New Ideas for the Carolina Rig

I know most if not all of you have heard of the tried and trued Carolina rig.  It has been around for many years now and has effectively been catching bass all those years.   Most tough days on the water will find a lot of fishermen going to this rig because it seems to get hits even when everything else fails.  It is a great deep water tool, but let me tell you it also works in shallow water too.  In fact it will work on light weight rigs as well, so don't be scared to use it on your Drop-shot rod.  That is the point to this article, don't get caught in a rut when fishing the Carolina Rig.  The same ole rig with a worm, slow fished deep can be a much better fishing tool if you use your imagination.

At one time I was like a lot of you and fished everything just like the Pros said to in magazines or on TV shows.   Then I realized that if we all fished the same way all the time the bass would get wise to us and so I started to use my imagination and experiment.  I didn't just always fish a worm when I went to the Carolina Rig, I did some things that some folks would call crazy, but I caught fish.  Sure you will catch fish using just a worm on the Carolina Rig, in fact my go to is an 8 inch Scoundrel Worm from Creme Lures.  I know I will catch some bass and some big bass using a Scoundrel, but are there even more bass that will bite if I did something a little different?  So I started to fish creature baits like the Creme Lures ST Beaver and guess what they worked great on the Carolina.  However something that seems to get me bites when nothing else works is going Wacky on the Carolina.  That's right, using a Creme Lures ST Wacky Stick has turned a bad day into an awesome day in just a few casts.   I actually rig the wacky sticks two (2) ways when fishing them Carolina.  The first is to rig them on a worm hook just like a worm and the second is to go with a wacky rig.  I like to use a heavy sinker with a 24-36 inch leader when rigging wacky.  Now I generally only go to the wacky rig when fishing deep rocks or rip raps like along dams.  When you make a cast with this rig be ready as you will get a lot of hits on the initial fall.  There is some thing about that wacky rigged stick coming down really fast on that heavy sinker and then stopping a couple feet off the bottom that make even the biggest bass go nuts.

One of the other things I've done to my Carolina Rigs is I've been making some pre-rigged sinker and bead setups.  I find that I lose too much contact with my bait when rigging the standard old fashion way.  If your sinker can slide down the line too far you can lose contact with your bait and miss hits or even worse have a bass that takes your bait too deep.  If you are using a fish attractant like Liquid Mayhem, the bass will not think twice about swallowing your offering all the way down.  Using these pre-rigs you won't lose contact as much.  Sure there will always be some loss of contact from time to time, but it will give you a better than 50% improvement.   Here is a pic of some of my pre-rigs.

 

I know some of you might think, hey I can buy those at the tackle shop.  This is true, but where is the fun in that?  This gives you something to do on rainy days or evenings to get ready for the next big trip.  Besides you can't buy your own custom setups that no one else has and that just might be the ticket for filling a limit.  I get some of my beads at craft stores, Walmart and some at tackle shops.  As you can see I make them with different size sinkers and use a mix of brass and plastic beads of different size and shape. Each of these combinations has a different sound to them and that sound must might be the difference.  Basically all I do to make these rigs is get some steel leader wire.  I like it to be 80-100lb test leader wire as that size doesn't cut into your leader as bad.  You can use lighter wire but only if you re-tie your knots, both sides, about every 10-15 casts.  You also want to re-tie after every bass you catch because a fighting bass will  really cause them to cut into your knots.  Even with the bigger wire you will want to re-tie or at least check your knots regularly.  Also when making these it is very important to leave enough room between the two eyes so your sinker and beads can move and make that all important "clicking" sound.  I like to have at least an inch of movement available.

One of the other ruts that a lot of folks get into is working the Carolina Rig the same way every time they use it.  Sure some days that old tried and trued method of long hop, wait, long hop works like a dream.  However if you are in a spot where you know there are bass, but you are not getting hits or a lot of hits play with your technique.   Use short quick hops with little or no wait in between hops or something completely different.  Again use your imagination and come up with some technique that someone else may have never thought of using.  One of the techniques I love to use in down timber is to just make a long cast, let it settle to the bottom then drag the sinker back to me.  When I feel the sinker come over a branch or stump then I let it fall and wait before continuing my retrieve.  The point is don't settle for the same old rut, again use your imagination.  If you have fished an area and caught some bass using one retrieve and then they stop biting, don't leave before you change up your retrieve some.  You might be surprised and catch even more bass with the new retrieve.

The bottom line here folks is don't get stuck in the rut of always doing the same thing.   I know even today after I preach about not doing it, I will find myself stuck in a rut from time to time.  When something has worked in the past it is hard to change, but you have to remember that bass are a moody sort and what works one day or even one hour might not continue to work.  Be flexible and you will be surprised how many more bass you can put in the boat!!

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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
Stealth Rod Holders
New Pro Products
Squiddies Flip Reel

Swim Jig Fishing 101

I remember the day when there wasn't a bait called a Swim Jig.  Not that bass weren't being caught by swimming a standard jig, but most of the time it was by accident.  It was by accident because we weren't really fishing the jig at the time of the strike, we were just quickly retrieving it to make the next cast.  I'm sure you have all caught a bass here and there when you really didn't think you should catch one for one reason or another.  Like when your crank bait got tangled in the line and was just helicoptering back to the boat and a big bass comes up and engulfs it.  Well to tell the truth that is exactly how the Swim Jig was born.   Most of us older fishermen started to see a pattern form when we were getting strike after strike while quickly retrieving our jigs back to make another cast.  In fact, some of us started fishing that pattern when it was working.  As with all new techniques this one has been refined over the years to where it is today.  Many jig companies now have their own swim jig lines that are designed to swim through cover better than those standard jigs we used years ago.

One thing that I've found out over the years a Swim Jig is one of the most versatile baits you can have in your tackle box.  They can be fished in so many different ways using so many different trailers and color combination.  In fact they can be affect at all times of the year and at many different depths and on many different types of structure.  If there was only one bait I could carry fishing then I would have to carry Swim Jigs.  Now for them to be most effective you have to match the hatch.  This means to match your swim jig color and trailer type to what the bass are feeding on in the area you are fishing.   If they are feeding on Shad then you would want to use a swim jig and trailer combo that resembled a shad in size and color.  Same goes if they are feeding on bream or other baitfish, match the color and size.  Now when the bass are eating bait fish I really want my swim jig to have some well defined eyes as I think that is key a lot of time in drawing strikes.  I will also trim my skirts to match what the bass are feeding on.  Cutting the skirt shorter will make it flare more when it is stopped or paused and I've found that when they are feeding on bream this is very effective.  I would have to write a novel to tell you all the different ways I've setup Swim Jigs to catch bass.  So for this article I'll say use your imagination and think about what the different types of bait fish look like when they are in the water swimming or better yet, when they are running away from a bass. This should get you started down the path of coming up with your own setups, which can be fun in itself.

Now what technique is best when retrieving your swim jig?  The answer depends on the bass that day and the type of structure you are fishing.  I've seen days fishing grass where you couldn't retrieve it fast enough to kept the bass from hammering your bait.  Then there have been times where a more slow steady retrieve gets the job done.  So basically you will have to keep working your jig with different types of retrieves until you find what the bass want.  Now don't be fooled when you catch your first bass though.  What I mean by this is one bass doesn't always set the pattern.  Sure when you catch that first one you want to continue to use that retrieve, but if a second bass doesn't hit soon then you will want to tweak the retrieve some.  Make small changes until you are getting strike after strike.  Now I don't mean you will get a hit on every cast, but you will know when you get the right retrieve locked in.  Also remember that the bass may change during the course of the day or from one type of structure to another so you will have to tweak your retrieve from time to time and on some days hour to hour.

Now one of the question I always get is which Swim Jig is the best.  Like I said there are a lot of swim jigs on the market and most all of them will catch bass on any given day.  However for me the best Swim Jig ever made is the Rayburn Swim Jig from Santone Lures.  It is my personal choice and the choice of a lot of tournament fishermen.  What makes the Rayburn Swim Jig so much better is it's head design, plus the hooks that Santone Lures use are far better than a lot of the other jigs manufactures.  Hey a picture is worth a thousand words so here are a few that point out the major aspects that make the Rayburn Swim Jig stand out in my book.

As you can see from these pictures the Rayburn Swim Jig has everything I look for in a really good swim jig.  On top of that the head design even gives the bait a wobble or swimming action that triggers bass to strike like no other swim jig I've ever used.

So remember to fish a good swim jig but also the most important element is to "Match the Hatch".  Make sure you jig resembles the bait fish the bass are eating.   Play with your retrieve until you find one that triggers strikes and then you will be catching bass like the Pros!!!  Also check out Swim Jig Fishing-201 Part-1 Laydown Timber and Part-2 Lily Pads and Water Hyacinth for even more information.

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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
Stealth Rod Holders
New Pro Products
Squiddies Flip Reel

Guide To Aquatic Vegetation

It's a beautiful, sunny afternoon and you're out on your boat for a great day of bass fishing after work. It's the first time you've been on this new lake, and you're excited to see what it holds. You read on the internet that people have been catching them deep recently. You fish ledges with a deep diving crankbait for a while with no luck and you're ready to make a change. You run to the other end of the lake and find a large patch of emergent vegetation. Immediately you tie on a punch rig and start flipping the vegetation. You find them stacked up in the vegetation by flipping your favorite creature bait. The only problem is, you have no idea what kind of vegetation it is or the properties of it. Many fishermen, including myself, have had this problem at one point. A lot of people refer to most vegetation as just "weeds," but there's a lot more to it than that. Once you learn the properties of certain aquatic plants, you can better understand why and how bass relate to those certain plants. Knowing properties of the "weeds" you're fishing can help you understand why the bass were there, and in turn, can help you replicate your results.

General Information on Aquatic Vegetation

Aquatic vegetation always plays a factor when bass fishing. If there's any type of aquatic plant in a lake, and there's bass in that lake, I guarantee you there is a population of bass there almost year round. As a rule of thumb, target the greenest vegetation possible. Healthy, green plants produce a lot of oxygen. In turn, the bass find that patch of green vegetation and stay there because of the high amounts of oxygen. In high oxygen areas, bass tend to be much more aggressive and in higher abundance. Another reason bass like vegetation is the ease of ambushing prey such as bluegill, sunfish, and shad. They can hide in the vegetation and wait for a bait fish to pass by. These principles apply most to largemouth because they relate to cover more and would rather let prey come to them, but smallmouth and spotted bass can also be found in vegetation.

Water Hyacinth is an emergent, floating aquatic plant that is native to the Amazon Basin. It has since been introduced to the United States and is a highly invasive plant. Water hyacinth is most commonly found in Florida and California, but can be found elsewhere as well.

Water hyacinth looks like something you might see in your mother's garden. It has very green, curved leaves with strong stems. During the certain times of the year, water hyacinth can develop bright, pinkish-purple flowers above its leaves. This can become an easy way to decipher if a plant is hyacinth or not.

At this point, you're probably wondering when I'll start talking about how bass relate to water hyacinth. In that case, here it is...bass love canopy-like vegetation. It gives them a sense of safety and can be a key factor when they're spawning. Since water hyacinth is floating and emergent, bass love sitting under that canopy and waiting for bait fish to swim past. Your best bet is to use a punch rig or punching jig with a heavy weight (my favorite is the Santone Lures Rattle Hog) to get through the hyacinth to where the bass are. You can also use other lures such as a frog, buzzbait, swimbait, or chatterbait to fish the edge of the hyacinth and cover more water.

Patch of Water Hyacinth (bhelas.co.uk)

Lily Pads are definitely the most commonly-known aquatic plant of them all. I believe this is because they are visible and have a distinct shape. Although there are many different species of lily pad, they all look very similar.

A lily pad is a floating, flowering aquatic plant with a long stem that hangs from the bottom. Lily pads are round in shape and fairly thin. They provide an excellent canopy with added cover underwater from the stems.

Although we all know what a lily pad is, it's still a very interesting plant. The canopy it creates is a magnet to the bass especially during the spring or summer months. The stem that hangs down can create cover and oxygen for the bass. When fishing around emergent vegetation that covers the surface such as lily pads, you don't need to be as worried about spooking the fish by sight. What you do need to remember, however, is that bumping a clump of pads with your boat could spook fish nearby. There is really no wrong way to fish pads. A hollow body frog is the most common way to fish them. One thing to keep in mind is when your frog is sitting on a pad, all the bass see is a slight silhouette. It's better to pause your frog when between pads, so the bass can see it easier. You can fish reaction baits such as spinnerbaits or chatterbaits in between pads, you can punch thicker clumps of pads, or drag and hop a craw bait under the pads. There are really endless options for fishing pads, so knock yourself out with your bait selection!

Awesome Picture of Lily Pads (tampabay.com)

Matted grass is not necessarily one plant, but a combination of many types. Matted grass is formed when vegetation such as hydrilla, milfoil, and tules (information below) die or detach from the ground. This causes them to float up and clump together, which forms a thick layer of plant above the surface. Algae often combines with these plants to create a heavy pile of slop.

Matted grass can look different depending on which species of plant form it. Typically it will just look like a bunch of vegetation mashed together-simple enough. Since the mat is floating, it can move pretty easily when the wind is blowing. Matted grass provides a layer of shade and protection above the water.

Since bass like protection and canopy-like vegetation, matted grass often holds an abundance of bass-especially when they are looking for shade in the hot summer months. When fishing matted grass, you have to take into account the properties of it. If the grass is still fresh and stiff, it will be easy to get through the mat with a texas/ punch rig with a heavy weight. If it's sloppy and dead, don't count it out, but turn to a weedless topwater lure like a frog to fish the mat. This is your best bet to catch bass out of a sloppy mat.

Great Example of a Grass Mat (advancedangler.com)

Cattails, Bulrush, and Tules are all names for a tall, grass-like aquatic plant. This plant is native to the United States, and is one of the most common aquatic plants of all. Most bodies of water have some sort of cattail-like plant in or around them.

All the names I listed describe a general group of plants. All of these plants have a couple things in common. They are all fairly tall, and they grow from the ground (they are not floating plants). Cattails and bulrush typically describe a plant that grows a corn dog-looking flower around the top part of the stem of the plant. Tules, also known as "California bulrushes," have the same stem structure as a cattail, but do not have the corn dog-looking flower around them. Most tules don't flower at all, but some have small (typically beige colored) flowers at the top of the stem. The reasons I don't put these plants into separate categories are the names can be used interchangeably, and they are all fished exactly the same because they provide the same cover underwater.

These plants are not floating like the previous types of vegetation. They provide thick cover for bass to disappear in. These types of aquatic plant can produce very well, and are at their best, during the spawn, spring, or the fall. They can also produce very well on a cloudy summer day. The method to fish these types of plants really depends on how abundant they are. If they are extremely thick (such as in the picture below), your only options may be a punch rig/ jig. Granted you can use other lures, but you'll be able to fish vegetation like this much more efficiently with those lures. If it is very sparse vegetation, you can get almost any lure through it efficiently as long as it doesn't have an overly exposed hook or treble hooks.

Large Area Packed with Tules (coastalanglermag.com)

Milfoil, Hydrilla, and Coontail...although these are all different species of aquatic plant, they all act the same. These three types of plant are all invasive aquatic plants. They are commonly sprayed out and removed from ecosystems for multiple reasons. New ways to remove this plant are always being invented. The most recent method for destroying it is the "Milfoil Weevil." This bug slowly eats away at plants such as milfoil and removes a large amount for the size of the bug.

The only way I can explain to you what these plants look like without a diagram or picture is "soft pine needles." This may sound ridiculous, but it's probably the best description of the appearance of these types of plants. They are all green, non-floating, non-flowering aquatic plants that rarely emerge above water surface unless they are detached or matted. The differences between milfoil and coontail are subtle, but distinguishable. Milfoil is thicker and softer, while coontail tends to be much stiffer and a brighter green color. Hydrilla is longer and less mushy than the other two. Hydrilla is the most dominant species of the three. Milfoil is more common up north and hydrilla can be found more down south.

These plants spread rapidly and (unlike tules and cattails) produce a lot of oxygen underwater. This is the main reason tules and cattails don't produce as well in the summer months. In the summer, bass are aggressive and require a lot of oxygen to stay active. Milfoil, hydrilla, and coontail produce the oxygen to keep them active and healthy. The best way to fish around these plants depends on the depth of the water. If you can fit a reaction-style lure between the surface and top of the plants, that is probably the best way to fish it. In deeper water, you can use crankbaits to barely tick the tops of the plants to produce a reaction strike from a fish.

From Left to Right: Milfoil, Coontail, Hydrilla
(fishinglakeguntersville.com)

In conclusion, one thing to always keep in mind when fishing in or around aquatic vegetation is to look for changes in the vegetation. Say there are many clumps of hyacinth, but one clump has tules mixed in with the hyacinth. That clump is more likely to be holding bass in it. Also, when it comes to aquatic plants, the greener the better. I tried to mention this as much as possible, but high oxygen areas = more active and abundant bass. Greener plants produce much more oxygen, which is why bass relate to them more often.

Make Your Livewell Work Better

As a tournament fisherman keeping fish alive is as important as catching them in the first place.  No one wants to show up to the weigh-in with dead fish.  Not only do dead fish give you deductions in weight they are also very embarrassing.  Besides all of us ethical fishermen want to release our catch as healthy as possible so they can be caught again.  Plus those big girls will reproduce so that there are even more fish for us to catch.  So how can we make our livewells better to help ensure our fish stay healthy?  Well you could spend a lot of money on one of those expensive oxygen systems that pump oxygen into the water in your livewell.  They are very expensive to install and then you have to keep buying oxygen for the system.  Also oxygen is dangerous from a fire stand point so who needs the hassle.  So what is a good solutions the average fisherman can afford and once installed it keeps working without having any upkeep or continuous costs?  The answer to that question is the V-T2 vents from New Pro Products.

The V-T2 vents install in the lids of your livewell.  The installation is very easy and yes I think even the average non-mechanical guys/gals can do this if they follow the instructions provided.   They sit really flush on the lid so they don't get in the way or induce a tripping hazard.  The big plus is what they do for you in helping to keep your fish alive.  

There are many factors in the standard livewell that is not good for your fish.  The aeration system even helps to cause the first of these issues.  As your pumps work they actually get hot and that heat is transferred to the water they are pumping.  This isn't a huge issue if you are pumping fresh water into your tanks but if you have switched to recirculate the heat can build up really fast.  There is no place for the heat to go as most livewells aren't vented so the heat will actually start to cook your fish.  It is bad enough when the weather is nice outside but down here during the summer in Texas it will get bad very fast.  Sometimes the fresh water we are pumping into the tank is 85-95 degrees and add pump heat and no where for that heat to excape, what you get is dead fish.   Well the V-T2 vents gives that heat somewhere to go and we all know that heat rises and with these vents in your lids, out it goes.   At the same time as the heat is leaving, cooler air is being pulled into tank to help cool things down and help keep your fish alive.

The next issue we have with our livewells is a reduction in oxygen.  Again our livewells don't come with vents for oxygen to get into the tank.  You could put one of those oxygen pumping systems in at great cost, but you don't need too.  The V-T2s have you covered again.  Remember with the heat problem the V-T2s let the heat out and as it escapes cooler air is being pulled into the tank, well that cooler air also contains fresh oxygen.  That fresh oxygen is then used by your aeration system and put into the water. So now you don't have an oxygen reduction issue anymore helping to keep your fish alive.

Now last but far from least of your problems is a build up of Metabolic Gases.  These gases are byproducts of the fish's natural functions as well as bacterial organism and other living microbes in the water.  Every living thing will produce these gases but even though they are naturally produced a build up of them in your tank is not healthy for your fish.  Well yes I'm sure you have guessed by now that the V-T2s will also take care of these gases.  You are right as these gases are generally lighter than oxygen and become even lighter when heated so the same process that removes the heat from your tank will also remove a lot of these gases helping to keep your fish alive.

So by now you are saying hey these V-T2s sound great but do they really work?  Well I can tell you they do work and I was able to find out just how good they work this past weekend.   Before I tell you that story I have a question to ask; How many saltwater boats have you seen with livewells?   The answer is very few saltwater boats have livewells.  Why don't they have livewells, well that is a very easy answer, saltwater fish are very hard to keep alive.  Most of the saltwater tournaments are either not catch and release or the fishermen spend a lot of extra money to have livewells with those oxygen pumps installed.  For the most part saltwater fishermen take coolers with ice to put their catch in to keep until they get to the weigh-in or where the fish will be cleaned.  I told you this because this past weekend my son and I made a run down the bayou to where the water gets pretty salty so that we could catch some flounder.  My wife had asked for some to eat so my son and I delivered.  However being a bass fisherman first and foremost I forgot to take a cooler with ice for our catch.  So when the first flounder hit the deck I didn't have any option but to crank up the livewell and put him in.  Once we were finished fishing and the boat was on the trailer I switched my system to recirculation and we headed home.  Now I should mention that it was the end of July in Texas and the heat index that day was 105 degrees.  I really expected to have dead flounder when we got home after an hours drive, but I was in for a surprise.  Not only were all the flounder alive, they were so feisty I had to drain the tanks so I could get them out.  I also had to wait a while before cleaning them as they were just too lively to try and clean.  This proved to me once and for all that the V-T2s are a huge asset and I'll be recommending them to everyone I know!!!  For more information or to order your own V-T2s here is the link New Pro Products.

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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
Stealth Rod Holders
 

An Awesome Rod Holder!

I received and tested out the Stealth QR-1 rod holder recently and wanted to pass along what I've learned.  The bottom line is this is the best rod holder I've ever used, hands down!  The QR-1 is packed with features that other rod holders don't have or just can't measure up too.  For starters it has a mounting bracket that can be installed in multiple ways, which means you can put the rod holder where you need it.  The holder itself can be removed from the mount and stowed out of the way when it is not in use.  When you need it then you can position it in the mounting bracket for how you need it that day.  This is not one of those rod holders that once installed it is always in the same position all the time.

The mounting bracket and multiple positioning is not what I consider the best features of the QR-1.  Its best feature is the means it uses to secure your rod.  Let me tell you it secures your rod so you do not have any fear of a fish pulling your rod overboard.  I fish with some very top end Dunimas Rods custom built rods and I don't trust these beauties to just any old rod hold and that is especially true when there is a chance of a Redfish hitting my bait.  I'm not sure if all of you have had the good fortune of fishing for and catching Redfish and for those of you that haven't let me tell you they are a "Mack Truck" from initial hit until you are able to get them in the net.  Pound for Pound they are one of the strongest fighting fish that swim in water.  Now I could try and explain all the features of the QR-1 to you in writing but I think you will get a better understand of these features from a video.  So here is a short video.

I'm sure after watching that video many of you will agree with me, the QR-1 is one Awesome Rod Holder.  I plan on installing more on my boat for use in the future.  Sure I'm a bass fisherman first and foremost, but there are times I like to fish for something other than bass.  These rod holders will come in very handy when I take a day to go catfish, crappie, and redfish fishing along with many others.  My bottom line to all you folks is; Throw out all those other rod holders you have and get yourself some Stealth QR-1 holders, you will be glad you did!  You can get more information on the Stealth QR-1 on their website at this link: Stealth QR-1.  Hey and the good news is Stealth offers free shipping in the good ole U.S.A so get your orders in now!!

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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants

Ready to Fish Anytime!!!

I just received a Flip Reel by Squiddies and let me tell you my first reaction is Awesome with a capital A!!  You never have to be without a means of fishing anymore.  I mean how many times have you been out and see a spot that looks fishy but you don't have a rod along with you?  If you are anything like me then it happens a lot, but for me not anymore.   This thing will tuck easily out of the way in my truck.  Heck if I have to go on a business trip it will tuck in my carry on bag and should pass through TSA security with no problems.  I know I've stayed a lot of hotels that have ponds or lakes on the property and I'm stuck without a means to try my luck, well never again.  The back of the package points out a lot of the features that come on the Flip Reel and the side of the package contains some very clear and easy directions on how to cast the reel. 

Once I opened the package I was really impressed with the construction and even the feel of this reel.   I've done some hand fishing in the past and never had anything like this before.  Hey this would have been great in my schoolboy days when I ran around with a short stick in my pocket that had line, a bobber and a hook wrapped around it.   No more sticks for this guy and hey the package even includes a hook, sinker and swivel.

The reel itself is made from a hard plastic with an infused rubber outer bell that flips back to safely cover your line and tackle when not in use.   When you are ready to fish then you flip the rubber bell out and you have a very castable looking reel.  The directions does say to wet the bell before casting and I understand why as the rubber is very tacky.  That tacky rubber serves a good purpose as it will keep your reel from sliding all over the place and hey if you are fishing you shouldn't have problems wetting the reel, right.

Needless to say I'm a little impressed by this thing and I believe there are a lot of other folks out there that will be impressed also.  You can always have a reel to fish handy with the Flip Reel, so hey you backpackers and survivalist this thing is right up your alley.  It is actually right up the alley of anyone that wants a convenient and stow-able fishing capability.  I know you are asking if this little hand reel can really catch fish, well the answer is yes and it is pretty easy after you get use to using this reel.  In fact here is a video of me taking this reel to my favorite catfish hole for a field test.

 As you saw in the video this thing can really cast pretty good and I'm sure with a little more practice I'd be able to cast it even further.  I hope to get it out when the weather cools down her in Texas for a little bass fishing so there will be more videos to come.  Until then here is the link where you can get more information on the Flip Reel.  Squiddies Flip Reel

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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants
 

Halls Bayou Report 7/12/2015

My son-in-law and I decided to give Halls Bayou a shot Sunday morning.  It had been a while since our last attempt which yielded only one strike and we have grown tired of driving hours to fish for bass.  After 6 months of way above average rain fall in the Houston area all of the bayous looked more like the muddy Mississippi than Southeast Texas Bayous.   The water Sunday wasn't the normal greenish color we expect from the bayous but it was much better than the chocolate milk we had been seeing the past few months.  Even though the water had a little brownish stain it was very fishable and we knew from past experience there were a number of colors that work very well under these conditions.  Now the one note that I did make was that the water temps were in the upper 80s so I figured it was going to be a tough day.  Normally this time of year when the water temps get in that range you are lucky to get 4-5 bites all day.

We decided to head up the bayou to start with on this morning and see what the water looked like.  The further up the bayou we went the better the water looked.   We also noticed there were big schools of shad everywhere and also a lot of gar playing, including a couple gator gar in the 5 foot plus range.  I figured with that many shad in the bayou the bass just might be wanting a shad like bait so I tied on an Acid Perch Finesse Rayburn Swim Jig with a salt and pepper 4 inch curly tail trailer.  This time of the year a lot of bass will slap at your baits but won't take them, I wanted to make sure that wasn't the case so I applied some Liquid Mayhem Garlic Minnow to the end of the trailer. Not only does this attractant taste good once the bass get it in their mouths, but it also gets them to take the bait in their mouth.  I know using Liquid Mayhem on my favorite baits like the Rayburn Swim Jigs gives me an advantage over the bass and other fishermen.  Now our game plan was to fish different baits to start so we wouldn't be missing a potential bite.  My son-in-law decided to go with another Halls bayou favorite which is a spinner bait in the Cole Slaw color.  Cole Slaw is pretty close to the same color as the Acid Perch Rayburn Swim Jig.  

We went about 3/4 of a mile up the bayou from the FM 2004 bridge to a spot that looked like a good place to start fishing.We were working the shady areas next to structure along the banks of the bayou.  It didn't take too long for me to have the first bass in the boat.  It wasn't close to being a keeper but it was a bass and it proved the swim jig might the way to go for the day.  That the swim jig was the bait of the day was affirmed in not too many more casts as I had the second bass on and this one was a keeper for sure.  After my third bass it was time for my son-in-law to follow suit and put on a swim jig.   Now he didn't go with a Rayburn Swim Jig as him and his cousin have been playing around with making their own jigs.  They have some very good color combination I will have to say, but I'll be sticking with Santone Lures for all my jigs.  The Cole Slaw jig he tied on did make a difference in his catching well that and he also decided to put some Liquid Mayhem on his jig.  After this it was in short order his fish bass of the day was on the boat.  Though he started to put some fish in the boat I was still maintaining my 2 to 1 advantage with my old faithful Rayburn Swim Jigs.

From time to time we didn't try a few other baits and in fact for the course of the day I caught 2 bass on Creme Lures Scoundrel worms and one on a Santone Rattlin' Jig with a Creme Lures Same Thing Beaver trailer.  My son-in-law also added a bass on a Texas Rigged Same Thing Beaver.  However we both seem to get back to the swim jigs.   There was however the big ole Catfish that hammered my son-in-law's spinnerbait mid morning.   Heck that ole whiskers would have likely tipped the scales in the 8 pound ranges, he was huge and would have made a fine dinner, but he decide he was happier not being dinner and threw the hook.   I also lost a really good fish but we aren't sure what it was.  It hit the Rayburn Swim Jig and did not fight like a bass and it was big Redfish, Catfish or Gar is all I can say.  It was at about this point my son-in-law decided to switch to a black and red swim jig.  When he did this he closed the numbers gap really fast.  I didn't have a jig in that color so I couldn't match him, so I guess I'll be making an order to Santone Lures.   The rise of the sun into the midday sky is the only thing I think that stopped him from catching me in numbers.   He did catch the 2 best bass on the day though and the one was a really good bayou bass.

So in short, Halls Bayou is back and for mid July is hot not just in temperatures.  So if you folks want to have a good day on the bayou get yourselves some Finesse Rayburn Swim Jigs and some Garlic Minnow Liquid Mayhem.   Cast them into the shaded cover along the bank and work them out slowly at first but speed up your retrieve until you find out what the bass want that day.  Oh by the way the count ended up with me catching 9 and my son-in-law catching 6.

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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants

Lake Bastrop 6/20/2015

I was finally able to get out to Lake Bastrop this past weekend on a Father's Day trip with my Son.   We knew before we left we weren't going to get a lot of time to fish as he needed to be home around 3:00 in the afternoon, but we decided to go anyway.  The reports we were hearing were just too good to pass up so we figured almost 7 hours of drive time would be worth 5 hours of fishing. The thing we found out once we got back to the ramp after fishing was that it was an off day.  Everyone we talked with said they could only find some small ones and they were far and few between.  I'll admit I thought it was just us being new to the lake was the reason we hadn't caught the 20-30 bass that the reports said were being caught.  After it was all said and done I'm thinking we did pretty good considering this was our first time fishing the lake.  Well heck before I give anything away, why don't I just tell you the full story.

I pulled out of the drive about 3:50 that morning and was at my Son's house which isn't far by 4:00.  After getting his gear loaded we headed out, but he realized he had forgotten his sunglasses, so we circled back around.  By the time we had stopped and gotten ice for the drinks it was 4:30 before we were rolling down the road.  At my age I can only drive about 1 to 1.5 hours before I need to take a break to stretch my legs and back, so we stopped a couple times along the way.  Oh and I also needed more coffee to keep the old motor running.  We made it to the North Shores Boat Ramp about 7:30 and saw a very full parking lot.  We did get the boat launched and my Son was able to find a spot to park the truck and trailer.  By the way the Skeeter's motor fired right up which is always a good sound.  With my Son on board and his PFD on I backed out of the slip and pointed my girl towards open water.  As we cleared the "No Wake" buoys I stood on her and she immediately jumped into action.  Everywhere we looked there were bass boats and folks fishing.  The game plan that I'd drawn up in my previous article was out the door as there were folks fishing all those spots, but as I pointed out in that article I always have a plan "B".  From the reports we had been getting the bass were in the grass and so I continued south until I saw a place open that looked fishy.  That place was a point not far from the South Shore Boat Ramp. Not only was there grass on the point, there was a good grass line that followed the shore line and a secondary submerged grass bed out from the shore line in 6-8 foot of water.   This really looked like a good spot but I was worried as there wasn't anyone there.   With as many bass boat as there were on this small lake I was worried that this spot might not be holding bass.

The reports I'd hear said the bass were hitting topwaters and flukes, which I just happen not to have any of either of those baits.   Where we fish in the Bayous neither of these has caught many bass so I just don't have any.  So we started out fishing with some Creme Lures Same Thing Stickbaits. We rigged them with a standard worm hook and no weight to be fished similar to a fluke or senko style bait.  I also added some Liquid Mayhem in Garlic Minnow to my Watermelon Chartreuse stick.  I told my son to do the same but he didn't or at least not yet.  The wind was blowing out of the South South West and sort of pushing us along the point and down the shore line.  It was almost moving the boat too fast along to work these baits in the manner we wanted.   The first pass didn't get us any strikes so I turned the boat around and tried working against the wind on the secondary grass bed in the deeper water.  It was then I noticed tree in the water in the middle of this bed.  So I made a cast at this tree and let my ST Stick sink all the way to bottom before moving it.   The first twitch of the bait brought a very hard strike and I leaned back on my rod to feel the pressure of a bass in the grass.  Let me tell you he felt like a monster in that grass, but it turned out to be one of the smaller ones we would catch on the day. We continued to fish but it didn't dawn on me that first bass told me what I needed to know about the pattern of the day.  It was about the fall and then the fast move from the bottom that was triggering the strike.   So for a while longer we continued to fish the ST Stick more like flukes and not seeing the real pattern.

Finally without having any more luck and starting our third pass down the grass line I made the switch to a Santone Lures Finesse RayburnSwim Jig, in the Acid Perch color.  The swim baits I normally fish on swim jigs are much too big for the finesse sized Rayburn so I selected a 4 inch curly tail white grub.  Even though the grub was 4 inches is still has a smaller profile than even a 3.5 inch swim bait.  I really like this combo when the bass aren't really aggressively feeding.  The smaller profile will get you strikes when a bigger swim jig won't.   I'm currently writing an article on Swim Jig fishing so I'll hold off giving you a lot of information on finding out what the bass want.  However I will say that you need to play with your retrieve or technique in working the jig.  You also have to pay attention on what draws a strike.  Before I made my first cast, I applied some Garlic Minnow Liquid Mayhem  to the tail of my grub.  I then made about a dozen casts or so and working the bait a little different on every two or three casts.   It was then I spotted a small isolated clump of grass between the shoreline bed and the secondary bed in deeper water  I made a cast over top of this bed and worked the bait to the grass and pulled it up on top.  When it came over the top I let it fall to the bottom.  As soon as I picked up off the bottom, Wham it got clobbered!!  I leaned back to set the hook and felt a good fish on the other end which quickly pulled line off my reel.  After a couple head shaking jumps in an attempt to throw my hook she came along side for my son net the first 5 pounder to be put in my Skeeter.  The day was looking up very quickly.  In fact about 3 casts later I hooked up again with a 2 pounder using the same basic tactic.  It was about that time my son decided to tie on one of the Acid Perch Finesse Rayburn Swim Jigs.   I told him what I was doing to get the strikes and also advised him to also put on some Liquid Mayhem.  He declined the Liquid Mayhem as he hadn't learned just what an awesome product it really is in getting fish to hold on to your bait once they strike.

A few casts later I saw my son set the hook hard and then I heard him cuss so I knew he had missed a good strike.   The next cast I hooked up with another 2 or so pounder and as I was fighting him to the boat my son once more set the hook and missed.   Once I landed and released my fish, I added some more Liquid Mayhem to my trailer then tossed the tube back to my son. He looked at me and I told him if he wanted the next bass to hold onto his bait then he would put some on his trailer.  He picked up the tube and squirted some the magic juice onto his trailer.  It is funny just how things work sometimes as the very next cast he hooked up with a very nice 3 plus pounder.  After landing the fish he looked up and said, dang dad you weren't joking about that stuff working.   I just smiled and made another cast.  Needless to say that one of my tubes of Liquid Mayhem was put in his tackle box for use later.   We continued to fish the swim jigs and we both caught more bass in the 1-3 pound class.  We had worked these grass beds hard for about 4 hours and the bite was starting to slow down some.   We decided to make one more pass and I was moving the boat back out to the end of the point.  As we passed along the edge of the secondary weed bed I once more saw that tree that had produced my first bass of the day.  I made the cast past the tree and then worked it back and over the one out stretched branch and let it fall.  I let it sit on the bottom for a second then cranked it fast, Wham another strong bass hammered my Rayburn.  This one got in the grass on me and I really thought I had a monster.  I moved the boat to the fish and finally was able to get her out of the grass and guided into the net.  The picture isn't the best to show size, but this fish also would push the 5 pound mark.

We made one more pass down the main grass bed and fished the secondary bed as well with no more strikes.  It was almost noon so it was time for us to head to the ramp.  We got all our gear stored and I motioned for my son to take the helm.  After showing him the instruments and where to adjust the trim he fired up the motor and eased us out onto the main lake.  He stepped down on the Hot Foot and the Skeeter jumped and was off to the races.   I think he really enjoyed taking her back to the ramp and I know I enjoyed watching him.   We have spent a lot of great Father and Son time over the years on the water and in the woods, and I look forward to spending more with him.

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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants

Lake Bastrop - Missed Adventure

I had really looked forward to a special fishing trip last Thursday and even took vacation from work. My plans were to go to Lake Bastrop and meet up with Scott Dorsey of Throw-n-Thunder Lures. As it turned out on Thursday morning a front was pushing through the area around Bastrop and it didn't look good.  With both of us having over 3 hour drives to get to the lake, we decided that with the forecast it was best to cancel the trip.  I was really looking forward to fishing with Scott for the first time.  Fishing with Scott meant we would be throwing spinner baits and by spinner baits I mean those Killer TNT spinner baits I throw all the time. There was a bit of a problem though as my research on Bastrop didn't find a lot of folks fishing spinner baits or reporting catches on spinner baits.  This meant I had to come up with a game plan to not only fish spinner baits on this lake but also hopefully catch bass on spinner baits.  So why don't we take a look at this game plan and the research I did during its development. 

Lake Bastrop is a 900 acre Power Plant lake that is just north of the town of Bastrop and east of Austin.  After looking at some maps and reading about the type of structures that is found in the lake I had to wonder why folks weren't catching bass on spinner baits.  The question I had to ask myself; were they not fishing spinner baits or were they just not fishing spinner baits right?  This lake has some well defined points leading into deep water, creek channels, some standing timber but most importantly it has grass lines and weed beds.  Now if you can't catch bass on spinner baits in and around grass lines and weed beds then you have to be doing something wrong.  Even though I had never fished the lake I felt like I could put us on bass that would hit spinner baits, and besides the bass in this lake likely had never seen a TNT quad-blade spinner bait. So how did I come up with a game plan on a lake that is a 3+ hour drive away?  I used the tools I had at hand as well as my 50 years of bass fishing experience.  So what are these tools that I speak of having?  They aren't anything special and most of you have the same tools that you have at your disposal on your computer.   In fact I wrote and article a while back on how to plan a trip to new water.  If you have time here is a link to that article - Planning a Trip to New Water

The first thing I did was a Google search on the lake.  I found the Topo Map shown above which was a great start, here is a link to the full size map - Lake Bastrop.  Also the Texas Parks & Wildlife site had some great information about the structure found in the lake at this link - TPWD - Lake Bastrop.  The TPWD site also had some tactics information that could be useful to folks new to the lake.  Next I grabbed  some satellite pictures using Google Maps. Then the last piece of information I searched for were up-to-date fishing reports on the lake.  Here is where I got very little information at all as there just doesn't seem to be a lot of reports.  With all this information in hand, I sat down and started to study.  The one thing I noted was even though this lake is not very big it has just about any type of structure a bass fisherman could want to see.  Not only does it have the ones I mentioned above it also has some mid-lake humps that really look promising to take a look at if everything else failed.

Now I do have to tell you before getting in to the details of my game plan that I originally wasn't going to share this with folks.  I was going to keep it to myself and use it on an upcoming trip to see if I was right.  However I thought why not share it as it might help someone put some bass in the boat and that is what I like to do, help folks catch more bass.  Now I do ask if you read this and decide to give it a try on Bastrop, please give me some feedback. After studying my research materials I decided to start off in the north end of the lake where Scouts Creek enters. The water in the area should be moving a little, but it also might be a little stained as well.  Bastrop is noted for having fairly clear water and we all know that clear water can be tough to fish.  So I was looking for something with a little stain and with all the rains we have been getting it should be stained some at this location.  Looking on Google Maps I could also tell that this area had some standing timber and a flat along the creek channel that looked like it might have some grass on it.  Prime territory for spinner bait fishing if you ask me.  Now if the Scouts Creek area didn't pan out to produce some bass, our next stop would have been heading over to Hot Water Flats and working the weed and grass down towards Tower Point.   There is also supposed to be a stump field in the bend in the creek called Stumpy Bend on our way to Tower Point.   If we hadn't gotten anything to eat our spinner baits by the time we got to the end of Tower Point then we would head to Stumpy Bend and see if anything wanted to eat a jig and craw.  We wouldn't stay at Stumpy Bend long fishing jigs as the goal of the day was to prove we could catch bass on Throw-N-Thunder Spinner Baits.

Now I'm not sure about you folks but this ole boy always likes to have a "Plan C" in his back pocket and so the next stop would be the Mid Lake Flats in behind Aretha's Point.  From the Google Maps picture it seemed that this area had the most weed and grass beds.  Now if this area didn't get our spinner baits eaten, then our time fishing would almost be over as both of us had a long drive home.  Still I didn't want Scott to go home and not catch any bass so I had a "Plan D" in my pocket also.  Plan D didn't include fishing spinner baits but I hoped it would get us a few hits before we had to head home.  This plan called for use to locate and mark a couple of Mid Lake Humps and see if there were fish on them.  If the humps looked good on the fishfinder then I'd toss out a buoy to make them then get on the trolling motor.   We would then fish Carolina Rigged Creme Scoundrel worms by casting them on top of the of the hump and slowly working them down the side.  I had read a lot about this tactic being affective on Bastrop so I was sure hoping if all else failed it would get us some bites.  So there you have it folks, there are the plans I didn't get to use.  I believe that these plans would have put some bass in the boat for Scott and I if we would have had the chance.  I also believe they would work for other folks heading out to Bastrop this time of year to catch some bass.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to take that trip in the near future to find out for myself.  However if any of you beat me to the lake give this a shot and let me know how you do.  Like I said it isn't 100% guaranteed to catch bass, but I have enough confidence in this plan to use it in a tournament on this lake.  So good luck and I sure hope it helps someone out there.

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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants

Clear Creek Tournament 5-16-2015

The last of the Bayou Bassin' League Fall/Spring tournament series was held on Clear Creek Bayou yesterday.  The Houston and Clear Lake area of Texas had received as much as 12 inches of rain the first part of last week and by mid week Clear Creek was almost 12 feet over normal.  In fact you couldn't even see the dock at the boat ramp on Wednesday the 13th.  Needless to say all of us had our fingers crossed that we wouldn't get any more rain even though it was forecasting 50% chance or better.  Some how other than a few light showers we were spared any really heavy rains between Tuesday and Saturday so the conditions were safe enough to fish.  In fact by Thursday evening you could see the dock again but it had a tree on it that was blocking good access to ramp.  We have to give credit where credit is due and on Friday the Park Services folks removed

the tree so everything was set for Saturday's tournament.  The fishing conditions were going to be rough we knew going in, but I don't think any of us thought they would be as tough as they turned out to be.  A few of the guys even Pre-Fished on Thursday and Friday and they were catching some fish.  It had to be better on Saturday and hey we have all gotten used to catching bass in muddy water.

Saturday turned out to be a very nice day for fishing.  It wasn't overly hot and there was some cloud cover to keep the sun from beating us most of the day.  The rains also held off, but there were times the skies didn't look to friendly.  Even though the day was nice the bass really weren't nice to us at all.  There weren't any limits caught though most of us caught fish that were under the 14 inch minimum. However with this bunch of fishermen someone is going to find some fish.   That was the case so lets get to the out come.

As they normally do ole Tyrone and his partner Robbie found some keepers. They weighed in 3 bass which was the most keepers of any team taking big stringer at 5.86lbs as well as big bass 2.42lbs.  I can say you have to be on top of your game to unseat this team out of 1st.  .

Now these next guys aren't any slouches in the bass catching department.  Raybo and son Cameron brought 2 bass to the scales for 3.94lbs which put them in 2nd.

In 3rd place was a new comer to our tournaments, but I think we will be seeing more of James who was fishing by himself.  Even though he didn't have a teammate he was able to put 2 keepers in the boat that tipped the scales at 3.48lbs.   Welcome James it was great meeting you and we hope to see more of you at these tournaments.

In 4th was Jake and Brad as they were able to get one keeper in the boat on the day.  It was a really good fish for the bayous!!!

All the rest of us tied for 5th place as none of us could get a keeper in the livewell.  I can't speak for how the day went for the other guys that came in empty, but for Brett and I it was tough.  It wasn't that we didn't find fish from time to time, it was we couldn't land fish.  On the day I broke off two bass and lost another good fish that hit a spinnerbait.  I am please to say that even though it was a bad day I'll be applying for a new world record.

That fish has to be the smallest fish ever to be caught fairly hooked in the mouth.  I don't know it's total weight because the scales wouldn't go that low.  The other good thing that I can say that came yesterday is how well my Skeeter performed.  As you may know I've put a lot of work into her over the last month and all that work paid off big time!!

Hey even though it was a bad day fishing I had fun and I think I can say the same for everyone.  Folks it's not all about catching fish, it is about getting outdoors with a group of great guys that love the sport.  When ever you have that chance it makes for a good day in your life!!!  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.   The dates for our next series tournaments should be released in the near future.


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

You can also Follow me on
Twitter - @BHOAdventures
FaceBook - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures
YouTube - Bounty Hunter Outdoor Adventures

Also Checkout the great folks that help make my fishing adventure possible and the tackle I use and trust.
Santone Lures
Throw-n-Thunder
Creme Lures
Dunamis Rods
Liquid Mayhem Fish Attractants