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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 !!! 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 More Information:
www.YumaProAm.com
Wacky Worming 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 as 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.
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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.
Lakes
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.
Ponds 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 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.
Flipping The River 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.
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.
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A Few Misc Fishing Tips: A Little Bit About Flipping The River
Some Tips For Fishing Braided Line
More On Senko and 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 |
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