It’s no secret that bass fishing crankbaits are an excellent way to catch big fish. I throw crankbaits throughout the entire year in my part of the country and in my opinion, using the proper rod is absolutely imperative to your cranking success. If it’s too stiff, you’ll rip the hooks from the bass’ mouth and if it’s too flimsy, you’ll wear out your arm and lose sensitivity throughout your retrieve.
Friday will have some showers and and thunderstorms showers but then after that we should be all clear for sunny a pleasant weekend on all the local lakes.
Here is our weekend outlook:
Friday will be mostly cloudy with a decent shot of showers and thunderstorms ( think of it as a carbon copy of Wednesday and Thursday) These showers and storms will persist until late evening and overnight, finally ending late. Not everyone will see large amounts of rain but if you do get caught in a thundershower it could have stronger wind gusts and heavy downpours.
Saturday and Sunday look very similar in that high temps will be in the low 80’s, skies will be sunny and winds will be light. Lows Saturday morning will be in the low 60s as cloud cover lingers with the rain till well after midnight while Sunday AM lows will be in the 55-60 range.
Summary: After the rain clears out late Friday night, the weekend looks great region wide!
Kevin VanDam has been accused of being from another planet. He’s actually from Kalamazoo, Michigan. But, this week at BASSFest on Lake Chickamauga, he’s fishing off the map, and it’s a huge reason why he slapped a 22-pound limit on the scales to begin the tournament while others have battled for smaller limits from well-known community holes.
VanDam says he hasn’t competed on “The Chick” since the famed Bassmaster Megabucks events of the early 90s, yet he was wise enough to realize the obvious would not be overlooked this week – in turn, grouping huge numbers of competitors on to a handful of select ‘honey holes’ along this 58 mile stretch of The Tennessee River.
The third-annual, no-entry-fee Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament will be held at Paris Landing on Kentucky Lake in Buchanan, Tenn. on Sep. 27-28, 2014.
An 18-year-old played a huge role in catching the winning stringer at the Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners event in 2013 on Wheeler Lake, proving age is only a number. So, if you or your favorite fishing buddy are registered in Bonus Bucks, Toyota hopes you’ll come be a part of the fellowship-filled event aimed at showing appreciation for the thousands of avid bass anglers that continue to support their brand.
DAYTON, Tenn. — At age 23 and from Indianapolis, Ind., Jacob Wheeler would not be most people’s odds-on favorite to take over in the June 11-15 Bassmaster BASSfest competition on Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lake.
Until you know that he’s been fishing Chickamauga for years because one of his often-visited friends lives near the lake. And that he competed on the lake just last year in a major event. And that at age 21, he was the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup champion.
Wheeler put all his experience to work Thursday, BASSfest’s second day. He weighed in 29 pounds, 13 ounces for a two-day total of 52-3, banking a lead of 6 pounds, 12 ounces against Bassmaster Elite Series pro Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.
PIEDMONT BASS CLASSICS TEAM BASS SPRING MINI TRAIL
CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
1st Place: Jesse Wise & Terry Hobbs of Erwin & Garner…5 bass…25.16 lbs
The Piedmont Bass Classics Team Bass Spring Mini Trail Championship went off like magic! The weather was absolutely wonderful for the 16 teams that qualified, with temps at about 63 in the morning & around 83 in the afternoon. The winds were very light and remained that way all day. Water temps averaged 80 to 87 degrees.
The post spawn bass were biting and the ones caught were strong and healthy looking! The water level was about back to normal and the bass were moving back to deeper water during the day. Most of the fish were caught on c-rigs & crankbaits with others caught on spinnerbaits, topwater and other reliable baits for this time of year in 1 to 10 feet of water.
Jesse Wise of Erwin & Terry Hobbs of Garner, caught 5 nice bass weighing a total of 25.16 lbs. taking 1st Place & 1st Place TWT for a total of $2,007 in winnings. 2nd Place went to the team of Chad Emory of Durham and Joe Shambley of Rougemont, with 5 bass weighing 24.35 lbs. They took home a total of $520. Emory had to catch all of those alone being that Shambley couldn’t fish this day! Big fish for the day was caught by the 4th place team of Rodney Bowen of Timberlake & Barney Compton of Leesburg, weighing in at 7.35 lbs and winning them a total of $368 in prize money!
Points Champions for the trail were Keith Deal of Holly Springs & Ricky Kenworthy of Cary. They were awarded trophies & $444 in cash. Tim Goss of Franklinton won the Tow Boats US Member bonus of $100.
Tow Boats US fed the whole crowd after weighin with a great feast from
Smithfield Chicken & Bar B Que!!!
68 bass were weighed in for a total of 224 pounds. This averaged right at 3.29 lbs. a fish. Fishing at Falls is on right now!
I want to thank all the anglers that participated and all our sponsors that support these trails. Our next tournament will be the 2014 Boats Unlimited NC Team Tournament Bass Trail Championship, Saturday, June 14th at Kerr Lake out of Flemingtown Landing Wildlife Ramp. (for qualified teams only).
All the information on our tournaments can be found at http://piedmontbassclassics.com/
Now here are the full results:
1st Place: Jesse Wise & Terry Hobbs of Erwin & Garner…5 bass…25.16 lbs…$1,776 & Trophies
2nd Place: Chad Emory & Joe Shambley of Durham & Rougemont…5 bass…24.35 lbs…$520
3rd Place: Scottie Morris & Scott Anderson of Rougemont & Oxford…5 bass…24.07 lbs…$312
4th Place: Rodney Bowen & Barney Compton of Timberlake & Leesburg…5 bass…19.64 lbs…$208
1st Place Big Fish: 4th Place Team above…7.35 lbs…$160
1st Place TWT: 1st Place Team above: 25.16 lbs…$231
2nd Place TWT: 3rd Place Team above: 24.07 lbs…$99
Mini Trail Points Champions..Keith Deal & Ricky Kenworth of Holly Springs & Cary…$444 & Trophies
Tow Boats US Member Bonus Award: Tim Goss of Franklinton: $100
Contact Information:
Phil McCarson…Tournament Director—922 Valetta Rd.—Durham, NC 27712
Home: 919-471-1571 Cell: 919-971-5042
email: philsflags@msn.com website: www.piedmontbassclassics.com
DAYTON, Tenn. — There are few secrets on Lake Chickamauga this week among the 140 anglers in the June 11-15 Bassmaster BASSfest event.
Even Michael Iaconelli, who caught 25 pounds, 12 ounces of bass within one hour to take the first-day BASSfest lead, claims not to have a spot to himself or a unique technique to catch the bass he’s located on the Tennessee River impoundment.
It does not matter if you’re a bass angler or a deep sea fisherman; we who are in search of beating fish in their own environment know that storms can blow in at a moments notice. The news can say low winds and zero chance of rain, until you get your boat launched and heading out. You need to be able to rely on your outerwear to keep you dry and comfortable. It does not matter to me what the weather channel tells me the morning before, I bring my outerwear 90% of the time. Even if it does not rain all day, there is still that time in the morning where your boat seats are chilly and covered with condensation.
You can walk in a store and see outerwear that ranges from $50 to $400. What makes them so far apart in regards to price? Some are the basic of the basic when it comes to different companies. They can be mainly a plastic shell with a zipper, just enough to be able to keep some water out. Some offer windproof outwear with thick liners to keep you warm on cold days, though restrict your movement throughout the day. There are a ton of different options when choosing outerwear that is going to lower or drive the price up depending on the needs of the buyer. Though, not all are created equal.
I’m not a fair weather fisherman; I like to think of myself as a better angler in worse weather because I am not afraid of being cold or wet. Whether it’s 30 mph winds or pouring rain, if the fish are biting, then I am on the water, regardless. Because of my willingness to brave the wind and rain I’ve spent a lot of days on the water cold, clammy and wet. The outerwear I was using did what it could, but the seams leaked, the neck area allowed water to come in and the restriction truly made casting a workout. Everything was wet by the end of the day and made for a long ride home. Though, this year I was introduced to an outerwear company new to the bass fishing industry. The companies name is Gill. For the past many years Gill has been making outerwear for sailing teams in the United States and other countries. Their outerwear is tough and durable which is why people favored them in the sailing industry. Recently, Gill took what they knew about outerwear for hard working sailors and launched new products for the fishing industry. Gill knew that anglers toughed out the elements year round and knew they could offer a product that could stand up to the challenges anglers faced and the difference is visible.
Gill has an assortment of different outerwear from rain jackets to water proof bibs. The outerwear I purchased were the newest set they offered, the IN12 Coast Jacket and the IN12 Coast Trousers.
Right away when you see the IN12 Coast Jacket the first thing you notice is the high neck that comes standard on this jacket. That high neck is a savior because it is lined with flece on the inside and it straps down using a strong velcro. You may also notice that the jacket is somewhat longer, this is to add extra protection from water that may travel up. On the front of the IN12 Coast Jacket you can see there are two larger draining storage pockets, though, what you don’t see is behind the larger outer pockets are two larger side pockets that are lined with fleece to keep your hands warm. The IN12 Coast Jacket comes standard with a 2-layer coated fabric with a durable water repellent finish, fully taped seams for a waterproof seal, and non-absorbent and quick-drying lining. It offers excellent weather protection and all-round performance.
Next you will see the IN12 Coast Trousers. These are the best outerwear bibs I have ever owned. They offer all the material technology offered in the IN12 Coast Jacket and are made to be worn all day. They come with reinforced material on the seat and knees of the bibs, adjustable ankle and shoulder straps. Having reinforced material on the seat and knees keep you comfortable when kneeling and are somewhat slide proof when sitting on wet seats.
What you may not notice is that both the IN12 Coast Jacket and the IN12 Coast Trousers are the best when it comes to comfort because they are super light. Also, there is no resistance when making long casts or flipping a jig into brush, while keeping you dry the entire day.
Gill’s IN12 Coast Jacket runs at a price of $199 and the IN12 Coast Trouser are $159. The quality that Gill offers in their products is unmatched. I can assure you, this will be one of the best investments you will make when buying outerwear.
Like always check Fishidy for the most up to date information on your local hot spots. Also try Fishidy’s new Fishing Forecaster, it plots the best times to go after your targeted species, where to fish and what to use!
Authored by Joe Cramier (www.facebook.com/joecramierfishing)
Connect with Joe on Fishidy
Post spawn bass can be difficult to catch at times, but crankbaits can coax bass to bite as they are moving from spawning flats to the structure where they will feed and hold until summer. Every crankbait can have a little different wobble or action by design, but one post spawn technique that enhances the action and increases strikes from bass that has been proven time and time again by top pro anglers is a fast retrieve and direction changes. A fast presentation will often get bass to strike during post spawn when many anglers believe the fish are not biting. Post spawn bass are somewhat lethargic as they recuperate from the stressful activities of the spawn. Often they will not chase bait, but when a crankbait bumps and bounces off structure as it is rapidly retrieved, bass cannot resist a reaction strike.
A reaction strike does not happen very often with a slow retrieve as if the fish are passive enough to ignore a slow moving lure. If you watch pro bass tournaments in the spring, one well-kept secret of pro anglers that fish crankbaits is that they will erratically change in speed and the direction the direction of the lure as they burn it over structure. The tactic is achieved by rapidly changing the position of the rod as the crankbait is being retrieved. By raising the rod tip the lure will climb, and by lowering it the lure will dive, then whipping it to the right to and to the left will cause the lure to react like it is maneuvering to avoid a predator, and this action, like a cat and a mouse, causes the bass to blow up on the crankbait. A long six and a half to seven foot rod and fluorocarbon line will help this technique greatly.
Although at times, post spawn bass can be difficult catch, a fast retrieve and random direction changes can be the trick for getting them to bite. A crankbait that runs deeper than the area that you are fishing will enhance the action when deflecting off the structure. Give this tactic a try on the days when someone says they just are not biting, you will be glad you did. Watch for the pro angler to manipulate the crankbait the next time you watch a televised tournament, once you see him raising, lowering and whipping side to side, when he feels changes in the bottom composition, that angler will soon be reeling one in.
Happy Fishing!
