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.
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“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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One of the things that has been on my mind a lot lately, is how well largemouth bass can see.
“Oh, that’s greasy. Gree-heee-heeee-eeeeeasy.”
My bank bite has been non-existent, and this has led me to explore new, challenging locations… one of which is a remote pit / quarry lake with ultra clear water. It’s been extremely challenging – but also – extremely rewarding.
How to Fish Ultra-Clear Pits & Quarries “My banks have been barren for some time now (sounds like a personal problem, but stick with me). Some lakes are worse than others. One favorite was hit with some sort of chemical last year, and all of the mucky pods that would grow & float near the shore are gone…”
Here’s some of the FISH I’m catching in pits & quarries:
Fishing Outside Your Comfort Zone “Take a look at a few recent fish and presentations that have worked. See if one of these suggestions sparks your curiosity – then get out there and give it a shot!”
… and this right here is a little note on largemouth bass vision that has helped me fine tune my presentations!
Many fish – including bass – appear to be more “in tune” with baits moving horizontally, as opposed to vertically.
This comes from a recent article within the pages on In-Fisherman. Dr. Keith Jones, the former director of the Pure Fishing research laboratory, suggests that because of this – bass may maintain a sharper memory of lures retrieved across their visual field (horizontal), than lures dropped from above (vertical).
This opinion stems from research performed by two Japanese scientists (Kawamura, G., and T. Kishimoto). Their measurements show that in largemouth bass, the visual axis, along which the lens moves for focusing, lies in a roughly horizontal plane.
Since cone cells are the primary receptors of motion, and the cell pattern of largemouth bass favor the horizontal axis over the vertical, the conclusion is that bass are more sensitive to horizontal motion.
Dr. Jones also notes that there is a tendency for vertebrate brains to match memory capacity with sensory strength. We remember the things that we sense most strongly.
This, combined with the placement and orientation of the eyes, can help explain why largemouth learn to identify and avoid widely used crankbaits and other horizontal presentations – but they seem to have a harder time learning to avoid plastic lures presented vertically. This may also explain why those vertical baits don’t seem to need to have such a lifelike appearance.
That’s all well and good… but what does it mean for fishermen?
Two things:
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.
If you’ve ever looked at a Senko and said “what the heck does this even resemble in the water?!“, you’re not alone. It resembles something edible… and if the theory on horizontal vs vertical vision above is true, it helps explain why the bass keep biting ’em! It also gives us some hints when it comes to presenting these baits moving forward…
What do you think? Does this make you want to change anything you’re doing?
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!
“This is my jerkbait. There are many like it but this one is mine. My jerkbait is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me my jerkbait is useless. Without my jerkbait, I am useless… I must fire my jerkbait true…”
Show me your jerkbait face!!
It’s easy to get attached to our favorite lures, favorite locations or favorite fishing patterns. So much so, that parting ways with a certain bait – or a certain lake – seems unfathomable.
It’s the same with confidence baits. While they are (very) important, if we don’t break away from “the usual”, we never grow as anglers.
… so… what do you do when YOUR SPOT ain’t producing fish? What happens when YOUR CONFIDENCE BAIT gets ignored?
YOU PIVOT – because sticking with the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.
Here’s a picture of Hillary. No reason.
It’s time to fish something different!
I bank fish often. Love it. Usually, it’s a successful way to target largemouth bass… but lately, the bank-bite has been off.
Way off.
I’m talkin’ non-existent at my favorite lakes. We touched on setting up scouting missions when times are tough – which is exactly what I’ve been doing – fishing new, challenging water with presentations I’ve never tried before. (Some old favorites have produced as well…)
Take a look at a few recent fish and presentations that have worked. See if one of these suggestions sparks your curiosity – then get out there and give it a shot!
Exploring new water in the jon boat. Tried a walking bait for the first time ever. Several largemouth crushed it! Heddon Zara Spook Puppy: Tackle Direct | AmazonFound a new, tiny pond on Google Earth. Fished it with a simple fluorocarbon leader, 3/0 Trokar and a floating worm. Great success! Strike King Super Finesse Worm: AmazonTook the jon boat out for a second time and the topwater bite was off. Slowed down and threw a small plastic to mimic the minnows I could see skipping about in the shallows. BOOM! Powerbait Twitchtail Minnow: Tackle Direct | AmazonFound another small local lake with clear water and weedy cover. Fished a Snakebite Rig through the grass and connected many times. I’m still developing this rig and I’ll post it later – but one key component is the compact weighted hook. Z-Man Finesse BulletZ: Tackle Direct | AmazonMy biggest bass from these last 2 weeks came on the smallest bait I threw, fished weightless in ultra-clear water, on light line. Got ’em! 3″ Yum Dinger: Tackle Direct | Amazon
How about you? Any lures or locations you’ve been experimenting with? Let me know!
It ain't rocket surgery - if you want to grow as an angler, it's never too late - but you need to push yourself. Grab something new, go somewhere strange, and start casting.
I'll be doing the same.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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When the largemouth bass are up shallow, prowling the mucky clouds of green snot, working in and out of easy-to-see lily pads, we’re all rock stars.
Everything we throw works.
We’re all KVD.
We’re all ready to go pro.
… and then… then the little green buggers throw us a curveball. They get weird. They do what they ain’t “supposed to do“. Something changes and they’re just… gone.
Now what, KEVIN?!
“You cut me deep, Kev… you cut me real deep just now.”
I was talking to a subscriber the other day who had emailed me about this very topic. We were discussing how important skunks were.
Not the animal – the days.
If we didn’t eat humble pie from time to time, the victories wouldn’t be so exciting.
My banks have been barren for some time now (sounds like a personal problem, but stick with me). Some lakes are worse than others. One favorite was hit with some sort of chemical last year, and all of the mucky pods that would grow & float near the shore are gone. (This is stupid, because there is no swimming or boating allowed in the lake… they just wanted to make it “look nicer”…)
This removed overhead cover for the bass (plus loads of microscopic goodies that attracted their food) and as a result, they now sit way way way far out away from me… where I can’t reach them.
How to Get Out of a Fishing Slump in 4 Simple Steps “This is a Simple 4-Step Plan that will destroy the fishing slump you’re currently in… so you can get back to peak performance! You can do it. I believe in you, big guy!”
Fishing Slow? Tough Bite? Time to Scout! “When things change and stop going your way – it’s the perfect time to go explore a location you’re not very familiar with. Just make sure your expectations are realistic.”
This was productive, and it forced me to do some things that I had been putting off, like installing the new sonar on the boat. It also led to yet another article discussing why it is so important to make time for things that matter. None of us have time – we have to make it.
Make the Time for Faith, Family & Fishing “Children were grumpy. Squirmed about. Old-timers fidgeted. Some of the sweaty fathers were clearly anxious to leave. To get home so they could plop in the ‘ol recliner and put sportball or racing cars on the tube, even though these institutions now hate them and everything they stand for… or claim to stand for… Talk is cheap.“
After all of that, where did we land?
In the jon boat, enjoying a crisp breeze on a crystal-clear Midwest rock quarry lake.
Oh Mylanta.
It 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.
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.
If you’re able, start by scouting the area ahead of time – before you do anything else.
My initial scouting mission was via kayak, so every little inlet the lake offered could be explored.
One other boat at the launch as we prep the ‘yak attack.
This can be a great way to run out quickly and just “pop in” at any lake. Paddle around, make some casts with a simple rig, and see what you can see. Just make sure you have realistic expectations. Take one rod with something that’s downsized and see if you can mark fish by eye. I used the following:
I saw a few fish inspect my bait but not commit, and landed one smallmouth. Nothing to write home about…
Small smallmouth on a small bait
It scratched the itch a bit, but more importantly it made me want to learn even more about the area. It also got me fired up:
What can I do better?!
I came up with the following 4 adjustments that helped me land way more fish the next time out.
Nice one on the Zara Puppy!
1. Look for flats with cover & active fish – work them quickly with a moving bait.
You see that steep bank over there? That hill that goes almost straight up in the air – the one you couldn’t climb if you wanted to? That steep shoreline angle probably continues underwater, meaning that the bottom drop is most likely sharp and steep.
If you’re in a boat, you can visually eliminate certain areas just by eyeing them up. Fish a few of ’em first, of course. You can often find large root systems that are exposed on steep banks. They dangle out over or into the water due to growth or erosion, and they may be in use. If there is no pattern to be found, change your focus and look for brush piles, rocky humps, points or flats.
I found a few bass roaming these areas, and several were willing to hit a walking bait.
Never in my life has this bait style worked for me (as mentioned, I’m usually fishing mucky snot with heavy tackle and weedless baits – not exposed treble hooks), so learning a new technique and finding success was very exciting and rewarding. I fished a Zara Puppy (small Spook) and tomorrow I’ll be testing a Yo-Zuri 3DB Series Pencil 100.
Whether you’re fishing fast or slow – the name of the game is stealth. The pit is clear. These fish can see both in and out of the water.
Far.
Be quiet. Be stealthy. Try to get a lure in front of them well before they can see your boat, or your ugly mug. (Just kidding big guy – you’re super handsome.)
Pair quality reels and long poles with smaller diameter line for the longest possible casts.
I’ve used Lew’s for a while now and I like their products, and X5 Braid has been holding up well without breaking the bank. Speaking of not breaking the bank, Seaguar Red Label is a good, inexpensive option for fluorocarbon leaders – but go with the Invizxif you plan to fill your entire spool.
As I mentioned above, we need to make long casts. The lighter your line, the longer you’ll be able to cast – especially when using finesse options.
The added benefit to lighter line, is that it’s simply less visible to the fish.
Both are important.
I have had great luck the last 2 years using Berkley X5 Braid on both spinning reels and baitcasters, and Red Label fluoro makes for decent, inexpensive leader material. Make sure to get a braid that is thick enough it wont bury in on itself during hooksets. Oh! Don’t forget: if you fill a full spinning reel spool with X5 – make sure to start the spool with monofilament backing so the braid doesn’t spin on the spool itself. If that happens, it will cost you fish and render your drag completely useless.
4. Go with NATURAL COLORS and the most NATURAL PRESENTATIONS you can come up with!
These fish can inspect your bait.
You better make it look g-e-w-d GEWD!
That hawg-style bait in your tackle bag, with all it’s appendages and bells & whistles looks fun… but what does it resemble? What are you imitating with that thing? Does it really mimic something that these fish are eating (probably shad or small minnows, bugs and possibly crayfish) or do those appendages create vibrations in the water that work well when fishing heavy cover where largemouth bass are reacting, and can’t visually inspect your offering?
Does that big bushy jig skirt look natural, or throw off negative cues?
On my kayak trip, I saw minnows. A lot of minnows.
I also had bass follow, but not attack my 4″ watermelon stickbait.
This could mean a color problem, a profile problem – or both.
When I went back, I had success fishing the topwater mentioned above, then caught even more fish in the crystal-clear quarry water using a realistic 3.5″ minnow bait on a natural, light wire jighead and light fluoro. Note that if we’re using light line, we need to use lighter gauge hooks so that they can penetrate the mouth of the fish without a ton of pressure – especially at long distances.
It’s a secondary rod that allows you to have a bait in the water at all times. Mine was rigged with a simple bobber and a braid-to-fluorocarbon connection, a small light wire wacky hook, and a 3″ YUM Dinger trailing the boat (dipped in Dr. Juice). Throughout the day I adjusted the depth, depending on where I was marking fish with the Garmin, and bagged a few extra bass.
The Garmin Striker I recently installed allows me to create my own contour maps. I’ve used my Deeper Pro+ for this in the past – and that unit has the added benefit of also recording what I see on the down imaging / sonar so I can play it back when I’m at my computer. This lets an angler review fish and bottom cover like brush piles that they may have missed while fishing – so you can mark and explore new areas next time.
There are benefits to the Garmin though (even though there are also some limitations) and a ton to love for the price. (If you’re interested let me know and I’ll do an article + video on this unit.)
By “matching the hatch”, and going with natural colors, my catch increased exponentially.
Try these adjustments the next time you’re out.
Finally… Pay it Forward… Like Greg from Geneseo
After a successful 3.5 hour trip, I was extremely pleased with my results. The changes I made were productive, and I started to daydream about coming back and sharing them with all of you!
These tips & rigs work, fellas. Here’s a few more quality borrow pit bass…
That’s when I looked down… and noticed my trolling motor prop was spinning at about 15% strength, barely moving ‘ol Jonnie Boy.
Crap.
Out came the emergency paddle.
Emergency paddle. Never leave home without it…
I was all the way on the back side of the 25 acre quarry lake… and I was late to get back so I could get the kids from school… I was headed directly into the wind… and my wife was waiting for me back home…
Quadruple crap.
I paddled faster.
As sweat poured off my face and water splashed all around me, I looked up to see a tall bearded figure slowly approaching me with a working trolling motor. He was majestic, wearing a pair of waders, a full white beard and a sly smirk.
(He had pants and a shirt on too, ya weirdo.)
A holler rang out:
“Hey buddy, you getting a workout or you need a tow?!”
There will come a time when I'm on the water and I can repay Greg's kindness by helping another fisherman. I look forward to it, and I hope that these 4 tips for clear water quarry fishing (along with a warning on emergency paddles and backup batteries) helped you as well.
Go get 'em, and let me know how you do!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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I’m a sucker for good looking baits. The finishes on these frogs are fantastic – I only have two complaints…
The Pad Runner by Vicious Fishing is the latest hollow body frog to be added to the arsenal.
Name something better than a big bodacious topwater strike. (Keep it G rated, man…)
Tough, right?
‘Round these parts, you very rarely hit the lake without a few topwater baits on hand. The muck that grows in Illinois makes things difficult – and you can either embrace it, or ignore it… but the truth of the matter is bass love it. It provides overhead cover and attracts food. If you’re a bank fisherman, you better be ready to get dirty and make friends with the sludge… and everything that lives in it…
New Frens.
Hollow Body Frogs are a great way to work this type of cover. The half ounce Pad Runner by Vicious Fishing measures 2.5″ from the back of the plastic body to the tip of the line tie. It’s 1″ wide at it’s thickest point. The hookpoints sit .75″ apart – slightly inset – meaning the “arms” on the lower part of the body offer additional protection.
Available colors include:
Pad Runner Color Options: Green White Brown Black
The Vicious Fishing website says the frog is built for big strikes:
“The Pad Runner is built for the violent attacks coming from below the weeds and pads!”
Sounds good – were they up to the task?
Pad Runner: Quality
I’m a sucker for good looking baits. The finishes on these frogs are fantastic – I only have two complaints: the plastic is a bit too glossy (especially when sitting right next those silicone legs) and the bottom of the frog looks quite boring.
Really a nice frog pattern.
Remember, when a hungry bass is looking up at your bait, they can’t see the slick frog pattern on the TOP of the frog – they can only see the belly. The belly on mine was white… and it’s the same on the brown and white frogs. Black is black.
So while there are 4 color options that we see, there are only 2 belly color options that the bass will see.
Not a deal breaker, just something to keep in mind.
I trimmed the legs, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the frog came equipped with super-sharp Mustad wide-gap double hooks. Excellent. The body plastic is thicker than my Livetarget Hollow Body Frog. No mistakes or blemishes on my bait, and the packaging is clean & compact. Unfortunately it says Made in China.
All in all, a solid build.
Pad Runner Quality Rating
Pad Runner: Durability
The plastic body is thicker than other frogs in my tackle bag. The hooks are top notch, and the legs are just fine.
She held up well.
The finish stayed put as you can see in the pictures – all of which were taken after a day of using the bait in the field.
All good.
Pad Runner Durability Rating
Pad Runner: Performance
I was able to launch the frog quite far. The bait weighs half an ounce, but it was a calm day when I was testing – high wind would reduce casting distance (as it always does) but not make the bait unworkable.
Baby got back.
The frog also features a rear weight, which causes it to sit slightly nose-up at rest. This helps you walk-the-dog, however, I don’t like fishing hollow frogs in open cover situations where that type of retrieve would be most useful. Bass can get too much of a look at the bait. I’d rather see a frog like this weighted internally, and focus on fishing mucky, heavy cover alone – instead of trying to do several things.
Pick one thing and do it well.
The thick plastic – while durable – comes at a tradeoff. Will this bait last longer than a frog made from more supple plastic? Yes. Do you have to set the hook harder as a result? Yes. The arms on the frog also extend out past the Mustad wide gap hook points. This keeps the frog a bit more muck-free and protected, but it gives you a bit more to move out of the way when you go to penetrate a big bassy mouth.
Plan to set the hook hard.
I tested mine as the floating portion of a Pop ‘n Drop (which you can see in the image above) by sliding a split ring over the frog hook, attaching fluorocarbon and a weedless wacky hook dropper.
It was a complete failure. I do not recommend this tactic – however, when I removed the trailing elements, the frog fished well.
Chonky little largemouth.
Pad Runner Performance Rating
Pad Runner: Unique Features
Nothing about this frog breaks the mold. It’s a solid hollow body frog.
Vicious Fishing Pad Runner Box & Bait
Good hooks. Good performance. Good finishes. Fine all around, which is worth a few points in this category.
It makes sense to add one to your tackle bag when the cost is less than certain bags of plastics. You’ll get a lot of use out of that $7.
Pad Runner Cost Rating
Pad Runner: Final Thoughts
The Vicious Pad Runner does exactly what you’d expect a hollow body frog to do. It looks great, the hooks are sharp and durable, and the plastic components hold up. While there is nothing revolutionary about this lure, the extremely reasonable price tag makes it a no-brainer if you are looking to add another workhorse hollow body to your arsenal.
Make room in your tackle bag.
Pad Runner: Final Rating
Quality
Durability
Performance
Uniqueness
Cost
Overall Rating: Vicious Fishing Pad Runner
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.
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!
I want so badly to love this bait – especially because it’s made in the USA. I’m anxious to use other Xcite products… but these Stix will not be taking up any of the limited space in my tackle bag…
The Xtreme Stix by Xcite Baits are another entry in the soft plastic genre.
We all know that cigar shaped baits catch largemouth and smallmouth bass (you can find my 4 favorites here), so stickbaits are something I always have on hand in some variation. These Xcite stickbaits come in a 7.25″ package and measure 5″ (they are 5.25″ to be exact), with a width of 0.5″ at their thickest point.
Available colors include:
Xtreme Stix Color Options Watermelon Red Crawdad South African Special Redbug Magic Craw Junebug Green Pumpkin Grape Ape
Xtreme Stix grabbed my interest when I saw they were listed as “high floaters”. The Xcite website states:
“The 5″ Xtreme Stix is the ultimate floating worm. Our own formulated plastic makes this bait much more durable than a typical stick bait with unmatched action. Use the Xtreme Stix on a shakey head, drop shot, ned rig, Carolina rig and even a Texas rig.”
So… are they the ultimate floating worm? Did they live up to the hype?
Not exactly…
Xtreme Stix: Quality
These stickbaits do not contain salt, or scent as far as I can tell – if it’s there it’s minimal. (Yes, I took a bite to test for both… y’all are worth it.) The plastic is tough. Not hard, but not super-soft. (Easy to bite through…)
It really is a good looking stickbait.
My pack was consistent, with no flashing or mistakes from the manufacturing process. Color was awesome, with just a slight sheen on the plastic.
Really a good looking bait, but the lack of scent and salt (which admittedly would make the bait sink a bit) is disappointing. (I soaked mine in Dr. Juice Bass Attractant before I hit the lake to test these in the field.)
Xtreme Stix Quality Rating
Xtreme Stix: Durability
Even though the plastic has a fair amount of flex, it’s durable. The baits are not easy to tear, and they held up to both hooks and o-rings. They do not have much stretch.
After removing the nail weight from the back end.
I inserted a nail weight into the bait at one point and it stayed put. In the image above I had removed the weight from the fat end of the plastic – minimal damage and no tearing.
Xtreme Stix Durability Rating
Xtreme Stix: Performance
Awful. I want so badly to love this bait – especially because it’s made in the USA. I’m anxious to use other Xcite products… but these Stix will not be taking up any of the limited space in my tackle bag.
Xtreme Stix are Made in the USA
When you embrace the concepts of Minimalist Fishing, you freely discard baits and concepts that don’t work… no matter how good they look, or how they’re made.
I started rigged up with a braid-to-fluorocarbon Carolina rig, using a 1/8 ounce weight with a standard worm hook, and was surprised when I pulled the bait up close to shore: the stickbait sat flat on the bottom instead of floating up.
What?! Odd. Perhaps the fluorocarbon leader and hook are too heavy?
Decided to make an adjustment. “Let’s go straight to the braid with an even smaller hook and no fluoro to test if it floats. Then we’ll add a nail weight to make it sink.“
As much as it pains me to say this, the bait slowly sank with just a 1/0 weedless wacky hook in it – on BRAID (which floats) even before I added the nail weight. I could not believe how poorly these performed.
Very, very disappointing… and unfortunate, because Xcite is so close to having something really cool here.
Maybe I got a bad batch… ?
Xtreme Stix Performance Rating
Xtreme Stix: Unique Features
Nothing about this bait is unique, although the shape and color options are really cool. That’s worth a few points.
As much as I wanted to love this bait, it doesn’t deliver on what it promises. Even though it looks great – it will not be taking up any of the limited space in my tackle bag. There are many other superior stickbaits available that offer more for less.
I look forward to trying other Xcite products – but as for the Xtreme Stix…
Minimize ’em.
Xtreme Stix: Final Rating
Quality
Durability
Performance
Uniqueness
Cost
Overall Rating: Xcite Baits Xtreme Stix
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.
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!
Less than 24 hours ago, my family sat side-by-side.
We were in church. The very first pew.
Risky move with 4 boys.
It was muggy.
The windows and doors were all wide open (as church doors should be) with several small circular fans whirring and rattling around the exits. Some were white, others yellow-brown. The same color as the old fridge we had in my home growing up, with slick orange and brown buttons to boot. Relics from a bygone era, still spinning away.
Probably outlast the new ones.
They struggled to move the thick air throughout the congregation.
Children were grumpy. Squirmed about. Old-timers fidgeted. Some of the sweaty fathers were clearly anxious to leave. To get home so they could plop in the ‘ol recliner and put sportball or racing cars on the tube, even though these institutions now hate them and everything they stand for.
… or claim to stand for…
Talk is cheap.
“I can’t wait to get home and support people that hate me…”
The music – while excellent – wasn’t appreciated. You could literally feel the internal groans as the third verse of a song began, when we could have stopped after two…
My wife sat to my left, along with 3 boys. My 4th son sat alone on my right. He’s boisterous. A 5-year old with no fear. No filter. Tough as nails. We nurture his exuberance, which will serve him well as a man… but in church… he needs my attention.
The homily had started. Bits and pieces landed with me between gentle reprimands to keep the wild one in check. The dots didn’t seem to connect, but then suddenly – through all of the distractions – I heard the priest say:
“We all feel like we’re just too busy these days. Busier that we’ve ever been… busier than anyone has even been. We have all these tools and connections that are supposed to make our lives simpler… yet they don’t. Even children say they feel stressed out all the time. Just too busy to do anything.”
Isn’t it amazing that sometimes God has a way of cutting through everything, so that you hear what you’re supposed to hear?
Are we busier than we’ve ever been?
Perhaps… but even if we are…
Nobody HAS Time
This idea of “having time” is a trap we often fall into.
Myself included.
“I can’t complete task XYZ because I just don’t have the time.” “I’ll learn to fish with an XYZ when I have the time.” “I’ll start to work on my new project when I have the time.”
Step back.
Look at that.
Do you lack time, or do you choose to spend the time you have on the wrong things?
Unimportant things?
Every day we make decisions regarding how we spend what time we have. We’re individuals, with different jobs, responsibilities, and countless other factors unique to our personal situation. The amount we can “spend” is different.
BUT – we are all free to make choices, and our choices have consequences.
Confirm the choices you’re making are leading you to what you want – and if they’re not – make a change.
Let’s Start Today. Right Now.
I made time for church yesterday. It’s important. After returning home, I was inspired and asked a simple question:
Well… I need to make time for my wife and put some siding put back on the house that a storm knocked off. Last year.
Done.
She also needs a baby gate put up in the hall so our toddler can toddle.
Done.
We need to paint some pumpkins; they are props for the family Halloween costume she’s working on.
Done.
I need to make time to fish this week, and get ready to try a new approach. Set up new rigs with light line, plan to make long casts to go after pressured fish in clear quarry water.
Done.
I’ll be going for an ultra-natural finesse look, using…
Last week I landed a few dinks, and spotted some BIG bass… but they ignored my clunky offerings. The plan is to downsize everything. Line, weight, bait, make longer casts and try to sneak up on some spooky largemouth.
Yak Attack Exploratory Mission
We’re not giving up. We’re going back. I’m making time for this trip. Getting up earlier. Planning now, ahead of time. Working late every night so my tasks are done well before it’s time to go.
A little extra work, a few better choices, and just like that, time has been spent on my faith, my family, and my fishing.
That’s a win.
What About You?
What’s something that matters to you – something that you have been putting off, or avoiding by wasting time on things that don’t really make your life better, or make you happy?
See if you miss whatever you decide to lay aside so you can make the time.
(If you're not sure what you could cut, try this.)
Fish for Bad Habits: Political Detox "Take some time and fish for your own bad habits. I have a feeling you’ll discover a few… and who knows what you can accomplish with that extra time?"
Whatever you decide to cut, I promise you, consciously making the decision to move the needle in an area that you care about - whether it's faith, family or fishing - will make you happier. Stop with the excuses. Make deliberate decisions. Feel more accomplished. Sleep better. Know you've made use of the day - of your time - instead of wasting it on things that simply don't matter.
You'll make progress in a meaningful way.
It's right there.
Waiting for you.
All it takes is a simple choice.
So brothers... choose.
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 last several pages include me. Rambling. Being mad. Being discouraged. Making excuses. Whining.
Why are the fish offshore?!
Pathetic.
It’s taken me a few days to process this. As an angler that fishes from the bank most of the time, I’m perplexed. We know that it’s not uncommon for largemouth bass to move offshore in the summer months. However, this year… they have been missing for an extended period of time.
I’m talking from late July to mid-September… with a few lucky days mixed in; the bass decided to come in close enough for me to reach them with a long cast.
I keep thinking it will turn around, they’ll come in close, along the rip-rap shorelines I love to crank…but so far… no such luck.
The smallmouth bass have all but left my creeks as well! Water has been very low, and when it does rain it blows everything out so bad that by the time it settles back down to where I can fish it – they’re just… not there.
A few days ago I decided it was time to bring ‘Ol Jonnie Boy out of the garage…
3 Tips for Locating More Largemouth Bass “Perhaps this is more of a commentary on me, not ‘ol Jon. We haven’t talked at all this year. Haven’t fished together. I’ve been lazy. Just don’t want to haul his rear down the road I guess. Grease his trailer. Maybe that’s the point, really. Been all this talk about developing a drive to improve, but my own laziness has caused me to regress as a fisherman. Now though… now I think I need his help…”
He’s been in there all year. Not because I don’t want to fish from him, but because with every trip, we need to make decisions about how we plan to maximize our limited time on the water. For the last few years, bank fishing has been… well… awesome.
When fatbasses like this are hitting baits hucked from shore… why bother putting a boat in the water?
This is the first time that conditions have changed enough to really put me in a bind.
To date, fishing offshore in Illinois and marking bass deep was something I did for fun.
To mix it up a bit.
Now… now it’s a necessity.
Time to Scout New Lakes and Find Fish
When things change and stop going your way – it’s the perfect time to go explore a location you’re not very familiar with.
Just make sure your expectations are realistic.
You might catch a 5-pounder… but… chances are you won’t. That’s not a big deal though if your goal is to find fish, explore a body of water to better understand it, learn a bit more about the baitfish, bottom composition and available cover.
You know, stuff that bass care about.
If this is your aim, you will come away smarter, better equipped to dissect that body of water the next time you visit, and have much better luck locating and catching some fish.
Yak Attack
There are some deep borrow pit lakes about an hour from here, and I know there are big largemouth bass in there. I’ve seen them. Moving out from little feeder creeks, dropping deep – well underneath my boat. This lake has been avoided this year, because I can’t fish it from shore and the drive is substantial… but with the shore bite completely turned off everywhere else, perhaps this is the promised land?
I’ll start exploring it tomorrow morning – with realistic expectations.
Scouting Presentations for Largemouth Bass
The jon boat will come out next week. Still need to get the new electronics installed. I’ll share a couple of tricks I plan to employ when I’m with ‘Ol Jonnie… but tomorrow, it’s going to be a yak attack. This means we’ll be limited to 1 pole, and a small bag with simple presentations – much like fishing a creek.
Minimalist.
Good.
Here’s the plan:
I’ll start to explore close to shore and about 15 feet out with a Pop ‘n Drop. See if I can call any bass up, or if they’re tucked in close for some reason. I’ll use one of these two combinations – not sure which one yet:
This will allow me to pull a small stickbait behind a popper. Probably a 4″ Strike King Ocho, which has been a top producer for me the last few years. (That’s why it’s in my Top 4 Stickbaits for Largemouth Bass.) I’ll hit it with some Dr. Juice Bass Attractant, and I have been playing around with the idea of adding some small floats next to my popper so it can carry more weight – if this works (and it isn’t another Pop ‘n Drop Failure) I’ll be able to pull a Zoom Zlinky around… which would be awesome! My line? No question, fluorocarbon is the way to go. This lake is deep and clear.
After this, depending on what happens, we’ll go deep. The shoreline is steep, and this is an old pit – I’m thinking some variation of shaky head with a worm will bring up the rear… but I haven’t decided which one yet.
This afternoon - after work - I'll dedicate some time to getting ready.
Instead of sticking with what I know - with what isn't working - we'll pivot.
We'll make better use of our limited time.
We'll scout.
Learn more about a body of water that requires more of an investment to fish.
It's going to take some extra effort and additional windshield time... but we will find bass. I can feel it. So yeah... it'll be tough, but... if it was easy... everyone would do it.
They ain't.
We should.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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The kids are going hard in the paint. Rain-Dancing. Bouncing off the walls. Ninja-kicking each other. Waving arms like helicopters. Propelled by sugar and the energy of youth, it’s like watching violent hummingbirds on amphetamines!
But like all things… this party will eventually come to an end…
… with a mighty yell… not a whimper…
It is finished.
No creature – man or beast – can afford the energy demanded from being constantly alert and active.
Largemouth Bass are the Same
We know from our time on the water that largemouth bass exhibit varying activity levels (active, neutral and inactive or negative). Being active & alert drains a lot of energy. In contrast, being inactive – holding in cover – conserves energy.
As generalists, largemouth bass use 4 different feeding strategies: running down food, stalking, habituation & ambushing prey.
The 4 Feeding Strategies of Largemouth Bass “Both ambush and habituation are passive tactics. They work, they are efficient, but they probably won’t provide all the calories that a bass will need for a full day.”
The bad news is that largemouth bass will use passive feeding strategies like ambushing prey, and habituation to get the most out of the food that they eat. This is the opposite of an “active feeding mode”.
The good news? Largemouth bass typically can’t consume all the calories they need in a day sitting around waiting for food to come to them. They usually have to actively find a meal or two at some point.
If your lure is in the water during this period, you have a much better chance of catching them.
Bass Usually Become Most Active When Their Chances for Successful Feeding are Highest
If bass are actively feeding, they are aggressive, mobile and highly aware. These bass are very catchable, while inactive bass may be unresponsive.
To be successful, your presentation needs to match the activity level of the fish. This activity level heavily influences to strike zone – or “strike window“. The distance that a bass will move to take food. Your lure must be in the strike zone to draw a strike.
Simple? Yes. Easy? Not really.
What is your favorite way to catch active bass? How about inactive bass?
Imagine a largemouth bass, holding a balloon in her mouth. This balloon represents the strike zone. If the fish is active, she'll blow that balloon up quite a bit - and the balloon will expand in every direction. If she is negative, the balloon gets deflated. It's tiny. Small, dangling out of her mouth, right in front of her. Not completely out of air, but drastically reduced.
You have to be within the area of this balloon with the right color, size, scent and action at the right time to generate a strike.
What Causes Largemouth Bass to Become Inactive?
Inactivity is usually the result of shifts in the weather or water temperature. Environmental factors. However, bass may also become inactive if they are digesting food. These bass will typically hold tight to cover and ignore nearby prey.
Their strike window is microscopic.
The only hope you have of generating a strike under these circumstances is presenting a lure slow, right on their nose. You'll usually you'll want to use a natural color (black, brown, clear, maybe green-ish) and fish it through the cover. If they're in there, heavy cover can impede their vision, making things even more difficult. So work slowly, thoroughly, and when you reach the edge of the cover - reel your bait in fast and make another cast! Don't waste time dragging your bait through open, unproductive water.
A few favorites for fishing in cover include straight stickbaits without all sorts of appendages that will get tangled up. Try out a few Z-Man Bang Sticks paired with an Eagle Claw Trokar Magworm Hook - it contains a B.A.R.B. pin keeper that will prevent your bait from slipping down as you work through heavy cover.
The Bang StickZ will float - so make sure to add the right amount of weight. I always try to add the smallest amount for this kind of fishing. Remember, we're targeting negative fish. You might want to add a fluorocarbon leader - but only do this if the fish could be line-shy. In thick cover, straight braid is the way to go.
Flip & pitch to actively drop your lure where the fish ought to be. Look for likely spots, and expect light strikes. Be patient as you attempt to move your bait into the small strike zone.
What is the Normal Activity Level of Largemouth Bass?
Neutral.
Smile.
This is good news.
The strike zone of a neutral fish is larger than that of a negative fish, and obviously smaller than that of an active fish. I'll take neutral fish over negative fish any day of the week! Neutral fish are not hunting, but they will strike a lure. They will swipe at vulnerable looking prey. They may even move a short distance to investigate a potential snack. Neutral bass will often swim off with a bait - causing visible line movement above water.
Watch for these signals, and present lures that look disabled or weak.
Natural patterns and colors usuallywork best in clear water, and bright flashy colors can work well in dirty water.
If you want to fish an active presentation like a spinnerbait or a crankbait, add erratic pauses and twitches. One of my absolute favorite cranks for shallow bass is a Mann's Baby 1-Minus.
They're inexpensive and they rattle. I like to bang mine off of rocks and rip rap shorelines. The only problem? If the bass aren't sitting in shallow water, they're not going to come up and strike this lure near the surface.
Be ready to drop some lures that will sit on the bottom. Lift & drop. Dead-stick. Retrieve after long pauses to try to entice neutral bass to bite.
Hopefully at some point, they'll "turn on". If this happens, you can speed up.
Bass feed actively for short periods of time.
They cruise in small groups outside of cover, almost like a school but not quite.
Do Largemouth Bass School? "Bass swim and feed together. In groups. Aggregations. Not necessarily “schools” in the manner we’ve described above. They don’t coordinate their movements, but they do prowl certain areas at the same time. Their feeding efforts don’t always sync with one another, and they may leave one group for another."
If you find one, you can often find more of a similar size. A splash usually won't spook them, and they may actually swim over to investigate noise. They'll often compete with one another. If you've ever caught two bass on the same lure, you know what this looks like.
They have the largest strike windows. Dashing as far as 12 feet to overtake a lure, making quick bursts for short-range attacks, or stalking a meal and moving in close. Dusk and dawn are usually prime fishing windows because largemouth know these low-light conditions improve their chances of feeding successfully. Fish in deeper water often have even longer active periods as well.
This is fun fishing.
If you find yourself in this situation, use active presentations and show your lure to as many fish as possible... until the activity levels change.
Speaking of activity level... I gotta go pick my kid up and put him in bed. He's still on the floor, covered in blue drool.
No creature, man or beast, can remain active forever.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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The Pop ‘n Drop has been one my my favorite techniques to fine tune this year. Not only has it been fun – it’s been productive. Two of my best smallmouth bass fell prey to this contraption. Absolutely hammered it. However, like all presentations, you have to use it in the right location, at the right time.
This bass smashed the dropper by the inside edge of shallow weeds in a spring-fed Wisconsin lake.
Pop ‘n Drop Wisconsin Smallmouth Bass
This one? Ignored the dropper – smoked the popper – in a skinny creek no more than 2 feet deep.
Pop ‘n Drop Illinois Creek Smallmouth Bass
Both fish were approaching 20 inches. Fat. Three ‘n change. Easy.
The first attempt combined a Z-Man Pop Shad with a large Trokar MagWorm B.A.R.B EWG Hook. All good there, but then I needed a way to attach my dropper line. Not wanting to hang it off of the eye of the hook, or tie it directly to the hook shank, I slid a large split ring over the barb of the hook and held it in place with some dental floss & super glue.
The performance was dismal.
Completely killed the action of my popper, and slowly sunk with medium-sized plastics…
Big fail. Hard pass.
Scrap it.
The second mod was a bit cleaner.
By placing a barrel swivel on the shank of a new hook I was able to slip just over the barb without bending it down, and tie my dropper to the lower portion. This allowed my connection to be moved, and it wouldn’t twist – both good things. Then I placed a rubber collar (for jig tying) on the shank, to hold the swivel in place and make it even less likely to pop off during a fight.
The collar wasn’t snug, which let my dropper connection move all over the place. The Pop FrogZ were also not as buoyant as I had hoped. They too got pulled under by the extra hardware and stickbait dropper…
Dang it. Fail #2.
Progress, but still a failure. Scrap it.
So through these tests, I learned that ElaZtech will not float as much weight as I thought… and that makes sense. You want a fish to be able to easily pull your bait underwater. It’s not meant to be a bobber.
I also learned that making a “heavy cover” version is rather difficult. Even if you balance the weight and the pop with the drop so it all behaves – you still have the issue of dragging a trailing plastic over muck, which fouls up easily.
The best combinations that I have worked with so far have been built upon hard-bodied topwaters with one treble hook removed, and a dropper tied straight to the lure. The only issue is that this limits you to the outer edges of cover, or working over the top of deep weeds, because of the exposed treble.
The best trailers? Any one of these 4 options in a smaller size: The Top 4 Stickbaits for Largemouth Bass Yes, they work on smallmouth too. Just make sure that the weight of the stickbait you select doesn’t pull the popper underwater. Zoom Zlinkys are a favorite of mine, but they contain a lot of salt. Choose your dropper carefully!
I still need to find a way to fish this in the muck, because that’s what we have here. I have a Vicious Hollow Body Frog on the workbench to work with next…
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‘Ol Jonnie hasn’t received much attention lately. He ain’t happy about it. Son of a gun just sits in my garage.
Sulking. Dirty.
Doesn’t stink, but… needs a bath.
His exterior is a bit crusty. Cracked and rough. Far beyond what any moisturizer could fix.
Just kind of looks at me sideways.
He’s difficult.
That’s why I’ve been avoiding him.
Perhaps this is more of a commentary on me, not ‘ol Jon. We haven’t talked at all this year. Haven’t fished together. I’ve been lazy. Just don’t want to haul his rear down the road I guess. Grease his trailer. Maybe that’s the point, really. Been all this talk about developing a drive to improve, but my own laziness has caused me to regress as a fisherman. Now though… now I think I need his help.
Motivation by itself is WORTHLESS. “A motivational speaker with a microphone can surely tickle the flesh. A well written article can rouse us from complacency. An inspirational video with powerful music can have the same effect – but that feeling fades. Quickly. What we really need to develop if we desire to improve, is drive…”
‘Ol Jonnie Boy needs to come out of retirement… and get his butt out of my garage…
One of the beautiful benefits of keeping a site like this, is that I’m able to share the trials and tribulations of a fisherman. I’m not a robot. This site isn’t generated by artificial intelligence. I’m a guy that loves to fish; a guy that thinks about it constantly. About how it applies to life, and how I can use it to teach my boys to be better men. Teach them lessons that the world just ain’t teachin’ anymore. Some days on the water are amazing, other days are… not… but I’m gonna tell y’all the truth, one way or another. Combining relevant bits of my personal fishing journal with advice from revolutionary anglers like Ron & Al Lindner, Doug Stange, Matt Straw, Jason Lucas, Bill Binkelman and Buck Perry.
My name will never be used in the same sentence as theirs.
Makes no difference.
I write about fishing, because I love fishing.
Recently, the focus has been on busting a slump. The largemouth bass have been hard to find. I’ve caught a few, but the long and short of it is that this year has been weird. Hot. Low water. Fishing from shore has not been super productive. I know for a fact that the bass are still in there; it’s time to move out from shore a bit.
I have a few buddies in Missouri, a couple in Arkansas, and even some up north. They email me. I email them. The fishing reports are the same both ways – TOUGH BITE.
I'm not about to give up, and I'm sure you aren't either. Here are 3 important tips regarding bass location & movement that I'm keeping in mind as I change my approach... time to go deep!
GO DEEP BUDDY!
1. Bass Move as the Temperature Changes
Air temperature matters... but only because it can affect the water temperature. Day to day it affects us more than the bass. Barometric pressure matters as well. It's all linked, so track both whether you're on the shore or in a boat. Remember that lakes, rivers, reservoirs, creeks and ponds are colder in the winter. Hotter in the summer. Somewhere in between in the spring and the fall, but if you're fishing smaller bodies of water, changes can be more dramatic.
It is not common for bass to migrate from one end of the lake to the other. This may be even more true on larger bodies of water, but chances are if you're not finding bass up shallow where they were yesterday, they're offshore. When the fish decide to move out - say from 5 feet to 15 feet - this vertical movement takes time. Bass need to adjust their swim bladder, which is a gradual process.
I recently purchased some new electronics for the jon boat. I want the ability to create my own maps while marking waypoints and tracking down bait and bass. The Garmin STRIKER Vivid 9sv Fishfinder makes economical sense... and this weekend I'll be installing it.
More important that temperature, is food. Bass have to eat, and that doesn't change whether they are hot or cold. The quantity or amount they need to eat may change because of the temperature, but the simple fact that chow is required remains unchanged.
In the spring and the fall, the refrigerator is usually close to the shoreline or around cover like aquatic grass. Rock and docks can also offer up a bevy of delectable treats. Crayfish, minnows, frogs, bugs - these creatures are all abundant and active in the shallow water - so that's where the bass will be.
That food can move deeper in the summer and winter months. Deeper water means fewer temperature and oxygen fluctuations, which bass don't like. Shad, bluegill and other panfish will will move out deeper at times for these same reasons.
Find 'em.
Find the food, and find the bass.
That's what me and 'ol Jonnie Boy will be doing this week. Before we run out of time. He's getting an upgrade, maybe a good scrubbing, and a bit of grease to make sure he's primed & ready to head on down the road with me.
Wish us luck, and go catch a few yourself!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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That might seem like an odd way to start an article about my recent Political Detox, but it’s not.
Fishing was the activity that acted as the catalyst for this process.
Waking up super early to go fish with my Dad, then get the kids ready and fish during the day… followed by prepping gear with my wife for our evening escapades. Loads of smallmouth bass, a couple pike, and a few fat panfish as the sun was coming up, sitting high in the sky. A few more as she left us, dipping low behind the Wisconsin tree line, coloring the clouds a magnificent red-orange for just a moment as the waves from the day calmed on the mighty lakes near Manitowish.
Sing me a song, old friend.
The wavering calls of the loons lingering just a bit longer. Their tremolo echoing from one side of the lake to the other as those vibrant colors would fade into darkness. Boat lights ignited, their green and red glow barely illuminating the left and right of each bow, as fishermen and pleasure boaters carefully made their way back home.
Reluctantly.
Quite the painter, He is.
Incredible.
In an environment like this, it is so easy to separate all of the trappings of modern life. The “convenience” we enjoy, having all of the knowledge of the world, news, events and catastrophes right there in the palm of our hand.
No wonder we’re stressed. Human beings were not built for this amount of information.
Add on a heavy helping of clickbait, Twitter ramblings and political pontificators, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
I was addicted to all of it.
Miserable all the time. A bad husband, a bad father – with a hair-trigger temper. Thankfully, our vacation took me far enough out of my comfort zone so I could realize what was happening, and why.
For the sake of my family, my business, and my sanity… it had to go.
What Did That Addiction Look Like?
It was subtle. Bubbling under the surface, always in the back of my mind, ruining everything.
I start every morning by reading “the news”. After checking a few sites, I hop over to read 8 to 10 Twitter feeds, to get a feel for the reaction(s) to said news. This can take about 2-3 hours as I drink coffee and “wake up” with the rage machine. At the end of the day, I catch up on daily events by watching YouTube commentary for 60 to 90 minutes.
This “summary” was a bit of an understatement, due to my embarrassment. If I’m being completely honest, we’re looking at over 4.5 hours each day spent as listed above – but add in another hour at lunch for political YouTube videos, and frequent social media pick-me-ups, usually upon the completion of even the smallest task.
Just gimme that little bump…
All told, we’re easily looking at over 6 hours.
Wasted.
Daily.
Gone forever.
Yikes.
I Quit ALL OF IT, Cold Turkey
By accident, at first. About midway through the first week of vacation it was replaced with other, more important things. When I realized it was gone, I just decided to not allow it back for a complete month.
What I Learned:
Each week, I learned something new, and wrote it all down. Here are just a few examples, with links to the complete articles.
WEEK 1 –
Two days ago, I realized how much I was not listening to my wife… jokes aside, I’m not talking about obeying, I’m talking about listening… it hit me like a ton of bricks… [she’s been forced to] carry the weight of her job by herself.
I was also able to get out to the local honey hole and do some fishing. It’s a far cry from the deep, clear lakes near Minocqua, but still fun.
A marriage is a partnership, and I was being a bad partner. [My wife] was carrying the events of her day at the hospital alone. [Now I listen, and you can tell ] she wants to be around me more. We’ve always loved each other, but there is a playful banter that has resurfaced in our relationship. It’s flirting… I started this Political Detox hoping to do more fishing, and instead I’m doing more flirting.
I was so tired of being angry all the time. I didn’t feel right. My family was getting a mediocre version of me. My work was dull. Lackluster… [The more I stayed away from the “news”, the more I realized it] was all the same hosts saying all the same things telling me everything I should to be mad about with NONE OF THE SOLUTIONS! Anger without action is worthless.
… but there was something else… my overall attitude was lighter, and just as there had been a bit more flirting, there were many more jokes… like, a lot of jokes… it does my heart good.
How can we set a proper example of what it means to be a man for our children and grandchildren with so much hate in our hearts?
We can’t. I can’t. Not with that millstone weighing me down. So set it aside. Not forever, but for now.
This afternoon I’ll cut out early and go fish a Pop ‘n Drop. Time on the lake is good time, even without fish…
I [have] grown as an angler [and developed into] a better version of myself… fishing has helped me evolve as a father, as a husband and brother – as a man. It has taught me that failure is not uncommon, but it is also not the end – just an obstacle.
I’ve noticed exactly how hard it is to avoid both news sites and social media even throughout the day… I am [constantly] tempted to pick up the phone and check any – or all – of the sites & apps. “Just to kill time“, or “just to take a quick break“.
A quick peek won’t hurt… right? Wrong.
Not only was I losing massive amounts of time in the morning and evenings in giant chunks, but intermittently throughout the day – and it is frickin’ HARD to not give in to the urge to check these things man! SERIOUSLY HARD. But by forcing myself to become aware of them through this detox process, I can really SEE them. I’ve been able to count just how many times throughout the day I am tempted to indulge… and it’s a LOT.
I miss keeping up with certain people on social media.
The truth is... there were also some hosts that I genuinely enjoyed... and I miss hearing their shows. There are times throughout the week that I could listen, without obsessing.
So the door that was closed has been cracked back open ever so slightly...
What I've Allowed Back In...
Eventually, I'll have a fully developed Plan for Frustrated Conservatives, but these are the initial changes to combat the problems above:
The Morning Wire Podcast Produced by The Daily Wire (Ben Shapiro, Jeremy Boreing, Matt Walsh etc.), this 15-minute daily podcast selects a few important stories to hit, without injecting opinion commentary. It is dry, but so far, it is a great way to filter the noise and get a brief summary of current events. I can listen to it without the joys of extremely elevated blood pressure.
Political YouTube Clips During lunch, I watch 1 of 4 things: fishing videos, Jordan Peterson, videos on Stoicism, or political commentators discussing pop culture - and ONLY pop culture. If Shapiro, or Knowles, or Walsh, or Tucker Carlson want to discuss something that is culture-specific, I'll allow it at lunch time... once in a while. I'll also let myself watch JP Sears, who is freaking hilarious.
The Steve Deace Show Carried by Blaze Media, Steve Deace, Aaron McIntire and Todd Erzen discuss politics and current events with a Christian worldview. During the initial stages of Covid, they were way ahead of the curve and predicted countless events that would come to pass. Once a week I have a 3+ hour drive , and I allow myself to listen to one commentator. Steve beats out all of the others that I used to listen to - he is excellent.
Warrior Poet Society Network If the misses wants to do a little hanging out in the evenings after the kids go to bed - I'll pull up John Lovell & co. I feel good about giving money to support these guys every month, just like I feel good about giving money to The Daily Wire. These groups are producing content that isn't woke - it's anti-woke in fact, and we need to support their efforts financially. Stop wasting time and money on Hollywood productions - they hate you and want you dead. That's not hyperbole. Look around - you can see what time it is...
Measured Social Media Each morning, I have a series of Core Requirements that I work through, These serve as my daily foundation. Things like email, sales calls, work tasks; general upkeep and communication that must be done. Facebook is like the kitchen fridge of communication. Everyone I went to high school with "sticks news and events" on that fridge. Unfortunately, several people also use it as their soapbox. I do check Facebook - one time, with a 15 minute timer - each day to answer messages and see what's happening. I run ads for clients on Facebook as well, but will NOT install the Facebook app on my phone. This would make wasting time too easy. Instagram is a part of what I do, so that is checked once a day as well, and I'm playing with Rumble a bit more. Twitter and TikTok are cesspools of death and decay, I have not allowed either back into my life. At all.
With these small additions to my schedule, I now have a measured, regulated approach to both news & events, opinions and pop culture commentary.
I don't feel like I'm MISSING anything, or LACKING... and I know that most importantly, it is not having a negative impact on me as a person, as a father, as a husband - and as a man.
It's not perfect, but it's a vast improvement over where I was, and I believe a successful conclusion to this Political Detox process. (More updates will be posted in the coming months.)
If you're on the fence, let me give you the nudge: try it, see what you learn about yourself. You'll be glad you did.
I'll see you on the other side.
For the full explanation of what this Political Detox is, and the habits it’s addressing, please see: Fish for Bad Habits…
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!
I want to be in bed. Sawing logs. Dreaming about babes. Fishing babes. No… fishing babes that don’t talk. They just fish – not for compliments – but for actual fish. Then they get selfies. Fishing babes holding fish up for pictures – fish that they definitely caught themselves!
Right???
Can you see it??
Just look at all the… hang on… the winds have shifted… hear that? Feel that? A great disturbance in the force…
Look over there! In the waves – it’s my wife! But… is it really her!? No… it’s Amphitrite, the goddess of the sea, wife of the god Poseidon. All the giggling and jiggling stops, and Mrs. Poseidon hurls a fish with malicious intent!
“EAT IT!“, she bellows, as the heavens shake and lightning rips the sky asunder!
Probably woulda seen that if you weren’t talking so much…
“Away with you, fishing wench!!!”
The violence is unsettling, but the fish… they were biting…
I turn back towards the water, and suddenly we’re standing on a green grassy bank. The sun is out. It’s gently kissing my wife’s alabaster cheeks.
My wife! She looks like my wife again!
With eyes the size of dinner plates, I sputter “You seriously just clocked that chick!!“
The response is a sideways, “not-amused” glance… but then, we’re consumed by uncontrollable laughter.
She picks up a pole. Grabs a stickbait. Still laughing, we embrace. We fish.
Drive engaged. Coffee consumed. I’m working on this website after I work on this article. I’ll play with colors, styling, adjust pop-up messages and try to get a few more people to subscribe. Try to get a few more people to share. To laugh. Try to get a few more guys to email this silly story about my wife blasting thots in the face with fish to their buddies.
Why?
Because I’m working towards something.
What?
I don’t know exactly.
Huh?
As I’ve told Mrs. Poseidon many times, all I know is that I am preparing for an opportunity. I write so I can improve. I edit video so I can improve. I fish so I can improve. At some point, one of these things is going to lead me to some sort of opportunity… and I plan to be ready. To pounce on it. To beat it into submission. To dominate it.
This is my aim. What’s yours?
It’s a serious question – what are you working towards at this point in your life?
Jordan Peterson is someone that I look to for guidance. I have a quote saved that automatically gets emailed to me at the start of every week:
Discipline yourself, or suffer. Simple, not easy.
Aiming at something is the opposite of "just existing".
The opposite of coming home after work, plopping down on the couch, cracking a beer or 12, wolfing down a few bags of Doritos while watching reality shows, woke sports and 24-hour "news" channels.
There is nothing wrong with beer, TV, chips or silly wastes of time in moderation, but if you have an aim - if you're working with your sights set on a target - you'll notice the waste... and it will bother you. You will grab some beef jerky for protein instead of empty carbs, you'll curb the beer consumption so that spare tire shrinks a bit - you'll even turn off the TV so you can work on something that matters.
Break apart the word aimlessly:
Aim: Target
Less: Without
So we're pushing ahead, day to day, moving through life... without a target?
... are we really moving, then?
No.
We tend to imagine we're at least treading water - but that's not true. If we're not gaining ground, we're losing it.
Talk about depressing.
It's the same in fishing.
Aimlessly casting. Wandering. Floating. Selecting baits without thinking.
These lead to inferior results, which can be discouraging.
We're better served by seeking out cover, structure, areas with fish-holding power, especially those that other anglers can't see with the naked eye. The areas that aren't hammered by the weekend warriors. The guys that want to do things "the easy way".
Identify targets. Look for patterns.
At times this can be hard, even intimidating, especially if we don't have much experience.
Doesn't matter; the truth is that we need to do it. We need to be willing to fail if we intend to master a skill, and we need to be able to ask the hard questions, even if it's going to make us look foolish.
If we get an answer, we only have to look foolish once.
That's a price we must be willing to pay for knowledge.
So nut-up and go for it.
Don't just exist. Aim. Ask dumb questions. Improve. Fail. Try again. Fail better. Repeat. Engage your drive. Don't rely on motivation. Aim at something, because working towards your target and making progress is where the true payoff lies - in terms of fishing, and in life.
So let's not waste the day. It's time to work... and brothers... enjoy the grind.
Happy Labor Day.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Yesterday, I used this simple 4-step plan to get out of my fishing slump. Not only did it help me catch bass – it helped me methodically break down a local lake that has changed drastically due to the fact that all of the large algae pods the bass used to get up under close to shore are gone (removed with chemicals).
In short – the plan worked. Here are the 3 best from yesterday:
Largemouth Bass #3 – 2.25 lbs
Largemouth Bass #2 – 2.5 lbs
Largemouth Bass #1 – Just Under 3 lbs
This was the key:
My downsized wacky rig was weedless, but I used heavier tackle and added a little bit of heft. There was a swivel between my braid and fluorocarbon leader for weight, plus a 1/32 ounce bullet weight. (Yes, you read that correctly – tiny!) This allowed me to cast a bit further, fish a bit faster, and find the deep grass edge these largemouth bass were set up next to.
It worked again and again (smaller fish not pictured). Here was the gear:
This got me thinking about a video I did a while back, when I was using VMC Weedless Wacky Hooks with a wire weedguard exclusively. I missed a lot of fish using these… but I still have them on hand for the heaviest of cover. It’s worth considering so you’re a bit more versatile… but remember… only get ’em if you’re gonna use ’em!
Click the banner to jump to The Minimalist Fisherman on YouTube.
Even though it’s a bit older, if you have any feedback, I’m all ears.
Hope you fellas get some fishing in this weekend.
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!
Why do bass attack a piece of cylindrical plastic that resembles a cigar? (Or if you’re 6, that “look like a doo-doo“.) Why do bass hang on? Carry them off? To put it simply, bass slurp them up because they resemble food. All of the sudden that line starts to move sideways; it grabs your attention and the only indication that someone is on the other end is the calm, steady pulse of that big ‘ol tail swishing back and forth.
thump-thump-thump-thump
Like a timer, counting down… she’s swimming off with her prize, and it’s about to get rowdy…
THWACK!
Fish on!
My biggest bass ever came on one of these stickbaits. Give me any of these 4, and I have enough confidence to go to any lake in the country. They will catch largemouth bass. Guaranteed.
You need some in your tacklebox!
Here are the top 4 stickbaits, and my favorite ways to rig ’em!
1. Z-Man Bang StickZ
We’re not listing these baits from best to worst, we’re listing them from lightest to heaviest. Slowest to fastest sink rate, which is one of the most important aspects of fishing a stickbait properly! The Z-Man Bang StickZ actually float – and they also contain salt, which is very important for slower finesse presentations. Some Z-Man plastics, like the TRD CrawZ don’t contain salt, making them less useful in many situations. Pair the Bang StickZ with an Eagle Claw Pro-V Finesse Jig, and you’ve got a slow-sinking, salty beast of a stickbait that will stand straight up at rest – a great option around sparse cover.
A staple in many a tackle-bag. YUM Dingers don’t stand up at rest like the Bang StickZ on a jighead, but they are durable, inexpensive, and they sink. Very… very… very… slowly… keeping them in the strike zone for a long time. For me, this is usually a bit too long, so I’ll add a little weight for faster fishing. A few VMC Drop Dead Hooks live in my bag for this reason – but don’t be afraid to try these stickbaits on a Texas rig, an F4 Rig – even below a Pop ‘n Drop!
If you’ve read any of the articles on this site, you know the Ocho is a bait that I really believe in. There are many Ocho catches on my YouTubes if you’d like to see some in action. The Strike King Ocho is an eight-sided stickbait that contains salt AND scent. It sinks faster than the Bang StickZ and the YUM Dingers, which makes it the perfect stickbait to rig up weightless Texas style. The sink rate is usually enough that I don’t add weight, and paired with a 3/0 Lazer Trokar EWG Hook, you’ve got a ditch pickle destroyer! Just make sure to tie up a fluorocarbon leader if there is any sort of visibility (see below).
Super soft. Super scented. Super SALTY. If I want to fish a little faster but avoid adding weight to stay as natural as possible, I’ll reach for my Zoom Zlinkys. This is the fastest sinker in my top 4, containing so much salt that you can actually do a salt rub to change the texture and feel of the bait. (We talk about this more in Ned Rig Secrets.) These pair well with Berkley Fusion19 Weedless Wacky Hooks, which feature an easy-to-move fluorocarbon weed guard. I find myself using these more than the VMC wacky hooks I used to use. Those have a rigid wire weedguard, and are reserved for the heaviest of cover.
O-rings can keep you from tearing through these soft stickbaits, but if the bite is tough – skip ’em. Stick your hook straight into the plastic, and hang on. You may lose a few extra baits, but if it means more bites – it’s money well spent!
If you’re fishing a soft plastic, it’s likely the water has some level of visibility. Make sure to tie on a fluorocarbon leader so that you can present your bait in a natural manner, without throwing off negative cues that might spook the fish. I’m currently spooling up with Berkley X5 Braid for both spinning and casting reels, and I’m very impressed with Seaguar Inxizx Fluorocarbon for leaders. I even have a few spinning reels completely spooled with this fluoro. It’s strong, and it doesn’t take on the color of the water – which is extremely important here in muck-ville.
So those are The Top 4 Stickbaits for Largemouth Bass. Grab a few and get out there! You can take these 4 anywhere and catch a bucketmouth… or twenty. I’m hitting the local lakes tomorrow with one too, using these 4 Simple Steps to Break a Fishing Slump.
A typical stickbait bass. Gotta love it!
If I missed your favorite stickbait, make sure to let me know below!
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
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Catch More Fish Than Your Friends. Laugh At Their Tears.
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For humans, school is a place we go to get indoctrinated… er… to learn.
75% of my sons go, and we’ve played around with the idea of pulling them out more than once. When we move to Arkansas I’ll be running for school board. We have another year in Illinois at least, so for now… I’ll just keep a close eye on what they are being taught, and keep putting inspirational little notes in their lunchboxes…
Be Brave. Work Hard. Set an Example. Don’t take any crap from anyone, boys.
But Largemouth Bass – Do They School?
For a long time, largemouth bass were thought to be solitary creatures. Buck Perry – the inventor of the Spoonplug – made the bold statement that they are in fact schooling fish.
Elwood “Buck” Perry and his Spoonplugging Book & Lures
Now, it’s one thing to make a statement. It’s another thing to prove it.
Buck was an explorer. Remember, that spoonplug he developed was as much a fish catcher as it was a bottom mapping device. The man wanted to learn as much as he could about the world around him – and the fish.
Tournament anglers often talk about finding the fish – locating schools of bass – and tracking them. “Staying on the school“, and adjusting presentation(s) to match the mood of the fish has led to many a paycheck.
There must be something to this theory… right?
Well yes, but it all comes down to how you define “school”.
For many, a school is a group of fish that live, feed and travel together. They move in unison. In lockstep. They don’t just pal around. Shad and minnows provide us with very clear (sometimes massive) examples:
A Large School of Gizzard Shad
On my last trip to Arkansas, we fished Bull Shoals effectively by targeting clouds on our electronics. These clouds were schools of shad – and I’m talking massive schools of shad. Walleye, drum, largemouth, smallmouth and “Kentucks” all hung around these clouds. They lurked off to the side, in the shadows,related to them. They’d hang back, then in an instant swoop in like sharks, causing the cloud to explode in different directions – the predators would blast holes holes that we could actually see – they’d pull apart, then quickly come back together like the T-1000.
The school presented the predators with a confusing target. This is one of the reasons our lures worked so well… they looked like sick baitfish. Stood out as something different. Like something was wrong with ’em, and they’d be easy pickins’. This caught the attention of several bass as they moved through the cloud.
Schooling provides safety for these small fish, and as a bonus, it also facilitates mating.
Giggity.
Bass swim and feed together.
In groups. Aggregations. Not necessarily “schools” in the manner we’ve described above. They don’t coordinate their movements, but they do prowl certain areas at the same time. Their feeding efforts don’t always sync with one another, and they may leave one group for another.
So is that schooling?
Not in the traditional sense.
But as bass fishermen, here’s the key point…
Bass that are actively feeding will often be found together, because they are drawn in by the same food source. If you catch an active bass, there is a good chance that there are others nearby.
Bass that are of similar size also seem to group up. Dinks don’t usually feed with 8-pounders… maybe because they know they’ll get the scraps… maybe because they know they could be dinner themselves? Bass of different sizes prefer different types of food as well, and small bass just seem to feed where they can.
Whatever the reason, the biggest bass command the most favorable feeding locations.
So seek these locations out. Do the work that other anglers won’t do. Look for cover and structure that is invisible to the naked eye. Those areas are far less likely to be hammered by the weekend warriors, because if you can see an object that looks like it holds fish… so can everyone else…
How Quickly do Schools of Bass Move?
Let’s say you contact several fish in 8 feet of water off of a point. Then later, you contact fish in 20 feet of water further out from that same spot.
Has the school moved?
Well it depends… in order for largemouth bass to change depth by that much, they need to inflate or deflate their swim bladder. This is a gradual process, so it’s likely that you contacted another school (or aggregation). This is another important concept to remember, as it will help you re-locate bass once you find them.
Bass feeding in open water seem to come the closest to true schooling behavior… but again… they don’t coordinate movements. These “schools” are likely bass feeding simultaneously on the surface.
The point is learning a bit more about how these creatures behave. So for now, focus on the concept of “school”, and keep this information in mind as you locate, and then re-locate bass.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
Housekeeping Note:
My fishing slump has come to an end… I think… yesterday I was able to catch 4 (and missed a big) over the course of an hour using a few key baits, listed below. The Simple 4-Part Plan to get out of a Fishing Slump was put into action. Friday I’ll head out again to try the same baits on different gear on two different lakes, to see if we can replicate the results. Let’s keep grinding!
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… listen… it happens to all of us once in a while…
Well… not to me, but… you know… it happens to other losers all the time…
“Man… that’s hurtful…”
HA! Just bustin’ ‘yer chops! Happy Monday my dudes! Crack a smile and grab a coffee; come sit with me for a moment and let’s discuss Fishing Slumps.
They happen to all of us.
They’re freakin’ terrible.
They’re also temporary.
That third part… that’s the tricky part to remember, right?
Temporary.
What does that mean, exactly? Well, it means that this too shall pass. I read that somewhere once, in a good book.
The question is… how can we make it pass faster?
By working a simple plan.
So here ya go. This is a Simple 4-Step Plan that will destroy the fishing slump you’re currently in… so you can get back to peak performance! You can do it. I believe in you, big guy!
“… still hurtful…”
Step 1: When
Identify when you can go.
We all have limited time. Fishing is a hobby & passion for many of us – not a job. Myself included. This means that time on the lake needs to fit in around faith, family and work. Pop open your calendar and identify a few times that you could get out to fish this week. Right now. Do it. They can be early. They can be late. They can be “bad solunar times”, it doesn’t matter – the simple act of identifying times that you could fish will give you a target to aim for.
Identify when you can go, then promise yourself that you will make it happen.
Prep work starts here – not at the lake.
Step 2: Where
Decide where you’re headed.
I love to fish creeks, small lakes, larger lakes, rivers, strip pits (or borrow pits as they are sometimes called here in Illinois) and everything in between. Seen swammers in that puddle? I’ll fish it.
Spray & pray won’t help us get out of a slump, though. We need surgical precision.
Based on the current conditions: weather patterns, time of year, local water level(s) and any other information you have, what is your best guess in terms of where you might find fish? Make a selection or two, then decide when you’ll visit each location based on your time slots from Step 1.
In a perfect world I’d fish here. Deep. But it’s not an option… so let’s focus on what can be done, instead of what can’t.
Step 3: What
Pick your target species, and select your confidence baits.
ONLY confidence baits. Downsize ’em. This is not the time to try something new or go after trophy fish, we need to generate some results to fix our mindset. Confidence is surprisingly important when it comes to fishing, and a few bad trips can really do a number on our ego.
Example:
I want to fish for any species of bass in the area. I only have shore access, and a few spots where the kayak could get dropped. Small lakes, and a creek or two. That’s all I’ll have time for this week. I do not know what the water clarity will be, but I do know that I need two confidence baits. One needs to cover water, the other needs to fish slow. For me… that’s going to be:
Because the NetBait Little Spanky Swimbait is going to allow us to cover water, and fish at multiple depths. If I rig it weedless on a weighted swimbait hook, I can fish around smallmouth bass in creeks, or largemouth bass in thick muck. Probably use a 1/0 hook, maybe a 2/0 with the 3.25″ Little Spanky, because if my hook is too big, it means too much shank in the plastic, which will kill the action of the bait! I need that action, because if the water clarity is poor, the tail will kick off thump and fire that lateral line. They’ll feel ‘er comin’, even if they can’t see ‘er. Plus, everything will eat a swimbait, and I need a bite!
The Strike King Ocho is one of my all-time best producers. The impregnated salt & coffee scent means I can fish it weightless, without adding extra scent, straight on a weedless wacky hook. The 4″ size will appeal to both largemouth and smallmouth bass. The fluorocarbon weedguard on those Berkley Fusion19 Wacky Hooks will let me fish almost anywhere while using lighter line – I’m thinking I’ll stick with Seaguar Invizx Fluorocarbon, because it is invisible, abrasion resistant, and it doesn’t pick up stains and off-colors in the water like cheap fluorocarbon does. I can fish it in muck, timber, sandy bottom creeks, even rocks – and honestly – that’s why the wacky rig won out over one of my other favorites: the jigworm. A wacky rig will work better around rip-rap shorelines and stay outta them crevices better.
Now that we’ve gone through Steps 1, 2 and 3 without even touching a bait or a pole, it’s time to get after it. Rig up in advance, set aside the confidence baits you selected, and be ready. When your window of opportunity arrives – you can grab your gear and go!
I should let you know… this isn’t a hypothetical for me; I’m currently in the middle of a very discouraging fishing slump myself. So tallywhacker jokes aside… it’s not fun. I’m deflated (oops, there’s another one…) and this article broke away from our Political Detox series a bit because it was a thought exercise for me – one that I wanted to share with you.
I’m not just writing fluff, folks. These aren’t the equivalent of inspirational cat posters. I’m living these situations, just like you. Trying to improve as an angler. As a man. As a human. They’re all connected. When I say motivation is worthless, I mean it. It is so important that we develop our drive, because our drive is what stands firm when motivation fades.
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!
Oh Mylanta – this is cringe-city! Lord… I was also like 15 pounds heavier. At least.
You can tell in these older videos that I was completely depressed. Quite literally sad, as my business and home life were both on the rocks. There are a few jokes & smirks, but you can actually feel the anxiety and stress bubbling under the surface. Fishing was something I was trying to focus on to keep busy, to learn more about, to help me lay off the bottle.
So I post this today with two hopes:
I hope that my inexperience and funny mistakes will inspire youto create. We’ve talked about how Motivation is Worthless, and Developing a Drive is Necessary, but being willing to suck and look like an idiot in public – for a long time – is also necessary. I still have a lot to learn, but just remember: if you don’t thicken your skin you’ll never create anything. That would be a shame.
The Pop ShadZ have been a staple in my Base Box for almost 3 years now. With that in mind, it’s worth watching this video to glean the tidbits that make it such an interesting largemouth bass bait.
Click the banner to jump to The Minimalist Fisherman on YouTube.
Even though it’s a bit older, if you have any feedback, I’m all ears.
Hope you fellas get some fishing in this weekend.
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!
Today, we’re talking fishing. Straight. No chaser.
So buckle up, wipe off that booger-pickin’ finger and get to scrollin’!
(Sorry… I’m already through an entire pot of coffee…)
I REGRET NOTHING! LET’S TALK BASS FISHING!
Last time we discussed The 4 Feeding Strategies of Largemouth Bass. We explained that Mr. Largemouth is in fact a generalist when it comes to feeding. I am as well, which explains these love handles.
We’re going to talk a bunch of gear today, I’m going to share a ton of the stuff I’m currently huckin’, and we’ll analyze a common situation.
Let’s Break Down Some Cover
Say you approach a pile of partially exposed timber.
Driftwood gently bumping the shoreline.
Little pieces of driftwood floating all around. Water is clear. Birds tweet-tweeting. Lightly. Wind rustling the tall grass and cattails, their dense cylindrical tops swaying in the morning breeze. The water isn’t quite glass calm. There’s a feather-light wrinkle that almost allows you to see the movement of the air…
It’s like heaven on earth, and we’re about to make a ruckus just over yonder.
You know they’re in that mess of branches… it just LOOKS bassy.
Let’s get to work.
If the bass are active, they’ll be Running Down Bait, or Stalking. If they are in a neutral feeding mood, they will probably hover near cover, patrolling slowly without startling prey, which we refer to as Habituation. This is a passive feeding strategy. If the largemouth bass are inactive, they’ll simply set up and wait to Ambushprey. Another passive feeding method, requiring the least movement and the lowest energy expenditure.
We’re going to make 3 passes through this area.
Pass #1: Run & Gun
The name of the game here is speed. Hit ’em with the high hard one to start: a topwater like the (overrated) River2Sea Whopper Plopper 90, or the down-sized Whooper Plopper 75 in a natural pattern… but be mindful of those trebles near the timber. If you want something a little more weedless, check out the Z-Man Hard Leg FrogZ (think topwater toad or soft buzzbait) or slow down to a popper with a Z-Man Pop Shad. Your hook will be protected using either of these soft plastic options.
Work the open areas near the timber first, quickly, then move in tight. If nothing is popping with the topping (what?) go slightly deeper. I love the Mann’s Baby 1-Minus, and I have landed some absolute beasts on the chartreuse / purple combo. A Booyah Colorado Blade Spinnerbait will also work well around sticks and snags with the metal arm protecting the hook. Burn it. It kicks off some nice big thump with more junk in the trunk, if you’re into that…
As we look even further below the surface, we move into the near-cover zones, which can be used by bass in two different feeding moods. Those that are Stalking tend to be more active, and those that are hovering or slowly prowling (Habituation) will need a slightly slower offering.
Using fluorocarbon will make you invisible, abrasion resistant, and it will also increase the sink rate of your wacky rig. I have had excellent luck this season with Seaguar Invizx – it ain’t cheap, but it’s worth the cost of admission.
Seaguar Invizx on both ends of the Pop ‘n Drop that helped me land this beautiful Illinois smallmouth bass.
Seaguar Red Label Fluorocarbon is a great option for fluoro leaders, but I’ve stopped using it to fill up my spinning reels. Truth be told it has a fair amount of memory, and it’s jumped the spool on me many, many times. Hence the upgrade to Invizx.
I’ll refrain from making a joke about the aliens and my dear Uncle Bucky from Kentucky. He used to raise cattle. Now he’s retired and walks funny.
So yeah… probing… here we go!
The remaining bass will be in a negative feeding mood. They are inactive, and the best chance you’ll have of catching these fish is going to be with something very slow, presented very close, and a little scent wouldn’t hurt. I’m currently testing Dr. Juice Bass Attractant, as it’s been on the market for some time.
Just remember two things: the TRD Craw doesn’t contain any salt as far as I can tell, so you’ll definitely want to add scent, and the exposed hook on your jig could cause a problem around the timber.
Be careful.
If you need to hide your hook point, look to the Texas rig again, or throw a Strike King Coffee Tube weedless – but be ready to set the hook HARD. The Eagle Claw Pro-V Jig does come in a weedless option if you want to stick with finesse. You might even try live bait, if you have the means and the patience to deal with it…
Toss, flip & pitch. Use short, accurate casts to work through the cover deliberately. Slowly. Just don’t swear too much when you lose gear… because you will.
This is just ONE example of ONE way to break down ONE type of cover.
Say that 10 times fast.
There are countless condition combinations. Set up your Base Box with some of the options listed above, you’ll be in an excellent position to fish largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass in many different scenarios without taking the entire tackle shop with you.
What’s a Base Box, you ask?
… we’ll talk more about that in some upcoming articles…
For now though, we fish.
It’s gonna be work… but get out there my friend, and enjoy the grind.
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!
Today is August 24th – exactly 30 days have passed since the start of my rudimentary Political Detox, on July 25th.
Tomorrow… I’ll be done…
Done?
Yeah… done. Although I’m not sure what that means yet.
This experiment kicked off shortly after returning from Minocqua, Wisconsin. The annual family vacation. Being isolated up North makes it easy to stay away from the little rectangular rage machine we keep in our grubby hands – or at the very least, on our person – most of the day.
Great bassin’ this year made it easy to stay occupied.
This same phenomenon repeated itself over the weekend during our annual BroTrip to Iron River. It was easy to leave the phone back at the cabin and go do stuff.
But before I left the state… before I went on these trips… it was not so easy…
I Was Addicted.
In a very literal sense. A rage addict. This recent time away from “the daily grind” allowed me to see that clearly for the first time in… well… in a long, long time.
It crystalized upon returning home.
As I was writing and thinking about how I had grown as an angler, I started to think more about the behaviors that had really helped me develop into a better version of myself. The sport of fishing (which as we know, is second to none) has helped me evolve as a father, as a husband and brother – as a man. It has taught me that failure is not uncommon, but it is also not the end – just an obstacle.
These days a very large group of people believe that failure is simply not possible.
They are told they can do no wrong, they are always right, and that society (and the entire world) needs to conform to them – not the other way around.
Therefore, when these individuals have an idea challenged, or when they are presented with facts that go against what they choose to believe, or what they “feel“, they shut down. They cancel. They cry. They safe-space. They have temper tantrums and try to block the offending ideas, instead of defending their own.
See, the lessons we learn from fishing are the polar opposite of the lessons we are being taught by social media, and even “the news”. It’s really something if you stop and think about it. The fish don’t give a rip about how you “feel”. You’re either in the right spot using the right bait at the right time, or you ain’t.
Period.
We all understand that being wrong is painful… it is hard to admit we’ve made a mistake. But being wrong AND stubborn AND belligerent will hurt you so much more in the long run.
This idea has been refined as it’s swirled around with so many others that have come to light throughout this 4 week process.
I’ve learned much more than I expected:
After week 1, I realized that I had been doing a very poor job of listening to my wife and kids. I needed to improve, and on top of that the amount of time I was wasting reading things that I had no control over in the mornings and evenings drastically reduced the time I could invest in fishing.
During week 2, my wife started to want to be around me more, and a playful banter that had gone missing in our home returned – with the kids as well. More laughter. More jokes. I could see the change as they were given the attention that I would have placed solely on my little glowing rage rectangle… and the sad thing is that I didn’t even realize it had gone missing. There was also a bit more flirting (*wink wink*) with the misses, and extra fishing to boot.
Giggity.
By week 3, I realized that the weight of information overload was negatively impacting every single aspect of my life. It was far more serious that I originally thought, and it was not just “the news” – it was also social media. How can you do your best in faith, family, work, hobbies – in life – with a millstone hanging around your neck? You can’t.
So now it’s week 4… and I’ve noticed exactly how hard it is to avoid both news sites and social media even throughout the day! There are so many little breaks and “in-betweens” as individual tasks are completed where I am tempted to pick up the phone and check any – or all – of the sites & apps. “Just to kill time“, or “just to take a quick break“.
A quick peek won’t hurt… right?
Wrong.
Not only was I losing massive amounts of time in the morning and evenings in giant chunks, but intermittently throughout the day – and it is frickin’ HARD to not give in to the urge to check these things man! SERIOUSLY HARD. But by forcing myself to become aware of them through this detox process, I can really SEE them. I’ve been able to count just how many times throughout the day I am tempted to indulge… and it’s a LOT.
These little interruptions snatch away at our time, bit by tiny bit, like the drip-drip-drip of a miniature waterfall that slowly, continuously, meticulously, erodes the stones below over millennia.
Droplet after droplet, it all adds up… and it’s robbing us blind.
The End is Here.
But what does that mean?
I don’t want to go back to the way it was.
Ever.
Yet avoiding the news and online interactions forever is not feasible. I don’t like the fact that I know less about world events, I don’t like feeling uninformed, I don’t like missing out on the lives of friends & family that live all across the country… but…how can I regain some of that information without letting the anger eat me alive?
Without hurting the relationships I have rebuilt with my wife & kids?
Without losing the extra fishing time?
Without destroying my improved perspective of the world around me?
How do we take what we have learned, and re-enter these realms while keeping the evil at bay?
I don’t use the term “evil” lightly – I mean that with every fiber of my being.
EVIL.
There must be a way to do it. To navigate these waters.
So tomorrow, as I complete this initial phase of my Political Detox… that search will begin.
I’ll let you know what I find…
For the full explanation of what this Political Detox is, and the habits it’s addressing, please see: Fish for Bad Habits…
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There’s a soft breeze tonight, enveloping everything. Crisp. It’s rustling the leaves, keeping the bugs at bay. The sound? The sound is that of a hundred lazy rattlesnakes slowly moving their tail segments out of time with one another. It’s the leaves of course – millions and millions of them. The soft strums on a no-name acoustic guitar resonate deeply into the dark woods.
The notes seem to fly off the deck, and I wonder just exactly who, or what,is listening out there.
“D minor, G major… E… minor again? That’s kind of neat sounding…”
A fire would be nice tonight, but I’m the only one awake. The other 6 are inside. Napping. Even though it’s well past the standard “naptime.” Three straight days of staying up way too late, talking way too loud, laughing way too much, and indulging in enough food & drink to feed a small army… it’s definitely taken a toll.
We’ll head back to Illinois tomorrow morning.
This is the 9th year that we have set out for our annual “BroTrip“. My close friend James Brown (yes that really is his name) and I started the tradition, agreeing that even if it was just the two of us, there needed to be a yearly trip to get away & recharge, no matter what. Since that first trip, the accompanying cast & crew has changed. The fellas do what they can, when they can, but it’s hard to coordinate several schedules – especially with kids and dogs and jobs and… well, life.
It’s really hard, but it’s worth the effort.
Let me tell you what we did this year, and why you need to seriously consider setting up a BroTrip of your own.
An Aggressive Itinerary
We’ll plan to get to the cabin near Iron River late on Thursday night, then hit the sack and have 3 full days for different events. Pack the kayaks, coolers and get supplies in advance to save time & money. Kayaking can take place Sunday, after I get back from mass at St. Peter’s – an awesome little church with a rich history and a beautiful shrine out front, made from field stones brought by the locals many years ago. There’s a boat that we can fish from Saturday too, if we tow it to the Pike Chain with my truck. We’ll ask Josh Teigen for some extra poles, pick them up Friday night after we visit the VFW, and ask where the smallmouth bass are setting up. Actually if the VFW has their fish fry we’ll support that, but after we go to Tri Lake Timbers to have one of those amazing bloody marys with a Leinenkugel’s chaser. Wait – cheese curds! We gotta get to Benoit Cheese to pick up some curds, and look for some meat snacks as well. Food this trip will be heavy. Good. Diets can restart next week. Actually, we should cook burgers and brats out on the deck in the dark, so we better stop at MarketPlace Foods Grocery Store in Hayward on the way in. Don’t get too muchfood though, because we also need to run over to The Delta Diner for lunch, probably hit the Tap Shack the following day. That place is surprisingly good, and we can play bags while we enjoy a pint from Earth Rider Brewery. One night we better take the ferry to Madeline Island out of Bayfield. We can grab food at The Beach Club – actually no, a beer and some fish tacos! More curds, too. With ranch. Then run over to Tom’s Burned Down Café for a few more drinks while we talk to locals and laugh out loud at the misguided liberal propaganda plastered all over the “walls”. Then we’ll make our way back to the ferry to cross Lake Superior at night. If we’re lucky, the sky will be clear, and we’ll see satellites and shooting stars and planets and galaxies and EVERYTHING. Maybe we’ll stop at Frosty’s Outpost on the way back and play some pool, then see how many deer from “the Ino herd” we can count along the edges of the road. We’ll talk about music and life and kids and wives and girlfriends and jobs and existence and creation. All of it. The continuous conversation will chug forward like a freight train, from one day to the next, morning ’til night, without a break until the 7 of us decide it’s time to take a pause – as men do – and breathe in everything that is happening all around us. A pause that may last 30 seconds, or 30 minutes, without a word being spoken, and nobody asking “what’s wrong?” or “why are you so quiet?“
Because we’ll all just know.
On the final morning we’ll wake up and clean. Strip beds, sweep floors, grab perishables and load up. We’ll shake hands and hug in the driveway, make a few more jokes about hangovers and try to land some parting jabs on one another – again, as men do – then laugh at ourselves.
You have to be able to laugh at yourself.
No egos allowed.
No loose cannons. No sensitive types, easily “offended” by colorful language or incorrect pronouns.
Those men are not welcome.
Those are not men.
The ones we invite will have already proven they are of a certain quality.
Why waste time on anyone else?
Life is short.
The drive home will be long.
As we return to Illinois, we’ll feel the heat creep up bit by bit as we travel further and further south. The air will quite literally thicken. The hills will disappear and give way to the flatlands.
Corn. Corn everywhere.
We’ll return to “real life.”
We’ll get home and hug our wives, our kids, unpack and shower up. Then it’s time to figure out how we get back to work and chores and responsibilities… and start to plan for next year.
Maybe we can do even more?
It’s a good goal – and one thing’s for sure: absence has yet again made our hearts, and the hearts of our families, grow fonder.
It’s good to be home.
As you fish this week, consider this:
Planning a BroTrip (or whatever you decide to call it) takes work… and you need to do it. You. Specifically. YOU need to plan the trip, and the first one you plan will be the hardest. Convincing a handful of friends that they can make the time to go will be difficult.
Once.
After that first trip, you can repeat. You’ll remember lodging options, restaurants you hit, locations you visited. If you repeat a few times, not only does it become easier and easier to plan – it becomes more than a trip – it becomes a new tradition. It is much easier to get wives and bosses and co-workers and kids and everyone else on board when you are talking about a yearly tradition.
So make one.
Every year, when I talk to clients about my upcoming email hiatus, I hear the same response:
“Must be nice. I wish I had the time and money for a vacation. I never get to go.”
Boo-hoo.
Don’t be like this. Nobody feels sorry for you. Just stop.
NONE of us just happen to have free time. None of us have time for vacation, most of us don’t have extra money sitting around either – we make time for the things that are important to us. We save money for the things we want to do.
It takes discipline. Self-control. A certain amount of personal drive – but you can do it. You can make this happen, and if you do, I assure you, you will be very glad you did.
The following photos are from our 9th trip – and even though I just rolled back into town yesterday, the planning for trip #10 is already underway…
But of course it is.
Because after all… it’s a tradition.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots.
MAGA-Duck!James sporting a new ‘stacheCollins taking a little siesta… it’s a long driveWaiting for a table at The Delta DinerGrabbing bloodies at Tri Lake Timbers before visiting parentsAt Tri Lake Timbers, calling in for VFW fish fryVisiting the VFW after said fish fryAt the Iron River VFW making small talk Back at the cabin, playing music way too lateOn the deck for more musicTuning upIn between jam sessionsThe road to InoHeaded to Ino, gorgeous wide-open areaWalking through Bayfield to the ferryOn the way to Madeline IslandTaking the ferry to Madeline IslandLake Superior viewPics for the boys – we’re on a boat that carries CARS!Another pic I sent to my boys, hey fellasStopping at The Beach ClubThe Madeline Island Beach ClubLater on at Tom’s Burned Down Café Mike at Tom’s Burned Down Café Ryan at Tom’s Burned Down Café The next day at St. Peter’s for outdoor massCelebrating the anniversary of the Lady of Lourdes ShrineThe Tap Shack next to Delta DinerThe Delta Diner – a must-stop locationBags & brews at The Tap ShackLoaded for bear – time to hit the road3 dudes in this truck + 4 kayaks and 2 coolers plus bags…We all fit… barely…The last morning – heading back to ILSpooner Blows – seems like a local rivalry / tradition… ha!
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I’m packing today. Headed to Iron River, Wisconsin with ‘da boys for the annual BroTrip. I’d love to tell you it’s a fishin’ trip, but the truth is the primary focus will probably be whiskey-fueled storytelling around the fire by the cabin. Reliving memories. Sharing new ones. Good times.
My buddy James and I started this tradition many moons ago, going consistently every year. The accompanying cast changes slightly. It’s nearly impossible to coordinate eight or nine schedules when there are kids and wives involved. James has an older brother named Mike who is flying in this year, and he likes to fish. There was a bit of chatter as we were making plans: “… so Hauser… you got a hitch on your truck?“
Sure do.
Let’s make it happen, cap’n.
God willing, I’ll be fishing in Wisconsin tomorrow afternoon, and you can be darn sure these will be with me:
You can fish a lot of areas thoroughly just by having these 5 items with you, plus a handful of assorted weights. Here’s a few getting used last summer while fishing up near Minocqua, Wisconsin.
Click the banner to jump to The Minimalist Fisherman on YouTube.
* The hair jigs tipped with leeches are the sleeper hit… but even if we can’t get our hands on any leeches (as it is pretty late in the season for that), jigworms can help you cover an area well. Just adjust your weight depending on how fast and deep you want to fish!
This is a bit different than what I lean on in Illinois for smallmouth bass fishing, but if I’m in Wisconsin, you can bet these items are in my tackle bag.
If you have any questions, just let me know.
Tight Lines & Godspeed, Patriots!
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Largemouth bass have 4 Primary Feeding Strategies. We need to understand them if we aspire to become better anglers. These are versatile creatures, utilizing all 4 of the following methods to consume food.
I currently have just one feeding strategy: shovel it in!
… I’m so ashamed of myself…
* sheds a single tear and grabs another handful of beef jerky…*
Oh. * Sniff *
Sorry. Bass. Right. They feed by:
Running Down Food
Stalking
Habituation
Ambush
You could also refer to these strategies as Feeding Tactics.
The appropriate tacticis selected based on the size and shapeof the target prey, along with the following factors.
Look at that big, fat, greasy gizzard shad. How do you plan to eat that?
Running down food is a common tactic for streamlined fish, especially in open water. Salmon, tuna and so on. Those of us that fish inland lakes are more familiar with pike. Line-snappers & hammer-handles. Snakes. I have a friend that guides on the Chequamegon Bay off of Lake Superior, and he often pulls up MASSIVE pike while trolling for walleye and salmon, along with other assorted bigs…
These fish often trail, then run down baits that are being trolled – however, we need to make an important distinction here. Muskies have forward-oriented fields of vision, and they generally stalk prey. This is the second feeding tactic.
Open water fish may maintain pursuit for long distances before they decide to overwhelm prey with a burst of speed. Inland fish won’t trail as long, but these strategies are indeed similar. Stalking fish will generally get close to prey, and rely on an initial burst to catch their food. They don’t always come back for a second swipe if they happen to miss.
Targeting Stalking Fish
One of my favorites to throw for stalking fish is a swim jig, and there are times you can watch streamlined fish like pike track your offering in clear water before deciding to overtake the bait. It’s awesome – and talk about vicious strikes!
Chunky fish (and I mean no offense) use habituation. This is a sneaky tactic, involving setting up close to prey without giving off strike signals. If prey shows weakness, gets careless (too close) or looks sickly – like a lip-smackin’ easy meal – the predator will swiftly strike.
Finally, we have the ambush tactic, which is simply lying in wait for long periods of time, hoping prey moves in close. Close enough for a short strike. Ambush predators are usually highly camouflaged, bulky, and slow.
So when do largemouth bass use each method?
Anglers often make the mistake of assuming that largemouth bass are only ambush predators. We can find them hiding in the shade, under docks, tucked down below thick weeds, and in all sorts of heavy cover.
But largemouth bass are far too versatile to limit themselves.
Largemouth bass are generalists, and that means they use all 4 of the tactics listed above to feed. The tactic they select depends on their surroundings, their size, their activity level, and the prey they are keyed in on.
Inactive bass will retreat to cover and ambush-feed, if they feed at all, while more active bass will be closer to prey, using the habituation tactic. If anything comes along that looks disabled, the bass strikes.
Both ambushand habituationare passive tactics. They work, they are efficient, but they probably won’t provide all the calories that a bass will need for a full day.
Stalking is the most important feeding tactic for largemouth bass. Largemouth will often patrol near cover, alone or in groups, and look for vulnerable objects. At times they will swim more aggressively, which can startle prey, flushing them out of cover and causing them to make mistakes.
It only takes one.
SNAP!
The largemouth will seal the deal.
In reservoirs, it is more common to see a bass use the run-down tactic to capture shad from below. They will use the surface to pin a school of shad, hammering them again and again (remember: the surface is an edge) until they’ve had their fill.
On a recent trip to Bull Shoals, I fished with guide Del Colvin. It was November, air temps in the comfortable mid-60s. We were fishing vertical presentations over 40 to 75 feet of water, targeting large balls of bait that the smallmouth, largemouth and spots were swiping through like sharks.
Del put me on countless quality fish over my 2-day trip. Sold me on moving from Illinois to Arkansas, actually…
It was amazing – unlike anything I’ve ever fished before. All of the sudden jigging spoons made complete sense, and although bass are not specifically built for sustained pursuit, the feeding frenzies of “schoolies” absolutely hammering the shad again and again was a sight to behold.
So for running and stalking, think active presentations.
For habituation or ambush tactics, think slow & vulnerable.
When the bass are active, fishing is great! However… if you’ve fished for more than 5 seconds, you know that we are usually working with neutral or negative fish. Precise presentations are needed to coax these fish to bite – so try different things based on what you learn as you explore.
I’ll be leaving tomorrow, traveling to Iron River, Wisconsin for our annual BroTrip. It’s me and a handful of friends from high school that started the tradition many moons ago. Been going strong for quite a few years now, and I thank God for that. I’ll get back to writing after I return – please pray for safe travels!
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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!
What do you think?