even though I was able to find fish far from the river, we’re still talking about a 2 mile stretch of creek, and maybe 5% of that was productive water. I needed to move quickly and stay warm, and to try to find the fish before I could even think about stopping to work an area over.
The following 3 presentations accounted for all of my success. Try ’em:
Start with a jerkbait to cover water, and vary your retrieve speed and depth. I landed my first few fish on a 3.5″ model similar to a suspending Lucky Craft Pointer 100.
Go for a natural color or a semi-translucent, especially if the water is clear.
After about an hour I decided to change it up for two main reasons. While the jerkbait was working, there was a big problem. I was snagging a TON of leaves that were sitting on top of the water with every other cast – wasting time.
This allowed me to fish through the leaves more effectively as I pushed ahead up the creek. Several more bass were caught, but I missed a handful as well (including a hawg) because the weedless rigging meant bigger hooksets were required to pin fish. Even though I was using 10 pound test on my spinning rod, I was a bit underpowered for this presentation.
However, it allowed me to move quickly and get the bass to betray their position. At one point I noticed several flashes in between strikes, which told me that they were here – they just needed to see something different. I slowed down and really worked the area.
I tossed this setup into every little hole or area where I could see the water darken and drop just a bit next to the shore (in addition to outside bends). The weedguard helped keep the leaves that had settled in the creekbed at bay. Smallmouth were sitting right on the bottom, hiding in the dark debris & shadows in many of these small, slightly deeper areas, and the subtle plastics worked again, and again, and again.
Once we found the fish… it was an absolute blast.
I needed it.
Even though my world is on fire right now, being able to eek out just a few hours over the weekend helped me clear my head. I would have been happy just to stand out in the wilderness by myself to have some time to think about what I need to do next.
The fact that we had some late-season success was surprise icing on the cake.
Find a stretch of creek away from the river. Cover ground and cast active presentations while you look to see if fish will show themselves. When you notice an uptick in activity – slow down and work the area.
Fall fishing, man…
Cold. Rainy. Soaked. Shivering. Alone…
Awesome.
Thank you for a few hours, God. Now… back to work!
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