Check Out These Blogs

I have added 2 new blogs to my blogroll, Kenny's Great Outdoors and Bassin' the Net. I reviewed both of these blogs and am now a subscriber to both. I highly recommend that you do the same!

Kenny's Great Outdoors is a blog based out of Missouri. I found this blog very appealing due to the wonderful images and informative articles. The author, Kenny, seems to be a great story teller as his posts flow smoothly and are very enjoyable to read. Please check it out as it's pictures are outstanding and it's very relaxing to browse through.

Bassin' the Net is a blog by Capt. Dick Loupe out of Florida, who used to air on an outdoor TV show out of Knoxville, TN. (GO BIG ORANGE!!) This blog is being rebuilt and if the articles posted so far are any indication of what's to come, then it'll be a good one!

Once again, please check out these blogs and subscribe to them. The more of us Sportsmen that are connected together through any means, the stronger we are to oppose legislation against the activities that we love.

Please Rate This Giant Flathead Catfish

Location: Ft. Loudon Reservoir

State: Tennessee

Fish: Flathead Catfish

Description: Actually, I was fishing for smallmouth bass with a 3.5 in Yum Tube, watermelon color on a Bite-Me tube head 3/16 oz, using 10 lb Berkley Big Game line, a BPS Extreme rod because my other was being repaired, and a Pflueger President spinning reel. It was about 11:00 am, sunny, mid 50's, no wind. I was in my 94 Hydrasport L185.

Please Create Your Free Account Membership & Rate at Website: http://www.bigfishtackle.com/wall/2009/February/Flathead_from_Ft._Loudon_2515.html

Knowing Baitfish Movement Increases Your Bass Hook-Up Percentage

Most average amateur fishermen are not book worms on studying the habit of baitfish movement, including myself. However, this year I plan to do more research and learn about the forage my next lunker bass is feeding on. I began my research at http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/biology.html and it offers detailed articles about Bass Biology, Bass Habitats, Finding Bass and many more. Baitfish frequently move or interact under different conditions, such as the weather, water temperature, phases of the moon, season change, light variation, and lowering of lake water. One tip from this site that stands out to me the most is from the Bass Biology article on schooling fish. This section recommends placing every bass that you catch in the livewell instead of back into the lake due to spooking the other bass in the area and decreasing the amount of fish you catch in one spot. This is a very interesting thought that never crossed my mind until I read this article. You can always cull out or separate your livewell with a divider to keep the keepers in one section and the dinks in the other until you reach a good spot for release and have caught all the fish from the area you are fishing. I’m definitely going to test this theory out next time I go fishing. Please check out http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/biology.html for more helpful tips on the basics of Bass Biology.

Fishing Report 2/8/09, First Time Out in 2009

Well, hopefully my first trip on the water this year is no indication of what is to come. My friend, Brandon, and I took out my boat to test the new, used lower unit for the first time. The good news is the boat ran fine. The bad news is we couldn't get a bite!
We started out at the Concord ramp on Fort Loudon here in Knoxville. After a short 1.5 mile ride we stopped on a bluff and tried hair jigs, tubes, and worms about 20-35 feet deep. No takers. Then we moved to a good clay cranking area and tried crawdad and shad colored crankbaits. No bites. Finally, we moved into the back of Sinking Creek between the Concord Marina and Fox Rd. Marina along the deep side. We saw shad dying everywhere, but could not get a fish to bite.
At least we got to be on the lake and the weather was beautiful. Temperature was in the 60's, very little wind, water temperature was 45-47.5.
Good luck and be safe!

Is Fishing Scent Needed For Catching More Bass?

I have been using scent for most of my fishing career and I believe that a little scent is always helpful. Bass are very picky when it comes to smell and any weird scent from your hands or on your lures may turn them off and keep you from getting a solid bite. I know that sight or sound usually gets their attention first, but don’t count out the smell because it helps the bass hold on to the lure long enough for you to easily detect a bite.More... I prefer to use garlic and crawfish primarily, but I will occasionally use shad scent too. I like to use garlic and crawfish scent on plastic lures and jigs, and shad scent seems to work well for crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, and buzz baits. I would pay attention to what baitfish bass are feeding on at the time you are fishing and try that scent first until you are comfortable with a favorite scent. There are several articles on this from the web and I really like the explanation given at http://www.bassfishin.com/article11.htm, which is written by Ken Kross. Ken is a Chemist by profession and is currently the president of Scientific Bass Products, Inc. Ken describes about how fish react to smell or scent and outlines the factors involved in producing his own scent to maximize bites and landing more fish. I have not tried his Kick’n Bass scent yet, but I may give it a shot this fishing season. Currently, I like to use Smelly Jelly Pro Guide Formula in the bass feast scent for jigs, and I prefer Berkley Gulp Alive crawfish scent for all my plastic lures. These are the two I prefer, but you may find a diamond in the rough, so I suggest you try many and experiment all until you find the scents that work best for you and your lures. You can find both of these scents in most major fishing tackle stores, but for ease of access I pasted the links from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, so you can see what’s offered in the marketplace today.

Berkley Gulp Alive can be found in Bass Pro Shops.
Berkley Gulp Alive and Smelly Jelly can be found at Cabela's.

Happy scent searching!

Which Knot Should I Use?

Everyone has different knots that they prefer to use when fishing in different situations. In the past I have only used a few knots for attaching the line to the lure, but after reading a previous post written by a friend of mine titled "Tying the Right Knot With the Right Line", I was inspired to learn more.More...
Normally, I use a Palomar Knot for about 90% of the time. I find it is the strongest when flipping jigs, using any kind of plastic worm, and on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. I also use it on crankbaits, but I am considering making a change to either the Homer Rhode Loop Knot or the Brubaker Loop. These two loop knots would allow the lure to swing more freely, resulting in better action. It will be really hard for me to make this change, at least until I gain confidence in the new knot's strength. Some variation of the loop knot should also be used on jerkbaits and topwater lures.
As for fluorocarbon line, I have tried the Palomar Knot and the Uni-knot with limited success. I have had many line breaks. In an article I found on the Washington Council of Trout Unlimited website, a Berkley Trilene representative was said to have recommended the Crawford Knot for fluorocarbon line. Instructions for tying the Crawford Knot and the Brubaker Knot can be found at fishingknots.com. Several others have recommended a Berkley Braid Knot for fluorocarbon. Instructions for the Berkley Braid Knot can be found at probass.net.
Another great site to learn all kinds of knots is marinews.com.

My trial setup for this season is going to be:

1. Palomar Knot for worms, jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and most other plastics when using monofilament or braid.

2. Homer Rhode Loop Knot or Brubaker Loop Knot for crankbaits, topwaters, and jerkbaits when using either monofilament, braid, or fluorocarbon.

3. Crawford Knot or Berkley Braid Knot when using worms,jigs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, or other plastics when using fluorocarbon.

I look forward to reporting my experiences over the course of this Spring. Happy fishing!