scaleface

Yeah , there are better ways to land a fish than to bring it in hand over hand .?

How long I dead stick depends on how bad the back-lash is .

Buzz a 5 inch grub on surface like a buzzbait .

Thats why I never use braid . I have never sliced my finger on mono .

Nothing . One of the things I do that most anglers dont is hold a casting rod in front of the reel then gently squeeze the line between my index finger and thumb . Been doing this since I was a kid , jigging crappie jigs along river banks with zebco 202's .

I make them as light as 1/8th ounce .

I remember reading Roland martin won a couple of tournaments on a Fred Young Big O . He was giving a presentation and showing it around and it disappeared . Someone swiped his prized tourney winning crankbait .

In seems to me the average fish caught on a jig is bigger than a Texas rig . Texas rigs catch just as many big fish but also more smaller fish , so the average is smaller . I dont fish jigs as much as Texas rigs because I like numbers and big fish .

What kind of birds were they ? Usually when I see gulls and fish attacking shad I catch fish by bouncing a Lipless crankbait on the bottom underneath them .

Are there otters there? I'm guessing otter . Would talons leave a gash like that ? Ive seen otter bites on river smallmouths and thats what they look like .

I cant cast them "well" on a baitcaster either , so I dont use them .

Up next is Travis lake which is a clear, deep highland reservoir . I'm mostly staying clear of the deep water finesse anglers and going with the power fishermen . I cant do any worse . A Alton Jones Jr. Lorena, TX - B Gerald Swindle Warrior, AL - C Hank Cherry Maiden, NC - D Kelley Jaye Dadeville, AL - E Jason Williamson Wagener, SC

A couple of decades back I was having one of those days where I was having a difficult time putting the puzzle together . I was being skunked on a beautiful summer day under good conditions . I was pretty sure the fish were right there in the vegetation but could not get one to bite. I reasoned they were getting to good of a look at my offerings so I started burning a spinnerbait through the grass as fast as my Ambassasauer with 4.6 to 1 gear ratio would go. It wasnt long before I hooked up and then another ... I dont remember what spinnerbait I used that day , could have been a Fleck Weed Wader as I was fond of them . Anyway , when the fishing should be better than the results I'm getting , its a technique that I rely on .

I use pretty much the same lures as in lakes . Buzzbzits , spinnerbaits , various plastics , jigs and crankbaits . Largemouths like to hang around cover in slack water , smallies like a little more current . Cast upstream as much as possible but you can get bit casting downstream too .

A big yes. I have caught a lot of big bass from a pond that was over run by duck weed and slime . No-one else would even fish it . I drug a weightless soft plastics over the top of it . Take a Yum Swurm [I used the riverside Top Gun , same thing} and rig it with the biggest heaviest flipping hook you have .The flat worm slides over the stuff amazingly well . The heavy hook helps adds casting weight and your also going to bring in several lbs of vegetation as well as the fish . The fish could not even put up a fight because they were so tangled up in the stuff . I would cast it out and let it plop on top . Then twitch the rod tip skyward . The lure would sit in place and slap on the gunk getting the basses attention. Move it a little and repeat . Stop it at holes . You never know where the hits will happen . Sometimes they blow up through the slime and sometimes smash it at the openings . Its a very exciting and productive way to fish . I use 15 Big Game .

If your looking for fun , its hard to beat a buzzbait when they are working .

Just keep at it . Eliminating water , lures...is a skill that gets better with experience . If you like fishing you can live with the frustration , knowing that things will get better .

Thats it for me . 921 points . I did have four anglers make the 1st cut . I predict next tourney Senko Lover surpasses me . I should not have made fun of him after the first tourney . Karma , LOL

I dont have a specific number . Sometimes I'll hit the outside edges first then work my way deeper and sometimes I'll pitch to the center first . If I make a good presentation without a bite I might duplicate that pitch might not . On a good tree i might spend twenty minutes or two minutes .

About the only time I throw a Carolina rig is when I want to cover water fast like on a deep flat . I use a 3/4 to 1 ounce egg sinker and a two to three foot leader . Texas rigs , I throw everywhere .

Clunn didnt even show up to the weigh in . Thats the third time in two years . Twice last year I picked him and he didnt even show up . I think its time for him to retire .

KVD is the only one . LOL . This sport is crazy .

sun screen , paper towels , a rag , a noodle for swimming . If the wateris warm enough , I'm jumping in .

Invest in a good filet knife .

Kentucky Lake is still a couple of weeks away .