bedman

Thanks RW! I was able to run by there yesterday and pick up a few items for cheap. They had some real good deals going. I got a rod that I have had my eye for quite awhile. I also loaded up on hooks and line and my favorite baits. Great deals!

These docks are great for holding fish. Just because there is not a lot of cover nearby, it doesn't mean that fish won't hold there. These docks produce a lot of shade, which I like to think of as a type of cover. Shade creates an ambush point. Remember that shade can extend to either side of the dock depending upon the position of the sun. I fish a lot of lakes and the TN river chain that has these types of docks. They are usually a good fall back pattern to catch a limit of keepers. It also helps to be an accurate caster, so that you can get your bait in places that other anglers cannot.

After reading some of the posts, there's two more things I want to mention about delayed mortality. Delayed mortality is more prevalent during the summer months when temperatures rise. I should have mentioned this in my earlier post. Of course, good livewell management can definitely reduce delayed mortality. Unfortunately, a lot of fishermen do not pay attention to their livewell conditions throughout the day. Mattlures - I understand your position. I have done similar things with transporting fish as well. Despite our best efforts, we probably had around a 20% mortality rate. I think it's still important to listen to all sides of the issues, especially scientists that may have a larger set of data to work from. I am not saying you are wrong, but just stating that the biologists opinions cannot be ignored. They have a large amount of resources to use to form an opinion.

I don't fully understand all the circumstances concerning this situation, but I would like to relay some information I learned earlier this year at a bass club meeting. We had a very reputable fisheries biologist speak and he went into detail about delayed mortality. If you catch a fish 5 lbs. and larger, it is best to immediately release it. If you keep the fish in the livewell all day and take it to a weigh-in, you might as well keep it. The research and statistics indicate that while the fish may swim away, it will most likely die in the next day or two. I think we all forget about delayed mortality while handling big bass.

I have to second the 3/4 oz. hot lips is a real good bait. I don't think the fish see it as much as other crankbaits and it is underrated. It can also be very difficult to find. The Fat Free Shad is also fantastic. I fish it on 10 lb. flourocarbon so that it will reach its maximum depth.

Remember that line is basically a plastic. If it gets a very small crack, cut, or nick, then any pressure or force applied to it will cause the cut/nick to propogate, resulting in breakage. When fishing wood or rocks, check your line often. Also, don't forget about checking your not too. A cut in part of the knot can cause a break at the knot.

I'm a big advocate of club fishing. It's not so much the tournament setting, but getting to know the guys and learning new things that I enjoy most. I had the same anxious feelings that kept me from joining for years, but once I met a few people and fished a few tournaments, things became a lot of fun. Have fun and just enjoy each day on the water. Bass clubs are a lot like other social circles too. There's a lot of people in the group that you will seldom talk to or fish with, but there will be 2 or 3 guys that you will get to know really well and become good friends with. This is the real joy of bass club membership.

Jigs and worms are great baits, but don't limit yourself. I think of fishing baits as a tool box. I may be able to get by with a hammer and handsaw most of the time, but there are times when a wrench is the perfect tool. I constantly work on expanding my tool box and learning how to use each tool. Each year, I pick a bait/presentation/style that I want to learn or improve. I might spend $30 on the necessary tackle and always have it tied up and ready to go. Each outing (if conditions are right) I'll work on the bait/presentation that I am learning or refining for a small part of the day. I have found that in the last few years, it has really paid off. For example, one year I decided to focus on learning how to "walk the dog". I didn't catch jack, but I got real good at doing it. Now, this year, for whatever reason, there was a good topwater bite, and I already knew how to walk the dog.

I also like a square billed crank bait while fishing wood. It makes a huge difference. Also, learn the bow and arrow technique. I would say it works for me over 60% of the time. When you do get hung, sometimes the bill is just buried in the cover. I keep slight pressure on it until it floats up and continue working it. Although, I have to say, sometimes a bass grabs it when it starts floating back up!

Good luck. My brother is working on a PhD within that field. He attended Miss. St. for his undergraduate and Nicholls St. in Louisiana for his Masters and really enjoyed both places. He is currently working at Tennessee Tech, doing research in streams in the mountains. From what I understand, most people in the field seek advanced degrees because the pay is not the greatest in the world. Also, a lot of people minor in business, since consulting work makes up a large portion of the field. One more thing - this is not a desk job degree. My brother may be in the middle of no where for a week's time while working. People that are not hands on and do not enjoy the outdoors have trouble making it in the field. I've heard several stories of people that have trouble because they don't enjoy boating, fishing, gutting fish, camping, hiking, etc. There's times where he may be hiking through the mountains with over fifty pounds of equipment on his back. It is definitely a job for a man's man at times.

Just a note about laying fish on the ground..... When fish are laid on the ground, floor of a boat, etc., it can remove the slime coat of the fish. It takes time for the slime coat to regeneratre. The slime coat acts as a barrier from infection and disease. I think, as with anything else in life, it cannot hurt to be as gentle as possible with a fish during handling. Anything that reduces the fish's stress level increases the odds of the fish surviving when it is released.

Good luck. As is my custom, I would suggest looking into bass club fishing. It's not for everyone, but it can help with the learning process. You can learn more in one year from people that have been fishing for 20 plus years than you can by fishing by yourself for 5 years. For your tournament, I would suggest to keep your bait in the water and don't spend a lot of time riding around the lake from spot to spot. I would just block off one small section of the lake and concentrate on figuring out fish in that area. I would probably concentrate on shallow water early and then move on to deep structure as it warmed up. Good luck.

A lot of areas now have junior bass clubs, where the father and son fish together. For example, the junior club in my area allows the father to weigh in one fish and the son to weigh in five. The goal is for the kids to have the best possible experience. A bass club is definitely the way to start out and get their feet wet.

I also have enjoyed Sega's Bass Fishing Duel. My favorite, however, has always been Bass Strike. It's a little cheesy and sometimes predictable, but I enjoy being able to fish an entire lake, and just not an area. Fighting the fish can sometimes be time consuming and cumbersome, but I think the graphics and lake layouts make up for a lot of it. Rapala's game is terrible when compared to other fishing games. Just awful. Blech.

Our club had a tournament there last weekend. The winner had 10 pounds. The lake was muddy and it was windy. Most people reported catching a couple of slots. Only about 4 overs were weighed in. It was actually a pretty good tournament given the conditions. I would give more information, but with the St. Jude Tournament coming up on the 25th and the U of M tournament this weekend, I don't want to give away information to people trolling the boards. Best of luck to those planning on fishing.