Brad_Coovert

Another muddy water tip, make repeated casts to the same area and follows the same path. Sometimes it takes a bass a few casts/retrieves to home in on that bait in muddy water. Also, as was said, bass normally get tight to cover in muddy water and they usually move shallow. Brad

I'd like to go to Florida and fish Toho early in the year. Then I would have to go to California and fish the Delta. Also, I'd want to try some swimbait bassin' on one of the lakes. Next, I'd have to go to Mexico and have Raul show me some of the hot Mexican bass fishing. Last, I would have to hook up with RW and hit one of those Missouri lakes he fishes. It's be Fat Ikas all around. Brad

I like everything I fish! Brad

I will have to disagree on the water temp with frog fishing. If bass are under matted veggies, they can be caught with a frog, even in cold water. I have been catching frog fish this year in Indiana since mid April in shallow water from the mid 50's to the mid 60's. The fish were in the veggies and the frog brought 'em out. That's not to say something else will not work either, but do not rule out frogs due to cold water. Reminds me of the time I snickered at my boater when I was fishing a top8 one spring on Monroe. We were going down a bare bank in 56 degree water and he was throwing a buzzbait. Like I said, I kinda snickered and kept tossing my jerkbait. I became a believer when he caught several fish on the first pass. I have learned quickly that water temp does not always dictate presentation as much as I thought it once did. I have learned that many bass are far more active earlier in the year than I thought and many big fish spawn very early, even in water only 60 degrees. Brad

Step 1 - Admit you have a problem Step 2 - Remove all Senkos from your boat Step 3 - remove all spare Senkos from your closet, garage, car, truck and office Step 4 - Cut off the 7 Senkos off that you have rigged on your spare rods in the garage Step 5 - Go to Post Office and get required Priority Mail box(s) necessary to pack Senkos Step 6 - Gather all Senkos from Steps 2 through 4 into one place Step 7 - Drool (or cry) one last time as you stare at the dozens, 100's or 1000's of Senkos you have in your pile Step 8 - Remove that pack of Senkos you snuck into your back pocket (Remember, you HAVE a problem) Step 9 - Place all Senkos in the boxes you obtained in Step 5 Step 10 - Ship all Senkos to a designated removal facility (I am an official Senko removal facility, I have a license and everything) Step 11 - Throw away your GYCB catalog Step 12 - Go buy some Chatterbaits or Swim Blades - They are far less addicting. Trust me, this will work. Brad

The Tikis are good baits. The Tikis I use are the swirl series, as GYCB does not have one. Brad

If the fish are shallow, regardless of water temp, you may get some get some action on a topwater. Bait present is even better. I have seen many a fish caught on topwaters in water low 50's and up. Brad

My PB is a 7 lb. 9 oz. taken at West Boggs. I'll have to say that 8 lbs is my next target. Brad

OK, what's so bad about flippin'? Tell the tale. :-? One of my club members just got transferred to Mississippi to manage a new manufacturing plant for his company. His new lakes are a whole lot different than the ones here in Indiana. He can catch fish the way he did up here, but he is learning he will do better with other methods, including flipping. He is just dreading it. Brad

Some of my favorites: Topwater Walking Bait: Lucky Craft Sammy Topwater Popper: Iovino Splash-It Subsurface Crankbaits: Mann Minus Series, Lucky Craft CB001 Shallow Crankbaits: Lucky Craft BDS, Norman Fat Boy Mid Depth Crankbaits: Lucky Craft CB200, Norman Middle N Deep Crankbaits: Lucky Craft D12, Norman Deep Little N and DD22 Flat Sided Crankbait: Lucky Craft MR and DR, Original Shad Rap Jig: Booyah, Jig X Jerkbait: Lucky Craft Pointer Frogs: Spro Bronzeye Plastics: Mainly GYCB, ZOOM, NetBait, Gambler, Reaction Innovations Brad

Can you anchor or is the current too swift? Even if the fish are spooked when you initially anchor up, they should return to normal after you have been there a little bit without much noise. Unless you are worrind about hitting something, I'd turn the sonar off. It can spook fish in shallow water. Is the river clear? I assume so seeing as it is on bedrock. I would use a medium action spinning outfit, 6lb. line and a minicrigged plastic with a 18" leader and 1/4 oz. weight pegged to the line, bait nose hooked with a circle style hook if snags are not a problem. You should be able to get some distance on the cast and hooksets will be easy, just a steady sweep and reel as circle style hooks require no hookset. Just an idea. Brad

This was the first time I went to a BPS show and worked from the other side of the counter. Just got back from working for Save Phace (Fish Hedz) at the BPS in Clarksville, Indiana this weekend helping out with mask questions and sales. I have to say, BPS treats it's vendors very well and 99.9% their staff was super great, except the one .1% guy, he was a real jerk when I asked him to help one of their customers who had a question about a boating product they had on sale. I also met a lot of other vendors there and made some good contacts for the future and learned about some upcoming prodcust from some companies that will be pretty cool. The Shimano rep was mysteriously gone today before I had a chance to chew on him about the slowness of getting left hand reels out. From what I heard at the reel counter, I was one of many. Great show. Brad

IMO, it is not important to match the hatch in color, but it may be important to match the size. I once was fishing a tournament at Brookville in the fall. The vast majority of the shad there were super small, about 1 - 1 1/4" long, based on the shad that a bass spit out all over my boat carpet. We could catch fish on any color that day, as lonig as the baits were very small. Of course, I have had days when the opposite was true and the bait had to be totally different to get bit. Brad

I have had the same problem before, even skin hooking a 4/0 EWG and I discovered my problem. I was putting the hook point back into the plastic too deep. On the hookset, the tube would slide back and the hook point was actually poking into the tube instead of coming out of the plastic into the fish. I just barely skinhook the point now and my hookup ratio on Trigged tubes is about 99%. I use the 4" Prowler or similar tube, 4/0 EWG Superline, 15lb test line and 1/4 oz weight mostly, unpegged. Brad

Luckily for me, the dog house has never come along. 8-) The boat stays in the garage all year, my tackle is bursting all its storage and now I even have my own tackle shop I run out of the home office, soon to have a physical store, I hope. God, I love my wife, I really do! Brad

Cold and muddy - other than drying up, this is the worst lake condition you will probably face. I'm with RW, stay home, have a brew and listen to that Todd Snider CD. Brad

Valascus, ignore all the hype of the Fat Ika, they do not work. RW is just being paid by GYCB to help get rid of the old stock that has been sitting around for years. ;D Brad

If the water has good visibility, I would start with suspending jerkbaits. Standard Pointers and then Staysee's that run deeper. Next I would slow roll a 1/2 oz. or 3/4 oz. - depending on how deep - single colorado spinnerbait along the ledge. Next I would drag a Crigged plastic or drop shot plastic around the ledge. Good luck! Brad

As tournament fishing grows along with prizes, cheating will happen more often. I used to seldom hear about it happening, but now I hear about it several times a year. Brad

Green Pumpkin Green Pumpkin Green Pumpkin Green Pumpkin Oh yeah, and Green Pumpkin. Brad

If it's a factory rod from one of the big names, the guides are most likely not placed properly on the spline. A custom builder or small rod company who has more hands on building will usually produce a properly built rod. Brad

Yes, RoLo, they are the same. Brad

If you're moving that Senko a lot, you're making the #1 mistake that new Senko users make. By all means, using Senkos as twitch baits or jerkbaits will work at times, but the bait does its best when you do nothing. Just cast it out, let it fall on a slack line and let the bait do its thing. When it hits bottom, let it soak and deadstick it. After the soak, lift the rod up and repeat. If no takers on a few casts, add a slight twitch here and there. This is the maximum amount of action I have ever had to add to Senkos. Also, do not avoid fishing them weighted. I like a small screw in weight on a 5" Senko rigged on a straight shank 4/0 round bend Gammie. Toss it around standing timber and flooded wood and let it fall straight down. Brad

I'll take your problem any day! ;D I rig flukes on wide gap EWG hooks and glue 'em at the eye. Brad

Man, I'd have a tough time assigning a percentage to colors, but I do know that watermelon and green pumpkin based colors make up about 2/3 of my plastic usage throughout the year. Brad