river-rat

Overall I'm doing okay. Had the surgery on Thursday of last week and it went well. Pain has not been an issue at all - have not had to take any pain meds so far. Luckily I'm left handed so that helps a great deal. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor on Friday so I'll know more then. The worst part is not being able to fish. My brother and nephew have been having some really productive trips the past couple of weeks. It's really hard not being out there. Hopefully i can make up for lost time by late summer. Thanks for asking. I can assure you as soon as I can get back on the water I'll be one happy camper.

I don’t play music while fishing. I try to pay attention to what’s going on around me that can clue me in to what the fish are doing that day. Music would just be a distraction for me.

Thank you all for your support. My surgery is later today so I'm ready to get this started and on the road to recovery. I keep telling myself it's not so bad about missing the spring bite. I actually do very well catching fish in late summer and through the fall.

Well, I really did it now. I tore my distal bicep tendon 3 weeks ago and will be having surgery to repair it tomorrow morning. At first the doctor thought it was a partial tear and would not require surgery, but the MRI is showing a complete tear so surgery is basically my only option if I want to have full use of my right arm. Of course when I'm asked how I did this and I have to be honest that I did something really stupid. After a day of fishing I had put my boat on the trailer and when I went to hook the winch strap I noticed that the nose of the boat was about 2 inches off center - like that made any difference. Any way, I decided I could just jerk it over with my arm. Big mistake. I heard the tendon tear and of course there was a great deal of pain. I immediately knew I had screwed up big time. Looking at 6 months recovery with PT and all. So, I'm out of commission until at least late August or so. You would think at 73 years old I would know better than to try moving a 1500 pound boat with just my arm. But lesson learned. I'll get through this but I'm not a happy camper right now. And to add insult to injury, the bass are on fire in south Louisiana right now. I'll be living vicariously through you guys for the next several months. Try to save a few for me.

I am never without a Smithwick Devils Horse, Rogue, Cordell Redfin, Johnson Silver Minnow, Rapala #13, or Rattle Trap in my boat. I use these all the time. And, if I can add three more - A 4” Salt Craw now made by Yum (formerly made by Gene Larew) An Arbogast Mudbug And last but not least a Snagless Sally

I’ll soon be 74 and after 60+ years of chasing largemouths I have to say I still have a positive attitude when I put my boat in the water. I’m no longer trying to catch a boat load of fish. I know I’ll sooner or later catch a few during the day but if I don’t so what. I’ll be just as ready the next morning to get out again. I’m at the point where I’m starting to wonder how many years I have left to pursue what has been a passion since I was 12 years old. I figure anything I catch from here on is a blessing and I thank God for the opportunities I have left.

In the early spring on some of the lakes I fish there is an early morning deep water bite beginning just as dawn is breaking and continues for about an hour. Back during my tournament years I was able to either win or place high in several contests because of this activity. After the bite falls off there is then a period of time before the bass get active again at some point around mid- morning. I know it’s can be cold and uncomfortable but if you’re dressed for it, in my experience it’s worth the trouble to be out there.

Cypress trees are the primary cover I fish in Louisiana. My best advice is to understand that bass do not always hold on the base of the tree. I usually approach a tree by fishing 10-15 feet on one side of the tree and working my way to the base. Then I will continue fishing the other side a few feet before going to the next target. Another tip, look for isolated trees away from others and fish completely around the tree. Sometimes you can catch multiple fish off of an isolated tree. If you’re using spinner baits or crank baits cast past the target and guide the bait to hit the trunk if the tree - then kill it for a second and start the retrieve again. Sometimes you can generate a reaction strike with this technique.

On 14# test monofilament a Mudbug will run about 9-10 feet on a long cast.

Here in south Louisiana we have had our coldest weather this winter over the past 10-12 days. Lows in the upper teens to low 20’s at night with highs in the upper 30’s. All that changes starting tomorrow. Highs will be in the mid 70’s by the end of the week. In the area I concentrate on this time of year the bass are already in pre-spawn and will be actively feeding by this time next week.

When specifically tageting bedding bass I rely on a Smithwick Rogue or a Cordell Redfin in Gold/Orange Belly and either a 6-8" Zoom Lizard or a 4" Salt Craw.

Bass are starting to stage in the area I concentrate on in south Louisiana. It should get really good in the next two weeks.

A 7 1/2 inch Red Shad/Green Glitter worm. Been using this for over 40 years and it still produces in south Louisiana, especially the Atchafalaya Basin.

I have a lot of confidence in the standard size Zoom Brush Hog on a Texas Rig during the winter if a jig doesn't seem what the fish want that day. As for colors, I only use three: Black/Red Glitter, Watermelon/Red Glitter, and Junebug.

Devils Horse both the 3/8 and 1/2 oz in chrome/blue back/orange belly, Silver Shiner and Perch. I also have quite a few in colors no longer produced that I rely on. If you can find one on eBay in the color Dragon Fly I highly recommend it. Heddon Baby Torpedo in just about any color. Cordell Boy Howdy in gold/orange belly

I have fished mainly at night from mid-May to October since the 1980’s. Here are some of my suggestions. A blacklight is not necessarily needed but I use one all the time. I also use 17-20 lb. test Stren clear blue fluorescent line for all my night fishing. I keep it real simple as far as tackle. I use a 5/8 oz. spinner bait and a 10” worm on a Texas rig. On occasion I’ll use a buzz bait. I recommend keeping your running lights on if there is a lot of other boats in the area. I use a headlamp with a red light which will not affect your night vision. You only need it when landing and unhooking a fish. Keep your life jacket on at all times. No reason to take any chances. If you have time I recommend scouting the area during the daytime to familiarize yourself with it. The main thing is take your time and don’t get in a hurry. I can tell you night fishing can be addictive. Hope some of this helps.

Summer of 1973 in the Atchafalaya Basin. That was the year the Morganza Spillway was opened for the first time to relieve pressure on the Mississippi River levees downstream. When the water finally fell to fishable levels in the Basin and we were catching as many as 100-150 bass a day. The fishing was so good I skipped the fall semester at LSU so I could fish everyday.

I am a fanatic about keeping my trailer in top shape. I check tire pressure every month and I make sure the trailer lights are always working. Also, I change the bearings and racers in both tires every year. And I still carry a spare hub packed and ready just in the event that something happens along with spare set of bearing buddys. I had a hub failure many years ago and ever since I don't take any chances.

A flipping tube is one of my confidence baits. For years I have used a 4” tube made by Right Bite Baits.

I would suggest going to Ebay and searching for the Norman Baby N. Might find what you're looking for. I still use it from time to time.

I'm not a big fan of the realistic paint jobs. I still rely on the old school colors in all my crankbaits. I should also point out the Cordell Big O shown in the lower left of the picture posted by Columbia Craw is still one of the best colors I have used in the Atchafalaya Basin since the mid 70's.

Living in south Louisiana it's never too cold to go fishing. It's rare that we have a day that the daytime temperature doesn't reach at least 50 degrees. When the morning temps are in the 30's I usually wait for it to warm up a bit before launching the boat. I will say that after a strong front passes and the Barometric Pressure is 30.3 or above, I may not be enthusiastic about going out. It's been my experience that fishing becomes extremely tough in those conditions. Fortunately, being retired I get to pick and choose the days I'll go.

Back when I started bass fishing in the mid 1960's we used straight tail worms made by Creme, Delong, and Fliptail. Another straight tail worm was the Flutter Tail worm made by Champion Tackle which was especially popular on Toledo Bend in it's early days. The first curly tail worms that I recall were made by Mister Twister in the early 1970's. After these came on the market most companies started making their own version of curly tail worms.

I have using the Smithwick Devils Horse since the 1960's and it's one of my favorite topwaters. There were two models of the traditional lure. The 3/8 oz. is the slimmer version whereas the 1/2 oz. is somewhat larger especially on the front end. A couple of things to keep in mind when using this lure. The propellers can be adjusted by bending forward which will cause the bait to not move as far forward on the twitch. Bending them backwards will cause it to move further each time you twitch it. The 1/2 oz. can be difficult to cast with accuracy because of it being larger on the front end. To compensate for this, I'll swap the line tie and the back hook around to where the slim part is in the front of the lure. I always start with a couple of light twitches and then let it rest for a while. I'll adjust from there depending on the mood of the fish. But, I don't ever recall having any success working the lure rapidly across the surface. The best colors I have used are Chrome/Blue Back/Orange Belly, Chrome/Black Back/Orange Belly, and Perch. I would suggest checking Ebay if you have any trouble finding these colors. My all-time best producer has been a color called Dragonfly which has not been made for decades. Thankfully I still have several in stock. I probably have at least 3-4 dozen Devil's Horses in my tackle selection dating back 60+ years. In my opinion it's one of the best topwater lures ever made.

I've been using solid chartreuse spinnerbaits since the early 70's in heavily stained to muddy water. And there are times when tandem chartreuse willow leaf blades will outproduce anything else.