Category Archives: Bass Fishing

Bass Fishing Information

Jordan McDonald and Douglas Outdoors

Jordan McDonald called me Tuesday to tell me he was leaving for New York. After doing well on tournament trails this year, he is starting a full time job with Douglas Outdoors. That is a dream come true for him. He will be working with a great outdoor company and spending his time hunting, fishing and talking to fellow hunters and fishermen.

Jordan will be a great representative for Douglas Outdoors. I have known him for ten years. He joined the Flint River Bass Club ten years ago and has fished with me in club tournaments over most of the years since then. I have watched him mature, learn about bass fishing and increase his skill levels.

Many young people have the dream of fishing professionally but very few make it. Just like many youth dream of playing football or soccer professionally, very few are able to make it. Jordan has done what it took to reach the level he is at currently and is in a good position to go on even further. I think Jordan McDonald and Douglas Outdoors is a good fit.

I wish him well.

Why Does Burning’ Spinnerbaits Bring Reaction Strikes from Fall Bass?

Burning’ Spinnerbaits Bring Reaction Strikes from Fall Bass

Yamaha Pro Matt Herren Uses a Fast Retrieve to Trigger Bass Into Biting
from The Fishing Wire

November ranks as one of Matt Herren’s favorite months of the year, but not because he enjoys deer hunting and most whitetail seasons open this month. Rather, the Yamaha Pro knows November means it’s time to burn his spinnerbaits for autumn bass.

“Burning,” in this case, means reeling the blade baits as fast as he can turn his reel handle, keeping the lures just two to three inches below the surface. It’s a technique the Alabama-based angler has used successfully on lakes around the country for more than two decades, but one many of today’s fishermen frequently overlook.

“Burning a spinnerbait is purely about getting reaction strikes,” notes Herren, who will be competing in his sixth Bassmaster Classic® next March. “Throughout the autumn months, when water temperatures are still generally in the 60’s or high 50-degree range, bass are gorging themselves on baitfish, and a spinnerbait probably imitates a shad or herring as well as any lure made.

“There is a lot of feeding competition among the bass, and they go after a fast-moving spinnerbait without hesitation, just trying to get it before another bass does. It works in stained to clear water, and typically throughout the day, too.”

Spinnerbait for burning in the fall

The Yamaha Pro chooses spinnerbaits featuring what is known as thin wire construction. A thinner wire increases the lure’s overall vibration and also makes it easier to retrieve. Herren’s color choices are simple, too; any color is fine as long as it matches a shad, such as white or white/chartreuse. For maximum vibration, he uses double willow leaf blades, and his weight choices range from ¼ to ¾-ounce.

“When I fish spinnerbaits this time of year, I usually have three different models tied on and ready to use, depending on how the fish act, and on the size of the baitfish,” Herren explains. “One will be a very compact spinnerbait between 3/8- and ½-ounce, but which looks small, in case the bass are feeding on smaller threadfin shad. I’ll also have two other spinnerbaits weighing ½-ounce and ¾-ounce, but with different blade colors, such as gold or even copper.

“White or nickel blades will usually produce on most lakes, but just in case the bass are finicky, I can offer them something different.”

Using a fast 7:1 reel and 15-pound fluorocarbon line, Herren concentrates in larger tributaries and upper-lake arms where baitfish migrations are often the strongest, targeting steep bluffs, rocky banks, submerged vegetation, standing timber, and even channel breaks. Depth is not that critical, because he’s caught bass suspended in water as deep as 50 feet.

Matt Herren with fall bass

“I really think one key to burning a spinnerbait over deeper water is slowing my fast retrieve just for a second to make the blades change their speed,” he continues. “This can be as simple as stopping my retrieve, shaking my rod tip, or slowing down so the spinnerbait sinks a few inches. It’s just for a split second to change the blade cadence. Then I start reeling fast again.

“Changing your retrieve like this is a pretty standard way to fish a spinnerbait anytime of year, but it’s important to remember to do it even when you’re reeling as fast as you can because it’s a major part of getting bass to react. In the fall, you’ll frequently have a bass following your spinnerbait, even though it’s moving fast, and just a simple change of cadence can be enough to bring a strike.”

In recent years as the spinnerbait’s popularity has lessened and other lures have taken its place, the technique of burning has practically become a lost art, concludes Herren. Nonetheless, it’s a technique the Yamaha Pro will continue to use wherever he fishes this time of year because he knows how effective it still is.

Winning A Club Tournament At Lake Lanier

Last Sunday nine members of the Flint River Bass Club fished our November tournament at Lake Lanier. I think the rain scared off many of the members but it was weird. It was raining hard at my house at 3:30 AM when I was hooking up the boat and I had my windshield wipers on high all the way to I-85. Then it quit raining.

Everything was wet and misty, but during the tournament I never put my hood up on my rainsuit. Then on the way home I had to turn on my windshield wipers on high about the time I got off I-285 and on I-675 headed back. I am glad it held off while we fished.

In the tournament the nine of us cast for eight hours to land 12 keeper 14-inch bass weighing about 28 pounds. There was one five-fish limit and three fishermen didn’t have a keeper. There was only one largemouth – the other 11 were spots.

We did catch some good spots. Five of them weighed over three pounds each, and the biggest one weighed 4.79 pounds. That is a big spot. Spots fight harder than largemouth and are fun to catch.

I managed to land a limit and won with 8.87 pounds, Sam Smith had three weighing 5.56 pounds for second, Chuck Croft had big fish and third place with his 4.79 pounder and Don Gober was fourth with one at 3.77 pounds.

I started fishing a spinnerbait on a rocky point at 6:30 and landed my biggest keeper, a spot just over three pounds, on my second cast. At 8:00 I landed my second biggest fish on a jig head worm on another rocky point, then got my third keeper on the next rocky point I fished with the jig head worm at 8:30.

Catching three keepers in the first two hours made me feel pretty good, but I did not hook another fish until 2:00 when a keeper largemouth hit my jig head worm back in a pocket around some brush. With 15 minutes left to fish I ran to a rocky point near the ramp and, when I looked at my watch and saw it was 2:25 and I had to be at the ramp before 2:30, said to the fish and myself, ‘Ok, this is my last cast.”

As the jig head worm sank I saw my line jump and set the hook on a 14 inch spot, filling my limit. That is why I never give up and never go in early. You just don’t know which cast will result in a fish.

Fishing was tough for us at Lanier but folks that fish it a lot and know it are doing well. On Saturday it took five spots weighing over 17 pounds to win a tournament there and many teams in that tournament had five fish weighing over 12 pounds. And fishing there and on other area lakes will get better and better until Christmas if the weather this year is like it usually is here.

Targeting Bass During the Fall Turnover

Randy Howell Offers Tips on Targeting Bass During the Fall Turnover
from The Fishing Wire

Randy Howell catching fall bass

Photo Credits: BASS/Wired2Fish

When the thermocline starts to break up and the cold water from the depths begin to mix with the warmer surface water it is called the turnover. The fish scatter and can be hard to locate. Many of the big fish will go very shallow and hold onto any piece of cover or structure they can find. Which is exactly why I like to fish super shallow and focus on targets.

I like to find shallow flats near deeper areas, especially areas where grass is or was present. I look for any sort of structure like logs, grass patches, and even a single stick up can be enough to hold a fish. I will move quickly from target to target and hit as many key spots as possible.

Missing the target by even a foot or two is enough to keep the fish from biting, that’s why it’s important to make multiple cast and intentionally bump the target with your bait. Casting accuracy is extremely important when fishing this way, which is why a finely tuned 7.3 Daiwa Tatula or Zillion reel with the T-Wing casting system is crucial. I like to use a Steez 7’2″ med/hvy rod for casting accuracy and control. I spool up with 16 lb.Gamma fluorocarbon line to haul em out of cover.

My three favorite baits for this time of year are; a 3/8 oz. double willow blade Hawg Caller spinnerbait, a Livingston Lures Walk-n-Pop 77 top water popping bait, and a 1/2 ounce Lunker Lure Flat Shad buzzbait. For sub-surface fishing I will use the Livingston Lures Howeller squarebill crankbait.

Photo Credits: BASS/Wired2Fish

Randy Howell Lands A Bass

When I pull into an area and locate a target I drop my Power-Poles and make several accurate casts at each target. If I am trying to cover a lot of water quickly I will utilize the buzzbait and the Howeller squarebill. If I want to slow down and really pick the area apart I will go with the Walk-n-Pop and the spinnerbait.

The one advantage to the squarebill is that I can bounce it off of the targets and generate a reaction strike. For the spinnerbait I can slow it down quite a bit and really keep it in the strike zone longer than the other baits.

As your water begins to turnover, and fishing gets slow, I suggest going shallower than ever before. Make an effort to slow down, make precise casts with a variety of baits, and you can make one on the toughest seasonal changes, very productive.
Until next time, Good luck and God bless!!

–Randy Howell

North Or South For Georgia Bass

Go North Or South For Georgia Bass in September

September is often a mean month for bass fishermen. Although there are hints of cooler weather and the days are getting shorter, the bass are slow to respond and start feeding consistently in shallow water. But you can catch a lot of bass, and some big ones, no matter where you live in our state.

If you live south of the Fall Line, Lake Walter F. George, usually called Lake Eufaula by fishermen, is a great place to catch September bass. It is at the top of its usual five year cycle right now, with a lot of quality three to five pound largemouth in the lake.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division, Fisheries Department says you can expect to catch a lot of bass over the 14 inch minimum size with a good number of fish over three pounds. You also can catch some quality fish over six pounds, with the chance of a wall hanger over eight pounds.

Scott Montgomery and his father own Big Bite Bait Company near Georgetown and Scott has been fishing Eufaula all his life. Scott says bass are still in their summer pattern in September, with more migration toward more shallow water late in the month. But you can consistently catch them on two basic patterns.

When the light is low early in the morning, late in the day and on cloudy days the lily pads are a feeding area for bass. While the sun is bright some bass will still hold under the pads and be caught around them, but your better bet is get out on the many ledges where they hold and feed on bright sunny days.

The area around Cowikee Creek has all the cover and structure you can fish in several days and is one of the best areas on the lake for bass fishing. Big flats covered with pads are everywhere and the creek and river ledges in that area concentrate bass in key spots.

In both areas subtle changes can make all the difference between casting and catching. A small ditch running through the pad fields and a cut or sharp swing in the channel on the ledge are structure changes you want to find. The pads provide the cover in shallow areas but rockpiles, stumps and brush on the ledges are the type cover you want to fish.

Scott says your tackle selection is fairly simple. For the pads, have a weedless topwater bait like his company’s Top Toad or Floatin’ Toad tied on. A spinnerbait or jig and pig will also catch fish from the pads and you can fish them slowly when you find a concentration of fish.

On the ledges Scott likes a big plug like the Bomber Fat Free Shad or Norman DD22N for covering the depths quickly to locate fish. To slow down and work an area carefully switch to a Texas or Carolina rigged big worm like the ten inch Mangum Kriet Tail or Kriet Creature bait.

Since the water is clear this time of year use shad colored baits. A sexy shad or gizzard shad color in the crankbait is good and tilapia or green pumpkin with blue and purple flakes in the soft baits are good choices. And watermelon with red flakes is always a good choice for the worms.

If you put in at Lake Point State Park you don’t need to go far. The boat channel in Cowikee Creek is marked by poles leading from the launch ramp out to the river. Although these poles are not always right on the creek channel, they mark an area clear of stumps and standing timber you can run, some of them sit right on the creek ledge.

The second set of pole markers going out of the park are a well-known spot. It is well known since it holds so many bass and is a good example of the kind of channel ledge you want to fish. Just downstream of the green marker is a hump rising to about 13 feet deep at full pool. The channel makes a swing by it and there are stumps on the hump and drop into the channel.

Scott starts fishing here by sitting in the channel and casting toward the highway causeway. Try a big crankbait first then drag you soft baits along the bottom, fishing both from shallow to deep. Work all the way around the hump, bring your baits from deep to shallow, too.

You can work your way down the creek checking the ledges all the way to the river. A good depthfinder is invaluable to find the changes in the bottom and even seeing bass and baitfish. The presence of baitfish means bass will be close by and you should fish the area to find the key spot they are holding. Current makes these deeper spots a lot better as does some wind blowing across them.

When you get out to the Chattahoochee River channel it is marked by drum buoys and provides many good drops to fish. A good one that is an example of what to look for is just downstream of channel marker 100.7. Stop at it and idle downstream on top of the ledge, watching for a ditch that cuts across it. The top of the ledge is only six to eight feet deep but the ditch drops off to 18 feet deep then comes right back up and the river channel is much deeper.

When you find the ditch, start with your boat in the mouth of it and fish up the ditch, casting all your baits to both sides of it. When you hit cover like stumps or brush concentrate casts to that area. Current is very important here since it eddies across the drops and makes the bass feed.

For shallow pad fishing start at the second set of pole markers coming out of Lake Point and make a hard left if you are going downstream. Idle toward the point with cypress trees on it and lily pads all around it. Scott says this is an excellent place to find shallow fish.

Scott stops on the point and fishes toward the motel at the state park. Make long casts into the pads and fish across them, pausing when you come to holes in them. Keep your boat out from the edge of them and also pause when you get to the edge. Bass often hold right on the outside edge.

Look for other pad areas near the channel and try to find a ditch coming through them or where the form a point. There are dozens of similar spots all the way to the river to fish.
If you live in the north half of the state Lake Lanier is hard to beat for September fishing. The lake is loaded with big spotted bass and they are on predictable patterns all month.

State fisheries biologists say there is a good population of two to four pound spots in Lanier and most tournaments have a five pound plus fish weighed in. Some fishermen think there is a new world record spot swimming in Lanier and seven pound plus spots are reported fairly often.

Rob Jordan grew up fishing Lake Lanier and lives in Suwanee and fishes it several days a week. This year he won a BFL tournament on the lake with five fish weighing 19.5 pounds, and has weighed in a 21.5 pound five fish tournament limit, so he knows its spotted bass and their habits well.

“Lanier is not like other lakes since the big spots roam water 50 to 60 feet deep and you can not catch them by fishing like you do in other lakes,” Rob said. You have to fish where the big ones live, and September is a transition month on Lanier. But if you fish the right places and right baits this month you can catch some big ones, as the six pound, six ounce spot he caught in September while guiding a client last year proved.

Rob will have a drop shot and shaky head worm ready for fishing slowly this month. For catching more active bass he will fish a topwater bait and a swim bait. He is often sitting in 80 plus feet of water and casting to water 30 feet deep or deeper, so you have to fish deep for the big ones.

The main lower lake is the best area to fish, according to Rob and you can find key spots in a variety of ways. Shoal and channel markers are often near the places where big spots hold very deep and move a little shallower to feed.

A couple of good examples are near the dam. In the mouth of Shoal Creek green channel marker 3SC sits on the end of a long rocky hump right by the channel. There is a danger marker on top of the hump so it comes up very shallow but water 100 feet deep is not far away. Every point and hump in Lanier has brush on it fishermen put out, and the bass hold in it and roam out to feed so locating brush piles is important.

This hump is very rocky, something spots love, and there is brush all over it at different depths. Rob likes to start with his boat out in very deep water and cast a topwater plug like a big Zara Spook to the shallows around the hump and work it back fast. This will often draw a suspended spot up to feed. Also throw a big swim bait to cover the top and sides of hump.

For bragging size spots Rob likes a Bull Shad swimbait. He custom paints them, a skill he learned from his cousin Professional bass fisherman Jim Murray, Jr. Jim also taught him a lot about fishing for bass. His colors that resemble blue back herring work well since that is the baitfish big spots eat. Fish the swimbait at different speeds and depths to find what the big spots want.

Move your boat to more shallow water, around 35 feet deep, and watch your depthfinder for brush. When you see it use a drop shot worm to fish beside and in it. While you are looking for brush cast a shaky head worm to ten feet of water and work it back to 30 feet deep for spots feeding on the rocks.

Rob likes soft like a ZMan Finesse worm on his drop shot or jig head. Any watermelon color with flakes in it can be good, as are colors like morning dawn. If the fish want something bigger he will offer them a Big Bites Bait six inch Finesse worm in the same colors.

Another good place is the hump just off channel marker 1YD in Young Deer Creek marked with a danger marker. It also has rocks and brush with deep water nearby to hold magnum spots. Fish it the same way. Some wind blowing across these places makes them even better.

Always watch for surface activity. September is a good month to catch schooling spots. If you see swirling fish near you cast a topwater plug or swim bait to them. If you see splashes in the distance, or gulls diving, run to them, stop a long cast away from the activity, and catch the fish as they chase shad or herring.

There are dozens of similar places all over the lower lake to fish, and they are easy to find since channel markers near shoal markers point them out. Pleasure boat traffic gets extremely bad on Lanier, even in September, so weekdays or weekends before 10:00 AM are the best time to fish.

Whether you live north or south in Georgia these lakes are close enough for a one day trip. Or if you variety, head to the other part of the state from where you live to experience a very different kind of fishing. Decide which you like best.

Have You Watched Costa’s Geobass Shows?

I have been enjoying watching Costa’s Geobass series of videos posted online.

In this series, four guys travel to exotic destinations to try to catch bass. But they consider any fish named bass a bass, including saltwater species, so it is not just black bass, although they do go after trophy largemouth.

The videos are fast paced and fun to watch, and they do catch fish. They use fly rods only and tie their own flies to suit the situation. They are like any group of fishermen, picking at each other and having fun.

They go to such places as Christmas Island, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, and many others

Check out these videos – I think you will enjoy them.

Young Fishermen Doing Well in Bass Fishing

The Georgia Bass Nation Top Six was at Hartwell weekend before last. I had been looking forward to fishing it for months but my boat died at Martin so I didn’t get to go. But the Flint River Club did send a team. I got an email after the first day of the tournament showing Brandon Stooksbury with the Flint River Club in second place, but have not been able to find out the final results.

At the same time the adults were fishing the Top Six the Bass Nation High School State Championship took place on Hartwell. Last year at Eufaula Cody Stahl and Tate Von Egmond won. They attend Cross Point Christian Academy in Hollonville and both live here near Griffin.

Cody and Tate won again this year, weighing in over 21 pounds of bass in two days and becoming the first team to win two years in a row. And to make things harder, Cody had an injured hand during the tournament, making it harder to fish effectively.

Cody said they caught their fish on spinnerbaits and jigs, and their bigger fish came on the jig and pig from blowdowns. Cody likes a Fishog 1/2oz black/blue ‪#‎Jigsaw jig tied on an ALX rods ‪#‎Promise7 flipping rod to pull them out of the heaviest blow downs!

After the first day of the BFL Regional at Neely Henry Lake Jordan McDonald was leading on the co-angler side with five bass weighing just over 12 pounds. Jordan qualified for this regional tournament through the Bulldog BFL trail here in Georgia.

Jordan fishes with me in both the Flint River Bass Club and Spalding County Sportsman Club. He joined ten years ago when he was 16 years old and has come a long way in that time. He fishes both the BFL and Weekend Series here in Georgia. He is one of the Young Fishermen doing well in tournaments.

Catching fish as a co-angler can be tough but Jordan does it well. The co-angler stays in the back of the boat all day and does not have any control over where they go to fish. And the boater can make it almost impossible for the co-angler to fish by the way he positions the boat. Unfortunately, Jordan had a bad second day in this tournament and caught only one bass.

In the American Bass Anglers Weekend Series he won the point standings for co-angler this year in Georgia. He is starting to get some sponsors, like Douglas Outdoors Rods, one he is especially proud of since he loves their rods for fishing.

Laura Ann with SCAD Fishing Coach and Randy Howell at her scholarship signing ceremony

Laura Ann Foshee was the only female on the BASS High School All American team. From Alabama, she is a good fisherman and I did an article with her on Seminole this past summer. Monday she had a signing ceremony when she get her fishing scholarship to Savannah College of Art and Design. That college is forming a Women’s Varsity Fishing Team to compete at the college level. They already have a Men’s Varsity Fishing team. Laura Ann is the first female to be awarded a fishing scholarship there. Among others, Randy Howell attended the event.

Its great to see young local fishermen doing so well in tournaments, and I hope someday to see them fishing and winning the Classic and coming back to Griffin to speak.

How To Catch Cold Water Smallmouth

Don’t Miss the Skinny Wasteland for Autumn Smallies

Super shallow and non-structured bottoms entice smallmouth so you can Catch Cold Water Smallmouth bass there

Catch cold water smallmouth

By Mitch Eeagan
from The Fishing Wire

Cool days and even colder nights have water temperatures tumbling; bug hatches are coming to a halt. The once warm summer rains are turning bitter, too – crawlers and the like burrowing deep rather than getting washed into the drink. Young-of-the-year fishes that have avoided being eaten since birth have learned to be on the lookout for predators better than ever.

Captain Chris Noffsinger sporting smallmouth bling, which were caught from super-shallow water during the fall season.

To say the food sources of smallmouth bass dwindle as autumn arrives is an understatement.

As fall starts showing its face, a smallie’s diet turns to the only forage left: baitfish and crayfish; with the latter becoming scarcer as the season wanes. It’s this forage-vanishing-act that has bronze-finned prowlers on the move. It’s also what makes them easier to catch this time of year.

But smallmouths aren’t always roaming where you might think. Classic deep water haunts, weedbeds, reefs and sunken timber aren’t providing sustenance. So where might one find smallies when the leaves start turning? In depths registering only in the single digits; that’s 2 to 5 feet, even in ultra-clear water.

Wide Open Spaces

Enter Captain Chris Noffsinger, bass aficionado and fulltime guide on the waterways surrounding Traverse City, Michigan. Smallmouths have populated the Great Lakes and natural inland lakes here since the last glacier receded nearly 10,000 years ago. The fishery is loaded with trophy-size bass; many which are caught in places the average angler wouldn’t even consider casting.

“Sometimes my clients get a dumbfounded look on their faces when I tell them where to cast,” said Noffsinger. “But I don’t blame them, because, after all, we’re on giant sand flats with not a stitch of cover to be found except maybe some gravel or sand grass.

“The key to finding fish here lies in finding minnows,” adds Noffsinger. “You’ll see them near shore through your polarized glasses. And if you look closely, you’ll see smallies there, too.”

Cover and Cast

With trolling motor deployed, Noffsinger covers as much water as possible. Overall, the trick is using lures that imitate minnows, but at the same time, won’t dive into the dirt – spinnerbaits being a prime example. The captain’s favorite is Red Dirt Bait Company’s 1/2- and 3/4-ouncers, with painted willow-leaf blades, because they can be cast far, fished fast and his clients can cover a lot of water.

Spoons can be worked slowly, all the while staying in the strike zone without dredging bottom. Spoons, however, are rarely thought of as a smallmouth bait, yet do catch fish, and deserve more respect.

Smallmouth caught on
Fin-Wing

Lures that don’t dive into the dirt, like spinnerbaits and the Fin-Wing (pictured) imitate the minnows smallmouth chase in autumn.

The #-3 Fin-Wing can be retrieved at a steady pace in super-shallow water without snagging up. It’s stamped from metal, but its wide, swimming wobble is nothing like that of an ordinary spoon. Because of the Fin-Wing’s unique shape, light reflects off it at multiple angles and the lure gets noticed like the flashing blades of a spinnerbait. Increase the speed of your retrieve and the Fin-Wing turns toward the sun and creates a wake, even rides the surface with a walk-the-dog action; perfect for first light in the shallows.

Soft Side

Noffsinger and his guests also throw soft-bodied lures like un-weighted flukes, aka soft jerkbaits. When retrieved with a twitch, these lures dart side to side wildly like an injured minnow.

If the smallies aren’t responding to the erratic motion of flukes, large grubs on a light-weight jig head, fished with a steady retrieve will often do the trick. BFishN’s 5-inch K Grub on a H20 Precision Jig is a great option as the grub’s mega tail has more than enough whirl to emit vibrations.

Stick it to ‘Em

Making long casts is a must in such clear, shallow water. Seven foot plus rods will get your bait farther from the boat. But fishin’ sticks must also have enough backbone to make a solid hookset, which can be challenging with so much line out.

Seventeen-pound-test fluorocarbon coursing through a St. Croix 7-foot Mojo Bass Spinnerbait casting rod, for example, will whip a spinnerbait a country mile and still stick a hook. The low stretch of fluoro helps oversized hooks penetrate a bass’ boney jaw, making the line perfect for spoons and spinnerbaits. Meanwhile, a 7-foot medium-power fast-action St. Croix Avid X, for instance, has the ability to properly launch a lighter soft plastic on 8-pound-test fluoro.

Going Nowhere Fast

If you’re looking to catch big smallies this fall, explore the shallow wastelands.

Position your boat on a shallow flat, cast shoreward and cover water with baitfish imitating lures. Make long casts and employ a rod and line that support solid hooksets at long distances.

You know all those featureless shallow flats you buzzed by all summer long? Time to put on the brakes and commence casting.

Randy Howell Speaking At Sportsman Event

Randy Howell won the Bass Masters Classic in 2014 on Lake Guntersville. This is the top tournament of the bass fishing world, and I compare it to football by saying the Superbowl is the Bassmasters Classic of football.

Winners of the Classic are in great demand for speaking engagements and doing other publicity for their sponsors. This last for years but the year after they win the Classic is the busiest by far.

Last year I contacted Randy about doing a magazine article. When I talked with him at the Classic media day a few days before he won, he said he would like to do one of my Map of the Month articles in Alabama Outdoor News and gave me his favorite lakes in Alabama near where he lives.

When I contacted him in June he said he was sorry but every day but three for the rest of 2014 were scheduled for him to do something. Can you imagine having commitments every day for six months except for three? That is the price a successful fisherman pays, and they are all willing to pay it.

Randy is a strong Christian, a great guy and tirelessly supports King’s Home, an Alabama charity. From their web site: “King’s Home has been home to hundreds of youth, women, and children seeking refuge, hope, and help from abuse, neglect, abandonment, homelessness, and other difficult and impoverished conditions and circumstances. Our Purpose: To serve Christ by serving youth, women, and mothers with children who are at-risk.”

Randy will be the speaker at the Devotie Baptist Church’s Annual Sportsman Event at 7:30 this Thursday, October 29. The public is invited to attend to hear Randy’s presentation. Devotie Baptist Church is on Experiment Street and they are expecting a very good turnout. It should be a great experience.

I hope to do an article with Randy when his schedule allows. I am setting up the 2016 schedule for those articles now and will contact him when it is final. Don’t miss a chance this week to hear
Randy Howwell speaking at Sportsman Event in Griffin

Bad Luck Fishing Lake Martin

I look forward to the three club tournament at Lake Martin in October all year long. The weather is usually beautiful, the lake very pretty and the fish bite. For the past 12 months I have been anticipating the trip this year. But this year I had bad luck fishing Lake Martin.

I went over on Wednesday and got a campsite at Wind Creek State Park. A

Several were and I caught a couple of fish on a drop shot worm. Everything was great, it was warm but not too hot and, as usual, the clear lake surrounded by trees just starting to get a little color were set off by the white sandy and rocky shoreline.

Thursday morning I got up before daylight and headed out to check some more places. I was disappointed when I went to a bank where I had caught 17 bass on topwater last year on Thursday and got only one bite. During the day I caught a few fish but nothing to get excited about.

Friday morning I started with topwater in a place I fished a lot years ago but did not plan on fishing in the tournament, and caught two nice spots on topwater. Then I decided to make a long run to the other end of the lake to check some places a guide showed me. I landed a 2.5 pound spot and a three pound largemouth on two of them on topwater so was pretty excited.

Jordan McDonald joined me Friday night and Saturday morning we took off with great hopes. The first place we stopped was a deep bank where I had lost count after landing 20 bass the first hour of the tournament last year, but I caught only two fish. One was a two pound largemouth that turned out to be my biggest fish of the day.

We started fishing “memories,” places I had caught fish in the past, and by noon we both had limits of small fish. In the past I have been able to catch a kicker fish, a bigger fish to help my weight, up the river so we decided to make the ten mile run just after noon.

We were running at about 55 mph and within a mile of where I wanted to start fishing when my motor made an odd sound and lost power. After we settled in the water I cranked the motor again and it cranked, but rattled. Something was broke.

Jordan called Russell Prevatt since we knew he was fishing fairly close to us and he said he would either tow us in or get Jordan and our fish and take them to the weigh-in. We started fishing back down the river with the trolling motor, knowing our day was ruined.

I decided to call BoatsUs, an organization I have been a member of for about 20 years. They offer free on-the-road towing, the reason I was a member since they will get someone to you that can tow your vehicle and boat if you break down on the road. Most tow services won’t tow a boat so you have to leave it by the road, not a good thing.

They also offer on-the-water towing on most lakes. I didn’t pay the additional $48 a year to have it covered but with basic membership they cover $50 of it. I called the 800 number on my card and the woman I talked with was great, getting my location and connecting me with their tow service on Martin.

The two boat driver told me it would take him about 30 minutes to get to me, he was located at a marina way down the lake. Sure enough, he got to us right at 30 minutes later, tied us to his boat and towed us in at 25 mph on plane!

They charge $160 an hour and my bill was $240 total. I had to pay all but $50 of it but it was well worth it to get in that fast and not inconvenience anyone else in the tournament. Jordan and I fished around the marina the last two hours of the tournament and I did catch my second biggest fish of the day, a spot weighing almost two pounds.

The next day Jordan fished with Russell and I, being hardheaded, turned down Javin English’s invitation to fish with him. I thought I could catch some fish around the marina but I landed only two small keepers all day, fishing very slowly since all I had was my trolling motor.

In the tournament 30 fishermen landed 209 bass weighing about 223 pounds in the 17 hours we fished. There were 37 five-fish limits weighed in and two people didn’t catch a keeper either day.

The first day Russell Prevatt won with five weighing 8.29 pounds, Kwong Yu was second with five at 7.89 pounds, Donnie Willis placed third with five weighing 7.82 pounds and William Scott had five for 7.81 pounds for fourth and big fish at 3.68.

On Sunday Javin English won with five at 9.50 pounds, Billy Roberts placed second with five at 7.31 pounds and big fish at 3.0 pounds, third was Wesley Gunnels with five at 7.59 and fourth was Bobby Ferris with five weighing 7.14 pounds.

I thought I had broken rings or melted bearings in my motor but B and B Marine in Jackson said it was my lower unit. That was good news, a rebuild on a power head is about $6000 and a new lower unit is only $3000. I did price a completely new motor but at $20,000 I think I will have this one repaired!

I’m already looking forward to going to Martin next year, I just hope my luck is better.

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