Bald Eagles On Lake Guntersville

Hurry to See Bald Eagles On Lake Guntersville

Editor’s Note: Today, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Dave Rainer has a bit of advice for those southern birders looking to get a good look at bald eagles. Although the season’s winding down quickly, a very tough winter has pushed more of the great birds than normal to Alabama’s Lake Guntersville and Lake Guntersville State Park area.
from The Fishing Wire

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Better hurry up if you want to catch the amazing flight of soaring bald eagles in north Alabama through the Lake Guntersville State Park’s Eagle Awareness program.

Only a few weekends remain to enjoy learning about and watching bald eagles, some that make Lake Guntersville home, and some that just visit for the winter because of an abundance of habitat and food.

In fact, this has been a bumper year for bald eagles in Alabama because of the especially harsh winter.

“Fortunately for us, it’s been so cold up North that it’s pushed a lot more birds down our way,” said Park Naturalist Patti Donnellan, who is in charge of the Eagle Awareness program, which was started by Linda Reynolds 29 years ago at Guntersville.

“The bald eagle is a large bird, standing 2 to 3 feet tall,” Donnellan said of the national symbol of the United States. “Sitting on a branch, it’s a large bird. The wingspan is about 6 feet, and the birds usually weigh 12 to 14 pounds here in Alabama.”

Donnellan explained Bergmann’s rule of animal sizes, which is somewhat determined by latitude. As a general rule, the farther north an animal lives, the larger it is. This is especially true for the cervid species like deer, and it also applies to eagles. Donnellan said eagles in Alaska can weigh as much as 18 pounds.

Park Naturalist Patti Donnellan scans the dawn for bald eagles at Town Creek Fishing Center at Lake Guntersville State Park during one of the Eagle Awareness weekends. The park is rated as the top place in the state to watch the majestic bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States. David Rainer photo.
Of course, food availability has a lot to do with size as well. At Lake Guntersville, there is plenty to eat. There’s a year-round supply of fish, and plenty of coots, water birds that swim like a duck but are more closely related to the crane family, in the fall and winter.

“About two-thirds of an eagle’s diet is fish, but they’ll eat just about anything they can get their talons on,” Donnellan said. “They love coots. If you’re out eagle-watching on your own and you see a mass of coots who think there’s safety in numbers, look up because there’s probably an eagle flying around overhead. They’ll eat any kind of duck. I’ve seen them eat snakes. They’ll eat road kill. One of their nasty habits is stealing from other birds.”

Speed also helps eagles when it comes to catching prey. Donnellan said eagles can fly at speeds up to 40 miles per hour but can reach 100 mph in a dive with the wings tucked.

Donnellan said they were able to witness one dive-bomb attack by an eagle near the Guntersville Dam.

“There was a red-tailed hawk circling around the (eagles’) nest,” she said. ‘The missus was sitting on the nest and she screamed, ‘Honey, we’ve got trouble.’ Here he comes from the river, flying pretty fast. All of a sudden, he tucked those wings and turned on the afterburners, flying straight at the nest. He chased that hawk down into the brush, and we never saw that hawk again.”

That dive-bombing eagle was named Barney, who succumbed to old age last year. Barney was part of a reintroduction program from 1985-1991.

“Eagles can live to be 25 to 30 years old,” Donnellan said. “Barney was hatched in 1989. The last time we saw him was in December 2012. That’s a good, long time for a wild bird.”

Eagles mate for life and it took Barney’s mate, Thelma Lou, quite some time to pick a successor and set up house in the nest near Guntersville dam.

“The nest is massive,” Donnellan said. “The record nest in Ohio is 9 feet across, 20 feet deep and weighs 2,000 pounds. Our nest at the dam is approaching this.”

Donnellan said the new male eagle did a little remodeling in the nest and the pair successfully raised one eaglet last year.

“Thelma Lou’s time clock was a little off because of losing Barney,” she said. “Typically, our eagles are incubating eggs right now or feeding newly hatched young. Eagles can have from one to three eggs per nest. An eagle egg is surprisingly small. It’s only 30 percent larger than a chicken egg.”

Donnellan said the eaglet’s rate of growth is phenomenal because of the protein-rich meals provided by the parents.

“An eaglet can go from being hatched to full size in three months,” she said. “They are as big as their parents in three months’ time. They’ll hang around the parents for that first full year, learning how to be an eagle, learning how to fish and hunt, and learning how to watch for those big metal things coming down the road. Then when it’s the next nesting season, mom and dad say, ‘Out you go.’ They’re done with them after that first year.

“We have a lot of young eagles that spend the winter with us. The adult eagles have their established areas up North. The adults tell the young eagles to go find someplace else to hang out in the winter, so they come here.”

Donnellan said eagles don’t reach full maturity until 5 years old and will not get the full white head until that age.

“I remember as a small child, second or third grade, doing a book report on eagles,” Donnellan said. “I said I hope to get to see one one day. Now I get to go out and see them all the time because of restoration projects throughout the Southeast and East.”

A plethora of problems – loss of habitat, pesticide (DDT) use and poaching – pushed eagle populations to the brink of extinction nationwide. Alabama’s restoration project was started in 1984 by the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries’ Nongame Wildlife Program.

However, the restoration process was not simple for eagles. It required that an egg be retrieved from nests with three eggs. The retrieved eggs were incubated, hatched and reared in special cages that kept the interaction with humans concealed. Then came the hacking process, and we’re not talking about computers here. An eagle must be “hacked” to a certain location. Hacking is the process where eagles are forced to take their first flights, which gives them an imprint of that area. After they’re hacked, the eagles will return to that area to nest when they reach reproductive age, usually 4 to 6 years old.

Wildlife biologists successfully hacked 91 juveniles in Alabama between 1985 and 1991. More than 20 years later, there are more than 77 bald eagle nests confirmed in our state. Donnellan said Marshall County has an estimated 18 eagle nests.

More important, the bald eagle was taken off the Federal Endangered Species list in 2007.

“Alabama, being the beautiful place it is, eagles love it here,” Donnellan said. “We’ve got plenty of trees and running water that doesn’t freeze. We estimate that between 700 and 1,000 eagles winter in Alabama each year. A lot of them will stop at Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee, but Reelfoot is frozen this year. That brings even more down our way.”

To join in Eagle Awareness, visit www.alapark.com/lakeguntersville and check out the program. There are even special packages that include rooms at the beautiful Guntersville Lodge for the weekend. Eagle Awareness weekends that remain are Jan. 31-Feb. 2, Feb. 7-9 and Feb. 14-16.

Amanda Glover, Donnellan’s assistant, said there will be a special event, a bird-of-prey release, during the Bassmaster Classic, which will be held at Lake Guntersville on Feb. 21-23. The Alabama Wildlife Center, headquartered at Oak Mountain State Park, will release a raptor, most likely a red-tailed hawk, at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 22 at the Guntersville Lodge.

Are Federal Fish Hatcheries Fine For Now?

Federal Fish Hatcheries Fine For Now

Editor’s Note: Over the past year, The Outdoor Wire Digital Network has been following the continued efforts of some government administrators to close the nation’s fish hatcheries. The battle to keep the hatcheries running has been an ongoing for several years. More than once, only the actions of Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have kept the story in front of the public-and the hatcheries funded. Seems Senator Alexander has once again managed to secure funding for the hatcheries-and the assurances that those operational funds can not be used to close them.
from The Fishing Wire

Etta Pettijohn has the latest on the campaign to save the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatcheries operating.

Alexander Once Again Secures Hatcheries Funding

Sen. Lamar Alexander, (R-TN) has secured funds to keep the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) hatcheries operating-as well as a stipulation that none of the Interior funding be used to close these hatcheries-in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2014.

The “omnibus” spending bill defuses the threat of another government shutdown, and provides some relief from the FWS’s relentless efforts to shutter the agency’s mitigation hatcheries.

The legislation, signed by President Barak H. Obama last week, contains 12 of the annual bills that provide funding for discretionary federal programs, and funds the government until October 2014.

An administrative provision in the Corps of Engineers (COE) budget includes $4.7 million to reimburse the Fish and Wildlife Service to continue to operate the Erwin and Dale Hollow hatcheries in Tennessee; and more than $46 million to continue operations at every hatchery in the National Fish Hatchery System as requested. Also, none of the funds in the Interior bill may be used to terminate operations or to close any facility.

The FWS has attempted in recent years to close the hatcheries, claiming budget shortfalls, etc. However, Alexander in 2012 and 2013 secured funding for the operations from both the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Corps of Engineers (COE).

Despite this funding, the agency has persisted with its plans to shift the operation of these to stakeholders like state fish management agencies, and these two federal agencies.

Provisions in the appropriations recognize the reimbursable agreements the FWS has entered into with the COE, TVA, the Department of the Interior’s Central Utah Project, and the Bonneville Power Administration, in order to continue to operate mitigation hatcheries, and have provided the requested funding in the Energy and Water Development division of the CAA.

Will Skeet Reese Win the 2014 Bassmasters Classic?

Skeet Reese

Why Skeet Reese Just Might Be The Man To Beat In The 2014 Bassmasters Classic
from BASS

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The yellow jersey is the giveaway: You know even before the magazine slides completely out of the mailbox that the man on the cover of B.A.S.S. Times’ February issue is Skeet Reese.

For those not so familiar with his signature canary-yellow tournament garb, there’s the large headline: “Classic 2014: Is Skeet the man to beat?”

Some people believe so. One reason is the Auburn, Calif., Bassmaster Elite Series pro’s competition record on Lake Guntersville, the fishery for the Feb. 21-23 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by Diet Mountain Dew and GoPro.

Reese reigns as the most recent champ of a Bassmaster pro-level tournament on the big Tennessee River impoundment in northeastern Alabama. That win was in May 2010, when he busted the 100-pound mark — always a milestone in a four-day Elite Series event.

Now add in his runner-up finish in a 2009 Elite competition on Guntersville — again whacking 100-plus pounds.

While Reese acknowledges that such a history is a plus, he doesn’t see that it gives him a true advantage over most of the other 54 Classic qualifiers (other than being chosen to be on the cover of a major fishing publication).

“You have the best anglers in the world competing, so just about anybody can have the right tournament and win,” he said. “Winning there, it was my time for that week. But that doesn’t give me any better odds of winning the Classic. It’s a different time of year, different fishing conditions.”

But yes, the California pro who owns the 2007 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year title is among the believers in a Reese repeat on Guntersville. The strongest source of his confidence is knowing that Guntersville fits his style of fishing.

“It allows you to fish fairly aggressively,” he said. “You know you’re on a body of water that’s got a great caliber of fish. You can go out there and fish for big bites. It’s not like you’re taking a chance. The lake’s full of 5- to 8-pound fish. It gives you more confidence when there’s the potential of catching big fish.”

Characteristically, Reese did not scout Lake Guntersville, while many qualifiers did before the off-limits period began at the end of December.

“I don’t ever pre-practice,” Reese said. “I’m familiar with running the body of water and have enough of an idea where I’m going, so I don’t have to worry about eating up hours trying to figure out navigation.”

What will count will be the four days Classic qualifiers will be given to practice on Guntersville just before competition begins, Reese said.

“That will be current, real-time conditions,” he said.

His strategy worked in the 2009 Classic on the Red River in Louisiana. He won even though he had had no more time on the river than the four days allotted to all Classic anglers just before the competition began.

Besides, he said, the freezing weather that settled on the South in January has changed Guntersville’s fishing.

“What the guys learned who went there in December or before probably won’t do them that much good. Areas of grass are dying off day by day,” he said.

“The fish probably won’t be as much (in the) prespawn like people thought they would be. As it looks now, it’s going to be a full winter bite. The lake would need a week of good, warm weather to get things moving again. And that could happen,” he said.

Another unknown is the flow of the Tennessee River on the three days of the Classic. Current speed and water color are two very important factors that affect the Guntersville bite, Reese said.

With heavy upriver rains, “They could be blowing mass amounts of water through the dams,” Reese said.

But given favorable fishing conditions, Reese said, a winning weight could hit the 80-pound mark, which would be a record for a three-day, five-fish-limit Classic.

“Twenty-five (pounds) a day is going to win it or at least keep you in it,” he said. “Yet there’s potential for 30-plus pound bags. I don’t know that we’ll see (the daily leader with) 30 pounds every day — but it’s possible.”

Reese reiterated that likely achievers of those kinds of big bags could be any of the 55 Classic competitors. Yet three names popped into his mind as major threats: Kevin VanDam (“If the fish are positioned right. He’s had great success there, too.”); Gerald Swindle (“I think he’s ready; he could have a good event.”); and Randall Tharp (“He knows the lake well, and he’s at the top of his game.”).

Fishing fans are invited to watch the Classic anglers take off from City Harbor in Guntersville at 7:15 a.m. CT. Daily weigh-ins will be in the arena of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex; doors will open at 3 p.m. CT. Next door, the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods will be open the same three days as the competition. There’s no admission charge for any Bassmaster event.

The Classic will be on ESPN2 March 1-2. The first of five episodes of The Bassmasters centered on the Classic will air March 1 at 10 a.m. ET. The Classic finale show rated a primetime slot on ESPN2: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 2.

2014 Bassmaster Classic Title Sponsor: GEICO

2014 Bassmaster Classic Presenting Sponsors: Diet Mountain Dew, GoPro

2014 Bassmaster Classic Official Sponsors: Toyota, Bass Pro Shops, Berkley, Evan Williams Bourbon, Humminbird, Mercury, Minn Kota, Nitro Boats, Skeeter Boats, Triton Boats, Yamaha

2014 Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo Presenting Sponsor: Dick’s Sporting Goods

2014 Bassmaster Classic Official Apparel Sponsor: Carhartt

About B.A.S.S.
For more than 45 years, B.A.S.S. has served as the authority on bass fishing. The organization advances the sport through advocacy, outreach and an expansive tournament structure while connecting directly with the passionate community of bass anglers through its Bassmaster media vehicles.

The Bassmaster brand and its multimedia platforms are guided by a mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications — Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times — comprehensive website Bassmaster.com and ESPN2 and Outdoor Channel television programming, Bassmaster provides rich, leading-edge content true to the lifestyle.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Open Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series, B.A.S.S. Nation events and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bassmaster Classic.

B.A.S.S. offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members and remains focused on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala.

Fishing and Hunting Legacy

A message on the forum on my Internet site got me to thinking about my fishing and hunting legacy. Several people have posted in a thread named “To Those That Came Before” about people who have influenced their lives through fishing. Heritage is one of the most important, if not the most important, part of fishing and hunting.

My mother has to top any list when I think of people that influenced me. She loved to fish so I got my love of fishing honestly. She was thrilled to catch anything from a tiny bream to a big catfish, and never met a fish she did not want to catch. I thank her for taking me to local ponds and creeks when I was growing up, and showing me the patience to sit and watch a cork for hours on end.

She also sacrificed so I would have time to fish as a teenager. Living on a farm with 11,000 laying hens, there was work to be done all day every day, and I was expected to do my share. But I realize now there were many times my mother worked extra hours, often long into the night, grading eggs so I could go fishing. She would do anything she could to make me happy.

My father also instilled a love of the outdoors in me, but from him I got my love of dove shooting and quail hunting. I spent many hours with him following our bird dogs, and also have many good memories of sitting in a dove blind with him telling me what to do and how to hit the elusive bird that I almost always missed.

He also taught me dedication and the desire to do a good job at anything I started. This has carried over into my fishing, making me want to learn all I can about the fish I am trying to catch, the equipment I use and the methods that work best.

My Uncle Adron hunted and fished almost every day of his life. He came back from World War 2 “shell shocked” and never held a regular job, but owned a small hunting and fishing gas station. He would lock the door and go hunting or fishing in a second if no one was there to run it for him when he wanted to go, though.

Uncle Adron took me deer hunting for the first time. He taught me to shoot a bow and helped me learn how to sit in a tree perfectly still, waiting on what was a very uncommon animal back in the 1960s. Seeing even one deer was something to talk about for a week, and shooting one was celebrated for all year. Uncle Adron had dozens of racks around the canopy of his store. There is no telling how many he killed.

Uncle Mayhu lived in Virginia but his visits every summer meant day after day of bass fishing. He taught me a lot about the habits of my favorite fish, where to catch them, how to fight them and even how to land them. He was always calm and thoughtful while fishing, and helped me learn to think about what I was doing while fishing. He is the first one to tell me to think like a bass to try to catch one.

Uncle Walter loved to go to the coast and fish saltwater. I went with him one time and will never forget fishing on a “head boat” for grouper and other bottom dwelling fish in the Gulf off the coast of Florida. The trip was exciting, too, since I seldom saw him without his bottle of whisky in one hand and a cigar in his mouth. I found out later my mother was worried sick the whole weekend I was gone, but everything worked out OK.

There are many others that influenced my love of the outdoors. Those memories are very special, and they will live with me the rest of my life. I hope you have many similar memories, and are passing them on to your children.
If you would like to share your own fishing and hunting heritage, email your comments to me to post.

How Many Bass Caught In the Bassmasters Classic Will Survive?

Bassmaster Classic BASS Survival Rates

Bass caught in the February 21-23 Bassmasters Classic in north Alabama should survive their moment on stage just fine, says a fishery expert.

By Frank Sargeant, Editor
from The Fishing Wire

Nice Smallmouth Bass

Gene Gilliand, B.A.S.S. Conservation Director and former assistant chief of Fisheries for the state of Oklahoma, says careful handling and cool weather should mean near 100 percent survival for the bass weighed in at the Bassmaster Classic in Birmingham, Alabama Feb. 21-23. (Photo Credit B.A.S.S.)

A concerned reader inquired last week about the affect hauling Guntersville bass some 80 miles to Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center for weigh-in at the Bassmaster Classic will have on the survival of the fish. We took the question to Gene Gilliland, the new National Conservation Director for B.A.S.S. and former assistant chief of fisheries for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Here’s some of what he told us.

“When we had the classic at Grand Lake in Oklahoma last year, we had a very similar situation-the fish were caught some 90 miles from Tulsa and had a 90 minute ride to weigh in and then back. We lost not one fish during that event. I’d like to take all the credit for it, but the biggest factor was very cold weather-the water temperature was in the lower 40’s, and anytime you have that fish can survive a lot of handling without any mortality.”

Gilliland said that based on the weather in North Alabama this year so far, it’s very likely that water temperatures will still be in the 40’s here when the Classic arrives Feb. 21-23.

Bass will be caught at Lake Guntersville, then trailered about 90 minutes to weigh in at the Birmingham Convention Center for a live weigh-in, then returned to the lake for release by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

He said that the improved livewells in modern bass boats are also a factor in very low mortality rates during pro-level tournaments.

“B.A.S.S. has worked with bass boat companies for years providing oxygen level and temperature data at weigh-ins, and the companies have responded by greatly improving the wells so that the fish can survive; the wells of modern boats hold more water and have bigger fill and aeration pumps, and that really helps the fish stay healthy.”

Gilliland said each competitor is checked when he ramps out to make sure the live well is full, the aerator is working, and that his fish are healthy. (It’s highly important to the anglers that the fish survive for reasons other than conservation-a dead fish at weigh-in means a penalty, and that can cost them a six-figure paycheck in the Classic.)

Another factor is careful handling during the weigh-ins, Gilliland said.

Whether it’s top pro Edwin Evers or some other competitor on top after final weigh-in, the bass will survive to fight another day.

“We use a mesh big inside a vinyl bag. When the fish are set down into the folds of that mesh and the bag is filled with water, it’s like they’re hiding in a weedbed, it has a calming affect on them, and then they’re brought to the scales in under a minute typically. Immediately after the weigh-in they go down through a trapdoor into the large holding tank maintained by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which is basically a 500-gallon aquarium, and at the end of each day that will be trucked back to the lake.”

Gilliland said the fish are not handled during the release-a large pipe is used to funnel them back into the water. He said they’re typically released in several different locations to avoid “stacking” one spot that can then be harvested by local anglers.

Gilliland said that the impact of the Classic on Guntersville’s bass fishery would be very minimal, in any case.

“We’re only talking about 56 anglers here, while on any given weekend there may be several tournaments on Guntersville that have twice that many boats, each. And, because of the timing of the weigh-in, the Classic pros fish a short day; the bass are in the well no longer than they would be in an event on the lake, where weigh-in might not begin until late afternoon.”

In short, it appears that the impact of angler harvest during the Classic should not be a point of concern for area bass anglers-and those who watch the pro’s carefully just might learn a few honey holes and tactics that can make them more successful on their next trip to fish the lake.

Practice and Results for a January Lake Jackson Tournament

Several years ago, during a much warmer winter, to get ready for the Flint River Bass Club tournament at Jackson the next to last Sunday in January I made a couple of trips to that lake the week before it. It was wonderful to fish this time of year in a short sleeved shirt, and the water temperatures in the low 50s encouraged me to think the bass would bite.

On Wednesday soon after I started fishing I cast a Shadrap up into shallow water on a sandy bank. A fish hit the lure and when I set the hook a boil the size of a #2 wash tub came up. I fought that fish on a light spinning rod and 8 pound test line until my right hand ached, but it would not come to the surface.

When the bass got under the boat I put all the pressure on it I could with the light outfit, trying to turn it before it got into the motor. Suddenly the hook came loose, for no reason that I could tell. I never got to see the big fish so it could have been a carp that I foul hooked, but it surely did fight like a bass.

Not long after losing that fish I hooked and landed a 3 pound largemouth on a Fat Free Shad crankbait. It fought a lot like the bigger fish, making short runs and shaking its head, but it did not fight half as hard.

A little later I cast a Carolina rig across a point probing for some rocks that are on it. I hit the rocks on the first cast and as soon as the lead started coming through them a 2 pound largemouth hit and I landed it. Just before dark I landed two more keeper largemouth on two different crankbaits, for four for the day.

On Friday I went back and fished the spot were I had lost the big one but did not get a bite. In another place there was a log off the bank in about six feet of water and I cast my Fat Free Shad across it, and landed a 4 pound largemouth. Later I had my second and last strike of the day when a 2 pound largemouth hit a Fat Free Fry.

I landed six bass in two days and all were largemouth, very unusual this time of year at Jackson. I expected to catch spotted bass. After the poor catch on Friday I really did not know what to try in the tournament.

As luck would have it, after several weeks of warm weather and a lot of clouds, a cold front came through Saturday night and we launched boats in 34 degree air temperatures. I ran up to a brushpile I like to fish, but nothing hit my crankbait or spinnerbait. Then I dropped a jig and pig into the brush and a fish grabbed it and headed out under the boat. I was able to land a 14 inch spot – the first spot in a week and the first on a jig and pig, but at least I would not zero.

At about 9:00 I threw my Fat Free Fry across a shallow point and it just stopped. When I set the hook my heart almost stopped when a big bass jumped. As it fought I could just feel the hooks pull loose like they did on Wednesday, but I landed this one and guessed it would weigh between 5 and 6 pounds.

After lunch I fished a line of docks and out around a point. As I left Kwong Yu pulled in behind me. I landed my third keeper on a Carolina rig out of some brush just after seeing him, my last fish of the day.

At weigh-in I was happy until someone said Kwong had a big one. He had beaten me for the big fish of the year pot at Jackson in December, and he did it again last Sunday. He had a 6.67 pound bass, beating my 5.68 pounder. To add insult to injury, he caught the big one right behind me after I left the area and he pulled in.

Kwong won the tournament, too, with 11.90 pounds. Tom Tanner placed second with 10.60 pounds, Bobby Ferris was third with 10.15 pounds, Toney Roberts had 8.93 for fourth and I placed fifth with 7.97 pounds.

We had 19 fishermen in the tournament and 13 brought in a total of 32 keeper bass weighing 74.85 pounds. That is pretty good for a January tournament, but what we had until this weekend was not really January weather. I am sure the fishing will be tougher now with the cold nights.

Cliff Pace, 2013 Bassmasters Classic Winner, Injured and Can’t Fish the 2014 Classic

Cliff Pace

Pace Reflects on Busy Year, Remains Upbeat After Injury
from The Fishing Wire

Like virtually every Bassmaster Classic® winner before him, Cliff Pace has had an extremely busy but thoroughly enjoyable year as the reigning Bassmaster Classic® world champion. The Yamaha Pro has traveled from one corner of the country to the other on a whirlwind schedule, and admits being amazed at the growth and popularity of professional tournament bass fishing.

Unfortunately, a serious hunting accident on January 24 will keep the champion from defending his title at Lake Guntersville, Ala. in February. While climbing down from his tree stand, Pace fell and broke his left leg in two places and also tore the ACL in his left knee. He will not only miss the Classic but also much, if not all of the 2014 Bassmaster® Elite Series campaign.

“The first thing B.A.S.S.® did was give me an automatic entry into the 2015 Classic at Lake Hartwell to defend my title,” acknowledged Pace, “and I am extremely grateful for that opportunity. It will be a long wait until that event, but I did finish second there during the 2008 Classic,® so I already feel confident about returning to the lake.”

Nevertheless, before his accident, the Yamaha Pro admits his year as Classic® champion has been one of the most wonderful experiences of his life. A competitor since the age of 13, Pace acknowledges that winning the Classic opened the door for him to meet bass fishing enthusiasts all over America whom he never would have had the chance to meet, and share their common love of fishing.

“I probably traveled at least three times as much as I do in a normal year, but no matter where I went, from California to Florida, the fan support I received was just amazing,” he says.

After his win on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake, the Yamaha Pro remained in Tulsa an extra day for special film work, then returned to his home in Petal, Miss., but only for a short time before his travel schedule began in earnest. Between the end of February and early June, he was home only three days. In fact, the Classic® victory party his family and friends wanted to give him had to be postponed for months before they could celebrate.

“The majority of my travel was for sponsor promotions, store openings, and seminars,” Pace continues, “and thank goodness my wife and several family friends helped get me to the right places at the right times. While someone was driving, I’d sleep, then do an appearance, then we’d drive to my next appointment.

“I’m sure I autographed every shape, form, and type of fishing lure available, including spinnerbait blades, crankbait bodies, and packages of line, as well as rods, reels, boats, sunglasses, and of course, thousands of caps and fishing jerseys.

“Just seeing and feeling the excitement of all the fans everywhere I traveled is just indescribable.”

Perhaps the most surprising object Pace autographed was a football, which had already been signed by pro football greats Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. He also signed cardboard cut-outs of himself at one store, inscribing them with the phrase, “Hope for a repeat!”

Through it all, the Yamaha Pro also managed to have a very successful 2013 Bassmaster® Elite season, finishing 12th overall in the standings and qualifying for the 2014 Classic® without having to use his automatic entry as defending champion. He enjoyed back-to-back 7th place finishes at Bull Shoals and West Point, and placed in the top-30 in four other events.

“As soon as the Classic® was over, I couldn’t wait to get to the Sabine River event in Texas for the start of the 2013 season,” he admits, “just because that’s what I love to do. The only fishing goal I have at the beginning of each season is simply to be competitive. Of course, now there’s also the chance to win another Bassmaster Classic®, even though it won’t be this season. This past year was so enjoyable I’d love to be able to do it again.”

2014 Bassmasters Classic

The 2014 Bassmasters Classic will be fished on Lake Guntersville on February 21 – 23 with the weigh-in at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. There will be an Outdoor Show with lots of fishing gear and equipement on display and for sale at the Complex all three days.

I almost got to fish the Classic as a Federation representatived way back in 1983 and this year I will attend with press credentials – nothing like fishing it but I will get to enjoy the excitement.

Contenders have been planning on this tournament since it was announced and spent a lot of time practicing for it before the lake went off limits. Pros like Chris Lane, Aaron Martens, Alton Jones and others have high hopes and plans for the tournament.

Cliff Pace, 2013 Classic winner, was injured in a hunting accident and will not be able to compete this year, but BASS deferred his automatic entry to next years Classic at Hartwell, where he finished second in the last Classic on that lake.

BASS has a blog about the Classic that has more detailed information and will be updated often during the tournament.

The 2015 Classic has been scheduled to return to Lake Hartwell in Georgia.

Can I Catch Shallow Bass On the Carolina Rig?

Learn How Shallow Carolina Rigging Offers a Different Presentation

Yamaha Pro Bobby Lane Adds Personal Touch to a Traditional Technique

Smallmouth caught on a Carolina Rig

Elite Pro Bobby Lane uses creature baits that float above bottom on Carolina rigs to fool both smallmouths like this one and largemouths.

For more than two decades, Yamaha Pro Bobby Lane has relied on a technique and presentation known as “Carolina rigging” to propel him to the top of tournament leader boards, but, as in almost every professional bass fishing technique, Lane adds his own personal touch. In his case, the difference is concentrating in extremely shallow water.

“I fish water only about eight feet deep or less,” explains Lane, who used this presentation for three top 10 finishes in Bassmaster® Elite competition during the 2013 season. He ranked fourth in the Angler of the Year standings, and in February will fish in his 7th Bassmaster Classic.® “I believe it works because it’s just something a little different that bass don’t see very often, and it fools both largemouth and smallmouth.

“The real key is using a lure that floats above the bottom. I think bass are usually suspended a foot or so above the bottom, anyway, and a floating lure looks very natural to them. I prefer a soft plastic creature bait that glides through the water like a small salamander. It’s a fairly large bait bass can’t resist, and because I can rig it weedless, I don’t worry about getting snagged in the cover.”

Lane likes a shorter leader than most anglers for the Carolina rig, typically using only about 18 inches.

Developed more than half a century ago, the Carolina rig consists of a sliding sinker threaded on the main line, followed by a swivel that stops the sinker. A length of leader line containing the hook and lure is then tied to the opposite swivel terminal; this leader is what allows the lure to move freely while the sinker is dragged along the bottom. Most anglers use the Carolina rig in deeper water and with three-foot leaders and heavy 3/8- and one-ounce sinkers.

“I use sinkers weighing only ¼- or 3/8-ounce, and my standard leader length is only about 18 inches,” continues the Yamaha Pro, “and if the fish are active, I’ll use an even shorter leader.

“What I concentrate on is shallow cover, most of which I can’t even see. I make extremely long casts, then slowly pull the sinker back along the bottom until I feel it hit some of that cover. When it does, I slow my retrieve even more because I know I’m close to fish. I don’t hop the lure with my rod tip at all, but rather, very slowly and steadily pull my rod to the side so the sinker stays on the bottom.”

Another key to Lane’s presentation is his use of monofilament line, because it floats far better than fluorocarbon or braided lines. By using 12- to 15-pound test mono for both his main line and leader, he doesn’t have to worry about having his line nicked and weakened by the cover he’s fishing, either.

Largemouths like the C-Rig even better than smallmouths, says Lane.

Bobby Lane with largemouith

“I fish whatever type of cover is in the water,” he explains, “because that’s where the bass are going to be in shallow water. This can include vegetation, rock piles, laydown timber, boat dock pilings, even shell beds. In shallow water Carolina rigging, I’m not looking for depth changes and channels, just cover.

“I don’t go along a shoreline and cast the water’s edge, but rather, stay further offshore and cast at an angle into the shallow water. I use a 7’3″ medium action rod with a fast tip that lets me make extremely long casts with my light lure and sinker, so in many cases, I’m actually using the Carolina rig as a search tool to help me locate bass because I can cover so much water.”

The Yamaha Pro’s shallow water Carolina rig presentation is a year-round technique, too. Lane doesn’t use it in extremely muddy conditions or when a strong current is present, but he has enough confidence in it to always have two or three rods rigged with different sinkers and leaders no matter where he’s fishing.

What Are the Best Lures for Wintertime Snook?

Best Lures For Wintertime Snook

By David A. Brown
from The Fishing Wire

Jason Stock is a Florida fishing guide, not an economist. Nevertheless, he understands the law of supply and demand, so when late fall drives out the remaining parcels of the baitfish schools that were so prevalent during the warm season, he knows that his favorite lures will quickly become a more valued commodity.

For several months, massive schools of scaled sardines (aka “pilchards” or “whitebait”) have provided steady food supplies for snook and all the other inshore predators roaming the beaches, bays and backwaters of west-central Florida.

During summer, gamefish with even basic hunting skills could count on filling their bellies with little difficulty, but as fall’s declining temperatures and shortening days signal the forthcoming cold season, Florida’s snook go on a feeding binge that nearly decimates the forage. Add increasingly frequent cold snaps and before the fish even know it, their tasty buffet has vanished.

But don’t feel bad for the linesiders. These savvy sportfish know how to survive, and adaptability is an essential part of the plan. What does this mean for anglers? It means a notable increase in the snook’s willingness to take artificial baits.

Not that the fish necessarily avoid lures during the warm season; rather, it’s a case of availability. When loads of natural food exists, snook can make a living on an easy food source that requires little discernment. Once that gravy train leaves town, it becomes an eat-what-you-can deal.

“When you have to compete with live bait, it’s hard to get the snook interested in artificials,” Stock said. “But if you can get them fired up on lures (during the colder months) when they’re already looking for something, they’re gonna go for it, especially if it mimics natural forage.”

Here’s a quick look at some of the artificial baits that tempt cold-season snook:

Topwaters: Stock said that one of the best ways to attract a big-time winter snook strike is with a mullet-imitating surface bait. A straightforward walk-the-dog retrieve is usually most effective, but Stock likes to vary the sound of his topwater attack.

“I like the Heddon Spook Jr. and the One Knocker Spook,” Stock said.

Bomber Mullet Lure

The Bomber Mullet is a slow-sinking lure that often fools lethargic winter snook throughout South Florida.

The new Bomber Saltwater Grade Mullet was made for this application and has an advantage over the Spook. The Mullet is a slow-sinking lure that anglers can work slowly under the surface if the fish aren’t willing to take a bait off the top. One time when this sub-surface walk really shines is on those post-cold-front days with blue skies and no wind. The fish are there and looking up, but in a neutral or negative feeding mode. Let the Mullet sashay right in front of its nose, however, and it can’t help but strike.

Jigs: Lead heads in 1/8- to 3/16-ounce size and dressed with curly or paddletail soft plastics are a good winter lure choice for those days when the topwater action isn’t panning out. Stock said that he spends most of his time with paddletails for their natural vibration that helps attract fish in the cold winter water.

Jigs with paddletail or shad-type tail that mimic any remaining pilchards in color are effective, but darker colors that imitate shrimp and crabs are a can’t-miss as well. The key to an effective presentation, Stock said, is to keep it low and slow to mimic a crustacean slowly skittering along the bottom.

“When you’re working that jig, pull the rod back nice and smooth and feel that shad tail vibrate – I call it the ‘flutter technique,'” Stock said. “If the jig’s not fluttering and making contact with the bottom, a lot of times you’re not going to get bit in the winter time. You have to get that puff of sand when the jig hits bottom and let the fish feel the vibration to get an impulse bite.”

Other Options: Subsurface baits will also produce this time of year. In shallow water, floater/divers are great. But when tide’s up, go with a slow sinker or suspending bait like the aforementioned Bomber Saltwater Grade Mullet or Badonk-A-Donk SS.

WHERE TO LOOK

Catch snook like this one on lures

Snook are one of Florida’s premiere gamefish; they strike hard and fast, run strongly and deliver some spectacular jumps.

Once winter locks the region in its icy grip, snook retreat to the deepest water they can find in coastal rivers, canals and marina/port basins. Here, they’ll pass the coldest season in a lethargic state with minimal movement and even less feeding. Warm days may find some fish rising to shallow edges to sun their backs and chase whatever prey is available.

Until this winter lockdown, however, look for snook to feed around the mouths of coastal creeks and canals and within the protected waters of bays. Potholes amid lush sea grass, mangrove points and oyster bar drop-offs are the likely haunts.

“They can slide in and out with the weather,” Stock said of these transitional areas. “If the water gets colder, they’ll pull back inside.”

Whatever you do during the fall and winter, keep watch for mullet schools, which provide what Stock calls “a buffer for fish.” Snook know that running alongside and within mullet schools provide shelter from dolphins and ospreys while affording them feeding opportunities, as their vegetarian hosts kick up loads of crustaceans.

Savvy snook know to pick off these mullet-jostled freebies. Savvy anglers know that making their topwaters, jigs and swimbaits resemble these freebies yields a bent rod.

Florida’s snook season remains closed through the end of January on the Atlantic Coast and through the end of February on the Gulf Coast, but it’s legal to catch and release this great gamefish throughout the closed season.

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