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State Agencies
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TTI-Blakemore
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Want To Start Fishing Tournaments?
But you are looking for a partner?
Yuma Pro Am may
be the answer. Yuma Pro Am pairs boaters up with non-boaters to fish as a
team for the day. Compete for cash prizes, win rods, and gear, share a little
and learn a little. Its a great opportunity to meet and fish with different
people.
NO BOAT !!!
NO PROBLEM !!!
Yuma Pro Am rarely fills
all the back seats available at their tournaments, and there are anglers
who will come out to fish and help fill in if it looks like that might happen.
Yuma Pro Am
For Those Who Want to Share !!!
For Those Who Want to Learn !!!
For More Information:
www.YumaProAm.com
Exchange fishing tales and intersting anecdotes with other anglers. Want
to learn how to do something? Ask. Somebody will probably have a
suggestion. <Click
Here>
|
A Yuma Bass Man Forum Member's Take on Our Forums.
It is a long days drive from my home to Yuma. But thanks to
YumaBassMan, before I ever leave home I know exactly where I am going to
fish as well as what baits/lures I cam going to use and how I am going to
present them. All this knowledge coming from experienced anglers who fish
the waters regularly. It is like having the local bait and tackle shop in
your living room. (or garage in my instance)
If you fish, or want to fish the lower Colorado, you belong on
YumaBassMan. |
|
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
FREE LURES!!
From Jim Isaac
A free lures winner
You could have floored me with a feather when I saw I had won.
I do not remember when I won something last.
Jim told me he was going to scale the prize for crappie and panfish.
I was over joyed when I opened up the pack of 3" Kalin's that came in the
mail today. They are the "Smoke Hologram" variety. This is the very same
bait I used to catch boat loads of crappie and bluegill during the last spawning
season. Now I am all set for next year!
Thanks Jim for taking the time to tailor the prize to my
interests.
Thanks Bob for creating YumaBassMan, running the contest
and providing the prizes. |
|
Weekly Free Lure Drawing
(Resumes May 2007)
-
What does it cost?
-
IT IS FREE. Totally 100% free.
-
Who qualifies?
-
Any active member of our FREE fishing forums.
-
What is an active member?
-
Somebody who has participated (in a substantial manner) in the forums
in the last 30 days.
-
How will I know if I win?
-
How do I claim my prize?
-
Send a PM via the system built into the forums to Jim_Laumann
with your name and complete mailing address within 72hrs of the announcement
that you have won.
-
What if I am late to claim my prize?
-
Where do these lures come from.
-
They were originally from a batch of lures that I bought in a huge
display pack. I picked out the ones I wanted and gave the rest away.
The lures we are currently giving away are courtesy of Ricky Ingram
of Hydrilla Gorilla buzzbaits, Harold Wah of Sportsman's Hide-A-Way, and
Dave Willhide of Goin' Fishin' Productions Guide Service. .
Void where prohibited by law. Canadian winners will be required
to answer a short quiz to qualify as a game of skill. International
winners will be awarded a small gift certificate to an on-line tackle store
via e-mail. Make sure that your e-mail address is current I will not
send a second one. Subject to interruption at any time. Drawings
may be on different days of the week. When the drawing is in operation
one winner will be drawn each week. If they fail to claim their prize
in a timely fashion it will go back in the box for a future contest or drawing.
All winners, rules, decisions, subject to the whim of Jim & the forum
administrator. |
Sorry,
we have no LINK INDEX at this time. There are also no plans to
re-invest time in providing a link index in the future. For every
legitimate link submitted we had to delete a dozen spammers and
scammers who tried to submit links. The ONLY WAY TO GET YOUR
LINK ON OUR WEBSITE IS TO SPONSOR YUMA PRO AM.
|
Will There be a 2010 Forum Members Fun Tournament.
???
Only
time will tell. About January we will posit a thread on the forums
asking if people are intersted in doing it again. If we get a firm
committment of ten or more regulars to be there and we can agree on a
date that works for the majority will do it again.
|
Wacky Worming
The Stick Worm Phenomenon
by
Bob La Londe
Gary Yamamoto probably wasn't aware of the revolution he was going to start
with the Senko. It's a deceptively simple bait. Senko has become an almost
generic term for describing this type of bait. With all respect for Mr Yamamoto
since his version remains one of the most popular I have to say this type
of worm needs its own name. There are dozens if not hundreds of manufacturers
making a bait like this. I call it the stick worm after Gilbert of Mesa Tackle
who first introduced me to it.
I'm one of the last to adapt to this bait. Why? Because it's too easy. I
first tried them as a jerk bait. They worked ok, but that was never one of
my confidence baits. One summer my cousin and I were dead sticking some regular
jerk baits in heavy grass with wire weed guard hooks. We tossed them in and
let them sink in open pockets. It was my cousin Jeff who thought of fishing
the baits that way. Jeff caught the most and biggest fish. If had understood
the stick worm then I am sure we could have done better with stick worms.
That summer Gilbert sent me some of his "Salt Stick Worms." Not sure what
to do with them I t-rigged one weightless on a Daiichi offset worm hook.
After tossing it a few times I went back to working a popper. I missed several
strikes. I tried to figure out how to catch those fish. I like throwing a
follow up. Just often enough for a little operant conditioning I've picked
up a good fish that way. It wasn't working with the popper so I decided to
try the stick worm as a follow up. After the next miss I tossed my stick
worm into the same spot to pick up a nice bass. I was thrilled. That unusual
pattern put a couple more fish in the boat. I really didn't credit the stick
worm for the fish. I just figured it was throwing a different bait as a follow
up that did it. Now I know better. It was the stick worm's natural action.
The following winter fishing was slow, but an occasional fish was boated
slow rolling a spinner bait or flipping a jig. I found a few fish pre-fishing
for winter tournament, but couldn't boat them on tournament day. My back
boater Manual Garcia worked along behind me dead sticking a Senko on a wacky
rig. He nailed two decent fish off one of my spots. Manual also missed a
half dozen additional hits. Our fish were nothing spectacular, but I have
to credit those Senkos along with one fish I boated later for getting us
a fourth place finish.
The same winter I had a chance to fish with Lannes Brock of Sportsmen's
Hide-A-Way and Joe Haubenreich of Secret Weapon Lures. Lannes managed to
boat a fish or two Texas rigging a stick worm. I was not impressed. Lannes
is a good fisherman, but he had to get one largemouth to hit two or three
times before he could hook it. He had to let it run with the bait for a while
before setting the hook. Then he gut hooked it. A lot of work for a single
small fish.
On a fun fishing day I went back to the bank I had fished with Manual and
the tulies I had fished with Lannes. I tried wacky rigging a salt stick worm
on an open bait holder hook. I had no problem hooking up. I decided that
wacky rigging and dead sticking this bait really worked Unfortunately the
bait holder hook snagged on the tiniest twigs. I found a wire guard straight
hook eliminated snags in all but the heaviest cover. Unfortunately it also
resulted in more missed fish.
In two consecutive tournaments I missed a lot of fish trying to get my wacky
rig to work right. The wire guard hook wasn't sticking the fish, and the
open bait holder left me breaking off or chasing my bait all day. My American
Bass partner, Hammer (Kwame Kuanda), didn't give me a hard time about it,
but when I was the back boater for Dave Greaves I took a lot of ribbing for
all the missed fish.
With the help of the internet and a lot other fisherman I managed to figure
out I would do better with a medium/heavy fast action rod and low stretch
line. Warren Wolk, a midwest pro, finally gave me the last little tidbit
I needed to nail down a solid combination. He suggested going to a higher
quality hook with a mono weed guard instead of the cheaper wire guard hooks.
He suggested the W.W.Hook by Reaction Innovations. I ordered some. Like a
little kid with a new toy I headed out for a little play time when the new
hooks arrived. My first five hits were landed in short order. It WORKED!.
I did miss a couple later, but all of the fish I caught that day were hooked
solidly in the roof of the mouth.
In my search for the perfect combination of line, rod, and hook the wacky
stick worm became one of my goto baits. This bait is so good that I rarely
worry about whether or not I'll get any bites. Instead I have had the chance
to refine my technique a little bit. Now I just worry about getting them
in the boat.
How do I fish this bait? Toss it out next to likely cover or structure and
just let it sink on open line until it hits the bottom. It is easier than
fishing with live bait. I spent a lot of time telling you how I figured this
all out, but it is deceptively simple. When you drop it in the water it comes
alive. Wacky rigging really lets this bait work it self. It drops through
the water and both ends wiggle back and forth. It moves like a minnow slowly
finning itself as it falls. I don't know how many times I 've stood almost
mesmerized watching this bait fall through the water. There have been some
great articles written about all the different ways this rig can be fished,
but I really think it shines when fished wacky style. Cast it to a likely
spot and just wait. Let the worm do its magic as it sinks. Manual Garcia
does it with a flipping rod, but I like the way line loops easily off of
a spinning reel. I can let the worm sink naturally and let the line feed
off the reel. You can watch the line slowly feed out, and then something
will change. Watch carefully. Sometimes the line stops too soon, or move
a little faster, or in a different direction. Close the bail on the spinning
reel and drop the rod tip when this happens. Reel up the slack and set the
hook hard. Don't wait until you feel the fish.
While the drop is very productive its not the only time you get hit. Sometimes
when you start to lift it will feel heavy. SET THE HOOK. A bass will also
slap at the bait as you are pulling it back towards the boat. Sometimes you
can let the bait drop for a moment to get that fish to gulp it down. Other
times you can toss it right back to him.
Tossing a wacky rigged stick worm has to be the easiest way to catch bass
short of balloon rigging a live minnow.
Flipping The River Just a few suggestions
Some folks say that all the big fish are caught flipping the river when the
weather is warm. Well, I have to disagree about the river current being the
only place to get fish to win. What you do have to do is figure the best
time and place and be there for that time and then move on.
I have definitely caught some good fish out flipping the main channel, but
I have yet to win a tournament out there. (That's a hint for folks who might
remember I have gotten a check or two) Not saying its not the best thing
for some folks, I'm just saying tournament time is not the best time to be
trying to figure it out. Fish the areas you have confidence in and move on.
In a tournament you go with what you know, and then try something else if
it ain't working. When you are fun fishing you should be trying to learn
new stuff and new ways to catch fish in the area.
If you want to learn to flip the current there are two things you needs tons
of practice with.
-
Flipping and pitching.
You can practice this right in your living room, or back yard, or swimming
pool. Just pitch and flip over and over and over and over and over and over
ond over and over to a handful of targets that are at different distances
from where you are standing. Do it until you can hit any target in your range
18 or 19 times out of 20. Then set a folding chair over top of your targets
and try to hit them again by shooting the bait up under the chair and laying
your bait on the target. Something the size of a paper plate is a decent
target to start with.
-
Boat Control.
Now you have to figure out how to handle your boat with the trolling motor
to hold it dead still relative to the bank when you are in a rushing current.
Personally I believe that if you have enough trolling motor the easiest way
to flip in the main river is to pull up the bank against the current, but
lots of folks don't have a huge TM so they have to learn to backslide. That's
where you let the boat drift down current and you use the TM to slow the
back drift so you have time to fish the spots, and work your bait so it falls
all the way down through the trash.
Once you have decent flipping skills and decent boat control skills then
you can worry about which banks to flip. Also, which banks will flip best
for you. Dave and I have pulled a bank before fishing behind another angler
and caught fish. We even continued to catch fish after they slowed down and
started working every side of every twig ahead of us. That particular day
the way we were fishing was more effective than the way they were fishing.
So, you have your skills worked out, now its time to find some banks to flip.
I'm not going to tell you exactly what works, because I am not a really strong
flipping angler. I'll offer some things you can observe though to try and
build your own set of confidence conditions. Here are some things to think
about. Are fish likely to be moving in and out of the lakes at the time you
are out there? Does the bank you are fishing flow through to a back water?
Does it have a hard stop like a rock face? Are there deep areas along it?
How deep? Are there any transitions from one type of bottom, brush, depth,
current speed, etc to another.
Now when you catch a fish iimmediately stop and think about exactly what
you were doing when he bit, and what season, weather, and water conditions
may have been a factor in that exact spot at that exact time of day, and
time of year.
|
Local Wildlife

Do you have a great local (Yuma Area)
wildlife photo? Would you like
to see it
featured here in this panel with
others?
E-Mail it to
Bob(at)YumaBassMan(dot)com
with the words "wildlife photo" in the
subject line. Photos are displayed
randomly,
and not all submitted photos will be
used. |
Closing
Access On The River !!!
There is a Bureau of Reclamation plan to close upto 360 acres of backwaters
on the Colorado River so they can raise endangered minnows. How far reaching
this plan will be is up to you. The way it has been explained to me is that
it is a done deal. Its going to happen with little public input by those
who use the river. The Az G&FD has notified a few anglers in the
past, and this is the reason that many people know about it at all. Some
other waters have already been closed.
The plan seems to be to close off backwater lakes, and then poison out all
of the fish in those lakes using Rotenone to create a noncompetitive environment
for those species they want to raise. Its pretty popular knowledge
that Rotenone is a highly toxic substance that is used to poison fish.
Fish farms use it in controlled environments all of the time. It
is also pretty popularly accepted that Rotenone breaks down into non-toxic
components in as little as 24 hours. One person I spoke with claims
that in certain types of water condittions like in the river here that Rotenone
can take as much as 3 days to break down. Decide if you believe that
or not on your own, and draw your own conclusions as to what could happen
to the river if you do.
360 acres of backwater lakes on the lower river would be the vast majority
of them. Some anglers seem to think if you discount Martinez, Ferguson,
and Squaw lake that it would take all of the rest of the backwaters along
the river to make up that 360 acres. They basically imply that future access
and fishing would be limited to the main river channel only.
Click
Here to see what others have to say or comment on this issue.
Some folks have said its over blown, and others have said its been understated.
I strongly reccomend that you atleast look into it and make your own
decision. |

Where to Go Fishing in Yuma |
Rivers, Lakes,
Ponds, Canals

Click Map
Rivers
We have two rivers in the Yuma. The Gila River and the Colorado River.
MORE
| Where to buy fishing tackle in Yuma.
The chain stores have a little tackle, but for the absolute best selection
of fishing gear of any shop in Yuma you need to visit:
Map
(928) 783-6722
1645 S Engler Avenue
Yuma, Az 85364
Tell Harold or Edgar that, "Bob La Londe sent you." Sportsmen's Hide-A-Way
is definitely the best stocked tackle store in Yuma. |
Yuma Pro Am
Why you should try it.
A great way to learn to fish the Colorado River near Yuma. Fish Yuma
Pro Am. Yuma Pro Am is a draw team tournament series.
WAIT. Don't turn away just because its a tournament. You could spend
hundreds if not thousands of dollars on gear along trying to figure it out
on your own. The guy in the local tackle shop will be willing to sell
it to you. He will probably even give you some great advice on how
to use it, but that's not the same as putting in time on the water.
If you go out and fish a tournament as a member of a team for a day you will
learn a lot about what is working right now. Yes its friendly competition,
but its also learning and meeting other people.
You could hire a guide, but for what a guide charges you could go out and
fish several times with Yuma Pro Am. Each time with a different angler.
Even if you do the right thing and help chip in for gas. Don't get
me wrong. Guides are great for teaching you personally hands on every little
thing, and when you hire a guide their entire attention is on helping you
have a good day on the water. If that is the way you want to go check
out Dave's listing further down on thsi page. He's a great guide and he would
be very happy to take you fishing.
The advantage to fishing Yuma Pro Am is that its inexpensive and it lets
you draw a different partner each month. I fish Yuma Pro Am as a "Pro"
(boater) and I have to say that there is nobody who has ever shared my boat
that I have not learned something from no matter how much or how little
experience that they have. I've also met some people who have turned
out to be good friends through fishing this type of tournament series.
Yes, it can be a little more pressure, and it is competitive, but with the
low entry fee and low membership cost its mostly for bragging rights anyway.
I hope to see you on the water, and I hope we get to share a boat for
the day.
FMI:
www.YumaProAm.com |
|
3 ways to Learn to
Catch Bass in Yuma |
1. Fish a Pro Am
Tournament Series |
Check out
Yuma Pro
Am.
 |
Join up and fish with a different partner every month and learn
new stuff. Its a very low price fishing club. Yuma Pro Am pairs you
up at random with another club member to fish a low price tournament. Its
a fantastic way to learn how to fish the area and learn your way around.
Its also a great way to introduce new anglers to tournament fishing.
A day on the water with Yuma Pro Am is cheaper than a guide, and gives
you a whole different perspective.
|
2. HIRE A FISHING GUIDE |
 |
Dave Willhide of Goin' Fishin' Productions Guide Service will
take you out on the Colorado River for a day and give you hands on instruction
in catching, locating, and handling fish. There are a lot of options
to go fishing in the Yuma area, but not many will give your more useful knowledge
than a day out on the water with Dave.
News: Mac McDermott has picked up his guide license and joined
Dave in providing many years of quality experience on the water. For more
information stop by Dave's website @:
Goin' Fishin'
Productions
|
3. Research The Web |
| There are thousands of fishing websites. Some are dedicated to
promoting one business or another, but many like this one are just there
for fun and to share a little information. There are pictures, articles,
and forums. Need to know how to tie a knot? Its here. Have a question
about a technique? Ask. That's what forums are for. |
Gila River - The gila river is a small stream for many miles before it
flows into the Colorado River. It holds a variety of fish and would
probably be the best opportunity for a walking fly fisher. Take plenty
of drinking water or a good quality filter bottle. Every several years
the Gila hits flood levels moving fish, washing out new holes and deep banks,
and in general revitalizing the streeam as a fishery. Look for deep
holes where large numbers of fish have been trapped after for the frist couple
years after a flood or high water year.
Colorado River - The Colorado River in Yuma Can really
be broken up into three stretches. The Lower River, Laguna Reservior,
and Imperial Reservior.
-
The Lower River consists of the stretch between Laguna
Dam and Morelos Dam on the Mexican border. It holds every variety of
fish available in the area. It is a relatively shallow sandbar and
stump infest stretch of fishery with great opportunities in some parts for
big fish. Huge flatheads and very large bass both come out of the this
stretch every year. A small flat bottom boat with a small outboard
or mud motor would be the best way to explore and fish this stretch, but
there are plenty of bank fishing opprotunites as well for the angler who
is willing to drive down a few back roads and find a few dead ends to locate
them. There are two parks on this stretch of river which provide ready
access. West Wetlands and Yuma Waterfront parks. There is a boat
ramp at West Wetlands, don't go try to launch a big bass boat threre. You
won't even get it off the trailer.
-
Laguna Reservoir consists of one deep lake like area,
a section of rver channel and a number of acres of shallow brush and tulie
filled bass heaven. Launching a boat is possible if you are brave,
but plan for the possibility of being stranded without being able to load
your boat. The water levels fluctuate dramatically here. A float
tube is ideal for large parts of this, but stay well away from the dam.
When water levels are high it is possible to run a small boat all the
way up to the base of Imperial Dam.
-
Imperial Reservior - This is the area almost everybody
is talking about when they say "The River." It consists a fairly large main
river channel that stretches from Imperial Dam for many many miles upstream,
and hundreds of little backwater lakes and channels. Many of the backwaters
are large enough to have some noteriety of their own. Most of those
will be detailed int he section below about lakes. There are several
main launches on this section of the river. Squaw Lake, Hidden Shores,
Picacho, & Fisher's Landing are the best known launches on the river.
Details on the various launch areas to be added
later.
Lakes
There are a number of lakes in the Yuma Area. All those I know
of are part of the Colorado River System.
This Section To Be Completed Later.
Mittry Lake - Has a variety fo bass, catfish, crappie,
and sunfish. It has a nice improved launch ramp with a picnic area.
It also features several fishing jetties including one that claims
to be barrier free for handicapped.
Map To Mittry
Ponds
I'm not sure where all the ponds are, but here are a few I know of.
Fortuna Pond - Holds good bass. I was told it was stocked
with Florida strain many years ago. I have caught one over 6 pounds there
myself and seen a couple over 8 and one over 10. It holds catfish, carp,
and large numbers of small green sunfish. In the winter time Az Game &
Fish stocks it with rainbow trout.
Growler Pond - Somewhere out near Tacna. I have never
fished it, but its my understanding that Game & Fish leases several fields
near it that are flooded during the winter for duck hunting.
West Wetlands Park - I believe this pond has been stocked
with sunfish and catfish. I have never fished it, but I did study it while
it was being built. It is good deep pond so fish should be able to do well
in it even in the hot summer months.
"Don't Know the Name" Windsor Park I think. This pond
is visible off 20th Street on the south side between Ave B and Ave C. I've
never fished it, btu I talked to a guy who was fishing it once and he said
he was catching small catfish.
Frontier Village I think - Here there is a string of three
ponds connected by small concrete lined waterways. I do not believe that
this is in anyway a self maintaining fishery. I have spotted fish in one
of the ponds periodically, but a friend who owns a house there says whenever
they forget to maintain it r the pumps get turned off for any period of time
all the fish die off. These are 100% on private property and you could only
fish them with somebody who lives next to them and is a member of their home
owner's association.
Redondo Pond - Don't know a lot about this pond. It looks
very interesting. I was told it was formed by somebody who was removing gravel
for construction and hit a spring. It looks deep and has lots of brush and
standing trees. It is completely on public land, but there is a private RV
park along one side. The RV park advertises it has its own private lake,
but as near as I can tell they don't own one square inch of the pond. The
access from their side of the pond is private and they will yell at you for
trespassing. You can access the pond relatively easily from the other sides.
It looks like it would be ideal to fish with a small carry boat or a float
tube. It is supposed to hold bass and good sized bluegill.
Canals
When I was younger I knew a number of people who fished the local canals
for catfish and saw some good pictures. Don't let that fool you. There are
both largemouth and smallmouth bass in the canals as well as an occasional
striper and various panfish. I've never caught one in the canals, but I have
even seen a school of crappie move up out of the depths once to shelter from
the current behind something sticking out into the canal for a moment.
I have personally caught channels cats, largemouth and smallmouth
bass, flatheads, and even a couple stripers out of canals in the Yuma area.
When I lived on Ave A I used to fish the one that goes through town fairly
often and I would occasionally fail to connect with a fish. Most times I
would catch one or two small bass here and there. Other times I did quite
well. The key is to find something different when chasing bass. It seemed
to also hold true for catfish and stripers, although I admit striper catches
in the canal were rare.
Since I moved out into the valley between 4E and 5E I have not
fish the canals in and around town like I used to. There is one within walking
distance of my house. Its concrete lined instead of dirt line like those
in town and as I expected there do not seem to be as many fish in it. I did
confirm to my satisfaction that there are some fish in it the other evening.
I saw a couple small bass moving up under one of the bridges. I also recently
talked with a gentleman who has caught several fish in other parts of it.
The big canal in the area is probably the Gila Gravity canal.
It comes out of the river at Imperial dam proceeding south on the east side
of the river until it goes through a large aqua duct under the mountains
near Mittry Lake. On the other side it goes south and east until it goes
through another aqua duct under the Gila River. That stretch between Imperial
Dam and Mittry Lake is where I caught my very first ever bass in 1976. It
has produce many fish for me over the years and a number of people catfish
along it. The stretch from below Mittry to the Gila River is good as well
with similar results as the stretch above. A little ways below the Gila it
splits. One canal goes south and crosses Hwy 95 near Fortuna Road. That stretch
also produces some really good fish. Unfortunately the banks are covered
with brush and there are few places where you can get to the water. Just
after it crosses under Interstate 8 it is concrete lined and eventually winds
up being the canal that runs near my house. The other split from the Gila
Gravity canal goes east and cross Hwy 95 just south of the Gila River. It
also is a good fishery producing bass and catfish along its entire length.
I originally fished it many years ago in the Tacna area, but the entire length
of it produces fish in varying sizes. I have had one or two days when a buddy
and I have easily caught over a hundred fish.
Even many of the little dirt "ditches" hold fish. All of those
I have fished do. I've caught some bass in them up to 3 or 4 pounds, and
I chatted with some guys one morning who had a couple six pounders an 8 and
one over 10 that came out of one of those little ditches. I would have to
conclude that any canal in the Yuma area that always has some water in it
will hold fish.
Bait Casting Basics
The following works for me. With experience you will probably find some
difference or idiosyncracies that are different, but work better for you
personally.
Most modern bait casting reels have two different adjustments you can make.
Basic Controls
1. Some form of braking system or anti backlash control.
a. Shimano and Pfleuger have a centrifical (centrifugal)braking system where
you can turn on or off additonal brakes.
b. Quantum and Daiwa use a magnetic brake adjustment.
2. Spool tension. Basicially a knob usually on the same side of the reel
as the handle that allows you to apply friction directly to the spool of
the reel.
Some old school anglers do everything with their thumb, set the brakes at
zero, and the spool tensions to total free spool. Most can't do that or choose
not to in favor of taking advantages of a modern reel.
Getting Started
I learned from Lannes Brock that most new reels seem to need a sort of break
in. They seem to work better and smoother after you use them for a while.
Lannes taught me a trick that seems to smooth them out pretty quickly.
1. Tie on a heavy weight. I use a 1 ounce jig.
2. Set the spool tension so that the weight does not pull out line then tighten
it a little more.
3. Make 30 to 50 casts with the heavy weight. The tension should be such
that you have to put some real force into it to get it to cast. This smoothes
out any imperfections in the parts that provide over all spool tension.
Using the Reel
I usually start out with a new reel by putting the brakes to half scale.
Then I set the spool tension so that when I hit the button on the reel with
the rod tip straight out and about 5 feet above the ground whatever bait
I have on the line falls until it hits the ground and I get about 1 or 2
loose wraps of line without any use of my thumb.
You have to adjust spool tension for every different bait and weight. Sometimes
some brake settings will work better or worse with different baits also.
Now I make some practice casts or pitches based on the type of fishing I
plan to do with that bait. I'll try and adjust first the brakes and then
the spool tension until I get a pretty good result.
Don't cast for distance at first. Just go for low power easy smooth casting
motions. You may find by doing this you get amazing distance with little
back lash with a lighter spool tension than you thought you could. Sometimes
much better (especially with lighter baits) than you can with more spool
tension and more power in your casts.
Try different types of casts. Side arm, overhead, pitch casts, etc.
Now, note which types of casts you seem to be best at.
For many people this is a side arm cast to moderate distance targets.
Now here is something you may find interesting. I don't recall who taught
me this but there is someting in the dynamics of the reel that translates
from side arm casts to overhead casts. Turn the reel sideways to the direction
of the cast when over head casting just like it naturally falls when side
arm casting. Again practice light smooth casting motions and work your way
down to lighter spool tensions with moderate or light power in your casts
instead of trying to force a ton of power into the cast with heavier spool
tension.
NOTE:
Many people used to spinning tackle (I am one) think that price only relates
to durability of the reel. With the relatively simple mechanism of casting
with spinning reels this is probably true. Two equal size reels of different
qualities, but the same size spool, line, and amount of fill will cast very
very similarly. The cheaper one will usually not last as long, but they will
both cast similarly. With baitcasting reels
I have found in general, (but not 100%) more expensive reels with more bearings,
better drags, better assembly processes tend to cast better and adjust more
fluidly to different casting weights and distances.
REMEMBER:
There are some things you may always be more comfortable doing with spinning
tackle. I throw light baits on spinning tackle. I drop shot with it. I cast
medium and light size baits into the wind with spinning tackle. You will
need time and experience to learn when you need to fall back on your spinning
equipment.
NOTE 2:
Notice I mentioned wind in the previous note? You will need to either develop
skill in your thumb or learn how to adjust your reel when changing from casting
in zero wind, into a strong wind or with the wind.
NOTE 3:
Practice is important. Pitching and flipping is all I originally used
baitcasting tackle for. I practiced in my
driveway, and in the house, and out by the pool for hours and hours before
I felt really comfortable doing this all the time. I don't have anywhere
near the skill level of guys who grew up using bait casting tackle, but I
definitely credit hundreds of hours of practice to the fact that I have actually
had fellow anglers say, "I envy your pitching ability."
I doubt I coulde ever do this, but I aspire to that level of skill
someday.
http://www.takemefishing.org/community/
... et-fishing
|
I Have Been Fishing With Bob

Have you been fishing with Bob? Do
you have a great photo of yourself from the trip? Want to see it here?
E-mail it to:
Bob(at)YumaBassMan(dot)com
with "I have been fishing with Bob" in the subject line. |
A Few Misc Fishing Tips:
Fishing Braided Line
Topwater Popper Fishing
Wacky Worming
A Little Bit About Flipping The River
Baitcaster Basics
Parent Child Fishing Derby
Free to Enter
Courtesy of
Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club |
| I recently had the opportunity to fish a bass derby
with Brian Shadd as my observer. He organized the YVR&GC parent child
derby this year (2008) and he impressed on me all the good they do. I think
this is one event that does more in one day to promote future anglers than
anything else I know of in Yuma. Even the pro/am club I run.
Every year on the last Sunday of April the Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club
puts on a free fishing derby with tons of prizes and a free lunch for parents
and children who want to fish. They give away fishing tackle, toys, t-shirts
and a variety of other prizes courtesy of YVR&GC, local area sportsmen,
and merchants. I've only been there a couple times, but no child has gone
away emtpy handed anytime I was there.
For More About the Yuma Valley Rod & Gun Club visit their website:
www.yvrgc.com
|
Smallmouth Bass
By Susan Brownell
Aka: FisherMOM
I have been fishing now for 5 years. In those five years,
I have heard many controversies on different websites over “which bass
is the better fighter”. Nine times out of ten, the answer is
“Smallmouth”.
Well, I had never been lucky enough to get to fish for
smallmouth. Come to find out, it wasn’t that there weren’t any
smallmouth bass creeks near me, it’s just that I was uneducated about
the fact that they were there…
Continued... |
Fishing Buddies
Nothing in life is worth as much as a good partner. Whether
its the significant other you spend the rest of your life with, the best
friend who gets up in the middle of the night to help you when you did something
stupid, or that fishing partner that is always ready to go.
I've met a number of my fishing buddies through fishing
tournaments. I know that seems like a more serious angling adventure,
but it has worked that way. Most of the people I have taken fishing
on a fun day are people I met tournament angling. Some through Bassmasters
back when it was a Pro Am format club and now through the new Yuma Pro Am
club.
I've even met a few new fishing buddies by posting on
the forums here and asking if anybody wants to fish a tournament or two as
my back seater on the river.
Many people don't fish tournaments for a variety of reasons.
They have done it before and don't care for one thing or another about
it. Some are a little leery of the competition and worry about not
doing well enough. I took up tournament fishing to meet new people
to fish with and learn something about fishing the area. I have learned
a lot and met several new fishing partners, but more importantly I've met
a couple people I call friends as well. People that can call me in the middle
of the night if they needs some help, and I think I can do the same.
I have even met and fished with a couple people that were just
asking about fishing this area, and I just invited them to go. One
particular guy kinda freaked out about it. He asked if he could bring
a friend. Afterwards he told me he was a bit worried about being asked
on the river by some guy he had never met before. A little intelligent
caution certainly doesn't hurt either. How have you met some of your
best fishing buddies?
<Click
Here> and tell us. |
Some Tips For Fishing Braided Line
-
You don't need a lot of braid on a flipping stick. If saving money is an
issue for you spool the reel about half full of mono first and then attach
the braid to it with back to back uniknots.
-
Braid will slip on the spool if tied directly to the spool with an arbor
knot. I prefer to spool a little mono back on and then connect the braid
to it, but you can also wrap a singler layer of duct tape around the spool
and let the braid dig into it. Either method works just fine.
-
If you aren't used to casting such heavy line be careful. You can break it
easily under some circumstances. Don't cinch the drag down to a dead stop
and figure the line will handle anything. If you do that and set the hook
on a stump you will probably break the line. Also you will tear the hook
completely out of the fish while fighting it if you get a skin hook. Set
the drag to slip on the hookset on about a 2lb fish. That seems to work for
me.
-
If flipping with braid use Daiichi X-Point HD hooks. You want the heavier
hooks becuase you will striaghten out lighter hooks on snags and stuff. Once
you bend a hook of any brand you should throw it away and tie on a new one
because bending it loses most of its temper. You sure don't want it straightening
out on the fish of a lifetime.
-
CHANGED.
I used to be a strong believer in the Trilene Knot but after
watching the rig and setup that Berkley used to test the strenght of
various knots I am convinced that the Palomar Knot is the strongest
msopt slip resistant knot to use with braided line. I like to
leave 1/4 to 3/8 of tag hanging off the knot. Sometimes it will
cinch down a little tighter the first time you set the hook. The knot
can slip a tiny bit when that happens. -
Even though your are fishing braid check your line regularly and retie
periodically. You don't need to do it as often as fishing mono, but you still
need to do it. All things in use experience wear. Since I usually fish braid
in pretty adverse conditions I cut 10-20 feet off when I retie.
-
Never ever wrap braid line around your hand or any body part to pull it out
of the brush when you get hung up. Include a "stump puller" in your
gear. I use a piece of 1" oak dowel wrapped in the middle with a couple wraps
of duct tape. Its for when that irressistable force meets that immovable
object. Basically when you bury a hook in a snag that won't move and your
only choice is to break the line. You can wrap the line around the strump
puller several times and then you have a good solid safe handle to pull on
it until it breaks or tears loose. NEVER wrap brad around your hand or arm.
It will cut you bad. If you don't have a stump puller you can loop the braid
around a boat cleat and back off the boat, but my experience is that it breaks
at the cleat instead of at the hook or bait most of the time. This wastes
line and leaves a hazard in the water for outboard and trolling motor shaft
seals.
Popper Fishing
-
There is no correct or best reitrieve for a popper. Some days letting
it sit until the impact splash is totally gone and then giving it the tiniest
of taps to make a fresh distrurbance is what it takes. Other days a quick
steady retrieve is the ticket.
-
The noise a popper makes when it splashes can make a difference in the number
of strikes. Sometimes a blub or splunk is the ticket. Other days
you need a splish with a light long spray in front of the bait. For
the most extreme difference you may need to change baits, but quite often
you can make adjustments to the splash of your bait by simpley moving the
knot up or down on the eye of the bait.
-
Lots of folks will tell you to fish topwater first thing in the morning or
late in the day during lower light conditions. That statement is true, but
if you re-read it carefully it will tell you that time of day is not the
key. Low light conditions. That's right. On a cloudy day you might get
a steady topwater bite all day long. That is still not the whole truth. Anytime
fish can be found feeding on the surface or near the surface you should be
able to catch fish with a popper. If you see busting bait fish within your
casting range a popper in color patterns to match local forage would be one
of my first choices.
-
The line is a key part of the equation. A line that tends to float
a little more will help you to work the bait effectively. This usually
means monofilament or braided line. Flouro is a poor choice because
it tends to sink a little more. For poppers and walking baits I prefer mono
because with the limpness of braid the bait tends to glide up over the line
and tangle the hooks in it. That can also happen with mono, but
becasue of the slightly stiffer nature of mono it does not happen as often
and is easier to untangle when it does. Use the biggest size line that
you can effectively fish the bait with. For me the small poppers I
prefer to cast that is often as small as 10 or 12 pound monofilament line.
For bigger baits I may use line as heavy as 17 pound test. I
also prefer mono because it will stretch a little acting as a shock absorber
when a big fish runs. See the next section on rod chocie to see why
this is important.
-
The rod you choose needs to be able to give some when a fish surges. The
hooks and line used for popepr fishing are often not suitable for winching
in a fish. The small curve of hooks on poppers will rarely bury
deeply in the fish. This means if you try and just crank them in hard
the hooks will usually tear right out of the the fish. I personally
prefer a medium power spinning rod, but your choice needs to fit you and
your fishing skills.
-
Speaking of hooks, on many baits I like to upsize the hooks one size from
what comes on most poppers. This makes for better hookups and fewer
missed fish.
-
When a topwater fish smacks the bait:
Don't swing at the splash. Keep retrieving normally, and load the rod up
firmly when you feel the weight of the fish on the line. Lets say that again.
Load the rod up firmly. I think that's the key to the best hookups on poppers.
You aren't trying to rip their lips off like when you are flipping. Your
are trying to drive the hooks in firmly without taking the bait away from
the fish, bending the hooks, or tearing them out. If a fish takes your
bait under water when its just sitting there you can set the hook the same
way. Load the rod up firmly. while the fish has your bait underwater.
More On Senko and
Stick Worm Rigging
Amazingly I didn't start wacky rigging because I thought it got more bites.
In some circumstances I believe it does, but that wasn't the reason. I started
wacky rigging because of the number either missed or gut hooked fish on texas
rigged wide gap hooks. I watched senko after senko slip right out of the
closed mouth of a bass in open water where I could see them. Bizzarre.
Fishing one day a couple years ago with Lannes Brock and Joe Haubenreich
I got to watch it repeated. Lannes missed several bites t-rigging or t-posing
a senko on a wide gap hook. I was amazed at how this guy with 50 years experience
on the river kept missing fish. Finally he exhibited one of his long learned
skills. Patience. He let a little bass swim around for what seemed like five
minutes before finally setting the hook. He did hook it. Deep. We spent some
time on that fish trying to get the hook out.
That was an experience from very early in my senko learning curve. One of
several experiences that ultimately led to my writing "The Stick Worm Phenomenon"
published in the Arizona Outdoorsman. Since then I have gotten to be pretty
set in my ways when it comes to senko fishing. I had gotten to where I pretty
much always threw them out and deadsticked them on a w.w.Hook. Its a good
combination. Wacky rigging results in the best wiggle on the fall and the
w.w.Hook resulted in more solid hookups than anything else I had tried except
an open bait holder hook. With its Kahle design and mono weedguards it was
one of the best compromises I had seen. It is no longer manufacturered.
I would say the loss of the w.w.Hook is a big loss, but its also a big kick
in the pants. An opportunity to learn to refine my methods instead falling
back on the same old tricks. I still have several packs of the w.w.Hook.
Some of my friends and associates have kept an eye out on tackle store shelves
for me and picked them up whenever they found some. Still in the mean time
I've experimented with other methods.
Gamakatsu has a weedless "finnesse" hook. Something of a hybrid between a
kahle hook and a circle hook with a mono loop weedguard. It seemed to work
ok for smaller senkos, but it just wasn't the same. They also don't make
it big enough for 5" and bigger senkos in my opinion. I was throwing 5" senkos
5/0 w.w.Hooks. The little stubby finnesse hook just wasn't cutting it.
A little over a week ago I tried a t-rigged senko again. Not because it was
my first choice, but because I had been experimenting with Daichii's Copperhead
hook as a possible frog hook and already had it tied on. I just screwed on
the senko and pitched it out on some 30lb Stren braid. BAM! Not only did
it hook up well, but the senko stayed intact. It had a tiny tear where the
fish pushed it back, but I was able to keep using the senko. In fact I caught
fiive fish on that one senko without turning it around or doctoring it or
anything. I just re set the hook point in the worm.
At the time I was more amazed at getting 2-5 fish per worm than anything
else. As those of you who wacky rig know its not uncommon to get one or less
fish per senko. Sure you can use o-rings or tape it improve that, but its
a pain.
What I hadn't noticed originally was that I also missed very few fish. You
might say that in all this time my skills have improved. I would have to
agree to some degree. I'm sure my skills have improved a little bit, but
historically I've noticed the biggest results when I find a better way to
match hardware or presentations to the situation. I've noticed some small
gains from improved skills, but that is more on the presentation rather than
on the hookset.
Yesterday I fish a local club tournament and most of the day I fished a senko
on a Daiichi Copperhead hook. I hooked most of the bites I got. I did miss
a few smaller fish, but not very many. I had one come off in the boat, but
I didn't lose any hooked fish in the water. It was pretty successful. Probably
the best t-rigged senko presentation success I have ever experienced.
The Copperhead more closely matches a J style worm hook. The point is not
in line with the tie point. As a result it is not practical to texpose the
hook with the point lightly tucked back into the worm from the back side.
Instead I had to go back to conventional Texas rigging with the hook point
buried diagonally into the body of the worm so that the worm would lay straight.
I was thinking I'ld have to slam the hookset on every bite, but there were
a couple where I never had the chance to set the hook before they were "on".
Now I'm no engineer or hook designer, but I know what works. That combination
worked. 4" senkos fished well on the 4/0 Copperhead and 5/0 hooks did the
trick well for the 5" senkos. I missed very few fish.
I fished it all day yesterday on 40LB Power Pro and it did the job admirably.
In retrospect I might have caught a few more fish in a lot of the clear water
I was fishing if I had picked up one of the rods rigged with flourocarbon,
but I was catching fish and I didn't really want to change to many things
at one time. I used two hooks all day long. A 4/0 on 30lb Stren Braid and
a 5/0 on 40lb Power Pro Braid.
I fished it around laid down trash, in between standup tulies, and over and
through submerged hard wood logs and standing trees as well as in open water.
It was not as weedless as a widegap in-line hook, but it was a 1000 times
more snag resistant than a wacky rig of any kind I have tried. The w.w.Hook
will remain a weapon in my aresenal when I need that maximum wiggle to entice
a bite, but this Daiichi Copperhead is rapidly becoming a mainstay in my
day to day tools.
Copyright 10/29/2007 |