Matt Fly

The new size just started coming out, they are dynamite, try some 5 inchers, they work. Matt

I was introduced to them in the 80's, I had two break in the bends on San Vicente resorvoir in Cali. Never used them again, I lost two large bass. Matt

I have to agree that spoons and in-line spinners are very underated. By the way, Tom Redington has mentioned spoons in his reports recently. You see less and less people using tubes also. Thats not saying its under-rated, just that you don't see it being mentioned as much. Matt

Normally, most tournaments just ask for a parent or guardian to sign the entry form. Higher end tournaments may have age restrictions, such as FLW and BASS. Matt

California waters for example. Most San Diego Resorvoirs are very deep. Take into account that average summer temps and winter temps are mild compared to other regions in the US. This allows a bass to grow 365 days a year no matter how long she lives. What other areas of the US meet those conditions? You don't see any lakes from the north, midwest, challenging the WR. Why? Even if you had F1's stocked, you wouldn't have opmtimium conditions to grow them. Matt

Theres a difference in Structure and contours. Matt

Don't really get into the FLW, or haven't this year as much. Mark Davis is very familar with the lake, he guided there for years. Scott Suggs considers it as his home lake and has won a many tournaments there. George Cochran another local that has won major events there. With all this home water, wasn't it the first time ever that a qualifier won on his home waters on the BASS side this year. Does that hold true on the FLW side? No FLW pro has ever won the championship on his home waters. I'm going with a local's picks from Fork, Mark Pack, owner of the Lake Fork Tackle. George was my first choice, but Mark said he would add those other two because of home field advantage. Maybe its the year to have home field advantages in Pro fishing. Matt

Type of bass, ie.....Florida's, Native LM, or Nothern bass. Ideally, a body of water that doesn't get to hot or too cold, one that doesn't stress a bass at different times. The key to growing big bass is longivety, how long is the life expectancy in your region. That is also a good question for Mr Hannon. Matt

Is this a wind blown point that would hold planktons? Wind positions planktons in the water with a few days of steady wind, shad will be were their food source is. Where the shad are, bass won't be far off. I like to turn up my sensitivity on my graph (if needed) to find the thermocline in the water which is important for deep fishing. The shad will be in the thermocline. "IF" the thermocline is set up at 22 ft, take a map and find all contours, and structures that intersect at 22 ft. The fish may not be with the shad at that time, but will be in that depth zone on points, humps, road beds, trees. They will be awaiting the shad to move in and feed on those areas that hold the wind blown planktons. Turning the sensitivity up will look like two bottoms, the upper being the thermocline. Matt.

I have some boat docks that I like to have cranks on that don't run true, they will run right or left, and they are marked as such, running one under a portion of the dock can really put some good fish in the boat. Matt.

I try to keep wet towel on the bottom just in case, but I'm guilty of it also once in awhile. Trying to take precautions is all we can do as fishermen. Those suckers are slippery and elusive at times. Matt.

Berkley has a big hook and through the gills is dangerous to the fish because of sudden flops that can throw the hook into the gills and kill the fish due to gill damage. I have taken a few of the old metal stringer keepers off. They are tiny in comparison to the scale hook, and leave a small hole, and can be fastened in where the fish can't throw it out of there mouth. You simply take the scale hook and hook the metal stringer hook. Matt

Those are very nice bass that any pro would love to have in their livewells if fishing in a tourney in your waters. What was your secret baits? Matt

If I may add to Catt's wisdom. I can catch more numbers shallow with wacky rigs and such and that doesn't do it for me. I catch fewer bass with jigs, but more quality, yet those fish see a jig by bank beaters all the time. Now I can go out in the middle of the lake, and normally put more weight in the boat with higher numbers of quality fish that are less pressured due to the "mental or comfort zones" aspect of the bank beaters. Its like they need a target to flip, pitch, or cast to. AS for pros, there are pros that have to wait on the right conditions before they have an honest chance to win one fishing shallow. If you look at consistency, the guys making the cuts, they are the ones that do alittle of every thing well. How many times have we seen Denny Brauer make a living fishing deep water. His strength lies in jigs shallow, and that bite isn't there year around or the lakes that were selected were at wrong times of the year. Remember, the old days, the season was over in June, and in June, you have brim spawns that still keep bass interested in shallow bites. That schedule no longer exists, it staggered into the summer months. I am a firm believer you are missing the bite. Matt

I forgot about the Saints in the NFC. If the Saints can tighten the defense up, they have as good of a chance as any one. Two of the best rookies in the league last year and one of them was a steal. Bush and Colston. Colston would have gotten my vote for Offensive Rookie of the year. Drew Brees has been a winner since he was in JR High!!!!!! And the winning hasn't seemed to stop at any of the other stops along the way. I don't think Drew ever lost a regular season High School game at Austin Westlake. He put Purdue on the map in the Big 10. He's a winner, and winners find a way to get their teams wins. They have some young talent around him. I like my Cowboys chances also. Moving Roy Williams closer to the line is gonna put some black and blue marks on some running backs. We still have an unproven QB in Romo. Matt

Don't do it!!!! Joey had more talent in Detriot in the recieving core and couldn't get it done, he never had a line to block, but his confidence has been shot. Unless the WR's have learned to catch or been upgraded, Crumpler the only one who can catch consistently. Joey is not the same guy who plaed in Oregon, the boy had moxy coming out of college. Getting hit, and knocked down in Detroit has hurt his confidence. Matt

Both tours flip fish of lesser size in the boats, the guys with nets lay them on hot decks somethimes, as stated, some back seaters just lay the net and get back to business. I found more skill in watching KVD land his Lake Lewisville record 11 pound plus fish on lite line with a shakey head than watching it get netted. I find it takes more skill to land giants as opposed to the large bass that get netted on the FLW. Nets have come along way, but slime coats do rub off with any nets, and if my memory serves me, netting and laying on the carpet as opposed to the percentage of bass in BASS that are lipped and handled without touching the carpet would aide in survival more than FLW policy. Both tours flips bass in the boat, Thus you get fish flopping on both tours. One tour lands big bass by lipping, the other by netting. Most lipped bass don't hit the carpet, where as alot of netted fish do. I still say mano to mano makes for a more sporting chance, and better TV. Hookem Matt

Last year was a learning year for my fellow longhorn, Vince. He won't catch teams off guard this year as he did last year. A few of those wins were due to the other teams lack of concentration on defense, ie... last minute wins. It will be tougher this year, but I hope I'm wrong. I think Chicago is the better built team in the NFC, Championships are won with a very solid defense, and very few Super Bowls have ever been won with a high powered offense. Lets see if Rex move the ball with consistency this year. Chicago in the NFC, and the AFC is a toss up. NE, SD, Balt. and Defending SB champs, the Colts all can win it all in the AFC. With that being said, lets see how injuries play into the season. Matt

How deep is too deep? For this time of the year, I like to set up around the thermocline. With all the rains in Tex during June, it took its time setting up this year. I like to let the food source tell me how deep to concentrate. If the shad are holding in the thermocline at 22', the bass won't be far from that zone either. When I was in Cali, fishing past 40 feet seemed dumb, I learned that different lakes don't go by everyones norm. Matt

To answer the question, if you break the law then yes, but there are alot of lakes in texas called Slot lakes that make it legal to keep undersized fish.....ie....Lake Fork has a 16-24 inch slot limit. You may keep 5 fish under 16 inches and or only one over 24 inches, 5 total for the day but only one over fish. So on Fork, you shouldn't get busted. Matt

It has been said that you keep a male that is caught off the nest, as to allow the female to come in and lay her eggs, and laws govern legal sizes. I asked the Proffessor if Bass emit a phermone that I have read in other articles that warns other fish in the school when released, does it warn the school. His reply was no. So other than spawn situations, there doesn't appear to be an explanable reason for doing this. If any thing, keeping the bass in the livewell is more stressfull than a quick release. Matt

Oh there are tackles in soccer, and they tend to be more violent than football because they have more momentum coming into them. That there is down right funny, and I don't care who you are. Soccer tackles are more violent than football. Andbody care to volunteer to prove that theory. One tackles legs with shin guards, the other (real football) tries to knock your head off. LMAO, thats just funny stuff there. Matt

35 days and a wake up to the start of the Longhorns season. Don't tell the RiskKid that Bowden left his Vols off his list. Hookem Matt

Its really hard to wait for justice and the phrase, "innocent until proven guilty". But if its true, Glen is gonna sensory me, and he hasn't had to do that in ages. If Vick is innocent, then I'm guilty for not allowing due process, cause it don't look good in the early going. I do feel that six years of investigation, and a "supposedly eye witness" that has said on interviews of bets worth $40,000, and 20-40 other proffessional atheletes that are also involved, and involved maybe just spectators or gamblers, that there are only 4 individuals charged, and thats Vick and his posse. What about the other dog owners, and gamblers, shouldn't there have been more charges after six years of investigation. That alone seems odd. Are they gonna use other dog owners to turn states evidence to fry Vick, cause they aren't mentioning anyone else. Matt

42 days and a wake up. Are you ready for some college football? On paper this year, whos got the goods? I really haven't looked at who left college early, the recruiting classes coming in. My early scouting report for the Horns with out too much research. The horns lost alot on secondary that got alot of recognition, why I didn't know. The stopped the run all year and teams realized that you could throw on Texas all season. So any improvement there is already a plus. We have speed on Offense and Colt McCoy is no longer a freshman, we will see if he has sophmore slump or ready to Texas to the next level again. We recruited talent on both sides of the line, and have some experience coming back. Same dogs in the fight for the South title. A&M will be more dangerous this year with 3 rd year QB McGhee. Tough Kid, he's gonna win some games, its in his blood. I hated saying that, but give him his respect, he's earned that since Jr high!!! Ya'lll Hookem and have a good weekend. Matt