"Hike Your Own Hike"

In Episode 3 of The Cast, one of the topics toward the end of the webcast was the "Hike Your Own Hike" mantra that many long-distance hikers and backpackers use.

Before I shifted my focus to kayak fishing in my spare time,  I enjoyed quite a bit of backpacking and hiking.  Especially in backpacking, I found different hikers have different opinions on everything from internal vs. external frame packs,  hiking in boots vs. trail-runners, ultra lightweight vs. ultimate preparation, tent vs. hammock, and countless other arguing points.  Thus was born the mantra, "HYOH." A 20 year-old college kid's hiking trip is most likely going to look and feel different from a 40 year-old father of two with bad knees and sleep apnea's hiking trip. Not that I'd know anything about that. Aside from "LNT" (leave no trace), HYOH is probably the most ubiquitous saying in the hiking world.

Source: thetrek.co

As I was pondering 2020's New Years resolutions, it hit me that HYOH is not just a hiking mantra.  It applies to just about everything when you think about it.  Aside from hiking, I briefly applied the philosophy to both parenting and fishing during my last episode.  And I have one more thing I'll add at the end that it applies to...

The Oversaturation Era

Can there be too much of a good thing?

Has the sport of bass fishing reached a point where avid anglers have so much exposure to the sport, and so much information, we hardly know any longer which direction to look? Do competitive anglers have so many options for tournaments it becomes overwhelming as well? I think we have reached a point where as anglers, we have to filter out certain things to keep from having fishing overload.

Source: sales-i.com

2017 Year In Review: Tournament Recap And Lessons Learned

It's that time of year again, and boy, did it get here fast?  Time to write what has been one of the most popular pieces of every year...it seems like just a blink of an eye ago, I was writing the 2016 version.

I was thrilled to see that post top 800 views - now I'm regularly seeing 1000+ for every post, and I have to say it's pretty exciting to see my audience grow.  I enjoy writing, and love the feedback.

This is ANGLR's 3rd annual look back at the past year's tournament season. It's a reflection on the good, the bad, the ugly, and how to improve on them for the next season.  I fished 15 live tournaments, as well as a handful of online challenges. The focus of this article is the live events, but occasionally I'll throw in some side notes regarding notable online tournaments in italics.

The overall feel of the 2017 season was somewhat of a crescendo.  Early season successes were few and far between - a stark contrast to consistent early success in 2016.  But as summer and fall came, results got better. And the season was capped off by high finishes in the Georgia State Championship, and the KBF Trail stop at Pickwick/Wilson Lakes.  But before I can get to the good stuff, let's take it all the way back to February.

The Georgia Bass Slam: A Lesson in Biology and Geography

This year, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources came up with a new challenge for its anglers - catch at least five of the state's ten indigenous black bass species (Genus "Micropterus").

The Georgia Bass Slam

Georgia's Ten Black Bass Species. Photo from GA DNR website.

To many people not familiar with bass fishing, they may only know of the widespread largemouth, spotted and smallmouth species when it comes to black bass.  But there are many more than that - at least 14 known species!

Georgia is lucky to host the largest percentage of black bass species with 10 of the 14. In fact, all but one species (the Guadalupe bass, native to Texas) can be caught by traveling Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.  Georgia's geography of mountains, piedmont, and coastal plain allow for a very diverse system of waterways, and good habitat for hundreds of freshwater species.

At least four of these black bass species could be caught in the lakes and rivers I knew I'd be fishing in tournaments this year, so I set a goal for myself to complete a 5-fish slam in 2017.

The Rest of the Story

Paul Harvey taught us that there’s always more to the story than meets the eye. 

Yesterday was a great day fun-fishing on the Savannah River, as many of y’all have seen from my fish posts on Instagram and Facebook. But there’s part I’ve left out - the rest of the story. I actually lost a smallmouth on a hookset with 30 lb braid in open water, and it probably would’ve went over 6 pounds, almost unheard of for a Georgia smallie; easily a Citation fish. 

The catch is, the line didn’t break at the knot, but somewhere in the middle. The fish jumped nearly 2’ out of the water 3 times trying to spit my lure (rhymes with Mopper Flopper). Eventually she succeeded and I got the lure back for a while, just to REALLY lose it later when the same exact thing happened again on a 2-3 lb spotted bass. 

At first, I thought I needed to re-spool new braid, but upon further investigation I found the real culprit. This photo is magnified a lot, but you can see a small chip in one of my guide inserts. I tied my line to a stationary object 3 times and set the hook hard until the line broke. Each time, the break was between the 3rd and 4th guide from the reel. Turns out the 4th guide had the exposed sharp edge. 

A tiny, microscopic detail not only cost me a $17 lure, but more importantly, a trophy smallmouth. 

The rod is the Lews TP1 Speed Stick 7’ MH-Fast. I feel like it’s a good rod. I honestly don’t think it’s a defect, just an effect of heavy use and abuse that comes with regular kayak angling, and a costly oversight on my part. 

A few months ago, I got a buzzbait snagged in a tree with this rod, and the same thing happened with the line breaking in the middle rather than at the usual weak spot, the knot. I should have investigated then. Ignoring it cost me. 

I guess the lesson learned is to not forget about periodic service & inspection on your rods. Everyone services their reels and changes out fishing line, but that’s not all of the equation. This problem was so small, I could barely see it in bright light, and had to confirm with a scratch awl that it really was a chip. It really was a miniscule detail, but an important one.

I can’t imagine this happening in a tournament. Inspect your gear, folks. 

UPDATE 11/7/17 -  I called Lew’s today, and they are sending me a new line guide free of charge, no questions asked. This is the kind of customer service that will influence what products I choose to use in the future. 

Tight lines, y’all...

To Net Or Not To Net?

One of the discussions I often see on the Kayak Bass Fishing Facebook page is regarding the use of landing nets.  Some anglers swear by them 100% of the time, some anglers think they're a waste of space, and others are somewhere in between.  Elite Series anglers are not allowed to use nets in competition, and some of us enjoy that extra challenge of trying to emulate their fish landing methods from time to time.  However, I bet if you asked a few of those guys, they'd like to have the opportunity to use one.

My Net Setup - Simplistic and Functional

While I consider my net standard equipment on every trip, I don't always use it.  It rests in a Ram tube to the rear-left of my seat, easily within arms reach.  I have a leash on it so I don't lose it, but one end of the leash is a magnetic net attachment used by fly fishermen, so I can grab it quickly and move freely with it once it's out of the tube.

There are two parts to the net equation - what net to use, and when to use it.

The Guntersville Incident of 2017

I write a big, comprehensive post on this blog at the end of the year about my tournaments and the lessons learned during each one. However, after my day at the 2017 KBF Trail event at Lake Guntersville, I decided this tournament deserved its own special post.  Because it was, well...special. And not in the good way.

The Reel Krazy event at Terrapin Creek on August 25-26 had been the last tournament I fished before I bought my Jeep.  I traded in my Toyota Tacoma pickup on September 2, so of course I had to box up all the junk in the truck and get it out before I took it to the dealership to make the trade. That was a busy Labor Day Weekend.  Then my wife and I had our anniversary on September 6, followed by what was supposed to be a family vacation to Florida on the 7th. That got squashed by Hurricane Irma, and we ended up going down there the 16th-21st instead, and had a great time.  But we got back, and I had only one day to prep and load for Guntersville.  It was Friday the 22nd, after a busy day of playing catch-up at work, and I was going to load up and camp that night near my launch point on the north end of the lake near the Nickajack Dam.  It had been nearly a month since I had been on the kayak, but I was ready, and confident in my spot. It was over an hour away from the check-in at Guntersville State Park, but I had caught a really nice 5 lb class fish from that area before, and I was pretty sure I'd have it to myself.  Most people rightfully associate Guntersville Lake with the state of Alabama, but it actually extends all the way up into Tennessee, and that's where I'd be fishing.  The lake is over 65 miles long from southwest (Guntersville, AL) to northeast (South Pittsburg, TN) ends.

Guntersville is a LONG lake!

Family, Shoal Bass, and Being a Newbie Again

As a competitive kayak angler, sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the competition on and off the water.  Suddenly, it's all about making a name for yourself in the industry, counting likes and followers, and trying to find that edge that will vault you to the top of the podium at the next derby.  You always enjoy kayak fishing when you get a chance to go, but you've forgot the feeling of being a rookie. Recently, I've been given a valuable opportunity - to revisit that feeling I had when I began kayak fishing.

My Maiden Kayak Fishing Voyage - Allatoona Lake, August 24, 2014

It's Summer Transition Time

The azalea blooms are gone, Memorial Day has passed, the days are getting long, and it's just plain hot. For the past two months, it's been relatively easy to pick bass off stumps, riprap and other shallow cover. But spawning season is now over and the bass are heading back deep.

For many anglers, the lake becomes intimidating this time of year. There are several reasons for this. Part of it is pleasure boat traffic. For lakes like Chickamauga and Guntersville, grass adds thousand of acres of extra cover to take into consideration. And finally, there are the deep fish and the fact that you're no longer exclusively target-casting to anything on the bank that looks fishy. Those shallow tricks seem to quit working as soon as the sun gets up and the mercury rises.

This is the time of year when certain anglers flourish, the ones who have confidence in fishing deep -  the ones who trust their electronics and head out to the ledges and creek channels - the ones not afraid to mop the lake floor with a jig and dig trenches with big crankbaits.

I'm admittedly not up to the highest offshore confidence level yet, but last summer I found some success away from the bank, and I want to share a few things I learned that may help those struggling to find their way away from the shoreline.

1. When there are large grass mats, imagine the area without them. If it's not an area you'd fish when the grass isn't there, it's probably wise to move on. There are certain areas like transitions, points, humps, channel swings, etc that you'll focus on any time of the year. Fish use these areas as ambush points and thoroughfares with or without the presence of grass. Keep going to those same areas and if there is grass there, consider it a bonus. Find the edges, which could be as far as 8-12' down depending on water clarity and go to work.  Frogs and flukes are great for topwater action, and a big worm or swimbait can hammer them deep.

2. Your favorite shallow water baits can work in the summer - you just have to learn how to apply them in deep water situations. Usually it requires a slight adjustment. Plastics you may throw shallow weightless, or with light weights, in the spring may need to be upsized to 1/2-1 oz weights to help the bait get down to the strike zone quickly and add additional feel along the bottom, especially in wind. A Texas rig or shaky head may need to be traded for a drop shot to keep the bait visible along the top of grass and deep brushpiles. Heavy spinnerbaits can be slow-rolled down points and dropped along bluffs and ledges. Put the square bills away in favor of deep diving crank baits, and dig a trench with them down the points and humps, and off the tops of the ledge. If topwater is your thing, a spook or Sammy can be your best friend when you're around an active school and the bass are chasing baitfish.

Here's an example of one of my favorite techniques translating from shallow to deep: Last summer in a tournament, I was looking for a third fish to fill out my limit. It was getting late in the morning and the shallow bite had all but shut down. After working over some good docks and seawalls, I paddled out to this point on the inside of a creek channel bend. The point had a huge grass mat on it until about 10-11' of water where it tapered out to gravel bottom and dropped into the channel. I set up on the edge of the grass using my Lowrance, fan-casted the same 1/4 oz shaky head I was using shallow earlier, and landed a nice 16.75" bass to fill my limit.  As you can see from the scale, I was sitting 150 feet from the bank and casting toward the middle rather than beating the bank.  The channel marker was a perfect reference point as well.

3. Look for bait.  All during the summer, bass will set up in the depths below bait.  Finding the bait on a ledge is a good way to eliminate bad water when there are miles and miles of ledges like on Kentucky Lake and other Tennessee River impoundments. Look for the fish in a "haystack" formation or streaking through the bait clouds on your graph.  These are active schools and can make for a great day of fishing.

Image source: scout.com

Try these tips when you're out on the lake this summer, and you may be pleasantly surprised with your results.  I hope to hone these skills myself. If it fails, go skip some docks for a while and try again until you figure them out. Tight lines, y'all.

It's All About to Change

As I write this post, it's Tuesday night and I'm sitting in a motel room in New Johnsonville, TN, near the shores of Kentucky Lake.  I drove up here earlier today for KBF National Championship weekend.  This is what all the obsessive studying, video watching, reading and fishing over the last year has led up to.  Now I get a couple of days to practice for the Big Show.  I finished  91st out of 230 anglers last year, and I'm ready to try and make a big improvement this year.

I have chosen to enter the HOW Big Bass Brawl and the KBF Open as well as the Championship.  The Big Bass Brawl runs from practice, starting tomorrow and going all the way through Saturday.  The Open and the Championship run concurrently Friday and Saturday.

If I were to win these events, I'd probably be cashing checks totaling somewhere near $50,000.  In most peoples' books, including mine, that's a life-changing weekend.

But whether I cash a check or not, my life will definitely be changed in an even bigger way in the upcoming weeks.

This is not so much a post about fishing, but about perspective and priority.  Winning here would be a huge deal, and something I've thought about every day since I left Kentucky Lake last year.  But bringing a child into the world is even bigger.  And although it might surprise some people, it has dominated my thoughts lately.  I'm not sure how to put into words the gamut of emotions that hit me daily.  Love, excitement, fear, anxiety, happiness...it's hard to focus on anything without thinking about that precious little life that is getting closer and closer to making his appearance.

After last year, I feel like I'm prepared for just about anything that Kentucky Lake decides to throw at me. And for these four days, I'll be laser-focused on these little green fish.  But I have no idea what this kid is going to throw at me, and that's scary as hell.  But I'm excited to find out, and can't stop thinking about it.

Lastly, I have some thanks that are due.  I use social media mostly for fishing and promoting ANGLR, and I need to give a heartfelt, long-overdue public "thank you" to my wife, Solitair.  Thank you for proving every day that even though the baby isn't here yet, you're going to be a great mom.  Thank you for understanding how important fishing is to me, whether I'm cashing checks or just unwinding on the river.  Thanks for your patience and understanding when I'm in the office until 4am studying maps, archiving fishing reports, and graphing weather trends.  Thank you for trusting that I will be a good dad when it seems like it's the last thing on my mind.  I promise, it's not.

Specializing Your Rod, Reel and Line for Kayak Fishing

Everyone knows kayak fishing can put you in many situations that are different from fishing from a larger boat. Therefore, kayak anglers don't always need to adhere to some of the rules of thumb that have been shared in various instructional articles and videos you see from tour pros and other experts.  While the baits and techniques usually apply across the board, the gear used to employ them sometimes does not.

The main reason for this discrepancy is because a kayak becomes an integral part of the drag system when catching a fish, from the bite, through the hookset, all the way to the moment when you (hopefully) land that lunker on the other end of the line. The shallow draft and smaller coefficient of friction cause a different effect in each part of the catch than a heavy and deeper-hulled bass boat.

Does this mean that a person switching from a bass boat to a kayak has to sell off all their gear and start all over?  Absolutely not - there are minor adjustments that can be made to fit the situation.  We can break it down into the three components of a conventional fishing outfit - the rod, the reel, and the line.

There are some common problems kayak anglers face when they are not using the optimal equipment for fishing from a small plastic boat.  Keep reading to explore five of these problems, and see how to get your rods, reels, and line working in harmony to catch more fish from your kayak.

2016 Year in Review and Lessons Learned

By far, the most popular post of in the short history of the ANGLR Blog was the 2015 Year in Review post.

Before I focus on my New Years Resolutions, it's time to take a look back at the 2016 tournament season - the successes, failures and lessons learned.

I have already published a separate post on the first tournament I participated in for 2016, the River Bassin' season opener in the Florida Panhandle, as it turned into a longer adventure.

So we'll start the official year-in-review with the KBF National Championship.

Tackle Warehouse Unboxing

My first unboxing video!

How I Keep My Phone Dry and Afloat

Last summer during a Tennessee Valley Kayak Anglers tournament on Chickamauga Lake, I caught a nice smallmouth to fill my limit in the tournament.  The fish would have secured 3rd place and a cash payout.  Instead, I fumbled my phone over the side of the kayak and had to start over.  Here's a little tip that will prevent that from ever happening again!


 

On Visibility and Contrast

Last week, I went fishing on Lake Burton with Jim Ware and Greg Wood, both of Rome.  At one point in the early afternoon, Jim and Greg fished about halfway back into a creek, then headed back out toward point off a large island.  I had caught my first fish of the day while making my way into the creek, and wanted to explore the creek further back, so I continued to pick it apart dock-by-dock.  Not exactly a winter pattern, but it was the only thing that had worked so far.  When I came out of the creek about 45 minutes later, I began to look for the others.

Off in the distance, I faintly spotted two sets of yellow paddle blades churning.  Jim was wearing a bright orange PFD, and Greg's was bright blue.  But the only signs of the two kayakers I could see were the four blades.  Using my Navionics app, I figured them to be about 530 yards away.  That doesn't seem like all that much distance, but it was a windy day with a lot of chop on the water, and it was tough to discern what was taking place on the surface.

Me, Jim, Greg, and our yellow paddles on Lake Burton

The boat traffic on Lake Burton was about what one would expect for a Thursday afternoon in mid-December.  There were a handful of other fishermen running around, but rarely would we feel that all-familiar rock of a boat wake across our bows.  It was quite peaceful and the fishing was slow.

Soon enough, though, spring will be here.  The winter solstice has passed, and the days are already getting longer.  We'll get a couple of late February warm fronts, and the bass will snap out of the winter doldrums and strap on the feedbag for mating season.  And the mass exodus of fishermen will descend on lakes across the South looking for big prespawn bass.

From this point, all through the summer and well past Labor Day, kayakers will have their head on a swivel.  After the spawn, the pleasure boaters and PWC's come out to play as well.  The lakes will be full of people.  Usually, this is when I head to the rivers, but I still like to get in some practice on the lake every now and then.  Visibility becomes more important than ever during the summer.  Most serious kayak fishermen are familiar with products like the VisiCarbon Pro, and other 360º lighting products.  Some anglers have LED strips mounted on their hull.  Both of these are great for visibility in low light situations.  

But the observation I made on Lake Burton the other day, is that if you want to be seen in broad daylight, the name of the game is CONTRAST. 

There's a reason why most states' DNRs require deer hunters using rifles to wear blaze orange for safety.  If you see something moving in that color, there's no reason to shoot. Other than on a particularly brilliant maple tree in the fall, blaze orange is one of the most unnatural colors you'll find outside.  In the photo above, Jim's orange PFD contrasts well against the water, but may not always contrast well against Georgia red clay or fall foliage.  Greg's blue PFD does not contrast well on the water, but would be quite visible against a dark tree-lined bluff. And his dark clothing provides a stark silhouette in the morning light. However, those yellow paddles we have contrast well against everything, and they are moving a lot.  There's no need to go out on the water in your coat of many colors, but several different colors ranging from light to dark on your rig, paddle, and body should provide enough of a contrast to keep you visible throughout the day.

Stay safe out there, and tight lines, y'all.

NiteIze - Discover Your Solution

For years, NiteIze has been making it easier to illuminate, attach and secure things.  Kayak anglers are rigging and gadget junkies, so I was thrilled to be invited to the Nite Ize Field Staff in March of 2016.  I was asked to send a testimonial to be published to the NiteIze website, and below is the link to the page.  I have used their products for a long time.

Nite Ize User Testimonials

Here are a few photos of products I use in action. The first photo is perhaps the most important, and I think is something that helps me out in tournament situations dealing with unpredictable fish on measuring boards.  I don't have to worry about fumbling around with my identifier this way.  Additional photos after the jump.

Gear Ties being used to hold tournament ID badge, S-Biner securing dry box.

KBF Magazine Article - Fall 2016 Issue

A couple of months ago I was able to pen an article about kayak fishing in rivers for Chris Payne's publication, Kayak Bass Fishing Magazine. It's a quarterly online magazine that is free to the public. It was a fun article to write, because I love river fishing.  I am posting the original transcript of my article below, but please click the following link to see the other valuable information in the issue.

Kayak Bass Fishing Magazine - Fall 2016

Transcript after the jump - I hope this proves valuable when you hit the river. Enjoy!

What sound does a peacock make, anyway?

I've got a lot of catching up to do on trip and tournament reports, but for some reason I just can't let this go, and I want to get this out while it's still fresh.  I was scrolling through Facebook a couple of days ago, and found a repost from Chris Payne (Kayak Fishing Blog).

The repost was a link to an opinion article posted on a website called Wide Open Spaces.  It's a well built site with lots of contributor content from various outdoorsmen and women.

As reluctant as I am to post a link, it would probably be beneficial to read it before you read my response. So, here it is.  It's a piece of work.

Amateur Anglers in Jerseys are Peacocks

OK, then.  If that's how you feel, here's a selfie for you.

It should be noted that the author Brent Cannon does make some valid points, especially about the state of the "Pro Staff" game.  I have seen it first hand, especially with younger anglers.  They accept a pro staff position with a company for which they've never used that equipment.  It's really not fair to the company nor the angler when you think about it.  The company gets nearly free advertising, but it comes from anglers who know very little about the product they are repping.  And, yes, the angler gets to say he or she is on pro staff, but what is the benefit?  To me, being on a pro staff should be mutually beneficial.  And I believe the author is coming from the same school of thought in that regard.  That is a common school of thought among many in the kayak fishing community.  Chris Payne has warned us of such pitfalls in the Kayak Fishing Blog, and it has been preached on various other outlets within our community.  Kayak fishing is a rapidly growing niche within the fishing industry, and many companies see that.  We as anglers (kayak or bass boat) need to be smart in the decisions we make as to whom and where we associate ourselves. Good points made, but that is a soapbox for another day.

Here is the excerpt that has me scratching my head and ruffling my feathers, so to speak -

"Better yet, do they even know you are sporting their logo while acting like an absolute douche to everyone you meet?

I get it. You probably didn’t win enough trophies as a kid, your mom always told you that you could be anything you wanted, and the best way for people to THINK you’re an awesome angler isn’t to show them on the water, it’s to slap 1,326 logos on a jersey you had to pay $125 for.

Oh, too harsh? Really?

You can’t manage to qualify for a regional tournament, can’t beat the local guys on a regular basis on “your water” and have more excuses than a Dalmatian has spots. You do however know everything about everything in the fishing industry and will tell anyone who will listen.

While you run your mouth at the bait shop, the oldtimer in the blue jeans and original trucker hat from Mann’s Bait Company in 1979 is grinning behind his cup of coffee. You know why? He’s going to take your money again this weekend.

I remember a day when patches were earned, jerseys were for the elite anglers, and humility still ruled the day. Maybe I’m an old fart too, longing for a better community of fishermen. Maybe I wish these 20 and 30 something anglers would chill out spending so much money on jerseys and boat wraps when they can’t win a tournament.

Earn something! Win something!

Amateur anglers in pros clothing sends all the wrong messages. It’s pride. It’s vanity. It’s wanting to be seen as special. What the rest of us see is an insecure peacock who needs to preen and prance.

You want to be seen as above average or special. Newsflash Einstein! Clothes don’t catch fish. Boat wraps don’t mean crap if you are the one paying to have it done.

What you really need to do is spend time working on your craft. Learn new skills, learn the waters you’ll be fishing and stop parading around as if the anglers not in jerseys should bow to your greatness."

Let's get some things straight, Brent.  I know sarcasm and hyperbole when I see it.  But I'm also pretty good at sniffing out a good old fashioned hater.  They're getting easier and easier to spot because there are way too many around these days, meddling in everyone else's business rather than tending to their own.  I'm sorry you're worried about what I'm wearing when I'm paying my hard earned money to enter a tournament.  I didn't know my wardrobe was a microaggression.  You reminisce about the old days but hate like a millennial.

Yes sir, I'm wearing a jersey to my tournaments this year.  Please, tell me again how that makes me "act like an absolute douche to everyone I meet."  I have to know this so I can go apologize to all my fishing buddies. 

Yes sir, I got enough trophies as a kid - actually, some were even awarded for more than just  participation.  

Yes sir, my mother encouraged my hobbies and passions, and because of my Papaw I became a pretty doggone good fisherman.  I listen to those old timers in the Wranglers and Mann's hats - they can teach more than just fishing.  Those same influences like my parents and grandparents, and baseball coaches, teachers, etc also taught me things like integrity, good sportsmanship, and financial responsibility.   Fishing is certainly not my day job, but you bet your ass I'll be working some 12 hour days so I can save up some extra time for "working on my craft." I don't mind doing it. I do that so I can show up confident for a tournament. I fish all types of water.  I research constantly.  I read.  I watch the Elite Series Pros. I'm a sponge.  I admittedly neglect quality time I could be spending with my wife by studying lake maps and archiving 15 years worth of fishing reports. That's the only thing I regret.

While I show up on tournament day with a goal to win, I also try to be an ambassador for the sport and build friendly relationships with my fellow anglers - that's one of the draws of kayak fishing.  I've never been one to keep information to myself - I enjoy others' successes and try to both help them and learn from them, and generally they treat me the same. That whole golden rule thing actually works when applied properly.  

Furthermore, it's my business if I want to spend the money for a jersey to rep the companies I have worked to build actual relationships with.  I have a handful of pro staff/field team deals, and they are mutually beneficial.  I don't make the discounts, etc public knowledge because I don't think it's professional, but I'll say I'm quite comfortable with them.  The fact that they have not sent me a custom made jersey does not offend me.  The fact that I've spent money on those products in the past, so that now I'm comfortable representing them does not upset me. It makes me a more valuable asset for their brand, and gives me credibility. Those logos are on my jersey, along with a family business who supports me, and the products of personal friends that I actually use.  The KBF logo is on my jersey because that organization gives me the chance to fish from a kayak for $30k+ each year (as long as I qualify).  And I don't think I'm a sellout.  That's my opinion.  You are entitled to yours. My bills are paid and I have some money saved for a rainy day.  I'm fortunate enough that I could afford my peacock outfit, so I think I'm going to look the part whether you think I'm prancing around like an insecure douche or not.  

Indeed, clothes don't catch fish.  But my NaPo Custom Rod and Chattahoochee Jigs do.

River Bassin' Trail 2016 Kickoff Event - Crawfordville, FL

After my "rookie" 2015 season, the 2016 kayak fishing tournament season couldn't get here fast enough.  For me, there is just something about competitive fishing.  This was the first tournament of the 2016 season, and while it was still cold back home in north Georgia, an early March getaway to the Florida panhandle was just the ticket to get rid of the winter blues and get me back into the swing of things on the tournament scene.  I had been practicing a lot for the KBF National Championship which was coming up toward the end of March, but I hadn't really fished against anyone nor against the clock in a bass-only tournament since the previous October.

As a bonus, what was initially planned to be a quick weekend trip with a little bit of fishing and camping turned into a week long immersion into Old Florida.  Far away to the west were the bustling spring break towns of Panama City Beach and Destin.  This was little towns like Panacea, Sopchoppy, and Alligator Point.  Back in 2011 I had spent some time in this area for work, and had come to appreciate the area for what it was, and I was glad to be back, and show my wife and sister-in-law around some of the places that up until that point, I could only illustrate in stories of my travelin' days.

Friday, March 4th was getaway day, and Sass and I left that morning so we could take our time getting down to our rental house on Alligator Point.  I had planned out a route through Bainbridge and West Tallahassee, so I could stop at some river access points and scout out the water.  I was not going to prefish - I did not take any extra days off beforehand, and made a pretty late decision to fish the tournament at all.  I had done plenty of internet and map research, however,  and had it narrowed down to just a few spots on the Flint, Sopchoppy and Ochlockonee Rivers.  The River Bassin' Tournament Trail allows anglers to fish any moving water and natural sloughs, oxbows, etc within a 50 mile radius of the host location.  So naturally, the panhandle and Big Bend offered numerous options.  The in-bounds section of the Flint was in the backwaters of Lake Seminole and there are plenty of big largemouth there, but that location was on the extreme outskirts of the 50 mile radius, and I chose to spend more time actually fishing than driving back to weigh-in.

After some more scouting and checking into the house, I had made the decision to fish a section of the Ochlockonee in an area called Woodlake.  We made our way to the captains' meeting at The Wilderness Way just outside Crawfordville. By the way - take a look at this house...straight out of the 1950's and stood the test of time against the hurricanes.  It had a smooth stone floor, stucco walls and tin roof.  Nothing about it was new, yet it was perfect.  And right on the beach.

The Digs

Back at the Wilderness Way, I met up with my teammate Allen "Cornbread" Starling.  This was my first River Bassin' tournament I had teamed up with someone to fish.  We met at the Chattanooga River Bassin' event last year and became friends - one of many I've made through kayak fishing.  The River Bassin' format awards cash and prizes for both team and individual divisions.  So, even if one teammate has a rough day, the other still has a chance to win in the individual division if they have a good day.  Fishing together is encouraged, but our team was put together at the last minute and we did not do a lot of pre planning together, so the best we could do was wish each other luck and check the leaderboard during tournament day, and reconvene at the weigh-in.  Cornbread had decided to camp and fish on the Wacissa River, east of Crawfordville, and I was staying southwest of Crawfordville.  So the Ochlockonee made sense for me to fish.  Sass and I went to Mad Anthony's for dinner on the water, and after that it was time for last minute prep, and to get some sleep.

Last minute prep did not go well.  While testing my electronics, I realized somehow my inline fuse to my Lowrance was blown.  The river I was fishing had deep water. I was going to be relegated to either covering water and probing structure with a Carolina Rig or fishing visible cover.  I would choose the latter.

As always, sleep came at a premium on tourney eve, but I managed a few hours and was up very early and on the water just in time for first light and lines in.  It was a beautiful morning, somewhat cool but quite comfortable.  I was in unfamiliar surroundings with the tannic water, cypress knees, and sandy banks.  I started with a buzzbait near some pads and in the shallows, and did not draw a strike.  After 20-30 minutes I switched to a chatterbait and drew a nice strike but ended up losing the fish after only getting a glimpse of it.  It was maybe 14-15 inches and would have been a nice start and a confidence booster.  That was the last strike I got on the chatterbait, however, and I switched to a white trick worm, a bait that I read was good for tannic water on some of the Florida fishing forums.

Sometime around mid-morning I tossed the worm into a shallow flat near a creek bend and my rod loaded up.  After the hookset, I knew I had something significant on the other end.  It took a good 20 seconds before I realized this was not the target species.  I had hooked into the mighty prehistoric looking bowfin.  I managed to keep it hooked despite its violent thrashing fits, and get it on the Boga Grip.  I wasn't letting this toothy critter stay around too long, because it still had plenty of hitch in its giddy-up as I was getting the hook out of its mouth.  I kept it around long enough to get an upside-down photo of it on my Hawg Trough - 23 inches of solid muscle.  It was a new species and the hardest fighting freshwater fish I have caught.

My first bowfin

That was the only fish I got on the white trick worm.  I switched to a Wack 'Em worm in junebug later in the afternoon, once the sun got overhead, and was able to boat two small largemouth bass, but never was able to land a third for my limit.  It was a humbling day in the swamps of Wakulla County. A few counties over in the crystal clear, spring fed waters of the Wacissa, Cornbread had managed to boat one bass himself.  So neither of us were skunked, but we were not going to be near the top either.

Individually, I ended up 23rd out of 43 anglers.  Team ANGLR finished 11th out of 13 teams.  I continue to be impressed with the job Drew Gregory (and now his wife Cristina) do putting together and hosting these tournaments.  They get good host locations and sponsors, and Drew, Noah and team put the information together well, and are quick to answer any questions and handle any issues that arise.

I have joined the Southeastern Online River Bassin' tournament as well, and it will count toward the three required events to be fished to qualify for the National Championship on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania this fall - the land of the trophy smallmouth. The tournament runs the length of the season all the way up to 9/25/16, the weekend before the National Championship on 10/1/16. 

The great thing about the tournament being finished, was that it turned out to be only the beginning of an awesome vacation.  Sass and I spent the day resting and went to the beach at Alligator Point on Sunday.  We had Deuce with us, too.  She doesn't like the water much, but enjoyed exploring the sights and smells of the beach and the dunes.

Later that evening, my sister in law joined us and we had a great dinner at Hamaknockers BBQ.  This was the first of two trips we'd end up making there. Comfort food for a comfort trip.

The next day was spent on Alligator Point exploring and relaxing, and I got to take the Amigo out on Alligator Harbor for a while. I threw a swimbait around some docks for a while but no takers.  I saw tons of stingrays but very few fish.  Later that evening I went out to Levy Bay and threw the swimbait some more into some mullet schools, but again the redfish were not taking.

Alligator Harbor

Levy Bay "skunkset"

The next morning, I went to the brackish waters of Ochlockonee Bay State Park to try and chase the spot tails again.  Apparently the water was more fresh than salty.  I caught a largemouth on the first cast with a chatterbait, and saw a few alligators but that was all.

Looking back on this trip, I am so glad I decided to take off the extra few days and spend some quality time with my wife and sister-in-law.  This is a trip I will remember fondly, and I'm glad I got to spend some more time in a part of the state of Florida I came to love and appreciate several years ago.  I didn't catch very many fish, but that's okay.  It turned out to be much more than just a fishing trip.  After dinner at the Coastal, we capped off the trip with a bonfire on the beach.  Hard to beat that ending.  Cheers to Old Florida.

New Personal Best Largemouth - 2/20/16

It is now May 4, 2016. (Insert Star Wars one-liner here).  With work, tax season, winter tackle prep, trying to get on the water, and life in general, the ANGLR Blog has been put on the backburner for a while.  Now it's time to do some catching up.  I have made a list of posts, and I'm eleven posts behind.  So here's a "headline" preview of what's coming up:

1. Today's post - New Personal Best Largemouth - 2/20/16
2. River Bassin' 2016 Kickoff Event - Crawfordville, FL
3. KBF National Championship
4. Nite Ize Field Staff Announcement/Testimonial
5. Etowah River 3/30/16
6. Reel Krazy Season Opener - Brushy Branch - 4/2/16
7. Carters Re-Reg 4/3/16
8. Etowah River 4/13/16 - Doomsday for Big Spots
9. Redfish with Scales N' Tails Kayak Charters, Choctawhatchee Bay, FL
10. First Smallmouth and First Shoal Bass Within Four Days!
11. Reel Krazy - Rocky Mountain PFA

So there's a lot of good content coming hopefully sooner than later.  Fishing season is in full swing and I don't want to get too far behind like this again, so let's get started...

As mentioned in an earlier post around New Year's, one of my resolutions was to add a smallmouth bass to the list of black bass species I have caught.  I was staying with my folks in Tennessee, so I decided to go back where I went for the Chattanooga River Bassin' tournament the previous summer. I caught largemouths and spots in the tournament, but several nearby anglers caught nice smallies.  My plan was to launch at the North Chickamauga Greenway Park, paddle down below the locks and around the barge tie-offs, railroad bridge, and jetty below Chickamauga Dam, and try to get that elusive bronzeback.

It was misty with rain threatening much of the morning, but the temperature was mild for the season in the lower 50's.  The morning started off well as I made my way down the creek, occasionally casting into some of the numerous brush piles and rock outcroppings.  The place just looked fishy that day.  The water color was perfect, hardly anyone else was out, and I couldn't ask for a better situation.

North Chick Greenway Launch

It didn't take long to hook into a couple of small largemouth as I ran my chatterbait parallel to a blowdown for the first one, and swam a grub by a dock for the second.

When I got out close to the dam, I was in for a big surprise.  It had been a while since I had a bite up in the creek, and I was almost to the spot where I was going to target smallmouth.  I casted a soft plastic to a piece of structure, worked it back a few feet and felt something very heavy. Like a log, but it moved.  For the next 45 seconds (it's on GoPro but the footage is a little embarrassing), I was going head-to-head with an absolute hog that weighed in at 6.23 pounds and measured 21" in length and 16.5 in girth.  It was my first fish over 20 inches and my first over 5 pounds, by far.  It took several minutes for me to calm down enough to get photos and measurements, but I managed.

I made my way out to the lock area and downstream structure, and marked lots of suspended fish but was unable to catch any.  At that point, it didn't matter.  I was getting tired and my phone was dead, so I couldn't let anyone know I was okay.  I paddled back up the creek, and caught a nice 3 lb spot along the way measuring 17.25".  So my best 3 for the day were 14.5", 21", and 17.25" for a total of 52.75" - not bad for February!

17.25" spotted bass