Winter Bait Selection

Wiggle Wart Trick

Jig Trailer Selection

Lake of the Ozarks Qualifier

Kentucky Lake Regional Vids

Finally Got My Mask

Today I got my Save Phace Mask. Last year I got by with a friends paintball mask that I borrowed and the problem with it was that water would find it’s way through the mask. It didn’t matter even if I duck tapped it. Another big problem with paint ball masks is that they would fog up really bad. I’m hoping that wearing a Save Phace Mask will solve a lot of these problems. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that flying down the lake at 70mph and getting hit with hail or rain can take it’s toll on your face. Just a light rain at 20mph can make it hard to see. So far I like that the masks are really light weight which makes them a lot easier on your neck than a motor cycle helmet. I also got some pictures from a friend to share of my time down at the National Guard Central Division College Fishing Regional at Kentucky Lake. The pictures bring back some good memories and also remind me though how close we were to qualifying for the National Championship.

Winter Time Pond Trick

I spent a lot of time at the local ponds when I was a kid and when the water got really cold the bass action would really shut down. On a lot of ponds you don’t have bait fish like shad. You usually have either bluegill or crayfish. I have never had much luck on suspending jerkbaits while fishing ponds and a lot of times the jig bite just isn’t there for whatever reason.

After much experimentation I found that a weightless senko was one of the hottest baits that you could throw on these small bodies of water. The key to fishing these baits was to rig them wacky style with an octopus hook.

I would put a small split shot just up the line about 12 inches or so from the bait to help get it down towards the bottom where the fish were.

The technique was giving the bait a couple of twitches and then letting it sit for 20 or 30 seconds. I could catch the bass on this technique in clear and dirty water ponds. It didn’t seem to matter. I had the best results fishing the set up on 10lb test line.

I probably caught more cold water bass from the neighborhood ponds on that technique in the winter than anything else. The technique is so productive because the bait has a great action on the fall, it sinks so slow, and it looks easy for the bass to catch.

For colors I kept it pretty simple. Usually I tossed a watermelon or a green pumpkin senko. Once and a while I had some success on black and blue fleck in the dirty ponds.

Key things to look for are rocks and lay downs close to deeper water. If the sun was shining on them all the better.

If you decide to give some of the small lakes a shot at ice out be sure to pick up a wacky rigged senko.You won’t be disappointed.

Video: Building Skirts with the Skirt Expander

National Guard College Fishing Central Division Schedule

This year the Central Division will be traveling to a couple of great lakes. The division will make its way to Bull Shoals for the first regional qualifier. This should be a great tournament as Bull Shoals has had some excellent spawns the past couple of years. With the tournament being held in early March the weather could get nasty forcing anglers to adapt.

The second stop of the season will be at Lake of the Ozarks in the third week of March. This should be prime time for that lake. There should be some big sacks weighed in of pre-spawn bass. Look for the jerkbait bite to really play a big part in this tournament unless we get a bunch of rain that dirties up the lake.

The third stop of the season will be at Lake Quachita in April. During this tournament the bass could be in all stages of the spawn. The moon phase will come into play in this tournament. If we get a full moon or a new moon during the tournament there will likely be bass up on the beds. Everything is going to come down to what kind of water temperatures we have as well. The bass could be more post spawn if things heat up. It’s a great lake and we are hitting it at a good time of the year so there should be some fish caught.

The final qualifier will be at Kentucky Lake in May. Last year the fish were spawning or were post spawn. The fishing was tough for many competitors for finding keeper sized bass. The bass might be spread out forcing competitors to cover a lot of water in order to get their 6 keepers for a limit. Since the lake is so open wind can really play into how far anglers can run on this lake. Kentucky Lake is one of the best lakes in the country though so there should be some fish weighed in.

Omega Custom Tackle's Pro-Mega Structure Jig

Show Time

This past weekend I was hanging out at the Let's Go Fishing Show in Collinsville, IL. The show had a pretty good turnout considering all the snow,ice,and really cold temperatures we got just a day or so before the show. All kinds of local fishermen made their way to this annual event. The Let's Go Fishing Show has been an annual event for the past 16 or 17 years. I myself remember going to the show as far back as when I was just nine or ten years old.

In attendance were a couple of Elite Series Anglers to offer tips and advice. I got to see Mark Menendez once again and chat a little bit with Randy Howell. Also at the show was Elite Series Angler Mark Tucker.

During the show I spent most of my time at the Bluff City Tackle booth helping people with their tackle selections. It was awesome to get to talk to people about fishing jigs,crankbaits,and shakeyheads. So many people that I talked to had never heard of shakeyhead fishing and it was great to be able to get them all set up and give them specific information on how to fish the rig to catch more fish. It was also great to see a lot of people that I fished against or that I used to fish with in the past.

It was also great to chat it up with some of the guys in the Steel City Bassmaster's Club. Talk about a great group of guys and characters! I fished a couple of their tournaments in the past and have always had fun.

Hopefully things will start to warm up here! It's been really cold the last couple of weeks. Everything is iced up and the cold temperatures have kept people inside with a bad case of cabin fever. That's all for now. Check back soon for more happenings.

Twitch Baits

One of the best ways to trigger strikes from bass relating to cover is to throw a twitch bait. The ideal twitch bait should have an erratic action when it's worked back towards the boat. The bait should also include rattles to draw attention from surrounding bass and have the shape and profile of a bait fish. Smack Tackle's Gizz 3 and Gizz 4 series of crankbaits are the exact shape and size of a gizzard shad. The baits also have a rattle chamber that produces a lot of noise when the bait is jerked. One thing about the Gizz series of cranks is that they can be made to do a 180 in the water which triggers vicious strikes.

The key to working these baits is to throw them around the nastiest cover you can find and then let them sit for a second. Start out by giving the bait a quick snap of the wrist to make the bait dive and wait till it floats back up to bulge the surface. Then give the bait a couple of short twitches until it dives back under the surface and repeat. The action as well as the noise from these baits will pull bass up out of the cover and that last twitch is usually irresistable.

The twitch bait technique is especially deadly on bass when they are suspending in the tops of trees or laydowns. Another place to gives these baits a try is around grass beds. What I look for is open lanes in the grass. I will take these twitch baits and throw them all the way to the back and tease the bass into striking by working them back with short twitches of the rod just along the grass line.

If you happen to stumble upon schooling bass don't be afraid to break out the twitch baits. Sometimes the bass will not come up to eat a topwater but they will take something worked just under the surface. A twitch bait can be the best bait when the bass are looking up and chasing shad.

What's Under Your Skirt?

Attention to detail is often times critical when it comes to catching a lot of nice fish. When it comes to fishing jigs it is important that you have the right skirt for the conditions. Some days the fish want a fuller skirt while other days they want a more streamline profile. What the fish prefer on one lake they might not like somewhere else. The available forage, water clarity, and the mood of the fish are a couple of factors that dictate what skirt will be the best to use.

As a general rule when I'm fishing off colored water I like to use a big skirt with 120 to 150 strands. My jig out of the water resembles a koosh ball but to the bass it is easier to find because it moves a lot more water and gives off a lot more vibration. Bass in dirty water rely more on their lateral lines to find food than they do on sight so a thick skirt is usually your best bet. When I'm fishing clearer water I tend to fish smaller skirts on my jigs because I don't want the fish to get as good a look at my bait. The fish feed a lot more by sight and something smaller crawling away isn't as easy to examine. You don't want the fish to get too good a look at your bait.

Another trend that I've discovered is that early in the year I seem to have a lot more success on smaller skirts. You don't have to have a full skirt but maybe 30 or so strands when your fishing jigs in the winter. The bass don't feed as much and a big meal isn't what they are looking for either because they are trying to conserve as much energy as possible.

When you go to choosing your skirts you should always pay attention to the rate of fall you get out of your jigs. You can get a quicker drop with a lighter jig head with a smaller skirt than a heavy jig with a big skirt because of how the water will drag on the bait. The rate of fall can be really important in triggering bites from inactive fish. Sometimes a quicker fall is necessary and the fish will prefer a smaller skirt over a larger one. It is good to be aware of this.

If you want to get the most out of your jig fishing I suggest that you start building your own skirts rather than using just the ones that your jigs come on from the store. Building your own skirts is really simple once you get a little practice and will save you a lot of money and make your baits a lot more productive. You'll always have the colors you want and the style you need for the conditions your fishing. You won't have to spend time looking for skirts that are close to what you want and you'll be able to match the hatch.

In order to make skirt building a breeze you just need a few inexpensive supplies. You need some skirting material, some rubber keepers, and the Naked Bait Company Skirt Expander. The expander is a very durable tool that will last you for a long time. I have had mine for over two years now and it has built hundreds of skirts for me without showing any signs of wear. The expander is very simple to operate and is great for kids. All you have to do is put your rubber keeper on the pins in the center of the expander. Give it a little twist to open up the band. Insert your skirting material into the expander and then twist it back to close up the rubber keeper. Building your own skirts has never been so easy. Everything you need for building skirts is available for order at Naked Bait Companies website at http://www.nakedbaitco.com/