The Perfect Day?

What exactly is the perfect day to go bass fishing?  That is a tough question as there are very few days where all of the conditions are aligned to make it perfect to catch bass.  That does not mean you only have a few days each year where you should go fishing, it means you have to be able to adapt your method of fishing to the conditions presented you on any given day.  In all my years of fishing I've found that Barometric Pressure, Water Temperature and Water Clarity are the major factors into deciding on when, where and how to catch bass.  Here is how I approach each of the different type of conditions.

Barometric Pressure
It has been widely known for many, many years that Barometric Pressure has an affect of the habits of fish.  This is very true about bass, but the one thing you have to understand is no matter what the Barometric Pressure reading is on a given day, the bass will still eat if they are hungry.  The key will be to put your bait in front of them to present an easy meal.  Your problem is there are also other factors that play a role in where the bass will be and how you should present your baits.  Here is a short guide that might help you catch some bass no matter the Barometric Pressure.

1. Falling Barometric Pressure
As a general rule when ever you can catch the Barometric Pressure falling or rapidly falling it will be the best time to catch bass.  The problem you might face here is there is a reason the pressure is falling and that is because there is impending bad weather coming.  This may mean an approaching front with heavy winds, rains or even thunderstorms.  So you have to be prepared for these conditions before heading to the lake. If you are able to fish during a falling pressure then you will find the bass actively feeding in most cases and easy to catch if you know where they are feeding.  If the water temperatures are good look for cover near the shore of shallow points or creek channels in the back of coves to start your fishing.  In these cases fast moving baits like Spinnerbaits and Crankbaits will draw you a lot of strikes.  This is also a great time to fish a Swim Jig with a good trailer fast in the cover to hookup with a big bass.  Water clarity and available food source will play a role into the type, size and color of the bait you will be fishing.  In other words if the bass are feeding on Shad then you need to to be fishing a bait that looks like a Shad.  So just like fly fishermen do with trout you have to match the hatch so to speak.  It doesn't do you any good to throw a Crawfish type bait if the bass aren't actively feeding on Crawfish.  Again as a general rule of thumb, if they are feeding actively they will be chasing faster types of bait foods.

2. Stable Barometric Pressure
When the Barometric Pressure is stable that means the other weather conditions are also stable.  This can mean some very good fishing if your stable weather is fishing friendly conditions.  What I mean here is "Stable Weather" could be winds blowing so hard that it is not safe to be on the lake.  So you will have to decide if all the conditions will permit you to safely fish.  Also a stable Barometric Pressure could be High, Medium or Low and that means each would call for different methods and locations to catch bass

High Barometric Pressure:
When the Barometric Pressure is 30.50 or Greater it will also mean that the skies are likely very clear and the sun is shining brightly onto the water.  I do not recommend fishing this condition the first two days after there has been bad weather as this condition really shuts down the bass and can be really tough on your fishing.  If you do fish these conditions think Slow!!! The clear skies and bright sun is not pleasant to the bass so they will be holding tight to cover in deeper water.  They are not going to chase your bait so if you can present it very slowly right in front of their face they might eat it.   This is also a great time to think of going to Finesse Methods such as Shakyheads and Drop-Shots.  One of the key locations to look for fish in these conditions is under docks and piers.  Other areas where there is shade offered as protection from the sun can also hold bass.

Medium Barometric Pressure:
I consider a Medium Barometric Pressure to be between 29.70 and 30.40 which would also mean you are likely having Fair Weather.  This is by far the best fishing conditions you can have.  However that does not mean they will eat anything you throw at them anywhere you throw your bait.  So just because the bass should be biting you will still have to locate the bass and find out what they are eating.  Water conditions such as temperatures and clarity will play a big role also in deciding what types and color of baits you want to fish.  I generally apply these rules for water temperature:

• 55 Degrees or Less means you are going to be fishing slower and deeper.  The lower the water temperature the slower and deeper you will need to go in search of fish.  There is also some key structure that will draw fish such as boat ramps, riff raps or other areas with some types of rocks or concrete that has direct sun light shining on them.  The sun heats up the rocks or concrete which in turn hold the heat and warm the water in these areas.  You are still going to have to fish slow with jigs or finesse baits to get strikes but you might have one of the best days on the water.
• 55 to 65 Degrees is what I consider to be your prime temperatures for fishing, but at the same time may be some of the hardest times for locating bass.  The bass could be holding to many different types of structure in many different water depths.  It is your job to find them and catch them so to speak.  Once you locate the fish there are many types of baits and methods that could catch them.  You will have to keep trying different baits and presentation until you find the one that works best on that given day.  If you find fish don't give up on them too quickly if they don't bite at first.  Keep giving them something a little different until you find what they want.
• 65 to 75 Degrees can also be some awesome water temperatures for catching bass.  In the spring of the year this is generally the temperatures that kick off the spawn so you can find fish that are staging for the spawn, spawning or even in post spawn mode.   In all three of these spawning modes bass can be caught and I mean a lot of bass.  If they are staging or in post spawn the are eating and eating a lot so target areas close to spawning beds.  They will be eating the available forage foods so match your baits to these foods.  If the bass are on the beds they are not actively feeding but can be caught just as easy because they are protecting their beds.  Throw lizard type baits and big worms at the beds.  You will need to work them very slow in and around the beds to draw strikes from may just be a personal best bass.  Jigs and Crawfish type baits are also producers on spawning bass so if they don't go for the lazard or worms then give them something else.
• 75 Degrees or Greater means you are going to need to go back to slower and deeper as the temperatures climb higher.  This is also a time to think about night fishing or early mornings and late evening fishing where there are shady spots along the banks.  The fish will move up to feed in the low light conditions and you can have a great hour or two catching them on a lot of different baits.  Also during midday periods go back to the docks and piers and fish your finesse baits.

3. Low Barometric Pressure:
When the Barometric Pressure is 29.60 or Less will generally mean it is also Cloudy and maybe Rainy.  The wind and rain conditions will play a big role into your decision on going fishing or not.  If you do decide to go then you have to understand that Bass don't like low pressure so you are going to have to go back to your deep and slow tactics. Again water temperatures and clarity will play a big role in the type and color of your bait as will what the natural forage is in the area.

4. Rising Barometric Pressure:
Rising Barometric Pressure will generally mean that weather conditions are improving.  It will depend on what the pressure is at the start of the rise as to when will be the best time to head to the lake.  I like to wait for the pressure to be at least 29.60 before considering going fishing.  During the rise the fish will start to become more active but you will still likely have to fish in deeper water or around cover that offers the bass protection.  This can be a really good time to fish, but it can also be a day where you get skunked.  As with all the other pressure conditions water temperature and clarity will play a major role in to your method, bait type and bait color.

As you can see there are a lot of factors that play into the location, method, type and color of baits on any given day.   That is why it is such a good idea to keep a fishing log.  In this log record the conditions, methods and baits that worked for you and they will very likely all work again given the same type of conditions.   Also if nothing worked in certian types of conditions then you know it might be best to just stay home and watch movies during those conditions.  The bottom line here folks is there just isn't any one "Perfect Day" for fishing that I can point out for you.  The way I look at it is any day I'm out on the water fishing is a "Perfect Day"!!!!!

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!!

ThunderSlaw - The Real Deal!

I did make it out to Lake Fayette to field test the ThunderSlaw from Throw-n-Thunder Lures and the Reel Scremers from Creme Lures on Monday 12/22/2014.  Let me tell you the conditions couldn't have been much worse than what I had out there but I'm going to let the attached video speak for the conditions.

Here are my thoughts on the baits I tested.  Even though two of them didn't catch any fish there are some very good aspects to both of them that I would like to point out.  Also that I do plan on doing more testing on both of them.

ThunderSlaw:

Folks the ThunderSlaw is the real deal hands down!!!  Yes I'm a little biased when it comes to this bait as it is the Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures Signature spinnerbait but there is more to it than just having our name attached to the bait.  It really does catch fish and as you saw in the video it catches fish in the worst possible conditions!!!

When I was discussing the development of this bait with the guys at Throw-n-Thunder Lures I knew it was a fish catching color scheme.  Now what the guys at TnT did with my idea is truly amazing.  The skirt design allows you to fish this bait without a trailer of any kind as the skirt itself has just unbelievable fish attracting action.  I'm a total believer in this bait and will throw it in any conditions!!  Why am I so confident in the bait you might ask;  the answer is simple it catches fish.  Monday was actually the second time I fished the bait.  The first was in a Team Tournament on 12/13/2014 that I had to fish without a teammate due to a late cancellation.

Well the ThunderSlaw did it's job and then some during the tournament.  Even by myself without a teammate I finished 8th and that would have been higher had my bass landing skill been better.  In other words I had 3 good bass next to the boat on the ThunderSlaw that I just couldn't get in the boat without a net and of course the net just wasn't within reach, and of course all 3 of them found a way to free themselves from the hook.

So folks please take my advice and get you some ThunderSlaws as soon as they are available for sale in the spring of 2015.  I guarantee these baits will catch you some bass or I wouldn't have let the Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures name be associated with them.

Reel Scremers:

The Reel Scremers from Creme Lures is an awesome looking swim bait that have very good action.  Again this is a bait that I feel will be very affective under the right conditions.  It is also a bait that can be fished using multiple methods.  However Monday just didn't allow me to fish this bait in a way it needed to be fished.  The high winds just wouldn't allow me to stay in contact with this bait in a manner that would let me work it the way I wanted.  So the bottom line here is there will be more testing with the Reel Scremers.  I really believe they are going to catch fish given the right conditions, so I need to give them the benefit of the doubt and another shot at the bass before I give any judgement on them.

Well folks there you have it, field testing doesn't always go the way you hope.  Weather this time of year in Texas can be really rough on fishermen and really hard to plan a trip too far in advance.  Even so when the weather is right this can be the best time of the year to connect with a Texas Giant so hang in there as I will have more to report in the near future.

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!

Dunamis Rods: Breaking The Mold

The fishing Rod:  A tool, a friend, a masterpiece.  A fisherman’s choice in sticks can at times seem to be a daunting task.  What company sells the best “spinner bait” rod?  Where can I find the best “cranking rod” on the market?  Is it going to play into my favor to buy the “jigging rod” that KVD recommends?  These are questions that I have not only asked myself, but have used to make fairly hefty financial decisions, given the price of gear these days.  Especially considering the demographics of most of us anglers who don’t happen to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series just yet.  Having been through the expensive gauntlet of fishing gear acquisitions, experimentation and buyer’s remorse, I knew there had to be a better way.  That’s when a new concept was introduced to me by Josh Phillips, founder of Dunamis Rods. The result of long conversation and theoretical debate, has truly revolutionized the way I look at the materialistic aspect of fishing completely.  What if… Seriously, think this through in its entirety.  What if there is no “spinner bait rod?”  What if there is no “cranking rod?”  What if the “jigging rod” that KVD uses, markets, and happens to get paid to promote, isn’t the right “jigging rod” for YOU?

  Dunamis Rod’s approaches the angler from a different perspective.  While big label companies will sell you the cookie cutter rod that they can mass produce and market well, Dunamis Rods is hard at work trying to salvage the individuality of the angler, and his/her needs.  The first rod I personally bought from Dunamis was a “drop-shot rod.”  The difference however, is that this particular rod was MY “drop-shot rod.”  Allow me to explain.  A very popular retailer, for example, tells us that a “drop-shot rod” is a 6’ 9” rod with a medium lite power.  I had used this particular rod for over a year.  Please, don’t get me wrong, this company makes a fine line of rods, and nothing should be taken away from that in this article.  That being said, however, I soon found out that I was robbing myself of a rod that could better suit me and the way that I fish.  Josh and I talked about my fishing, my style, my weaknesses, and my strengths.  We threw all of this data into the Dunamis cauldron of amazingness, and then we devised a plan.  Josh took this information, put his hands to work, and developed a new rod.  MY rod.  By the time it was all said and done, I had in my hands a Dunamis creation that I have since fell in love with.  I now have a “drop-shot rod” that is 6’6” and is a true medium.  It also happens to have an extra fast action tip to compensate for MY overzealous hook sets.  Another fine tweak we made was we moved the eyes of the rod much further up than anything you’d see on a typical rod.  The final product ended up compensating for my weaknesses and capitalizing on my strengths.  I’ve never felt more in tune with a piece of equipment before.

  The moral of my story is this.  YOU are not the same as any other angler.  YOU are YOU.  The fishing market has become more efficient by defining things for us.  However, in the grand scheme of things, not every rod marketed in every category is going to bring out the best performance in YOU.  We are not soft plastic lures, so please don’t try to mold us, eh?  Give Josh a call, discuss your interests, fishing and overall needs like I did.  You will be incredibly grateful you did.  Worst case scenario, you will end up with a great friend in the fishing industry.  Best case, you will find yourself in possession of the finest rod you’ve ever owned.  Josh at Dunamis guarantees this for life!  Join the fishing revolution at DunamisRods.Com.

David Hume 

Twitter: @humeprobass

Facebook: David Hume Bass Fishing

Field Testing Monday

That's right I'll be heading to Lake Fayette on Monday for some field testing.  So what will I be testing on this trip?

Up first is the Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures signature ThunderSlaw from Throw-n-Thunder Lures.  I did fish the prototype ThunderSlaw in a tournament last weekend and did very well with it but I think a good test on video is still needed.  So the ThunderSlaw will have to hold up to those Lake Fayette bass.

Up next is another prototype from Throw-n-Thunder Lures that was designed by a good friend of mine named Joey.  Folks this is the "Quake" and I have a feeling that it is going to be a big bass hunter, but we are going to let the Lake Fayette give us their thoughts on the bait.

Last but not least is a bait from a really veteran bait company.  The Creme Lure Company has been providing folks quality fishing lures since 1949 and are still in the game big time today.  Their new swim bait call the "Reel Scremer" has been on my list to test and review for a while, but for one reason or another I just haven't done it until now.  I promise that tomorrow I'll be fishing the Reel Scremers!!

Now to fish these Reel Scremers I'm going to use a tried and trued HT's S3 from Santone Lures.  These heads are amazing when fishing swim baits like the Reel Scremers.

So stay tuned in as I'll be posting both my written review of these products as well as the video from Lake Fayette.

If you would like me to Field Test a bait and give my review of it please send me an email at bhoadventures@gmail.com

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing.

BBL Clear Creek Tournament Results

All I can say is it was a beautiful morning as we lined up for blast off of the latest Bayou Bassin' League tournament series on Clear Creek.  The weather was perfect in the morn with some cloud cover and warm enough you didn't need a jacket.  The water was in pretty good condition and that is especially true considering what it looked like two weeks ago.

Talking with the guys some people like me were on good fish early while some had to grind out the day to find fish.  There were some folks that never found keeper bass which is not uncommon on these bayous.  We've had days were you can catch 20-30 bass and not one of them make the 14 inch mark.  Also talking with folks there were a wide variety of baits used to catch these fish; from worms to cranks and just about everything in between.  So lets get on to the results.

As you can see from the results the Top 10 was pretty dang tight.  The fish we were catching all seemed to be in the 2 pound class for the most part with the exception of a couple that pushed 4 pounds.  Steven and Lupe had one of those close to 4 pounders to anchor their bag and nail down 1st Place.  We were glad to see them back fishing with us after missing the last tournament.  Well we were glad until the weigh-in that is; Just Kidding!!  Glad to have you back and Congrats on a great bag!!

Ray and Cameron have been hitting the Bayous hard lately practicing and it really showed up yesterday as they weighed in a really good bag of bass for 2nd Place

 
 Now 3rd place was a really tight race as you can see from the weights.  Like I said most of the fish we were catching were good solid bayou bass and that made things tight at the weigh-in.  However one of our Tournament Directors Jake and his teammate Terry were able to get that extra little bit from one of their fish to pull down 3rd.

Well ole Mike and Wade might have only weighed in one fish but hey when you only got one go big and that is what they did to pull in the Big Bass honors.

Dennis and Dwight in 4th must have fought one of their bass too hard making him loose a little weight as they were right there only 1 tenth of an ounce behind 3rd.

.Tyrone and Ryan finished 5th, but they are always in the mix on these Bayou Tournaments and this one wasn't any different as they were right in there chasing 3rd place.

As for me I finished in 8th which is the same place I finished in the last tournament on Clear Creek.  My only problem was the same problem I had the last Clear Creek tournament, no teammate.  I had 4 solid bass but was unable to land that 5th bass and I had number 5 next to the boat three times.  If I'd gotten one of those in well I'd been right there in the hunt for one of those awesome trophies.

Now most guys won't give away their secrets for how they caught their bass.  Sure they may say the caught them on worms or cranks but not which worm or crankbait.  Well I'll tell you I caught all my fish on two baits.  The first bait was the prototype of the Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures Thunderslaw from Throw-n-Thunder Lures.  I caught two of my keepers on it and lost what would have been my biggest bass of the day right next to the boat.

The Thunderslaw is going to be a very hot spinnerbait and not only on the bayous.  They will be available for sale in March of 2015 but if you just have to have one now let me know and I'll hook you up with one.

Now the the other bait I caught good fish on and always seem to catch good fish with is a Santone Lures Rayburn Swim Jig.  Let me tell you the Acid Perch color is quickly become my favorite color and as you can see it is basically the same color as the Thunderslaw spinnerbats.  This color is prefect when the bass are feeding on shad in any type of water!!

For those of you interested in fishing some of our Bayou Tournaments you can click on this link for the Bayou Bassin' League website for more information.   You can also go to their Facebook page by clicking here BBL Facebook  to see more pictures and stay up to date on things happening real time.   There are still a lot of great tournaments this fall/winter and we would enjoy having more teams come and try their hand on these bayou bass.

January 17, 2015 - Dickinson Bayou - Dickinson Hw3
February 21, 2015 - Austin Bayou - 2004 Bridge Ramp near Danbury
March 21, 2015 - Buffalo Camp Bayou - Lake Jackson (Launch TBD)
May 16, 2015 - Sabine River - Beaumont Area (Launch TBD)

Before I end this article I have to once more extend thanks to our BBL Sponsors Hook Spit Tackle, Choice Pipeline & Bear's Flooring for Sponsoring the BBL!  Without their help and sponsorship we wouldn't be where we are today.  Hook Spit is allowing the BBL pre-tournament meetings to be held at their store and has also provided store gift card for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes as well as providing gift cards for raffle! Choice Pipeline & Bear's Flooring has stepped up and is provided the trophies for the tournaments this year!

If you are interested in sponsoring the BBL you can contact Jake or Ken on the BBL website or just send me an email at BHOAdventures@gmail.com and I'll put you in touch with them.

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!

Bayou Bassin' League - Clear Creek Tournament

This Saturday Dec. 13th the Bayou Bassin League will be holding the next of their fall tournaments on Clear Creek Bayou.  A registration meeting will be held on the 24th at Hook Spit Tackle Store in League City at 6:00.

This is a team (2 Man) tournament with an entry fee of $60 per team.  The launch and weigh-in will be at the boat ramp in Walter Hall Park in League Texas.  Start time will be 6:30-7:00 AM or when it is light enough to safely leave the ramp.  Weigh-in will at 3:00 PM and you need to be in line at 3:00 PM to qualify to weigh-in.

1st, 2nd, 3rd and Big Bass will receive cash prices and 1st, 2nd and Big Bass will get trophies.  So get your bass boat ready and come on out and join use for some Texas Bayou Bassin on Saturday Morning.

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a kid fishing.

Lake Okeechobee Report

Where to begin?  Well first off I have to send a big thanks out to one heck of a fisherman and my friend Tim Zdrazil.  He invited me along on a tournament scouting trip to the Big O and I will never be able to thank him enough for helping scratch off one item on my bucket list.  As I stated in my previous article I have always viewed this lake as the Holy Grail of bass fishing and it sure held up its end of the bargain.  Of course I'd been lost without Tim's help so a lot is owed to him.  I met him at Roland Martin's marina which in itself was exciting but nothing could take a bass fisherman's breath away as much as the view we had starting up the canal towards what I hoped would be a day to remember.

 
Needless to say it was a beautiful morning that was full of hopes and dreams.  As Tim cranked up his Ranger and brought her on plain my mind was racing; looking for something in my many years of fishing that prove I could hold my own on the Big O.  As we went by many areas that looked fishy in my book without slowing I wondered where we would stop and I'd make my first cast.  It didn't take too long, time wise to get there, but in my mind it was taking forever.  As Tim slowed the boat he explained the plan to me.  I'm sorry but I'm not going to pass along Tim's game plan here as he does have a tournament in the near future.  We did cover this area well with various baits.  I started with a Throw-n-Thunder Table Rock Shad that I had one fish chase it to the boat but never hit and another that slapped at it but didn't get the hook.  I then switched to a Santone Lures Rayburn Swim Jig in Baby Bass but didn't have any takers.  As we moved deeper in the cover and mean cover like I've never seen on any other body of water, I pulled out a QuickBaits Tube Craw and started pitching.  This produced my first Big O bass.

It wasn't a Big O Giant but it did break the ice for the day.  By the way it is alright for you to laugh at my head gear as I had to video tape the day.  I'll release the video in a few weeks so as not to give away too much on what Tim was using to catch his fish and the area we were fishing.  Tim also caught one in this spot so even though we didn't catch any numbers it might still be promising to fish in a few weeks.

Spot number two was a place Tim had caught a couple of big girls in the past and had also located some schooling fish.  As we moved up into the cover to see if we could flip for a big girl I once more pulled out the tube craw.  We gave it our best shot but no big girls seemed to be home.  We kept working the cover hard until we saw some bass chasing shad in the open and we moved off to see if we could get them to hit.  As we made it to the area I grabbed my Throw-n-Thunder Table Rock Shad and Tim grabbed his secret schooling bass bait.  First casts and Tim hooks up and then I also hook up as we fought a pair of fish to the boat.

Here is a picture of the Table Rock Shad Spinnerbait that I used.  These 4 blade spinnerbaits really look like a school of fish coming through the water and should be the ticket for schooling bass eating shad.

After us both hooking up on our first casts we thought we were on them good. This all changed when cast after cast and no bent rods.  Did this mean we had just gotten lucky on those first casts or did we catch all the bass that were chasing shad?  Neither of us knew for sure so we started to experiment by trying other baits.  I switched to a Santone Lures Rayburn Swim Jig in the Acid Perch color with a smoke purple flake swim bait trailer.  This combo proved to be my magic bait for the Big O but not at first.  The first couple of bass that hit it spit it out before I could set the hook and that is when I remember I had not put any of my Rage Fish Attractants Liquid Mayhem on my bait.  I put some of the Garlic Minnow or what I call Garlic Bread with Minnow Spread on my trailer and the catching began!!  In fact on the very next cast I was hooked up with a really solid fish, and man these bass seemed to be fight twice their size.

 

Here is a picture of the Acid Perch Rayburn Swim Jig that I used. If you notice the RSJ has a flat edge on the head under the line eye.  This causes the bait to wobble during a retrieve giving it an even more natural appearance than other swim jigs on the market.  

I went on to catch 11 bass for the day and Tim was right there with me.  In other words we were having a Big O ball catching the fish and figuring out some things that could help Tim big time in his up coming Tournament.  Here are a couple more of the more solid fish I caught.

 

The only reason we know I caught 11 is Tim took a picture of all my fish.  I haven't had time to watch all the video yet to determine how many Tim ended up with as yet but I'm betting it was 10 or 11 also.

So what did this trip to the Big O teach me.  First off if you have never fished the Big O then you need to go with someone who has.  I would have been totally lost on this huge lake and would have likely been skunked by myself.  The lake is huge and has cover everywhere which means everywhere looks like it should be holding fish.  This is not the case so going with someone that has fished the lake will give your a better chance at having a day to remember like I now have.  Second off I learned that Throw-n-Thunder spinnerbaits will catch fish on the Big O, but I really wish it had been a better spinnerbait day to have been able to fish them more.   The big thing I learned was that Santone Lures Rayburn Swim Jigs will catch bass anywhere you throw them.  Of course that is if you remember to put on some Garlic Bread with Minnow Spread, what I mean is put on some Rage Fish Attractants Liquid Mayhem in Garlic Minnow.

I have to Thank Tim one more time for a day I will always remember.  Hopefully in the future I can have him as my guest on Lake Sam Rayburn and show him why the Rayburn Swim Jig has that name.

Until next time, Tight Lines and Take a Kid Fishing!!!