Catt

Vertical Fishing When I mentioned Vertical Fishing I'm not necessarily referring to vertically fishing straight under the boat although this presentation is productive in cold water conditions. I want to key on areas of the structure that have the fastest drops into deeper water as opposed to larger flats. When looking at a map I'm looking for contour lines that are close together and keying on these areas. Now if you weren't confused before you certainly are now

With all the new interest in jigs lately I think this one is worth repeating Believe it or not, winter provides some of the better months for jig fishing. The reason is that the water temperature is cold, the bass don't normally bite well, and they aren't aggressive. So slower, more precise presentations are usually the best ways to catch them. Jigging spoons or the jig-n-pig (pork frog) are probably the two most popular methods. If you want to get into the finesse end of things, fishing a small grub can also be good. But my favorite, naturally, is the jig-n-pig (or craw). Vertical Fishing On most bodies of water in winter we're looking at a vertical situation as far as cover types go. To explain: Bass usually move deeper during the winter months. On some lakes that may mean they pull into creek channel for the winter. On other lakes, where everything is pretty well shoreline-related, they might move to steeper banks, 45-degree banks or bluffs, which are the areas where they're probably going to spend the winter. One thing you can just about bet on is that wintertime bass are going to be close to deep water. I'm not saying you can't catch them shallow because if you get a few nice days during the winter some of the fish will move up. They may also get on shallow targets next to deep water. Keep deep water and a slow retrieve in mind, and you'll be a little better off during winter months. Fish on the Bottom When I'm fishing during the wintertime, I usually relate to the bottom. That's where I'm trying to find the bass I'm not looking for suspended winter fish. I'm looking primarily for fish that are relating to some type of structure, whether it is a brush pile or a treetop that has been put on the bottom. For some reason, rock cover is very attractive to bass in the colder water situations. Some of my best winter fishing has been on steep rocky banks. Remember that deep is relative to the part of the country you're fishing. Five feet may be deep on some Florida lakes while in the Midwest you could be looking at a 25' to 30' zone. The weight of the jig you fish should change with depth. If I'm looking at the 5-foot zone, a heavy jig could be 3/8 ounce. If I', looking at 25 feet, I'm probably going to be looking at a 1/2 to 3/4 ounce bait. Fish Slowly I want to get that bait down to the fish. I want to maintain contact with the bottom. Try to crawl the bait along the bottom in short spurts, basically dragging it. You don't want to sweep it off the bottom like you would during the summer. To repeat: winter jig fishing means a slow, tedious retrieve with pauses between movements of the bait. Often that's what it takes to get some of the sluggish wintertime bass to bite. Keep in mind that the bass will be grouped this time of year. It can be a long time between bites, but when you get a fish to hit, there are probably a bunch of them down there. So stick with it. Establish a rhythm One of the best secrets I learned years ago is to establish the rhythm of baits. Explanation: when I'm fishing a Texas rigged worm I cast it out, let it settle to the bottom while holding my rod at the 12 o'clock position, then lower the rod tip to the three o'clock while reeling in slack and feeling for any thing unnatural. Then I three hop the bait, three o'clock to two o'clock, two o'clock to one o'clock, one o'clock to 12 o'clock, and then pause. I vary the speed between hops according to the time of the year, fast in warm weather, slow in cold weather. With a jig I use a shorter version, more of a shake, shake, shake with the bait moving only a couple of inches. Learn what works in your area and watch your catch rate go up! Catt

Call me old school but I still prefer the 14

Fish em both & let the bass tell you which one they like

2007 LSU: Sept. 8 Beats No. 8 Virginia Tech, 48-7 Sept. 22 Beats No. 12 South Carolina, 28-16 Oct. 6 - Beats No. 9 Florida, 28-24 Oct. 13 - Loses at No. 17 Kentucky, 43-37 (3OT) Oct. 20 - Beats No. 18 Auburn, 30-24 Nov. 3 - Wins at No. 17 Alabama, 41-34 I dare anybody in any conference to play that schedule and come out with just 1 loss

Not

Glenn Dorsey

How Y'all Are?

Here in the Deep South its cold windy rainy winters but I still chunk-n-reel; while you may not catch quantities you will catch quality.

I've been looking for a while now and its nuts, new or used, glass or aluminum; my problem is there is no place close to me. So I'm gonna have to drive to Baton Rouge or Houston or Dallas/Ft Worth.

If I'm fishing brush or wood I'll opt for 3/16-5/16 oz, usually un-pegged; if I'm fishing grass I'll opt for 3/8-3/4 oz. pegged.

Never said Tyvek® wasn't well suited for the job; I said I hated wearing them and Frogg Toggs remind me to much of Tyvek®.

Bass Pro Shops have Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap® Mini-Trap® 1/4 oz & Tiny trap® 1/8 oz

I have a good buddy that lives on an island in Beaver; yes the Indian creek area Y'all think i only know Toledo Bend :

Big bass for the tournament wins H3 Hummer & Triton 186Dc powered by 150 Mercury One of my partners won a Triton on Toledo Bend this year with a 3 lb even bass; only bass he caught all day. Bob Sealy also does a big catfish tournament and a little anglers division for bass, catfish, perch, and crappie. Total weight for 3 days on the Bend was 1,719.76 with 452 bass weighed in for a 3.8 lb average Oh yea Matt it's Lake Guntersville, Alabama

Depends on what type of cover your flipping & how deep

Not on your list Garfield on the north end of the lake; Carolina Rig with a leader length of about 2-3', ½ oz sinker, and a green/brown crawfish plastic.

This is the rod I use for those same baits Shimano Crucial CRC-X610MH Length: 6' 10 Line: 10-20 lb Lure: 3/8-3/4 Power: Medium Heavy Action: Extra Fast

Keep in mind vertical presentations are what are required to fish heavy grass; I rarely flip more than 15-20' away; this is also the time for braided line because it'll cut through the grass.

Question.......which model jig and what weight do you think best for thick weed mats in approx. 4' of water. Answer: Oldham's Lures Trailer Hitch Jig, 3/8 oz Question...... do you trim the weedguard? Answer: With Oldham's jigs there is no need to trim the weed Guard Question.........do you think rattles are a plus or a minus in the weeds. Answer: Never use rattles

Can't stand Frogg Toggs; remind me to much of Tyvek® Coveralls I had to wear will working in the refineries; noisy, non-breathable, & don't last.

I order a lot of my plastics factory direct by the 100s so I divided them into 25s in Ziploc bags

Senile1, I to am in the process of looking for a new/used boat; here's what I've look at in new. Xpress boats introduced a package price they call Nationally Advertised H18 Length: 18' Bottom: 68 Beam: 95 Weight: 1294 Max HP: 150 Fuel: 24 gal Motor: Yamaha V150TLR Package Price: $19,995

7 of the top 25 are SEC Five of the top coaches in college football Frank Beamer: Virginia Tech Steve Spurrier: South Carolina Urban Myers: Florida Tommy Tuberville: Auburn Nick Saban: Alabama Les Miles beat them all in the same year Fear Da Hat