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Dan's Bass Fishing Blog
Daily Blog Archive May 17th through May 31st, 2010
May 30/31, 2010
Another very nice day in our Memorial Day weekend. It's been hot, but it's nice that it cools down at night to sleep.
The FLW Tour Lake Ouachita tournament ended yesterday. Brent Ehler maintained his slim Day 3 lead to win his second Tour event of the season. The last time someone won two tour events in a single season was Shinicki Fukae back in 2006.
Ehler used a shallow topwater approach to win this four day event. He remarked that early on in the tournament,that his plan was to throw topwater early, but discovered that it continued to be effective all day long. One of the baits he claimed to be throwing was a Brian's Bees topwater bait. You can use the link to take a look at Brian's hand painted topwater and crankbaits lures.
On Day 4 of the tournament when facing the local "Million Dollar Man," Scott Suggs, Ehler said he didn't think he had brought enough weight to the scale to win. Ehler didn't know that the other four final day competitors had struggled as well. Ehler eked out a win by about a pound. You can read the story on BassFan by clicking on this link: Suggs Finishes 2nd, Ehrler Makes It Two! Wins Ouachita By 1-05
The FLW recently announced that the 2011 Forest Wood Cup would be back in Little Rock, on Lake Ouachita, August 11-14. It will definitely give Scott Suggs something to shoot for next year. I'm sure he loves having another chance at winning the Cup in his backyard again.
Yesterday, now that this short blog has spilled over to Monday, I got a call from Dandy Don and the Cementman. They each gave me their brief account of their days out on Cadillac and Mitchell in the first Tear Drop Tournament Trail event. Rick and his partner, Craig "Back Up and Dump" Stumbrie had a good day and weighed about twelve and a half pounds, which put them about sixth or seventh he said. They didn't catch any of their fish on beds, which surprised me. They stayed out in about nine feet of water and dunked soft plastics.
Don was counting on some bedded fish that should have been up shallow at this time of year, especially with this full moon. However, bedded fish were few and far between, and according to Don the fish they did see on beds were small males.
Don and his partner were a tad bit frustrated most of Sunday. Don told me they were plagued with fish coming unbuttoned. He said he figured they lost 12 pounds worth of fish. Some days seem to go that way.
Dennis, the Tear Drop Tournament Director, generally sends me the results to post on the main page within a day or two of the tournament. They should be up soon. Also, I was told that the Vawter Boys, were taking pictures and hopefully, Nick Vawter our roving Tear Drop reporter, will file another account of Sunday's action that I can put on the blog.
Yesterday my wife and I watched a couple of DVDs and one was "Invictus." Curious about the title I Googled it to find that it was the title of a poem by the Englishman, William Ernest Henley. After reading it, I thought that it's words would honor well those who are currently fighting for our country and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. So, to end this Memorial Day blog, and honor those who have fought and died for our country, here is the poem "Invictus."
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
May 29, 2010
Yesterday I drove up to the cabin and switched vehicles with my buddy Rick. He had loaned me his new truck for my trip to Denver. His generosity and friendship is immeasurable and much appreciated.
Many of the avid bass crowd is ramping up for the opener this weekend.
As I mentioned in the last blog, the Tear Drop Trail starts its season on Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell . The lakes are on the shores of downtown Cadillac. The ramp they will be using is the City Ramp in the northeast corner of Lake Cadillac. There are several other ramps on the two lakes, but the City Ramp has the most parking.
The anglers will be taking off at 6:30 a.m., and they will be back at the ramp to weigh fish at 2:30 p.m. If you fish tournaments, and this trail is meets your geographical needs, then I would highly recommend giving it a try. It's a 100% payback for each event with an end of the season two day Classic for the top ten boats. The tournament director and a wild card draw also will fish the Classic. More tournament information, rules, standings, etc. can be found on the main page.
If you don't have plans for Sunday, and want to visit a great area, then drive over to Cadillac and watch the weigh-in. You may also want to check out one of the sponsors for Sunday's contest while you're there. The Da Dawg House is an eatery that I've been to a number of times. They have a great breakfast, and I'm quite partial to their homemade cinnamon rolls. I have also had lunch and dinner there. The prices are right, and the food is excellent. If you are a Coney Island hot dog fan, try their half pound chili dog. You may want to split it though, it's huge!
For other hot spots in the Cadillac area make sure you check out the Tear Drop flyer which is online on the main page of this site. You can look at each page of the flier or download a PDF file and print.
The FLW Tour, Lake Ouachita tournament, is in it's final day. If you read this in time, you can follow the action by using this On the Water at Ouachita link.
The Californian, Brent Ehler took the lead away from local favorite Scott Suggs, but he did so by only 12 ounces. Ehler has been fishing shallow, and his topwater selection of baits scored big time on Day 3. He caught 18-11 lbs. of fish.
I don't think that Ehler is all that confident in his lead knowing Suggs is so close. Being a local, and living on the lake, gives Scott a real leg up. He's been fishing submerged brush piles that others have very little knowledge of. With the last tournament day being the first day of a very busy Memorial Day weekend, the boat traffic on the lake could easily impact Ehler's topwater bite. Despite Brent's angling prowess, my money would have to be on Suggs. You can read the BassFan Day three report at this "Dudley In From 19th - Ehrler Whacks 18-11, Leads Suggs By 12 Ounces" link.
The FLW Tour weigh-in today is at 4:00 p.m. CT, which is 5:00 p.m. our time. Here's the link for live weigh-in: Ouachita Final Day Weigh-In Link .
One last bit of information concerning the FLW is that their College Fishing National Championship at Fort Loudoun Lake, Knoxville, TN is going to be aired today on Versus at 3:00 p.m..
I think that's going to be it for my blogging today. Being a holiday weekend means that I should be out there taking care of business, monkey business, etc. Have a great Memorial Day holiday, and remember that part of that weekend celebration, involves a somber task of homage to those who have fought and died for our country. Their sacrifice, though easy to put aside on a beautiful weekend of fun, should never be dismissed. In their honor, here are a few words of poetry from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. "Your silent tents of green, we deck with fragrant flowers; Yours has the suffering been, the memory shall be ours."
May 27, 2010
I'm trying to get back into the saddle again with the blog after being on the road for almost a month. It use to be I felt compelled to write everyday, but now, since I do this for my own enjoyment, I've tried not to be so compelled by it.
The forums I frequent have been busy with chatter about the upcoming bass opener, and with the bass catch and release tournaments that can now take place. There have been some paper tournaments, but anglers are chomping to quench that competitive thirst.
The Tear Drop Tournament Trail has it's opener on Cadillac and Mitchell, on May 30th. The reports I have been getting from Cadillac anglers are a tad bit mixed. Some say the fishing out deep has been tough, but one local report from a Cadillac native is that this first tournament will be a bedfest. The moon is coming full and with this last week of hot weather, there will definitely be fish bedded. Usually you'll find the first beds on Mitchell. The westernmost lily pad bay should have the first beds, and then they work out around and into the main lake on Mitchell as the spawn gets in to full swing.
The smallies, as you probably know tend to bed out on the sand flats. That south shore of Mitchell is an ideal spawning flat. The tannic color of the water though makes it more difficult to spot the smallie beds. The light has to be right and the ripple almost gone from the water to see them. Getting out when conditions are optimal for spotting is critical, and using the GPS to mark the beds will definitely help your tournament chances.
I have found that making ultra long cast with topwater baits can also cue you in to bedded fish. When you can't see beds it's a good search technique. If you get some early topwater action, make sure you move up to investigate.
Smallies will often give themselves away if a spinnerbait or topwater bait moves over them. They may not get hooked up or even hit the bait, but often you can see them when they move. You'd swear you could spot them shallow in most of our ultra clear northern Michigan lakes, and sometimes they do make an obvious bed. There are other times though that they bed up against a log or even a stick and will be very hard to spot.
To find them you need that trolling motor on high and cover lots of water. The largemouth beds are easier to spot along the shoreline, but as I said, most of the smallie beds will be out on the flats.
When I was down on Pickwick for the Elite Series event, I talked with Marty Robinson who I drew last year on day three on Wheeler. He told me what he did recently during a bed fishing tournament on Smith Mountain Lake. Marty told me about how he put a gas powered generator in his boat, and ran it to charge his trolling motor batteries during his day on the lake. He said it worked well and made a difference in regards to the amount of water he could cover looking for spawning fish.
I've been on bodies of water where you can travel hundreds of yards and never see a bed. Then all of a sudden you will spot several clustered together. Don't worry about spooking the fish. I've often ran right over a bed and the smallie will circle off of it one way, as I turn and circle the other, meeting the fish back at the bed. Once they are locked on you can sometimes fish them vertically.
Once you find the fish, and oh by the way, you won't find them unless you have a good pair of polarized lenses. Even then, you often need the right tint of polarized lenses depending on the type of bottom you are fishing. It makes a huge difference. Any way, once you find the bed, your first cast is often your best opportunity to score, so be ready. Some fish will run to the bait and it's all over that fast. Others will nose the bait and seem curious, but will turn away from it. You then need to be prepared to throw the kitchen sink at them. By kitchen sink, I mean tubes, worms, grubs, creatures of all shapes, sizes and colors. Most throw chartreuse or white. That's mainly because you can see the bait from a distance, and it helps you see if the fish picks up your bait. They will often grab the bait just to move it off the bed. It is only a split second worth of opportunity. The bright colored bait makes it easier to see so you can react quickly.
Most smallies when bedded can be caught if you're persistent. Largemouth, on the other hand, are a different critter. It's almost like they get to the point in the spawn where they just won't strike a bait. They are just to focussed on that spawning dance, nothing else interests them.
Fishing for spawning bass is a lot more like hunting than fishing. I mean to say you need to think about intersecting them moving up and then back out post spawn. You need to hunt the best points and drops. The biggest smallies often are those who spawn much deeper than their counterparts. Those deeper beds, found in ten to twelve feet of water can be very difficult to spot. Experience is definitely needed, and I have fished with anglers who are just flat out better at spotting deep bedded bass.
Bass are moving up now to spawn. The water temperature and moon cycle play large rolls. The new and full moons are best. The spawn will last in Michigan until and shortly after the July 4th weekend. The last spawn that I have fished, has been on Grand Traverse Bay which usually heats up around July 4th.
It's a great time to be out on the water so get out and enjoy. Remember though to catch and immediately release your fish. If you're dead set on meat hunting, then release the big females and eat males which are by design the smaller of the two.
The FLW anglers are fishing their second day on Lake Ouachita down near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Day One started with a fog delay, but as in most tournaments, it didn't slow everyone down. Terry Bolton and Todd Auten tied for the first day lead with 18-01 lbs.
Bolton had two fish die, despite going the extra fish care distance. He lost eight ounces for each fish. He also was fishing deep. Those deeper fish tend to be harder to sustain for a day in the livewell, especially after the spawning stress, and when the temperatures are high.
Todd Auten spent his day up shallow, and much of it he was throwing a topwater bait. The two leaders are being chased hard by local Scott Suggs. Suggs is only six ounces back. Remember, Suggs won his $1,000,000 in the Forest Wood Cup on Ouachita. He used those same deep trees later in the day to build his nice stringer. Here's the Day One report and overall standings .
I have two of my Fantasy Fishing team members in the top 10 and one just out. Hopefully after today's weigh-in some more of my guys will show up. The weigh-in today is at 3:00 CT, 4:00 p.m. our time. The weigh in yesterday went on till after 6:00 p.m. our time.
I had intended, when I started the blog today, to write about some of the specifics of my day out on the water with the pros I drew down in Alabama. If time allows I'll do that tonight, otherwise it will be fodder for another day.
For now, I'm off to do errands. The final cast of the day is another Dave Mercer, Facts of Fishing # 19 .
Have a great day, and don't forget to fill up before gas prices gouge skyward for the Memorial Day weekend.
May 26, 2010
Wow! It's been a whirlwind of a time for me during this last month. The Cementman and I had a great trip down to Alabama, and by the way I have archived the trip up above. I reversed the order from how it appears on the blog so that you start, like most stories do, at the beginning.
I also have taken the time, now that I'm back home from my Denver trip, to break the blog back to it's normal monthly format. So, April is now archived up above now as well. With only May up, it shouldn't take nearly as long to load.
As you know, I've been on the road again having left to help my son and daughter-in-law move from Milwaukee to Denver. On the return leg of the Denver trip we stopped in Des Moines, to attend my nephew's wedding reception. They had gotten married a few weeks earlier on the beach in Gulf Shores, AL.
The Bride and Groom and Me
