Rattletrap Ramblings

I recently noticed a book by KVD about bass strategies circa 1995 on amazon.com for practically nothing and had to buy it. Call it an impulse buy but the cost of the book was less than the $4 shipping.

This book is totally awesome…. totally.

It answers a ton of questions I had about what happens to bass with different conditions…. at least what KVD thinks. It’s like you’re calling the guy up and asking for his advice.

I learned that there’s an old adage that bass bite better with a rising barometer and if it’s above 30. Like all adages, they don’t hold true a lot of times but it can be used effectively as a guage sometimes. I didn’t know about this since I go fishing every chance I get regardless of weather.

If the bass are feeding on crawfish and shore minnows, then they’ll be shallow most of the time. If they’re eating perch, then they’ll be deeper and could be anywhere if they’re eating shad.

Bass prefer milfoil over everything, even hydrilla.

Bass are finicky eaters in Spring and Fall, so it’s critical to match the size and color of your bait during this period.

The baitfish are at their largest size during the pre-spawn and KVD uses big baits during this period. This is probably common knowledge but admit I didn’t know this.

During pre-spawn in a reservoir, KVD says to concentrate on deep structure areas like creek channel drops, ledges/drop offs near large spawning bays and flats. Look for deep water adjacent to areas less than 10 ft deep.

In a river, bass like slack water areas in all stages of spawn. Key on main river banks during summer. In winter, look for the deepest slack water area like a marina.

In tidal water during pre and post spawn, look for deep water out of current but close to the river and adjacent to a spawning flat.

The book also covers cold fronts. KVD believes river fish are the least prone to cold fronts. He says to look for moving water areas in backs of creeks or upper end of the lake in a reservoir.

During the fall, a cold front can be beneficial by activating the fall pattern of shad moving to the backs of creeks. In late fall, the bass will move to a winter pattern where KVD loves channel banks and bluff walls.

He also believes clear water bass roam more and more apt to move upwards to eat. They’re also easier to catch in cold water so he’ll move towards the dam where the water is typically the clearest.

Conversely, muddy water bass tend to stick tight to cover, prefer shallow water and hard objects. He suggests making multiple casts to an objects and use spinnerbaits and buzzbaits when the shad are active and jigs and plastics when they’re inactive.

Muddy water also can activate the shad and move them towards the influx of freshwater typically found in the backs of creeks. This exactly what happened at the 2009 Bassmaster Weekend Series National Championship on Lake Dardanelle during the Fall.

Supposedly, bass always migrate with rising and falling water except in the winter when they stay deep. They also become more inactive as water falls and more active as water rises. I noticed this during the BASS Open as Smith Lake. The fish were outright spooky the more they dropped the water.

If I had this book, I would’ve known that the fish I was catching in the flooded bushes moved to the flooded bushes on secondary points in the same creek arm or if it fell a lot, then they were on the main lake points. I would’ve looked for the same depth they were holding in before the water fell in those areas. If they were on grass, then I would’ve known that the inside edge would’ve been key early on in the drawdown.

Supposedly, this is where you’ve got to be careful not move ahead of the fish and the migration associated with water level doesn’t happen immediately.

Conversely, if that tournament was on a river I would’ve known that bass move quickly with water fluctuations and moved to deeper slack water areas such as the mouth of sloughs and deep marinas.

A few other tips I picked up was to lean more towards crankbaits in stained water and jigs/spinnerbaits in muddy water.

KVD also thinks that 2 or 3 hits is enough to assess an area during practice.

There’s obviously tons more knowledge in the book, but these are some of the points that stuck out to me.

Anyway, the book is worth every penny and already a better fisherman because of it.

With no big tournaments in the near future, I’ve been experimenting with techniques that I’m not familiar with. Ever since fishing Smith Lake, I think drop shot whenever there’s bridge pilings or clear water.

It’s hot as hell outside and been droppin it on ledges to catch fish lately.

A shaky head is probably better suited for 90 degree water temperature but they’re eatin it right now so why question it.

I’ve been using a 1/8 mojo weight and Gamakatsu drop shot hook with a Zoom Finesse Worm. There’s a lot of shad where I’m fishing at the moment and the small fluke also seems to work well.

It’s pretty cool catching fish that you see on your graph. I’m from the Far East, so I guess I have a natural affinity for computers, cameras, and of course finesse fishing.

The only problem I’m having is that so many of the fish I’m catching are small. I’m thinkin I’ll have to upsize to a trick worm or super fluke to catch decent size fish but won’t know until I try it.

According to this video by drop shot guru, Mike Folkstead, you can use worms up to 8″ long. I’ll have to try some of the Roboworms and shaker worms they use out west.

Anyway, the drop shot has been around a while but I haven’t experimented with it too much until recently. It’s definitely a limit catcher but I’d sure like to hook a 7 or 8 pounder with this 8 lb test I’m throwing.

I’m still not quite sure what to do when you fish bridge pilings that are 100 feet deep like on Smith Lake. Do you let it fall all the way to the bottom? Do you suspend it? Do they just hit it on the fall? If someone has an answer to this, please make a comment.

In any case, the drop shot is one cool technique that I’m trying to figure out a time and place to use it effectively in tournaments.

This video will give you all the basics to get started but I would love to learn more about this technique.

Ike just confirms some of my suspicions about bed fishing in this video. I’m a firm believer that bass on bed will eat just about any bait when they’re ready, but sometimes a red bullet weight or a giant bait is the thing that triggers a strike for whatever reason.

I know bedding season is over, but I can’t wait until next year.

I found this bass fishing tip on Gerald Swindle’s YouTube Channel. It’s probably the best advice for someone that fishes more than the average bear, but it has nothing to do with how to catch more fish.

Jared Lintner has one great tip that I’ll try this year. He uses twin tails during the spring and fall and single tails in summer. I’m not totally convinced on the colors he suggests since black and blue seems to be the best color in Florida.

The only tip I can add to these videos is you gotta keep twitching the rod as you reel.

The one thing that took the longest for me to figure out is how long to hesitate to set the hook. You definitely want a hesitation, but no too long or else they’ll drop it.

It feels like I’m going old school lately and the my latest fascination has been the jig.

I know, only Bill Dance and people from other states can pull it off but lately it seems like it’s the deal here in Orlando.

I’ve been flipping a 1/2 ounce black and blue jig in kissimmee grass and bulrushes with pretty good success. I feel like a Denny Brauer that’s been stranded in Florida. I’m surprised how weedless it is in kissimmee grass. I think the areas I’ve been fishing have a lot of bluegill in it so I’ve been using a Paca Craw in Okeechobee Craw as a trailer. The old timers have been telling me they work in Florida for years but now I’m starting to believe’em.

Another deal I’ve been messing with is swimming a 1/4 or 3/8 ounce jig. It’s basically a spinnerbait without the blades and it goes through the grass a whole lot easier. The cool part is that it gets some horrific bites where you actually get startled sometimes. If you haven’t tried this at home, make sure you’ve got a good grip when you’re fishing this thing or you’re liable to lose a rod.

I’ve been using the Strike King and Yank’em Jigs. The cool part about the Strike King Swim Jig is that it has a metal clip for a trailer keeper, it comes with rattles, and also comes in a bluegill skirt that no one else makes. Just make sure you get the “Heavy Cover” model because the regular ones come with a pretty wimpy hook. I’ve also been breaking out the Yank’em Jigs when I’m not wanting a rattle. It’s hand tied so the skirt doesn’t get messed up and it also has a nice keeper for the trailer.

Probably the most important thing about swimming jigs is having the right trailer. The Little Dipper has been the deal in blue sapphire or okeechobee craw. I know Reaction doesn’t make those colors but my buddy Pete’s been making a bait pretty similar to the Little Dipper and I keep running out of them. The cool part is that he’ll pour any color I want. You can’t get them on their site. You gotta call and request it at 407-443-9349.

I’ve also been using the tail on a magnum speedworm, magnum twin tail grubs, swimming senko, super speedcraws, etc., but that Little Dipper style seems to work the best. I’m throwing it on my frog rod with 65 braid.

Last week it was the Devil’s Horse and now it’s the jig. I bet ya some 16 year old is trying to sell these baits for $20 as antiques on ebay.

They’re a lot cheaper than the latest and greatest stuff and they still catch’em after all these years.

I noticed this article on cranbaitcentral.com and thought it explained the Devil’s Horse technique quite well.

Part I describes the lure and Part II shows how to work the bait.

Anyway, I’ve been getting more fascinated with this age old lure that works so well here in Florida so I figured I’ll share.

There’s more expensive and flashier baits like the Kelly J which accomplishes the same thing for a small fortune, but why mess with something that’s worked for over 50 years.

A local legend they call “Topwater Charlie” only fishes the Devil’s Horse in just one color, chrome with black back and orange belly.

I can’t believe the only the place in town you can buy this color is Toho Marina and Bitter’s.

I found this video thanks to the I am a Bass Fisherman Blog. You know I’m a sucker for rattletraps and one of the best trap fisherman around, KVD, shows how to work this bait. I’ve almost completely abandoned the Bill Lewis traps for the Red Eye Shad and the Xcalibur xr50. For just a little more, you get a way higher quality product.

In Florida, ripping this joker out of hydrilla is one deadly technique that everyone should know about.

I’d like to report otherwise, but my first BASS Open was a complete disaster. I weighed in only 2 fish over 2 days for a whopping 3.5 lbs. I’ve fished in a lot of tough conditions and it’s definitely the worst I’ve ever done in any tournament in any condition.

I was catching literally 50 fish a day the week before the tournament and then one of the most severe cold fronts in Florida history blew through Okeechobee. The weather forecast was for warmer weather during the tournament but it wasn’t enough to warm the 40 degree water quick enough to make a difference.

The text book says you should punch matt during these conditions but I figured the water would warm enough to turn my shallow fish on. Well from the results you know those shallow fish never turned on.

I remember watching the Art of Angling by Rick Clunn before I left town and I should’ve followed his zen philosophy he spoke of in the show and looked at every day of practice as if it was the first day on the water.

Almost all of the top 30 punched matted hydrilla along the Moore Haven canal and I should’ve joined them. I figured there were 50 boats in there already and those fish were getting pounded but they all caught fish in there.

I’ve said it before on this blog and I’ve gotta learn to punch matt a little better. The next time there’s a severe cold front, I’m gonna go out to Lake Cypress and punch matt until my arms fall off. This is one technique I don’t have a lot of confidence in and it’s the best way to catch big fish when it’s super cold and super hot.

I went out on Saturday to see where the leaders were fishing and they were still along the Moore Haven canal punching matt so I know that it’s the way I should’ve fished. I watched Chris Lane yo yo a bait 15 to 20 times before he pitched to another spot. Also watched Russ Lane punch a matt for an hour without moving his boat. Randall Tharp and Larry Cahan were doing the same thing but moving around a little bit more all within 50 yards of each other. I saw Terry Scroggins the first 2 days of the tournament and he was punching matt along with everyone else but he took off along with Chris Lane towards the Sportsmans Channel. That Randall Tharp guy is one good fisherman and I’d love to be half as good as he is. I was shocked to hear he didn’t do better on the final day.

I wish I would’ve followed Chris Lane and Scroggins once they left Moore Haven but I’m pretty sure they went to some other matt or some shallower fish because the water had warmed enough by late in day 2 and second half of the final day.

It seems like you’re always learning something and I now know that I gotta get better at punching matt. All you had to do was catch 12 pounds over 2 days to make the top 30 and punching matt was the way to do it.

I guarantee you that the next time we get a severe cold front during a tournament in Florida, I’ll be dang good at pulling those suckers out of the matt.

This tournament sucked for me but at least I know where I need to improve.

JT Kenney had the best explanation of what happened during the tournament on the Anglers Channel. Here’s the link to the video interview he did http://www.anglerschannel.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=radio.home&filename=2010-01-17-07-bass.wmv

And I should’ve had only two rods on the deck for day 1 and most of day 2 like Andy Montgomery http://www.anglerschannel.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=radio.home&filename=2010-01-17-06-bass.wmv

The next time there’s a severe cold front around the spawn in Florida, I’ll have two rods to punch matt with and a flippin stick with a 3/8 ounce sinker to fish in water deeper than 3 feet and perhaps a skinny dipper and a fluke if the water temperature gets warm enough in shallower water.

I recently watched Tom Mann do some damage on Clarks Hill with a double fluke rig. I’ve known about the rig for a long time, but never remembered to throw it when the bass were schooling big time in August. I gotta remember this rig for next summer.

Here’s Jeff Kriet’s explanation of the double fluke rig.