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Shad and Fall Bass Fishing

 

Find the Bass and you'll find the Shad. How many times have we heard that. Well in my own experience I can definitely say it's true! Sometimes? Unfortunately I used to start catching bass and then realize that there are shad in the area. Basically what was happening was I would cover miles of water before catching a bass and then realize that shad were present. I have also done the opposite, I have figured out that you had to have shad present to trigger the feeding, however just because you had shad available didn't necessarily mean you had bass. With so many bait fish in the backs of creeks and shallow water bass don't have to work very hard to find prey. The secret is to find cover or structure holding bass and for this to be in the path of migrating shad.

Why shad migrate in the fall.

Shad feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton, which during the summer months is very prevalent in the main portions of our lakes and reservoirs. Warm water, along with the spring and early summer rain washing nutrients into the water, cause massive growth of these plankton creating a plentiful food source for shad. Wind, dam control, and summer boat traffic keep this food source stirred up in the main portions of the lakes and reservoirs. Shad roam the open water in search of the plankton and rarely have to go far to find it. However, as the water cools in the fall the plankton begins to die, thus depleting the open water food source that shad have been living on all summer.

In order to find food, shad begin to migrate into the major creeks that feed our lakes and reservoirs. What little water is still feeding them during the fall, is washing in the nutrients needed for the growth of the shad's food source, plankton. As shad start this migration they start finding the plankton and the farther they move up the creeks the more plankton they find, thus the migration to the backs of major creeks. The smaller creeks will normally either be dry or have very little water movement this time of year and will not have the nutrient supply to sustain the plankton needed for shad to feed. If shad don't find plankton quickly they continue to move until they do. This usually puts them in the larger creeks and coves in these creeks that have water feeding them.

Why Bass migrate in the fall.

First off I am a believer that not all bass migrate. Many bass that we find in the creeks during this time of year are resident bass that are just easier to catch because of more comfortable water temperatures and a growing food source. However open water bass will, just like the shad, migrate to the backs of the major creeks in search of food. Since shad are a major forage for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and Kentucky spotted bass they will follow the shad into the major creeks as the shad are following the plankton. It has been my experience that bass will not move from creek to creek looking for the best food source. A bass migration will consist of moving in and out of the same creek as the shad migrate from the main lake, to the back of the creek (in search of food), and then back to the main lake in the winter (in search of comfortable water temperatures).

How to catch Fall bass.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph there is a secret to catching fall migrating and resident bass. Just because you found the shad doesn't mean you have found the bass, but you are off to a good start! Next you want to find structure and/or cover that will give bass an ambush perspective. Someplace that they can rest, feel secure, and believe they are invisible to prey. A long shallow point that drops off each side is a perfect scenario. Deep water on each side for bass to retreat too and shallow water on top to help trap migrating shad to feed on. Bass will lay in wait along the deeper edges. As shad move across the point they will move up and use the shallow water to help pin balls of shad for easy feeding opportunities.

If your timing is right you can catch bass on every cast while the shad are in the area, IF you have structure/cover that is already holding bass. Look for ambush areas such as windblown banks that have deep water nearby, areas where a creek channel runs against a steeper bank, grass lines along a creek channel, and my favorite is a bend in a creek channel that is running through a shallow flat. All these places offer sanctuary and either a wall or shallow water to prevent prey from escaping.

With all that said, if you have a favorite major creek arm, start your search there. Somewhere in this creek you will find the resident bass on the heels of the shad migrating through it.

Get the Net it's a Hawg Mike Cork

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Chad Brauer talks Prefishing

I was very fortunate to be able to interview Chad Brauer last week and we talked a little bit about something that is very important to a tournament angler, prefishing. I personally have always debated with myself about how to effectively pre fish for a tournament. So with the chance to interview a great tournament angler like Chad Brauer I selfishly picked a topic I wanted to learn more about.

“Brauer, a member of the Evinrude E-TEAM, runs an 250 H.O. E-TEC engine on a Ranger z520 boat. This year, he’s been an active contributor on EvinrudeETeam.com , an Evinrude blog dedicated to giving anglers tips, tricks and hints on how to catch more fish and spend more quality time on the water”.

First I would like to thank Mr. Brauer for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer these questions with some great information. I learned from his answers and I hope you will too. Here is what we talked about in a Q&A format.

1) Do you research the tournament waters before you get to the lake? If so how? Google Earth, notes of things you found previously?

I do research any body of water before I go there to fish. I usually start by going through my notes of that lake from previous trips and articles that I have saved about it as well. This may give me some ideas of productive areas to start or patterns that may work. Next I will move to study the contour map and the weather patterns that have occurred over the past few weeks. This should give me an idea of water clarity and the direction the water temperature has been moving. All of that will play a part in techniques I will start with as well as areas that I will start looking for more aggressive fish.

2) Some Elite anglers have said they communicate with other anglers and share information and/or patterns, does the Evinrude E-TEAM do this?

I have always been a big believer that in order to win tournaments, you need to be able to locate your own fish and figure out how to catch them yourself. If you are relying on info from someone else, you always seem to be one step behind the bass and will have a mediocre tournament at best.

3) Once on the water, what things do you use to help you start looking for a pattern during tournament practice?

There is no simple answer to staring to look for productive patterns on the water. For me it is all about locating the bass, then you can adjust how you catch them according to the conditions on that day. I will always start with techniques that I have confidence in for the habitat and conditions I am facing on the lake, and I will stick with them for pretty much the entire day unless conditions change. These may not be exactly what the bass want but I know I will get some bites doing them to locate some fish, then I can adjust what I am doing accordingly to try to catch more bass if I feel it is necessary. A good example is early spring and sunny with clear water, I will use a Chameleon Crawfish colored jig knowing I will get some bites and determine where the fish are located (i.e. bluff banks in the backs of creeks or main lake points) then if it gets cloudy and windy I can fish these areas with a jerkbait or crankbait as the fish may get more aggressive.

4) How much effort do you put into finding out what the fish are feeding on? "Match the Hatch" is this a must or are particular seasons more important than others.

I do not spend a lot of time finding exactly what the bass are feeding on but I make an effort to know exactly what is available to them before I go to the lake. There are times when it does make a big difference by matching exactly what the fish are feeding on at the time, especially in clearer water, but bass are opportunistic feeders and will seldom turn down a meal if presented to them when they are in a feeding mood. If you can find the aggressive bass, it should not matter as much to exactly match the prey with your bait.

5) Once you have established a pattern, how do you go about finding more water that fits the pattern? Time is never on your side, so do you use topo maps or would you rather cruise the lake and actually look at it?

I do both. You can locate potential areas with the topo map, but until you see them first hand, you do not know for sure if they are what you are looking for.

6) Once you have found new water that fits your pattern, how many fish will you catch on it and what are you checking for, size and/or numbers?

It really depends on the fishery. If there is a lot of water to choose from, I will spend more time fishing new areas trying to establish which have the best fish, but if there is not much of what I am looking for I will simply locate it and save it for the tournament. You cannot win practice, so catching bass then is useless, save them for the tournament days.

7) Do you put a time limit on new water? 20 minute - 1 hour

It depends on the conditions. If I feel conditions have been stable or are good for aggressive bass I will try to cover more water and try different things. If conditions are tough like after a cold front with bluebird skies, then I will give patterns more time because the lack of bites is probably due more to the bad mood of the bass than my techniques or areas.

8) I know many fishermen will only prefish during tournament hours, believing that late day fish can't help them. Do you believe in only fishing tournament hours?

I practice from daylight until dark. Locating bass is my number one priority for practice and is does not matter what time of day I find them. I always adjust my techniques to fit the conditions no matter what, very seldom can you catch bass the same way for several days in a row, just finding them is what is most important.

9) What are your favorite prefishing search baits?

This really depends on the habitat and conditions of the day. I really try to analyze the cover as much as possible during practice and fit my baits to attack that cover the most efficiently during the tournament.

10) Let's say it's early November and the water temperature has fallen to 58 for a morning temperature. If you could only have 4 rods on deck, what would they have on them?

Jig in a color appropriate for the water clarity, spinnerbait, buzzbait, square billed crankbait

Again I would like to thank Mr. Brauer for his time and sharing some great infomation with us.

Get the Net, it's a Hawg
Mike Cork

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FLW Outdoors Announces BFL Schedule

 

FLW Outdoors, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, announced the 2011 Bass Fishing League schedule and entry dates. The BFL continues its longstanding tradition as the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home tournaments in 2011 with 24 divisions serving weekend anglers. Each division consists of four one-day qualifying tournaments and a two-day super tournament. Payouts, formats and entry fees for qualifiers and super tournaments remain unchanged. The complete schedule can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

The BFL All-American presented by Chevy, one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing, will be held on Cross Lake in Shreveport, La., May 19-21 and is being hosted by the Shreveport Regional Sports Authority. This nationally televised, no-entry-fee tournament will pay the winning boater $100,000 and the winning co-angler $50,000. Every angler will cash a check, with the 49th-place boater earning $1,500 and the 49th-place co-angler earning $750.

BFL participants in qualifying events, super tournaments and the All-American can earn additional prize money through contingency programs from Ranger, Evinrude and Mercury Marine. Boaters that win a BFL event and are Ranger Cup qualified can earn an additional $2,000 per tournament and an additional $20,000 at the All-American. The co-angler winner at the All-American can earn an additional $10,000 if Ranger Cup qualified. Ranger Cup extends through each place at the All-American for boaters and co-anglers.

Evinrude will offer $1,000 to the highest-finishing boater in BFL qualifying events and super tournaments. The winner of the All-American could earn an additional $10,000 from Evinrude with opportunities through fifth earning an additional $1,500. A contingency program offered by Mercury Marine will be announced in the near future.

Entries for the 2011 season will be accepted by division on the following dates:

December 13, 2010 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City and Volunteer
December 14, 2010 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi
December 15, 2010 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Gator and Mountain
December 16, 2010 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie
December 17, 2010 – Ozark, Piedmont, Savannah River, Shenandoah and South Carolina

Boaters entering by the priority deadline for each tournament and providing co-anglers (with membership numbers) will be given top priority and, if accepted into the tournament, will receive a guaranteed co-angler draw. Co-anglers entering by the priority deadline for each tournament and providing boaters (with membership numbers) will be given top priority.

Entries are accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. For full details regarding the contingency programs, complete rules and schedules for every division, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.
FLWOutdoors.com

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College Fishing Regional Championship

Just got back from competing in the National Guard FLW College Fishing Central Regional Championship on Lake Monroe, Indiana. My partner Mike McCarthy Jr. and I took 2nd place winning 25,000 dollars and a trip to the College Fishing National Championship where we will compete on Kentucky Lake for a chance to qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup and win 100,000 dollars.

Practice:
We had made a couple of trips to Lake Monroe prior to the off limits period. We had a pretty good idea of the areas and patterns that we were going to fish. On our practice day we spent a great deal of time trying to get a buzzbait pattern going which did result in me catching my largest spotted bass to date a 4lber on the OMEGA Alpha Shad but we didn't have much else to show for it. The buzzbait is one of my favorite baits to fish this time of the year and a lot of times the gizzard shad will start to relate to rocky points and throwing a buzzbait around these areas can be a great tournament pattern for big fish. It just wasn't working though on Lake Monroe. We covered a lot of water on the mainlake with spinnerbaits and crankbaits. We fished a bunch of creeks and pockets that we didn't get to see on our trip to the lake over the summer but we never fished the areas that we knew had fish in them. When you only have one practice day before a tournament it can be beneficial to fish everything you don't think holds fish and with lures that you wouldn't normally think would work. That way you won't second guess your game plan for tournament day and it's not like you have enough time to fish it all.

Day 1
On day one we had an early boat number so we decided to make a long run down to the dam. We had found fish in this creek in the summertime and the shad were already in there so we knew it was going to hold some fish. It wasn't too far along in the morning that I put the first keeper in the boat on a shallow running square bill crankbait that I had banged off a laydown. We had thrown a buzzbait around a little without much luck and when I caught the fish on the crank we both noted that it was about half way back in the creek. We decided to fish the creek on out to the main lake without any more fish and then we made a run to the next creek and started about half way back. Mike quickly caught keeper number two on a crankbait also off a laydown that he had bumped with the crankbait. We felt that we were on a pattern and this point so we started fishing any wood that we could find on the way back to the ramp running shallow running crankbaits into the wood to get reaction strikes. We made a trip back into creek filled with stumps and started on a stump filled secondary point that had a nice drop out in front and I was able to box up my second keeper on the crank. We had three nice keepers in the boat but time was starting to run out. We just kept on hitting any wood that we knew about and Mike was able to flip up a nice 4lb kicker to end the day. Our four keepers on day 1 put us in a tie for 4th place with 7lbs 13oz.

Day 2
Boat numbers reversed on the second day and we decided to make a short run over to the stump filled creek where I had caught my second keeper on day 1. It was about an hour into the day that I caught a 4lber on a square bill crank that was up in about a foot of water. We fished the creek out without any more fish to show for it and then decided to make the trip to the spot where Mike had caught the best fish the day before. I was able to put keeper number two in the boat on the square bill crank. We both caught a couple of shorts and liked the amount of bites we were getting in the area so we continued to fish the rocks with isolated laydowns. Mike cranked up another keeper that was about 2lbs and then he caught his second keeper. Things were just coming together and we knew it was going to be a good day. We came to another laydown on the wind blown bank and I threw the square bill up into it and caught my third keeper that went about 3 pounds on the crank. I had my limit and now all we needed to do was get Mike his last keeper. It didn't take him long though and he caught another solid tournament fish to give us the only full limit of the tournament and the heaviest bag of the tournament that weighed 14lbs 2oz which propelled us from 4th place into 1st place on day two.

Day 3
It was great to have more than a 1lb lead on Indiana University going into the final day. After all it is there home lake. They had been catching their fish late in the day but nobody really knew how the 1 o'clock weigh in was going to change up the game. We started on the spot where we had limited out the day before and it was just a lot slower. I made an adjustment and switched cranks and put a nice keeper in the boat. Time was running out though and we didn't know if running around the lake would even be worth it so we decided to grind it out. We ended up weighing just the one fish to give us a three day total of 23lbs 14oz. Indiana University was able to catch 3 nice ones on the short day that gave them the win. They had been cranking deep trees all week and it finally paid off on the last day and they were able to win their second consecutive Regional Championship. Sometimes it just isn't meant to be I guess but one thing is for sure I can't wait to fish the National Championship on Kentucky Lake and we will be ready to rock! The whole week I used a 6'9'' AiRRUS Ultra XL rod to throw my crankbaits. I threw the Lucky Craft 1.5 on 15lb mono for added abrasion resistance and so that it would come through the wood cover a lot easier. A light rod like the Ultra XL makes throwing cranks all day long a breeze. This year I have won 32,000 dollars in College Fishing alone using AiRRUS Rods. They will improve your fishing!

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Winterizing your boat

The days are getting shorter and the temperature is cooling off quickly, some areas in the north already have snow! Before you get all wound up in the hunting season, you still have some work to do on your fishing season; winterize your boat!

This is a good time to take care of some house cleaning after a long season of fishing. Go through the boat and get rid of all your trash. Open all the compartments and vacuum them out. Make sure there isn’t anything left that could attract ants, rodents, or other critters looking for a warm place to live. You might want to put out some ant bait and/or moth balls. If you don’t want the moth balls in the boat, wrap some in cheese cloth and hang them from the trailer to keep the four legged fiends away.

Now would be a good time to give the whole boat a good scrubbing too. Wash the boat and get that scum line off of it. Wipe down the interior with a good cleaner/protectant such as Bow to Stern. Scrub out the live wells with a 1 gallon water and 1 cup bleach solution. Now the hardest part, put a good carnuba wax job on the hull!

Let’s get to the mechanical side now with making sure all the water is out of your live wells and cooler. Lower the motor all the way down to ensure there isn’t any water left in the water jackets or pooled up in the lower unit. It’s a good idea to leave the motor down while in storage so precipitation won’t collect in the lower unit and freeze later on!

Inspect all of your steering cables and/or hydraulic lines. Take a good look at the throttle cable too, especially at each end. Go over the entire boat looking for loose screws, fittings, and connections. Make sure your batteries are topped off with distilled water. If your area gets well below freezing it might be a good idea to bring them in to a more temperate storage spot. If you’ve got a good multi-stage charger, you can leave it plugged in to keep your batteries in good shape.

Have you changed your plugs lately? Now is a good time if you haven’t. I’d also suggest changing the lower unit lube also. If you find indications of water or an excessive amount of metal filings at least you’ve got all winter to get it fixed.

All of this work now will give you a major advantage when it comes time to fish again! Next spring, when everyone else is doing their maintenance, they will find that all the mechanics are booked solid with a long wait while you’re out fishing! Now get to work!

BassBuff, Steve Reneau

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BASS FISHING FACTS AND MORE

Bass fishing has a fascinating history. It started in the late 18th century and continues to progress until today.

It probably was originally practiced in search for food among the people in the south of the United States. Since then, it has started gaining numerous audiences of all ages and nations. Today, countries such as Australia, Cuba, South Africa, United States and most of Europe participate in this kind of event.

Timelines

• The year 1768 or 1770 represents the birth of bass fishing sports. Onesimus Ustonson introduced his first multiplying reels to the fishing gurus and lovers. It was later developed into bait caster.

• William Shakespeare Jr. materializes the production of a level wind device and secured its patent on 1897.

• The William J. Jamison Co introduced the overly ornamented Shannon Twin Spinner in 1915 and was improved to create today’s spinner baits.

• In 1932, President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted the creation of Tennessee Valley Authority and encouraged the creation and building of numerous dams. These dams were later used for culturing different varieties of bass fishes.

• Five years later, DuPont Company filed patent for nylon fishing net, this was later developed into nylon monofilament fishing line.

• The year 1992 is one of the most glorious events in the history of bass fishing. Larry Nixon, the famous fisherman in the history of bass fishing won $1 M total earnings for this sport on this year.

Bass Fish

Several fish species that are being caught in the bass fishing events are the following:

• Micropterus salmoides (Lacepede) - Largemouth Bass
• Micropterus dolomieui - Smallmouth bass
• Micropterus punctatus - Kentucky Bass

Other species of Micropterus are also caught but one that remains popular is the Largemouth bass. However, it should be emphasized that Australian Bass are different from the above North American Bass variants although most share similar features.

Perhaps, the most robust success of Bass Fishing was in the 1950s. The popularity of the game during this period is the springboard to the development of modern fishing equipments from bass boats, rods, lines, lures and various fishing gears.

Electronic gears were also incorporated among the host of equipments bass fishers used at that time. Reels of different types, which function in hauling and hoisting, were also created.

The contribution of bass fishing industry to the US economy records $50 to $70 Billion and the number continues to grow. Statistics show that the audience base of this sport is increasing and that more and more people are getting interested in it compared to tennis and golf.