Day 2

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

Day 1 ended so poorly and early we had to regroup. A cold front was blowing in very angrily and we knew the air temp would be around 40 in the morning. With that in mind and knowing what that normally does to the bass, we decided to make the trek up to Monticello, a power plant lake where we felt the air temp would have less of an effect on the bass. The wind was strong but we found a couple of sheltered banks and beat them until they gave up some nice fish. The Day 2 video below will show the best two but all but one fish we caught at Monti were 3-4 lbs. A definite improvement over the dinks from Day 1. Thanks again to Hag’s Tornado Baits and Trinity Custom Rods for making great products that do what they need to when times are tough.

Day 2

Posted in Gear, Goals, Quest, Trinity Custom Rods | Leave a comment

The Quest Day 1 at the Papa Jim Memorial Fishing Tourney 2012

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

Not a lot of great triumphs to tell. I could bore you with 750 words about why we didn’t catch fish but I shot around 8 hours of video and condensed it into two parts: Day 1 and Day 2. The swimbait gig was getting old quick. Of the 20 hours of fishing we did over this trip I threw swimbaits about 10 of those hours with a few bites and dinks. Our keeper fish came off of Hag’s Tornados in F4 fished split shot style. This has been my confidence bait for a couple of years and I felt like I needed it to locate fish. Once I did, I would switch to the swimbait and just never got bit. When Lance (my brother) started whacking them casting right on top of where I was with that Hag’s I went back. I know. Poor self control. There was a plaque on the line and bragging rights for an entire year! The rain and storms were AWFUL for this trip and our other two competitors called it quits early. We fished on an were rewarded later in Day 2 but for now, the video of Day 1.

Day 1 Video
 

Posted in Gear, Goals, Quest, Trinity Custom Rods | Leave a comment

Tomorrow is THE QUEST!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by

It all really kicks off tomorrow. Belton is a great lake but the number of ten pound largemouth bass that come out of it are slim. I’m in Cedar Hill to stay with my brother for the night and then early in the morning to go to Lake Fork. Land of the Giants! If I intend to find a ten this year, this will be my best shot. No pressure at all. Yeah Right!

I’m going to try to stay calm. I’m going to have fun. I’m going to enjoy every fish I catch. I’m not going to sleep much tonight I am sure. Every trip I have ever made to Fork is filled with dreams of what could be. Never knowing when that next thump is going to be the ONE.

Big baits. Big fish.

Big baits. BIG FISH.

BIG BAITS! BIG FISH!

We have a guide tomorrow who fished today and said the big girls were moving. I’ve seen tons of good omens on the way down and continuing through to Lance’s find at Dick’s Sporting Goods a few minutes ago. We have watched the weigh in for the Bassmaster Classic and rigged out every rod. Nothing left to do but suffer through the next few hours of insomnia and then get in the truck and go!

I’ll be posting picture updates via my phone on Facebook as I can and I’ll try to do nightly recaps on Swimbait Underground. When we get back I’ll try to do a write up covering the entire trip including the winner of the yearly tourney. Sorry I don’t have much more to share right now. I promise more later and hopefully lots of pictures!

 

 

 

Posted in Goals, Quest, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Too Dang Cold!!!

Posted on February 15, 2012 by

This winter in Central Texas has been mild. We did finally get a snow for all of twenty minutes which of course melted as soon as it got near the grass. However, every weekend has proven to be nasty. Either the cold fronts wait until Friday night to move in or it’s just north winds at 30mph. It’s pretty typical early spring for around here though. With all the buying, swapping etc of gear and baits lately I knew I needed to get out and practice with the “Boom Stick” from Trinity Custom Rods and the new big boy baits. I got a chance Saturday evening about 4PM.

North winds at 15-20mph and bluebird skies with a smattering of cirrus clouds meant a northern was blowing in for Sunday but I was determined to throw the baits on this new rod. With the wind chill it was an icy 34 degrees but with layers, only the bottoms of my ears really felt it.

I spent the majority of my time throwing a 3:16 Rising Son and when I say throwing, I mean THROWING! The 8ft behemoth with 50lb braid and a 20lb floro shock leader was  chunking this bait 50 yards into the wind at times. There was a guy in a boat who got a little too close who gave me a stare down when I launched the RS to within 10 ft of his boat. I imagine he thought he was at a safe distance. I fished the same stack of sticks that is now two feet deeper than my last time out thanks to all the rain with no takes. That’s about par for the course though. This time of year you really need a boat and good electronics just to find the fish. I’m flying blind on the bank. At least I was. I was able to get a kayak this week so I hope to remedy some of the bank woes. It won’t have electronics on it for a little bit but it will give me a way to get out to deeper water and hopefully some bigger fish. For those of you interested, it’s the Old Town Vapor 10 on sale at Academy right now. With an anchor trolley, anchor, rope, flush mount rod holders and adjustable seat already included, I couldn’t pass this deal up. Thank God my wife felt the same way. We will hopefully get some paddle time in this weekend and you better believe I am taking the Boom Stick.

The weather has been nice the last couple of days and I really wish I could have been on the water this morning. It was 58  degrees, 0 wind and foggy. I’m sure something was eating.

I am right at 3 weeks away from the 2nd Annual Papa Jim Memorial Fishing Excursion. As the reigning champion I hope to bring the plaque home once again. It looks really good on my wall in the office. Lance and I will be kicking off the trip with a day on the water with Cody Malone at Lake Fork. Cody is a great guy, fisherman and I expect good things.

Until next time,

Posted in 3:16 Lures, Gear, Goals, Quest, Trinity Custom Rods | Leave a comment

The Boom Stick Has Arrived!

Posted on January 26, 2012 by

Several weeks ago I started a conversation with Mat Frentress of Trinity Custom Rods about needing a big swimbait stick. When I say big, whatever you are thinking, double it. Most “swimbait rods” on the market throw from 5/8- 1 1/2 oz baits. My LIGHTEST bait for this application is 1.6 oz! So we went on a quest. We looked a fiberglass, graphite, dang near everything but an old oak tree (though it did cross my mind). We finally found a blank that would deliver what I needed, the SWB967. It is a monster and will throw 4oz baits without a problem. That’s what I needed. Mat and I talked about specific detailing, what I was looking for, the whole shooting match and then he handed me over to Charner, his partner at Trinity. Charner had some additional ideas and what we ended up with is a Boom Stick that is as clean and pinpoint detailed as a new Ferrari. The threading and colors match the reel I will be throwing with it to a “t”. I am shaking a little as I am writing this because of the excitement and awe.

The pictures of the rod are below. Keep in mind I shot these with a crappy phone camera so they don’t do this justice at all. I can’t wait to throw it. Thanks again Mat and Charner for exceeding my expectations. If you don’t have one of these beauties, ask yourself, “Why not?”

Posted in Gear, Goals, Quest, Trinity Custom Rods | 1 Comment

Buying, Selling and Trying to Get Ready

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

With the recent warming trend, I’m expecting to get some time on the water tomorrow. To get ready for the impending spring, I have been buying new baits, selling others. Remember that 3:16 Baby Wake? I couldn’t bring myself to throw the thing. I stared at it over three afternoons of fruitless fishing and wouldn’t tie it on. I posted it on eBay and as of this morning shipped it off to California. I have burned through a couple of 3:16 Mission Fish and two 6″ weedless Huddleston’s and have had to replace them. I’ve purchased an 8″ Lunker Punker and a Cardiff reel as well. I am also looking at trading one of my 8″ Hudds for a Spro 6″ BBZ-1 Jr. I already have one but I might need a backup. I am expecting some pics of my new Trinity Custom Rod in the next week or so. Mat has been trying to get in all the materials to make this “Toad Slayer” of a rod for me and I got a text from him yesterday saying it was starting to come together. It’s going to be a good spring if this weather holds and I’m hoping to get my first swimbait fish this weekend. Fun times!

Posted in 3:16 Lures, Gear, Goals, Trinity Custom Rods | Leave a comment

New Bait Added to the Arsenal

Posted on December 27, 2011 by

I finally found a good deal on one of the most coveted hard baits in all of swimbaiting. From what I can tell through hours of looking, it is one of the only baits that appreciates in value.

I am talking, of course, about the 3:16 Lure Company’s Baby Wake in Kokanee. (Photo from 3:16 website). It came in the mail today from a fellow swimbaiter in Missouri. He sold it to me at cost which is a rarity. I watched one of these on eBay go for 30% MORE than what I paid for it. All of these baits are hand made by Mickey Ellis in California which is why they are so rare. He only does a few baits per year so getting one is a bit of a coup. I could have paid out the face for one but no need. Swimbaiters take care of their own. The reason I wanted one of these baits is not only for it’s legendary reputation but the story of Mickey Ellis. You can see some of that here at southernswimbait.com. This is not great for kids. He is very frank about some things and it has some harsh language when he is talking about his former life.  He is a man of God, rescued from a life of muck and mire who found a calling much akin to those of his savior.  I hope to catch fish on “Koko” but if nothing else I have helped further the cause of a Godly man.

Posted in 3:16 Lures, Gear, Mickey Ellis, People | Leave a comment

Quest #1 Report

Posted on December 20, 2011 by

Tough. That’s the best way to describe the fishing at Squaw Creek Sunday. Between 5 of us, 8 fish were caught. They were all good chunks and I lucked out with the big pig for the trip.

She hit a Cabin Fever Lures Swim Jig in Chartreuse Vomit with a Paca Chunk Trailer. Weighing in at 5lbs and 9oz, this fish was short and fat. She hasn’t missed any meals as of late for sure! She was suspended in a big tree off of a creek channel in about 18ft of water. She was definitely a beautiful fish and she was my largest Largemouth Bass in 2011.

I threw Lunker Punkers and the 6″ Spro BBZ-1 Jr for several hours throughout the day but no takers. I also tossed a Weedless Huddleston but to no avail.

Hopefully as 2012 rolls in I’ll get a couple of takes from some winter sows. If nothing else, I know the spring will provide some excellent takes from LMBs and from some Hybrids. I know where they live from March to October so the winter will be a new adventure completely. I went out and tossed a Weedless Huddleston today for a couple of hours but no takes. I was at Rogers Park and will try Arrowhead in the morning. I’ll report back after.

Posted in Quest | Leave a comment

A New Brother in Arms

Posted on December 15, 2011 by

I had mentioned previously that I was selling my Dobyns 795 to get a Lamiglas Custom from Trinity Custom Rods. Today was that day and a pleasant surprise greeted me- a new brother in arms. Swimbait arms. I realize it is hyperbole to compare fishing to war or battle but you know what, I’m going there. I am constantly trying to outwit Mother Nature and her creatures whose only jobs are to eat, procreate and survive. So give me a hint of latitude here.

“Cip” is the new owner of the Dobyns. I know he will wear it out catching fish. That’s a great feeling. Cip felt like he got such a good deal on the rod that he wanted to bring me something. SWIMBAITS!!!! Such a great thing for him to do. We talked quite a while about the struggle of not picking up that smaller worm and really slow fishing for that one great bite. We exchanged some fishing spots and general knowledge and agreed we would have to get out on the lake some this year. Cip knows what it takes to train for swimbait fishing and I think he could hold me accountable to my plans. It’s always nice to meet a “brother in arms” who doesn’t flinch at the size of these baits, someone who knows you may not get bit this MONTH.

It’s softbait season currently with a low and slow retrieve but I got in my two Spro 8″ Baits today and wanted to show the size of these monsters. While these are not up to the quality of a 3:16 Wake Jr, they will catch fish and I am ready to wear the fish out this summer on them. Until next time, thank an armed forces member for all they do and tight lines!

Posted in Gear, People | Leave a comment

Smaller Baits This Weekend and A New Rod!

Posted on December 14, 2011 by

It appears that the large baits will not make an appearance this weekend. I am selling my Dobyns 795 tomorrow so I can pay for my custom Lamiglas 967XC from Trinity Custom Rods. Mat has built 5 rods for me thus far and this 6th will be my biggest, meanest pig sticker yet. More on that when I get it. 

This weekend at Squaw I am going to use the Dirty Jigs California Swim Jig with the RoboWorm EZ Shad Trailer some and I’ll throw my 4″ Huddleston Shads some too. I opted to go this route so that when I do catch that hog this year, it’ll be on the rod of a company I rely on to put fish in the boat.

As soon as I get the rod, I won’t have anything but Trinity Rods with me. Yeah, I know, shameless plug but I pormise you, if you fish with one of these rods, you will have to have more. Everything else seems just so average. Mat and Charner will get you set up exactly how you want your rod.

Posted in Gear, Goals, Quest | Leave a comment