GUSTAFSON DETAILS FLIPPING TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES

GUSTAFSON DETAILS FLIPPING TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES
from The Fishing Wire

Gustafson flipping

Few presentations outproduce flipping when bass tuck tight into shallow cover. Such was the case at the 51st Bassmaster Classic, recently held on Lake Ray Roberts in North Texas. In the weeks leading up to the event, unrelenting rains caused the lake to swell, with high water inundating shoreline brush and trees and providing resident largemouth with nearly boundless opportunities to explore previously inaccessible cover.

“When these big southern reservoirs flood, incredible numbers of bass head for the bushes and stay there as long as the water remains high,” reflected Elite Series Pro and two-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier Jeff “Gussy” Gustafson.

“Typically, by the time June arrives, the best bite is usually offshore, where fish will bite on everything from football jigs to big crankbaits to topwaters – and that’s what I’d prefer to be doing. But the reality is, I’ll be spending lots of time flipping those flooded bushes to get the five quality bites I need each day.”

And flip, he did. By happenstance, I was paired with Gussy as his marshal on day 2 of the Bassmaster Classic, which afforded me the unique opportunity to spend the day observing – and dissecting – the mechanics and mindset of an elite angler competing in an apex-level event. I would be a student in Gussy’s flipping masterclass from the back deck of his Lund 2075 Pro-V Bass boat.

Gussy_2.jpg

Flipping is a short-range, shallow water technique that delivers a bait into heavy cover.

Flipping, of course, is a short-range, shallow water technique that delivers a bait into heavy cover. Anglers swing the lure on a pendulum-like cast and gently feather it into the water, minimizing surface disturbance as the bait plunges quickly to the bottom. “Flipping elicits a reaction strike,” noted the Kenora, Ontario native who won his first Bassmaster Elite Series event earlier in 2021 on the Tennessee River. “Bass will often pounce on the bait as it falls or right when it contacts the bottom; frequently, you’ll feel that fish as soon as you engage the reel and come tight to the bait. My routine is to drop to the bottom, giving the bait a couple shakes if I didn’t get bit on the way down, and then reel in and repeat.”

Gussy

Covering lots of water is the key to finding fishy targets.

With dozens of miles of flooded shoreline available, all brimming with fishy-looking bushes, where does one begin? Gussy remarked, “during practice, I’d start at one end of a long stretch of shoreline and flip my way to the other end. Invariably, there would be one or two key sections that provided consistent bites or larger average size. What makes those areas different from the miles of flooded bushes that aren’t attracting fish? Maybe it’s the bottom content; rocks attract more crayfish than does mud. Sometimes it’s the density of the vegetation; often, an isolated bush provides more consistent action than an uninterrupted line of greenery. Covering lots of water is the key to locating these fishy targets.”

While an individual flip doesn’t necessarily cover a lot of water, the rapid, rhythmic nature of the presentation allows anglers to survey significant territory during the fishing day. Out of curiosity, I counted the number of flips that Gussy made per minute while plying these flooded waters searching for Texas largemouth; each time I counted, Gussy flipped between six and seven times per minute. That’s at least 360 flips in an hour and closing in on 3000 flips for a solid eight-hour day of fishing. With Gussy at the helm, each flip was short, precise, and purposeful. A bush wouldn’t get just one flip; Gussy would flip to the left side, in front, to the right side, and often behind the shrub as well. “You just don’t know where that bass might be sitting or what direction it’s facing; so, you’ve got to cover all the options before moving on.”

Gussy

Gussy flipped up to 360 times each hour in search of quality Texas largemouth.

Precision boat control is an essential yet sometimes overlooked aspect of successful flipping. “I try to stay off the trolling motor as much as possible – just a quick touch of my Minn Kota Ultrex 112 here and there as needed – to avoid spooking these shallow fish,” remarked Gustafson. “I use the wind to push me along if I can, but often, that speed is just too fast to hit all the key casting targets. So if I find myself in a particularly fishy pocket, or when I need a minute to deal with a hooked fish or re-rig a bait, I deploy my twin Minn Kota Talon shallow water anchors to lock the boat in place.”

Gussy

Gussy flipped his way to success using a G. Loomis NRX+ rod paired with a Shimano Metanium reel.

The tournament day began with a broad selection of rods on the front deck of Gussy’s Lund, including rods rigged with a swim jig, a spinnerbait, and even a Texas-sized plastic worm. “Gotta keep ‘em honest,” quipped the Canadian cowboy. Truthfully, Gussy did throw those baits occasionally. Ultimately, however, Gussy caught all of that day’s fish using a flipping stick. His weapon of choice was a G. Loomis NRX+ 895C JWR – a 7’5” rod with extra-heavy power and fast action – equipped with a Shimano Metanium reel. “This combination is incredibly light and sensitive yet extremely powerful and durable. I can flip all day for a week and never have the slightest amount of arm fatigue. At the same time, once a fish bites, the NRX+ 895 rod has the power needed to bury the hook and to get the fish’s head turned quickly, while the 7.1:1 gear ratio Metanium winches it out of trouble.” Gussy spooled his Metanium with 50 lb test PowerPro braided line and threaded on a ⅜ oz Flat Out Tungsten flipping weight, held in place using a small rubber bobber stop. Then, Gussy tied directly to a Gamakatsu 3/0 Super Heavy Cover Flippin’ Hook using a snell knot.

Flipping lends itself to a wide range of lure choices, with creature baits being one of the frequently presented styles. As we waited out a two-hour storm delay, Gussy engaged his neighbor in the take-off line, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Chad Morganthaler, in some friendly dock talk as Gussy asked, “how am I going to flip my way to five keeper bites today?” Morgenthaler, a seven-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, responded with one word: tubes. As it turned out, Gussy left his entire tube selection with his smallmouth bass gear at home near Ontario’s Lake of the Woods, so Morgenthaler reached into one of his compartments and gave Gussy a handful to try. “Each of us out here wants to see everyone succeed, and we try to help each other out anytime we can,” noted a thankful Gustafson as he rigged up his first borrowed tube.

Gussy

Tubes borrowed from two other Bassmaster Classic competitors let Gussy flip his way into championship Sunday.

Morgenthaler’s tubes would prove pivotal. By mid-morning, Gussy had three keeper fish in the livewell and had sorted through several members of the lake’s junior-varsity bass squad – but was down to a single tattered tube. Luckily, help was about to arrive as another Classic competitor, Seth Feider, idled into view. A quick exchange led to Feider recharging Gussy’s tube supply with a generous pile of green pumpkin-patterned baits. Those borrowed tubes helped Gussy capture a tournament limit of over 13 pounds that day and secure a berth in the Classic’s Sunday championship round.

GIve flipping a try the next time that high skies and high water push bass into shallow cover. Tips and tactics from Gussy’s masterclass will surely connect you with flipping success.

Gussy

Gussy’s tools and tactics will help connect you with flipping success.

#FishShimano

#FishGLoomis

#BassmasterClassic

About the author: Dr. Jason Halfen is a long-time guide, tournament angler, and specialist in marine electronics. He owns and operates The Technological Angler, dedicated to teaching anglers to leverage hi-tech tools to find and catch more fish. Learn more by visiting www.technologicalangler.com.

Summer Injuries

While growing up, summers were a glorious time of sunburn, scrapes, scratches, poison ivy, stepping on nails barefooted and other similar joys. Wearing nothing but shorts most days meant lots of skin exposed to various dangers, and the farm, woods and ponds were full of them.

Calamine lotion was worn what seemed as many days as not. It helped with sunburn, mosquito bites and poison ivy rash. Its “skin” colored liquid dried to a crust if it stayed on long enough.

As often as not, mama would put it on in the morning and it would be gone within a few minutes, worn off on bushes or washed off in branch water. We didn’t actually wash in the branch but fell in or got in the water to cool off.

Mosquitoes were common back then but either their bite bothers me a lot more now than back then or they were not as big or strong. Little red bumps that itched a few minutes but were then gone have changed over the years to red whelps that itch for a couple of days now.

I learned young to identify poison oak and ivy but knowing how to identify it and avoiding it were two very different things in my life. After all, when you are gathering wood to build a trap for non-existent wildlife, who has time to watch for “leaves of three?”

It never failed, during the first week of summer vacation I would get sunburned on my back, stomach shoulders and upper arms where school shirts covered up until then. And my legs, newly exploring sunlight after nine months of hiding under desks in long pants, got blistered, too.

The sunburn hurt a little for a couple of days but by the end of the first of week of vacation the rest of my body caught up with my face, arms and hands from being exposed to the sun every day. And if I went to Shields Pond to the swimming hole that first week, I would get good and blistered, peel but be brown under it. We never heard of sunscreen back then, we just roasted to a golden brown naturally.

Every summer I stepped on somewhere between two and five nails. Around the farm there were always pieces of old wood lying around. No matter how hard we tried to rescue and reuse all old nails, some escaped out attention.

It probably didn’t help that we went barefoot everywhere and really didn’t pay attention where we stepped. It didn’t take long after shedding our shoes for our feet to get tough and most things we stepped on didn’t bother us.

On test each summer was to walk on the tar and gravel road in front of the house. At first the gravel rocks hurt when we stepped on them. But within a couple of weeks, we ran on the gravel without pain. But nails are a bit sharper and longer than gravel.

When we got a nail in our foot we would either pull it out and hobble home hopping on one foot, or, usually it would just go in and back out as we took our doomed step. When we got to the house mama would use an old cure. We would put a penny on the hole, put a chunk of fatback over the penny and an inch or so around it, wrap it up and cover it with a sock.

The actions of the copper and meat were supposed to pull the poison out. Fortunately, we also kept our tetanus shots current. And I will never forget the smell of that fatback as it “worked” on hot summer days.

Ticks were not a problem back then. Every once in a while, we would pull a big fat gray tick off our dogs and squish it between two rocks to kill it and see the tar like stuff come out. But I can not remember ever getting a tick on me until I grew up. I am pretty sure whitetail deer spread them as they increased their range and as they became more common so did ticks. Now I get one or two on me every time I go in my back yard!

Fishing trips inevitably meant hooks in skin somewhere. Since we mostly bream fished, most of the hooks were small and easy to remove. Bigger hooks, like catfish or bass hooks, often meant a trip back to the house for help removing them and some kind of band aid over the hole they left.

Encounters with wasps, bees and yellow jackets were a common problem every summer. Wasps seemed to like to build nest in the kinds of places I liked to explore. Any tree house or hut left from the past year had to be checked carefully before using them. And new construction had to be inspected every week.

Part of the danger was the use of wasps nests larvae for fishing bait. When I could find a big wasp nest either by looking or getting stung, I would make a torch and burn the adults off the nest, usually at night. Luckily I never set the house on fire. Then the nest would be put in a paper bag ion the refrigerator to slow down the growth of larvae.

Sometimes getting the nest would result in a sting since some adults might survive the fire torch. And more than once I got stung when taking a nest out of the bag if I opened it to get a larva for bait without checking for any wasps that had transformed to adults even in the cool refrigerator.

My body was always a road map of scratches with scrapes marking metropolitan areas. Walking or running through briars and branches in the woods always left scratches and bumping against trees or rocks left scrapes. And my knees were always raw from crawling around looking for stuff.

Although summer memories often involve pain, the pain is tiny compared to the joy of those memories.

Joel Nelson’s Favorite Summer Jigs and Rigs

JOEL NELSON’S FAVORITE SUMMER JIGS AND RIGS will help you catch fish
from The Fishing Wire

JUNE 22, 20211

CAtch big bluegill on jigs


Part of being an effective angler is putting together a pattern. Knowing a bit about a specific species, its seasonal movements, and biology throughout the year. It also helps to have some locational information on where they like to spend their time. Rocks, weeds, mid-depths to shallow shoals, all can be fishy during certain months. That said, presentation, as-in the types of baits we put in those places and how, can really make a difference throughout all seasons. That classic Fish + Location + Presentation = Success formula that the Lindner’s devised those decades ago is still the basis for putting together a great day on the way.

Here are some jigs and rigs that have proven themselves to me again and again, year over year forgetting me bit during the summer calendar period.

Panfish Jigs

Thumper Crappie King Jig – It’s really a crappie go-to during the summer for trolling. I can pull tube jigs and they work well. So do your average curly-tail or boot-tail plastics. The Crappie Thumper King adds some vibration and shine to the presentation that really draws crappies
when jig-trolling. It’s like a finesse crankbait of sorts that fish just love.
Impulse Bloodworm – If you fish gills, call this a standard in your tackle box. In shallow, pitch it on a tight line as it swings down and gets popped by hungry fish. Out deeper, use it with a slip bobber to put it right on big bluegills’ doorstep. That could be an inside turn on a weedline or just off a shelf where they suspend.

Walleye/Bass Jigs

Fireball Jig – Probably the #1 selling jig of all time, this is just a staple again. For fishing vertically with livebait, I’ll pair a 1/16 oz. or 1/8 oz. fireball with a leech below a bobber. Or I’ll use heavy ones to bomb the depths on big water like Lake of the Woods or Winnie. Find fish on electronics and drop these on them, it can really be that simple for most of the summer.
Deep Vee Jig – This jig design could be one of the more revolutionary adaptations I’ve seen in some time. For a river guy, these baits track true when you’re dragging, and are setup for livebait and plastics both with the wire keeper. On lakes and reservoirs, they’re an incredible jig for pitching plastics. The keel keeps them running well, and great hooks paired with big eyes and hard paint make them a quality jig that will last.
Mimic Minnow Limber Leech – My boys came back from the river a few weeks ago with some trout they caught exclusively on limber leeches, adding to the already growing list of species we’ve caught on these baits. Everything eats a leech and especially on river systems, this is a very life-like and effective mimic.
Mimic Minnow Critter Craw – For bass, both smallies and largemouth alike, I’m always happy to throw this bait. Especially in rocky environments, I like how it works across the bottom without getting hung up and have had fish in river systems and lakes alike really select for these things. Like leeches, crayfish are just such a large food source for so many fish species, and this is a great imitation.
Mimic Minnow Shad – Few baits are as throw and go as these. For my kids, it’s been nice to have them tie something on that’ll attract a variety of fish and do so well in so many conditions. That versatility makes them extremely popular and at times, hard to find on store shelves so I like to stock up when I find the colors and sizes I like.

Rigs

Butterfly Blades – It’s hard to beat a butterfly blade in all of its configurations to trick moderate to neutral fish into eating. The Wingnut and standard varieties, with a smattering of crawlers on Super Death hooks, or simple leeches on a single hook are all good multiple looks to offer fish on finicky days. I love how I can really drop the boat speed and just hover over fish with these, as
the blades spin at speeds even slower than 0.5mph. What’s surprising to most people is that I pull these for panfish too. I use the smallest sizes with a chunk of crawler to catch mega gills and cover water near weed beds. That also tends to yield walleyes in the right lakes, and definitely plenty of bass. If you simply want to put a bend in the rod, these are great rigs to do it with.

Baitfish Series Spinner Rigs – There are times often in clear water where fish are more selective on color, yet still want the thump of a traditional metal blade. It’s on waters like Mille Lacs, Winnie, and Lake of the Woods that I’ll pull larger blades in the Baitfish series to put out some vibration, while allowing finesse color presentation both. These are very lifelike blades, and when imitating perch (firetiger, gold perch) or during a bug hatch (gold shiner, clown), I feel like I can dial in their preferences really well. Even in extremely clear water and on a down bite, these spinners coax fish.

Should Forward Facing Electronics Be Banned?

All this bias trying to make others act and believe like you do bleeds over into fishing too often. I was in a “discussion” on social media last week with a person that said the new forward-facing electronics like my Garmin Panoptix should be banned. They said it was unfair making it too easy to catch fish.

That statement alone shows they have never been fishing in a boat with forward-facing electronics. More often than not you can see the fish but not make them bite. It is often very frustrating, but you can learn a lot about fish and their actions watching it.

I asked this person where would he end his ban of new technology? Just the forward-facing electronics he doesn’t have? Or extend it to side and down scan electronics that have been around over 20 years? He said yes, but admitted he did not have them, either.

Next I asked about other sonar back to the old flasher units like the one that came on my first bass boat in 1974. He said they were ok, since he used them. Apparently, it is ok and not too easy when you watch a sonar image move around directly under the boat on one of those old units, but not ok if you can do the same in front of the boat on new-fangled technology.

But why stop there. How about banning electric trolling motors? They definitely give the angler an edge, making it easier to catch fish than paddling around.

But there is more in this deal!! He really started going off the deep end when I asked if he would be willing to go back to fishing with no modern inventions. That would mean wading around catching fish with your hands – not even allowing spears.

He said that was ridiculous and I agreed. But he said he wanted to ban new technology that made it easier to catch fish. Everything we use now does that but he was not willing to admit he was just prejudice against those having things he did not have, or did not want to have.

As far as modern fishing inventions, I think the electric trolling motor is the best modern invention for fishing from a boat. And foot-controlled units are a huge step up.

I well remember growing up sculling old wooden boats around for my uncles so they could fish. And the joy when they let me make a few casts. But if alone, I had to paddle the boat to where I wanted to fish then try to position it, then pick up my rod and reel to make a cast.

Now I ease down the shoreline keeping the boat in perfect position without even thinking about it. My foot on the trolling motor pedal is well trained enough to keep the boat moving just right without thought.

I’m not sure any of it helps me catch fish, but it sure does make it easier and more fun!

I like fishing big lakes, there is a challenge to finding and catching fish that I enjoy, and I will use everything at my disposal to help. Big lakes are much tougher. To me there is a big difference between going to a private farm pond and landing a five-pound bass and catching one on a big lake, especially on a weekend day.

I have always wanted to catch a 12-pound largemouth but know I never will. It was almost possible back in the 1960s and 70 when I managed to catch several nine-pound bass from big lakes, but much less so now.

The only realistic way I could land one would be to go where they live, probably Florida, and fish big live shiners with a guide. But that would be the guide’s skill and knowledge, not mine, and I just have no desire to do that.

To each his own – just don’t try to force your “own” on others and I will do the same.

FLY FISHING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

Some FLY FISHING TIPS FOR BEGINNERS
from The Fishing Wire

Enjoy fly fishing


FLY FISHING GEAR FOR BEGINNERS

Before you can drift a fly you need some essential equipment. While there is a lot of gear out there, there is no need to feel overwhelmed. A rod, reel, and fly line is really all the fly fishing gear for beginners needed to get you started. Just keep in mind that it’s important to buy quality gear even if it costs a little more money. Poor gear leads to poor performance. In the long run, quality gear is a much better financial and mental investment.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Even with quality equipment, learning to cast while trying to catch fish can be a bit frustrating. The good news is that you don’t need water to practice casting. Any place with enough clearance will suffice, like a backyard. Spend a few hours in the backyard with your gear, practicing one or two casts to have in your repertoire. Follow this tip and you will be far more confident casting during initial trips, which makes fly fishing for beginners that much more rewarding.

UTILIZE FLY SHOPS

There are a lot of aspects to a day of fishing such as the water quality, aquatic life, and access points. Local fly shops are where you’ll find your greatest resource for information. These guys and gals know everything about the local waters and are very generous with their knowledge. Do yourself a favor and learn from them.

AWARENESS

One of the greatest aspects of fly fishing for beginners is the beauty and serenity surrounding you. But while beautiful, bodies of water can also be hazardous, especially for anglers just starting fly fishing who may apply more of their focus to their flies than their surroundings. Water levels are prone to fluctuation, and rising water is dangerous. Stay on top of river conditions and always check before heading out. When fishing, always keep an eye on the water level, watch your footing, and be stationary when casting.

TIPS TO CATCH SOME FISH

There will be days where catching fish seems impossible. It happens to all of us, but here are some tips to limit those slow days.

Check what bugs are around and find a pattern that imitates them.

Cast upstream to places you think trout might be holding and work from the back of the hole to the front.

Fish seams in the current, obstructions that block current, and water transitions where fish often hold.

HANDLE FISH PROPERLY

If you plan practicing catch and release, it is important that you handle fish, especially trout, correctly. Your goal is to land them as quickly as possible. Playing fish until exhaustion decreases survival rates after release. If you must handle the fish with your hands, be sure they’re wet. Trout are soft-scaled fish and dry hands can cause abrasions and possible infections.

ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL SPORT

“Time spent on the trout stream does not detract from a man’s total life.” While not biologically accurate it does illustrate the feeling and spirit of fly fishing and how it can change your life for the better.

Content courtesy of The Fly Fishing Basics.

Woke Journalists Pushing An Agenda Means the End of the US

We celebrate freedom this weekend, and better enjoy it while we can. When the media pushes an agenda, lying to make their prejudices happen, and are believed by many voters, the US and freedoms we enjoy can not survive.

If you read the opinion piece by Dick Polman on the June 24 Griffin Daily News editorial page, you saw the path we are on. I’m not sure who wrote the headline “In the war on American democracy, journalists can’t be neutral,” but that is the problem in a concise sentence.

Poleman writing an editorial is no more “journalism” than is this column. It is his biased opinion, as this is mine. A “journalist” can not write with bias – but that is where we are now. Since Poleman is liberal, making voters show an ID is a “war on democracy.” The “shall not be infringed” statement in the 2nd Amendment means it is ok for government to infringe on rights, as long as they meet his prejudices.

I get tickled, and a little mad, when I hear idiots babble about the new law in Georgia that stops political groups from giving stuff, including water, to voters in line to vote to buy their vote. In the little town I grew up in back in the 1950s and 60s, Mr. Bill handed out half pints of liquor at poling places to buy votes. But he was a democrat so it was ok, I guess.

The media has special protections in the US Constitution since a free and unbiased media is critical for freedom. But when the media overwhelmingly takes one side, covers up for wrong doing on their side but constantly harangues the other for made up transgressions, and is never unbiased, we are doomed.

With bias and prejudice on both sides being accepted as truth, and voters electing folks that will give them “free stuff” no matter what else they do, we better celebrate this July 4 Independence Day like it is the last one we will ever have, since it may be close.

Camping and Fishing

Camping is supposed to be a relaxing return to nature, getting outdoors and living a simple life for a few days. Not so much now-a-days.

Big motor homes pull into paved pads set a few feet from the next one. The “camper” hops out, plugs in and pushes a button to level his home away from home and crawls back inside.

A couple days later they come out of their air-conditioned cocoon with big screen TV, unplug and retract levelers and head back to civilization, a house with all the comforts of camping.

I admit my camping is just a way to sleep comfortably near the water so I can spent more time fishing I have a slide in pickup camper that is air conditioned, but it is for sleeping only. All cooking, eating and sitting around watching other campers is done outside in a screened in room. Watching fellow “campers” is fun from that bug free zone.

I spent six nights last week at Blanton Creek Campground on Bartletts Ferry Lake. That Georgia Power campground is well maintained with a good bathroom and shower, something very important to me after a hot day fishing.

I was surprised the campground was not full since I had to make reservations over a month ago to get a site. The caretaker told me every site was reserved and paid for, but the stormy weather Thursday and Friday probably scared off some campers.

Boating Safety Violations and Danger

Memorial Day week I jokingly mentioned sitting at a boat ramp over the weekend and watching the comedy show. Too many folks get a boat and don’t have a clue about backing a trailer. And they don’t go to an empty parking lot to train, they wait until they are at a busy boat ramp to cause problems for everyone else.

Some of those same folks on the water are no joking matter. Far too many people drive boats without a clue on safety rules and laws. And boat wrecks happen every year because of it.

Last year I got run out of a marked channel at Lake Guntersville by drivers not following the most basic rule of boating two different times in one day. Both were by boat ”captains” in an Alabama High School tournament.

I was running down the right sides of the narrow channels and they headed right toward me, forcing me to either go to my left and their right, violating the law, or run out into the grass. I chose the grass partly because if I went to their right and they suddenly changed course, I would have been the one in the wrong if we hit.

A picture of a bass boat that had obviously been hit on the port (left) side by another boat was posted on Facebook a week ago. I found out they were running about 40 MPH at night in a tournament when another boat in the tournament, coming across their path from the left, hit them.
Apparently, the young driver in the boat that hit the other bass boat either didn’t see them or didn’t know they had the right of way. To make it worse, they boat in the wrong did not have front running lights.

Front running lights tell you which way a boat is facing in the dark. There is a green light on the starboard (right) side and a red light on the port side. So if you see a red light the boat is going to your left and it has the right of way. The white light at the stern (rear) of the boat confirms this and is easier to see from a distance.

Red and green lights on a boat are like the traffic lights at an intersection. If you see the red light, the other boat has the right of way. A green light gives you right of way, but since so many people don’t know the rules it is best to avoid getting near another boat day or night.

At Lake Eufaula a couple of weeks ago I idled from the campground to the boat ramp in the dark on Saturday morning. A steady stream of boats in the BFL idled from the ramp on my left to the boat basin on my right to get ready for blast off. It took me about ten minutes to make the trip, and about 50 boats went by.

Boat after boat showed their green starboard light to me. Then one went by showing a red light on its starboard side, opposite of what it should be. Either it was installed wrong or someone working on the boat somehow got it changed backwards.

Imagine running down the lake in the dark and seeing a red and green light ahead. The lights tell you to go to the right, justly like in a car on the highway. But with lights reversed it would be confusing.

For years I would go to Clarks Hill during the summer and sleep all day and fish all night for a week at a time. I always enjoyed fishing at night when the air is cooler, the fish are feeding and there are few boats on the water as opposed to fishing on hot days when the fish don’t bite and the lake is crowded.

My bass clubs used to have night tournaments every July and August but several members are afraid to fish at night now due to idiots on the water.

I saw a good example of how dumb folks can be one night at Jackson. I was fishing a point near the dam in the dark when I barely made out a boat idling past about 100 yards out from me. As it went by a spotlight hit the two young girls in a tube 100 feet behind the boat, being pulled along. There were lights on the boat but not on the girls.

A game warden had seen them and put his spotlight on the girls. He stopped the boat and I heard him lecture the adults in the boat about the danger of what they were doing and that it was illegal. He said he would not give them a ticket but they must be safe.

The game warden left, the folks in the boat cranked up and merrily went on their way towing the two young girls in the tube behind the boat in the dark.

The closest I have ever come to hitting another boat happened just after dark at Clarks Hill. I was fishing up Little River, planning on fishing most of the night, when lightning in an approaching thunderstorm made me head to my mobile home at the boat club.

Going in, a small island sits about 100 yards off the bank just above Raysville Bridge. The water is deep enough out between the island and bank to run through there, and it saves a couple minutes off going around the island. Since the lightning was getting closer I was running about 45 MPH as I turned to go between the island and bank.

Suddenly a flashlight came on just feet ahead of me. Someone had paddled a boat out there and anchored to fish in the dark, without lights. I am sure I soaked the folks in the boat as I went by, I could not have been more than five feet from them.

Follow the laws and rules on the water and be safe out there.

Mayfly Life Cycle

I was surprised when I shook the limb that had been full of Mayflies on Sunday and Friday, to see two dead ones fall out and not even one fly off. Mayflies attract bream that attract bass, but the hatch does not last long.

The life cycle of a Mayfly is amazing to me. Adult females lay from 50 to 10,000 eggs, depending on the species, on the surface of the water and the eggs settle to the bottom. They hatch in about two weeks into nymphs that live from two weeks to two years on the bottom, feeding on decaying material and growing.

When grown, the nymph swims to the surface and the skin splits and a winged subimago fly emerges to fly to a nearby bush. After resting overnight, it molts into the adult winged fly, the only insect that molts after developing a winged stage.

Soon after the final molt, the adult flies mate and the females lay eggs on the surface of the water at dusk. The males die after mating and the females die after laying eggs, usually living only one day but sometimes live as long as two days.

No wonder they were all gone at Bartletts Ferry in a week!

Camping and Fishing West Point and Bartletts Ferry

I arrived on Tuesday and set up camp, then got up Wednesday morning and drove 30 minutes to West Point Lake to practice for the Potato Creek Saturday tournament. I found some bushes with a Mayfly hatch and caught a four pounder on a buzzbait in the shade of them, so I thought I had found something.

I marked some more Mayfly bushes and some deep-water places that looked good the rest of that day. I went back on Thursday and found some more, so I felt pretty good about catching fish in the tournament.

On Friday I put in at Bartletts Ferry to check things out there for the Sportsman Club Sunday tournament. It was a week early due to Father’s Day this weekend. The limb I shook the Sunday before and released a cloud of Mayflies was still full of them. When I shook the same limb they flew around me so thick I had to breathe thought my nose to keep from eating one!

That gave me hope since I had caught a four pounder there in the Flint River tournament. I spent a few hours looking for more bushes full of Mayflies and found many, and marked some good looking cover on points before a thunderstorm ran me off the lake at 2:00.

Last Saturday 24 members of the Potato Creek Bassmasters fished our June tournament at West Point. After nine hours of casting, we brought 68 keeper bass weighing about 118 pounds to the scales. There were ten five-bass limits and three people did not weigh in a fish.

Caleb Delay won big with five weighing 14.15 pounds and his 4.82 pound largemouth was big fish. Edward Folker was second with five at 9.92 pounds, Kwong Yu was third with five weighing 9.90 pounds and Mitchell Cardell came in fourth with five at 8.77 pounds.

My practice didn’t really help me. I landed one on a buzzbait near a Mayfly hatch, one on a Carolina Rig on an old roadbed I found and one on a whacky rigged Senko that hit near some Mayflies. I did lose two nice two-pound fish that I got right to the boat and they just pulled off, one on a shaky head worm and one on a jig and pig.

At Bartletts Ferry Sunday ten members of the Spalding County Sportsman Club fished our June tournament. After nine hot hours in our boats, we brough 30 keepers weighing about 39 pounds to the scales. There were two five fish limits and one person didn’t weigh in a fish.

Jay Gerson had a limit weighing 10.51 pounds for first and his 4.14 pound largemouth was big fish. Raymond English had five weighing 7.02 pounds for second, my three weighing 6.02 pounds was third and Glenn Anderson had four weighing 6.09 pounds for fourth. He actually beat me but he had a dead fish that cost him a .2 pound penalty.

Practice didn’t really help here, either. I did catch one keeper on a buzzbait on the same seawall where I caught one the week before, and caught my biggest fish, a 3.48 pounder that hit a weightless Trick worm on another seawall. My third fish came out of some deep brush where I had caught one the weekend before, and my partner Chris Davies got two keepers there and another one off a dock.