Notice: Changes to The Bass Cast Stop #1 Weigh-in
So with Covid19 we are making a few changes to Stop#1 Weigh in for May 30th 2020
Bassmaster’s Live On The Lake Features Casting, Country Music And 2021 Classic Announcement
May 22, 2020
Bassmaster’s Live On The Lake Features Casting, Country Music And 2021 Classic Announcement
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Fans of fishing who stream next Wednesday’s “Live on the Lake” won’t just find hours of on-the-water, Lake Guntersville action with Elite Series pro Gerald Swindle and rising country music star Riley Green, they will also discover the location of the 2021 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
Tune in to Bassmaster.com to catch the latest episode of “Live on the Lake,” Wednesday, May 27 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. ET. Plus, the first and last 30 minutes of the show will be streamed on Facebook. After the announcement, Wednesday evening, B.A.S.S. will air an exclusive performance of Green’s most popular songs.
Speculation about the Classic location has been swirling since Hank Cherry hoisted the trophy in March, making this one of the year’s most anticipated Bassmaster live broadcasts. Swindle and Green will be fishing on the 2020 Classic waters at Lake Guntersville, making this the perfect backdrop for Swindle — an 18-time Classic qualifier — to announce the next destination for the Super Bowl of Professional Bass Fishing.
Swindle has long been one of sportfishing’s biggest names, while Green is one of music’s brightest emerging stars. Named an “Artist You Need To Know” by Rolling Stone, Green has charted with two singles, “There Was A Girl” (2018) and “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” (2019). His debut album, “Different ‘Round Here,” was released in late 2019. Green, who is also an avid outdoorsman and athlete who played three sports in high school and football in college, now counts hunting and fishing among his favorite pastimes.
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S. is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), television show (The Bassmasters on ESPN2 and The Pursuit Channel), radio show (Bassmaster Radio), social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Carhartt Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bassmaster Team Championship, new Huk Bassmaster B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak Series powered by TourneyX presented by Abu Garcia and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Huk.
Catch Co. Bucca Baby Bull Shad Review By Jason Sealock
The Bull Shad is known far and wide among bass fishing swimbait anglers. It has been a cult classic since its inception when Mike Bucca sought out to fill a hole in the big swimbait market with oversized gizzard shad imitators. He’s made them up to 11 inches and now has come full circle with his partnership with Catch Co. in the creation of the Baby Bull Shad—a mass produced smaller plastic version of his popular hand crafted swimbaits that introduces new anglers to hard swimbaits while offering a more finesse option.
Immediately, I appreciated the color options, the heavy duty hardware, the added durability of plastic and possibly some new applications with the much smaller Baby Bull Shad. You can throw it easily on conventional gear, even spinning tackle, opening up more anglers to his swimbait creations. Here is a deeper look at these small swimbaits and how I’ve been using them.
Planning for an Expanded St. Croix Rod Customer Appreciation Day Event Moves Forward
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More Appreciation Than Ever |
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Planning for an Expanded St. Croix Rod Customer Appreciation Day Event Moves Forward |
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Park Falls, WI (May 21, 2020) – One of the country’s most popular fishing-related events, St. Croix Rod Customer Appreciation Day, is fast approaching, bringing one-of-a-kind opportunities, unique product discounts, seminars, and a whole lot more. And, this year, St. Croix customers and staff can look forward to twice the fun. “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve moved the first phase of the event to a virtual format,” says St. Croix Product Manager, Ryan Teach. “That will take place during the event’s traditional timeframe, but it will span three days… Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 18th through the 20th… and people can come and go as their time allows. The virtual event will include all the same great deals on rods, reels, combos, accessories and apparel our customers have come to expect from CAD, along with interactive webinars with St. Croix pros, instructional video content, free prize drawings, video messages from St. Croix staff, a virtual tour of the Park Falls factory and more,” Teach continues. “And the best part about this year’s event is that we still plan to hold a more traditional, in-person Customer Appreciation Day like we’ve had in years past later in the summer!” |
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St. Croix will announce details on the in-person phase of Customer Appreciation Day soon and are excited to be able to use an otherwise gloomy situation as a way to expand its much-anticipated fishing event into something even bigger and more novel than ever. “People have endured enough disappointment in their lives lately,” says St. Croix Director of Marketing, Jesse Simpkins. “We care about our anglers, so even with last week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling on the state’s Safer at Home Order, we decided we could not risk anyone’s physical health by moving forward with a live event in Park Falls next month. But we couldn’t fathom taking this cherished event away from anglers either. So, we decided to turn it into a two-phase event that will allow more anglers to participate than ever before.” St. Croix Rod Customer Appreciation Day has turned into one of the country’s premier fishing events in recent years. The 2018 event attracted some 2,700 participants – despite rain and stormy weather – with visitors commuting from as far as Croatia. Tent space was tripled in 2019, and attendance topped 3,000. So what is it that draws anglers from all points on the globe to Northern Wisconsin for St. Croix Rod Customer Appreciation Day? The first is the atmosphere, a celebration of fishing with fellow St. Croix enthusiasts from around the world. Each person who attends is drawn into the St. Croix family and gets to experience something no other rod manufacturer offers on such a personal level. In addition, there’s also the fair-like atmosphere with free prize drawings every hour, free lunch for all attendees, plus unbeatable discounts and sales on all things St. Croix, from rods to apparel and more. |
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“None of that changes this year… well, except maybe the free lunch during the virtual event,” kids Simpkins. “We’re committed to really making the virtual event something that’s both exciting and adds new value to the overall event for our customers. And while details of the live portion later this summer are still forthcoming, we’re going to pull out all the stops then, too, just like we always have to make sure our customers know how much they are appreciated. “It’s been a challenging few months – not just for St. Croix, but for nearly every business and most individuals,” Simpkins continues. “Appreciation is in the name of this event because it exists to celebrate the fact that it’s our customers who have kept our company afloat and in business for over 70 years now. We’re feeling the love and appreciate it now more than ever.” Anglers can learn more and stay up to date with planning for this year’s expanded Customer Appreciation Day events by following St. Croix on Facebook and Instagram, by subscribing to the St. Croix Enewsletter, or by checking back regularly at stcroixrods.com. |
Booming Interest In Bassmaster Opens Brings First Live Coverage, More Angler Opportunities For Rest Of Season
When the Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series resumes on the Arkansas River in June, fans will enjoy real-time leaderboard updates as well as on-the-water live coverage for the first time.
Photo by B.A.S.S.
May 21, 2020
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Booming Interest In Bassmaster Opens Brings First Live Coverage, More Angler Opportunities For Rest Of Season
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The excitement of sportfishing kicks off again in June with seven tournaments remaining in the hotly contested Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens Series. With fan interest at an all-time high and a stacked field of anglers that includes some of the sport’s biggest names, B.A.S.S. officials announced plans today to expand live coverage and make it easier for additional pro anglers to compete in the Opens.
“Our anglers, fans and sponsors are excited to get back to the fun and excitement of tournament fishing when the season resumes this summer,” said B.A.S.S. CEO Bruce Akin. “The 2020 Bassmaster Opens has set up to be among the most competitive in history, and we were thrilled to get the season rescheduled.
“While it was disappointing to postpone events, our team worked diligently during the unexpected downtime to improve Opens Series coverage options and implement additional technology that fans and anglers alike are sure to love. Now we just have to wait and see what these talented anglers catch!”
Over the course of January’s Bassmaster Eastern Open at Harris Chain, the leaderboard was visited an astounding 392,000 times as fans tuned in to follow the progress of their favorite anglers! Now, fishing fans will have two new options for following the on-the-water action. Beginning June 18 with the Basspro.com Bassmaster Central Open at Arkansas River, both boaters and co-anglers will use BASSTrakk for real-time updates. Plus, fans can follow the final-day drama by streaming Nationwide Bassmaster Opens LIVE presented by Grizzly as camera boats provide coverage of the leaders.
But it is not just fans who will have more access to on-the-water action. More anglers will also have an opportunity to compete for the coveted Falcon Rods Angler of the Year title!
While Opens tournaments have traditionally seen a pro angler and co-angler competing from the same boat, new rules going into place when the season restarts on the Arkansas River in June will allow for some pros to compete without a co-angler on one of the first two full-field days of the tournament on a random basis. Those pro anglers currently on the waiting list for tournaments will be added to the field. Registration for the first Bassmaster Central Open on the Arkansas River has been extended through May 29, 2020 and all late fees will be waived. Registration information can be found at Bassmaster.com/Opens.
“In these unprecedented times, it’s understandable that fewer co-anglers may want to commit to a tournament and be in close proximity to others,” said Chris Bowes, Tournament Director for the Opens Series. “But we wanted to ensure that pro anglers still have an opportunity to compete and collect valuable points toward the Falcon Rods Angler of the Year race as well as qualify for a spot on the Elite Series.”
Adding to the drama of the 2020 Bassmaster Opens, the new Falcon Rods Bassmaster Opens Angler of the Year title awards $10,000 to the overall points winner in the pro division. The top co-angler will have the pro division entry fees into the 2021 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens division of his or her choice paid for — a value of approximately $7,200!
The 2020 Basspro.com Bassmaster Opens features four events in two divisions — Eastern and Central — with the winners of each event earning an automatic berth into the 2021 Bassmaster Classic, provided he or she has fished all four events in that division. The Top 4 anglers from each division’s final points standings will receive an invitation to fish the 2021 Bassmaster Elite Series. As a new addition, Elite Series invitations will also be extended to the Top 4 anglers from the cumulative standings for both divisions for a total of 12 invitations.
Among those fighting for those coveted Elite Series invitations are 46 anglers who have registered to fish all eight Opens Series tournaments plus two current Elite pros, Brandon Palaniuk and Gerald Swindle, who are fishing the entire season to help ensure they requalify for the Series.
Daisuke Aoki, Minamitsurugun, Japan
Cody Bertrand, Dyer, Ind.
Randy Blaukat, Joplin, Mo.
Wyatt Burkhalter, Coker, Ala.
Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas
Jason Christie, Park Hill, Okla.
Josh Douglas, Isle, Minn.
Anthony Dumitras, Winston, Ga.
Denny Fiedler, Wabasha, Minn.
Marc Frazier, Newnan, Ga.
John Garrett, Union City, Tenn.
Caleb Gibson, Locust Grove, Okla.
Cody Hahner, Wausau, Wis.
Bradley Hallman, Norman, Okla.
Charlie Hartley, Grove City, Ohio
Andy Hribar, Lakeville, Minn.
Cody Huff, Ava, Mo.
John Hunter Jr., Simpsonville, Ky.
Ken Iyobe, Tokoname, Japan
Rex Jaeger, Fairfield Township, Ohio
Teb Jones, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Seiji Kato, Outsu Shiga, Japan
Kenta Kimura, Osaka, Japan
Brad Knight, Lancing, Tenn.
Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C.
Greg Mansfield, Olathe, Kan.
Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla.
Kenny Mittelstaedt, Minnetonka, Minn.
Bryan New, Belmont, N.C.
Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho
Scott Pellegrin, Chippewa Falls, Wis.
Luke Plunkett, Pinson, Ala.
KJ Queen, Catawba, N.C.
Chad Randles, Elkhorn, Neb.
Dustin Reneau, Mckinney, Texas
Matthew Robertson, Kuttawa, Ky.
Garrett Rose, Pipecreek, Texas
Jake Rossi, Columbus, Ohio
Steve Sennikoff, Edgewood, Texas
Scott Siller, Milwaukee, Wis.
Bryant Smith, Roseville, Calif.
Chandler Stewart, Waco, Texas
Gerald Swindle, Guntersville, Ala.
Andrew Thomasson, Dublin, Va.
Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla.
Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn.
Tommy Williams, Shepherdsville, Ky.
Trait Zaldain, Fort Worth, Texas
FLW Set for Return to Competition with Toyota Series Tournament on Pickwick Lake
FLORENCE, Ala. (May 21, 2020) – FLW is set to return to tournament competition next week in Florence, Alabama, with the three-day Toyota Series event at Pickwick Lake, May 28-30. Hosted by Florence/Lauderdale Tourism, the event will feature a return to action for the region’s best bass-fishing pros and co-anglers.
The event will be the first FLW tournament held since the organization paused all competition in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament will be held under an abundance of caution, with limited attendance to anglers and essential tournament staff only. Fans are encouraged to forgo daily takeoffs and weigh-ins and follow the event online through “FLW Live” weigh-in broadcasts and coverage at FLWFishing.com.
“It’s definitely going to be an offshore deal, and it’s going to be a slugfest,” said Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit rookie Cole Floyd.
Floyd said that on Kentucky Lake, the fishing has been a little behind this year, but he thinks that only makes the timing better at Pickwick.
“I’ll usually start finding fish out on mid-range stuff now, or a week before now (mid-May),” said Floyd of the offshore bite. “It’s kind of behind here (at Kentucky Lake). We haven’t had a shad spawn yet, and usually it’s going on now. I’ve heard that it hasn’t quite happened yet there (at Pickwick), but I think this tournament will hit it right on the nail.”
For catching offshore fish, Floyd thinks that cranking will be clutch, as that’s usually one of the best early producers offshore on the Tennessee River. Other traditional ledge-fishing baits will work as well, including football jigs and other dragging baits. Swimbaits, hair jigs and fluke-style baits on Scrounger-style heads could also produce, and they have a history of success in the summer on Pickwick.
For the shallow-water stuff, Floyd said that big spinnerbaits can be very good around spawning shad. Big, shallow-running crankbaits may also be a good bet to catch the better-than-average largemouth that are shallow and gorging on big gizzard shad.
“I bet it’s going to be crazy. There will also be guys that catch them out of shallower stuff, too. They will be tough to beat if they find that stuff,” Floyd went on to say. “I bet the weights will be crazy. I’d say it’ll take high 60s to win over three days.”
Anglers will take off from McFarland Park, located at 200 Jim Spain Drive, in Florence at 6 a.m. CDT each day of competition. The weigh-ins will be broadcast at FLWFishing.com each day from McFarland Park, beginning at 2 p.m.
In Toyota Series regular-season competition, payouts are based on the number of participants competing in the event, scaling up for every 20 boats over 160 and scaling down for every boat below 160. With a 160-boat field, pros fish for a top prize of $40,000, plus an extra $35,000 if FLW PHOENIX BONUS qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500). With a 260-boat field, pros fish for a top award of $65,000, plus an extra $35,000 if FLW PHOENIX BONUS qualified. Co-anglers cast for the top prize of a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard (valued at $33,500) plus $5,000 cash.
The Toyota Series consists of eight divisions – Central, Eastern, Northern, Plains, Southeastern, Southern, Southwestern and Western – each holding three regular-season events, along with the International division. Anglers who fish all three qualifiers in any of the eight divisions and finish in the top 25 will qualify for the no-entry-fee Toyota Series Championship for a shot at winning $235,000 cash, including a $35,000 FLW PHOENIX Bonus for qualified anglers. The winning co-angler at the championship earns a new Phoenix 518 Pro bass boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. The 2020 Toyota Series Championship will be held Dec. 3-5 on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky, and is hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission and the Burnside Tourism Commission.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Toyota Series on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, FLW and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Zimbabwe.
FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. Acquired by Major League Fishing in late 2019, FLW is expanding its programming in 2020 to the Outdoor Channel and the Sportsman Channel as well as on-demand at MyOutdoorTV (MOTV).
The Art of Topwater: Living Out the Dream by Bruce Callis
The Art of Topwater:
Living Out the Dream
by Bruce Callis
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Spring and summer are times we really look forward to and that magic time when the topwater bite turns on. We dream of those explosions as we work our bait across the top of the water. We dream of that leap that stops our heart and then brings it back to beating when they land back into the water. Those are the dreams we all share and all want to relive over and over.
For years, I only knew 3 topwater lures and I used them religiously. The original Jitterbug, the Hula Popper, and the Devilhorse. And I managed to catch a few bass on them, and miss even more. The problem wasn’t the bait. I was learning to use them, learning to not react to the noise of the strike. I learned to wait for the resistance on the other end of the line. The more I threw them, the better I got at using them. Today, I throw them far less and I don’t know why exactly. But I am still searching for that bite.
The frog has become my favorite topwater bait. There are so many choices when it comes to frogs, but it comes down to three basic choices; soft plastic, hollow bellied and popping frogs. All three choices can be worked in, through, and across any cover. The frog can come through lily pads, across the top of grass mats, and through or over laydowns. They can be worked up shallow or in open water, and can bring so much excitement. The soft plastic frog does not float and must be in constant motion to stay on top of the water. But they work great. A soft plastic frog, the Zoom Horny Toad, is what I caught my personal best on and what I am constantly trying to top each and every trip out on the water. The hollow bellied and popping frog all float when at rest. We work them to give them action. We cut the skirt legs to help them walk back and forth for us. We learn to make them dance in place. And we wait for that explosion to happen. The popping frog is unique as it takes the action of a frog and a popping bait and combines them into a lure that can be thrown basically anywhere. I love using mine in the back of the pad fields where the big girls love to hide.
The popper is another amazing choice for topwater strikes. The concave face is what helps the bait as it is pulled to make a popping sound like a bluegill hitting the surface. There are many different versions and designs, but they all are made to do the same thing. They float motionless on the water until we entice the action through our rod tip. While they work great, the treble hooks that hang below them makes it easy to foul, thus limiting where and when we can throw them. But many an angler has landed trophy sized bass on them.
The walking bait is another great topwater bait that gets it’s action from us as we work it back to us. The secret to them is learning to make them dance and walk side to side, sometimes never moving more than an inch or two as we work it towards us. They are great in open water and on the outside edges of vegetation, places where the treble hooks won’t get fouled.
Another choice is the prop style topwater lure. These are equipped with a small prop style spinner on the front, back, or both. These props are what makes the sound as they are ripped through the water. The Devilhorse, Torpedo, Tiny Torpedo and others are all examples of these baits. Like the walking baits, they have treble hooks that don’t allow you to work them everywhere. But they excel around the edges of vegetation and over laydowns. They are also great in open water.
And then there are the hybrids. River2Seas makes a cross between a hollow bellied frog and a jitterbug. It has a soft plastic concave lip like the old jitterbug, but instead of a solid body, it is attached to a hollow bellied frog, making in great in open water and in sparse vegetation since it has no exposed hooks. Livingston Lures also has a hybrid called the walking boss. It has a jitterbug feel to it but a much longer and slender hard body. It too has the treble hooks making it much better in more open water. Another style prop type bait is the Whopper Plopper. The tail spins giving it the action or plop as it is retrieved.
Buzz baits are another choice. These are made with a blade that when retrieved across the top of the water make a churning sound as it buzzes across the surface. They can be used with just a skirt of them or with a soft plastic trailer. They can also be used without a skirt but have a trailer. These work great anywhere except for dense vegetation where the blades get tangled.
Now is a great time to be throwing a topwater bait. No matter the style you choose, it takes time to learn how to use them. Watch plenty of videos, listen to other anglers to learn little tricks that will make the bait work for you. And hold on tight when you feel them on your line. Those explosions and heart stopping moments are what legends are made of. Live that dream!
Getting Over The Hump Of Clear Water Fishing
Getting Over The Hump Of Clear Water Fishing
Fishing clear water lakes can be a daunting task for many anglers. Just the idea of dropshotting 20ft of water or slowly dragging a jig along a deep ledge can be a grueling, not to mention tedious task. Thankfully there are ways to tackle tough clear water bites. There is more than one way to successfully fish a clear lake.
One key to fishing clear water lakes is fishing structure. Clearwater fish relate to an offshore structure like river channels, points, and humps.
What Is A Hump?
A hump is basically underwater hill that consists of either sand of rock and can hold some amazing fishing opportunities for bass anglers. Humps can be incline at a gradual rate or be extremely steep. Each hump is unique and holds a wide range of fishing opportunities for clear water bass.
Positioning Your Boat When Fishing A Hump
Positioning is the most important aspect when fishing main lake humps. Keeping your distance and remaining undetected by the fish is an important skill to have before coming up on the fish. Maintaining a sense of stealth is what makes or breaks a good hump bite. Making sure you’re nearing a hump at a slow speed is necessary. If you’re approaching a deep hump too quickly you risk exposing yourself which can result in a fish to scatter. The closer you approach a hump the shallower the bottom will get. Some humps can go all the way from 20ft to a mere 2ft.
Where To Get Started
To begin position your boat at least 10 to 15 yards away from where the hump begins to incline. Once you’ve reached the beginning of the hump make a few long casts all the way to shallowest area and work your way back to deep water. If the hump’s shallowest point is 4ft and the base of the hump is 20ft fish from the 4ft spot until reaching 19-20ft of the hump. Depending on the conditions and layout hump fish will sit around, on top of or at the edge of a hump making important to cover as much area as possible.
3 Of The Best Bass Baits For Fishing A Hump
Three baits to always have on the front of your boat when fishing humps is a finesse worm, rigged on a dropshot, topwater lures such as a frog or and a deep crankbait.
If you plan to fish humps in colder weather than ditch the surface bait and opt to dragging a 1/4 football head jig along the rocky slopes of a hump.
Topwaters
Topwater baits will come into play when water temperatures and stable and warm on a hump for heavily feeding, aggressive fish that tend to push baitfish into shallower water. Humps serve as natural baitfish traps for bass. Fish looking to feed will push baitfish up, over and on top of humps into shallow water reducing the playing field. It’s easier for a bass to corner a school of shad in 4ft of shallow water opposed to 15ft of open water which give baitfish more room to escape.
Drop Shot
The dropshot is the rig to throw when you first approach a hump. Make a long as up onto the hump and slowly work your way down until you reach the base. Not only can you cover water with this technique but its a sure way to locate where the fish are in relation to the hump. Never hesitate to throw the dropshot in the shallows of a hump. Just because you aren’t getting hit on your popper doesn’t mean the bass won’t commit to the subtle action of your dropshot in 4ft or 3ft of water.
Crankbaits
If fishing a dropshotting a hump is too tedious for you try covering more water with a deep diving crank bait. Start off by casting a deep crank in shallower water than its rated for and grinding it up against the bottom. Eventually the crank will reach open water and pick off fish sitting slightly off the slope that you normally couldn’t reach with a dropshot or popper.
Timing Is Everything
Timing is another important aspect of hump fishing as well. There are times when humps are as bare as deserts and pose no real purpose for fish.A few seasonal periods that pose for outstanding fishing is when water temperatures begin to rise. Fish in deep water have to travel less when a shallow hump sits adjacent to their cold water holes. Fish will travel up in the shallow parts of hump to access warmer water and potential feeding or spawning grounds.
Early Summer is the best time to fish humps. Bass have the option between staging up in shallow or deep water without having to waste stored energy to travel great distances. Unlike deep drop off or ledges, humps give the fish 360 degree access to shallower water.
Bonus Pro Tips
***Humps with mixed in sand and grass are great for fishing lures like dropshots and jigs. Humps lined with cobble stone and chunk run are ideal for cranks and more fast moving baits. The gravel and rocky humps will heat up much faster during cold months giving a warm spot for fish to hang out.
Frog Walkers Wanted – ZMan Fishing
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An in-depth look at Z-Man® Fishing’s new easy-to-walk hollow-body Leap FrogZ™ [print_link] |
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Ladson, SC (May 19, 2020) – With an innocent little splash, the defenseless amphibian belly-flops into the drink. Powerful legs kick and recoil, scooting the frog forward. The critter pauses, re-surfaces, bulging eyes betraying looming danger. Webbed feet dangle invitingly, soft white belly tantalizing, almost taunting. In one explosive instant, the water beneath the creature drops like an elevator; an unseen predator opens its jaws with the vacuum force of a plunging five-gallon bucket. With a watery whoosh and a steel-door snap, poor little critter meets his maker. In the bass-eats-whatever-it-wants-to world, it’s tough to be a frog. Even tougher, perhaps, for a new artificial amphibian, freshly metamorphosized and minted by the bass bait artists at Z-Man Fishing. Hatched with a hollow, super collapsible vinyl body, the Z-Man Leap FrogZ puts itself in immediate danger every time it slaps the water’s surface. Two different “species”—a Walking Frog and a Popping Frog—arm anglers with situation-specific frog baits, featuring subtle and lifelike or aggressive and loud surface actions, respectively. |
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An amphibian fan from way back, Major League Fishing star Luke Clausen contributed several valuable assets to the design of the new pro-grade topwater frog. Among them, a precise, easy-to-retrieve anatomy. “One cool attribute frog anglers will appreciate, we molded both versions of the Leap FrogZ with a deep-V belly that acts like a rudder to carve the surface and empower easy walk-the-dog retrieves,” says Clausen. Clausen also calls attention to the frogs’ hollow, super soft body, which collapses with minimal pressure, activating the custom, heavy-duty double hook. “We forged this special frog hook with the perfect, slightly ‘open’ angle to yield super-high percentage hooksets. Hookpoints are keenly sharp, right out of the package.” |
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Further elevating the Leap FrogZ’ performance, Clausen and Z-Man constructed the bait with a fully sealed eyelet to prevent water from entering the cavity, while a rear drain hole sheds excess moisture. “These fine-tuned assets allow the Leap FrogZ to float higher in the water and perform at the highest level,” adds Clausen. Extra-long, multi-colored silicone legs are remarkably suggestive of actual amphibian appendages and webbed feet— slowly trailing down as the frog rests, folding back, articulating and flaring when the legs kick and stop. |
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A deep-V belly shape yields effortless walk-the-dog retrieves. |
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“Silicone is actually a pretty amazing imitator of frog legs,” notes FLW Pro Tour angler Miles “Sonar” Burghoff. “Out of the package, you have the choice to fish the Leap FrogZ as is, or to trim the silicone to your own requirements. At times, I’ll trim the legs all the way down to just an inch and a half, particularly when bass seem to be short striking and keying on the legs rather than the body. Fortunately, this frog is designed and built so well that trimming the legs doesn’t dampen its side-to-side walking action one bit. “Remember, too, that bass might not always interpret the bait as a frog,” he notes. “I actually like to throw a black-bellied pattern around shallow cover. In open water, when bass are keying on shad, a white bellied bait excels. Or, throw a bright chartreuse belly around sunfish schools.” According to Burghoff, the two Leap FrogZ versions cater to different bass activity levels. “When bass are really on fire with a large strike zone, I pick up the walking version and cover water with a faster retrieve. The walking Leap FrogZ is also the one you want for fishing over heavy veg mats. “At times, you want to work the bait with long pulls,” notes Burghoff. “Other times, bass prefer short little moves forward, almost like hops and stops. The key to activate the bait lies in the slack line you provide before and after each twitch of the rodtip. Many anglers think a frog only produces in vegetation. Actually, this frog draws strikes from bass in open water. And the Leap FrogZ skips really well under overhangs and docks—two more awesome places to fish it.” |
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For bass with smaller strike zones, Burghoff selects the popping version of the Leap FrogZ, sculpted with a deeply concave mouth that ‘talks’ bass into biting. “When I’ve located a big bass or am zoned into a smaller area, the popping frog is perfect,” he adds. “The bait walks and bubbles on top, stays in the strike zone longer and calls bass to the surface without too much forward motion. I pull this frog trick on post frontal fish, in spring, around beds and near isolated reed clumps—anytime I’m casting to specific targets—and catch bass by working it right on top of their head. “The bait is really well made. I’ve caught over 25 bass and counting on the first one I tied on, and it’s still going strong.” “You hear anglers complain about missing blow-ups on other frogs. We built the Leap FrogZ so soft and with so many little goodies that hooksets just aren’t an issue with this bait,” Clausen suggests. “Even the paint application is top-notch. It doesn’t wear off or even show signs of abuse after a bunch of bass have chewed on it.” |
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Available now at retailers nationwide and at www.zmanfishing.com, the Leap FrogZ is built in 2.25- and 2.75-inch sizes in both Popping Frog and Walking Frog body types. Five different naturalistic frog patterns, 3D eyes and premium paint apps max out the lure’s attraction. MSRP $7.99 each. |
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McCaig and Hurst take the win at Weiss with a 6-pound lead over 2nd place By Jason Duran
McCaig and Hurst take the win at Weiss with a 6-pound lead over 2nd place
By Jason Duran
Photos Chris Brown
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With anglers chomping at the bits to get back to fishing, the Alabama Bass Trail North Division was back in action this weekend. The previous two events have been re-scheduled for later this year, so anglers picked the season up with stop number 2 on Weiss Lake in Cherokee County, AL.
With 22.60 pounds of all largemouth, the team of Mark McCaig and Tim Hurst took a commanding win on Weiss Lake with 6-pound lead over the rest of the field along with $19,250 in winnings and bonuses.
Mark and Tim spent a day and a half practicing in separate boats where they both found their own areas they thought they could catch some fish. However, neither of them felt the areas they found were winning areas. They both had a decent bite in one similar area and decided the night before they would go to that area to get started and try to fish something new in that area.
At the first stop, they caught three and a half and five pounders that “clued them in to what they had been missing in practice.” Mark said, that clue was “I felt like a lot of fish were still spawning but had expected this to be a post spawn bite with most of the fish out deep.” Once we realized it wasn’t a deep bite this morning “we started running around fishing similar areas upriver all the way down to the dam.”
The team said they “targeted fish in the spawning areas”- not necessarily bed fishing but primarily fishing shallow areas where fish were spawning or headed to and from spawning. Mark said, “we realized that the farther we went back in pockets, the smaller the fish were, so we targeted shallow areas instead of the backs of pockets.” They caught their fish primarily on two baits; in the morning, they started with a Spro Poppin frog, and later in the day when it got tough, they used a Bass Pro Shops Green Pumpkin Senko.
The up and down temperature changes in the seasonal weather have broken up the spawn cycle on Weiss causing this lake to fish tough for a couple reasons. Mark said “there are fish in many different stages and there is a lot of shallow water in this lake, so when these fish get post-spawn, they can be 50 yards off the bank and still be in shallow water. You can go through an area and you might be around the better fish, but you can’t get them to bite because they are so spread out.” It is really hard to target and catch post spawn fish.
Mark said “winning a tournament with 225 boats is more about the decisions that you make during the day or the maybe decisions you make to start somewhere more so than fishing ability. This field is packed with great fishermen who all have the same fishing ability, and there are a lot of winners here.” Their key decision today was to “sit down before we made move, look at the map and say if the fish spawned here, this is where we are going and just try and catch them somewhere in between.”
Second place went to Stephen Mcavoy and Josh Butts with 16.14. They started their morning on a shad spawn point that was about two feet deep. Their second cast with a Booya Buzz Clacker in white caught a four pounder. On the third cast, they caught a three pounder. Within ten minutes they had a limit that was pushing 12 pounds. They described this point as a mid-pocket point with grass right next to a wooden seawall.
The shad spawn was over in about an hour, and from there they tried to fish docks, but it didn’t pan out. So, they went back to the grass and started catching fish and made a few culls using a Dirty Jigs White Sim Jig. They, like others, found them in the back of pockets, but they were the smaller fish. The team felt that the better fish were moving out of the pocket and heading to deeper water. So, they targeted them about mid-way out and caught better fish there.
Third place was separated by just two hundredths of an ounce with the team of Bryan Dowdy and Kyle Lewellen weighing in at 16.12 pounds. They caught them flipping a Strike King Rage Craw and swimming a Dirty Jigs 3/8 swim jig in white with a Strike King Menace trailer. They targeted shallow grass areas in the Yellow Creek area. They said they “didn’t catch a fish over two-feet deep. “First, we went to a couple bed fish spots we found in practice and caught one off the bed but couldn’t find the others.” They spent the rest of the day “junk fishing” their way into third place. They caught over 20 fish up until 11:00 when they got their last bite. They had a mixed bag of two spotted bass and three largemouth.
To review the top ten standings and a full list of results, visit https://www.alabamabasstrail.org/tournament-series/wel-results/
Download and listen to the ABT Podcast on your favorite Podcast app by searching for “Alabama Bass Trail Podcast.” The Podcast is released each week on Tuesday.
The sponsors of the 2020 Alabama Bass Trail include; Phoenix Bass Boats, Bill Penney Toyota, Garmin, Academy Sports & Outdoors, America’s First Federal Credit Union, Sweet Home Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, T-H Marine Supplies, Wedowee Marine, Strike King, Buffalo Rock, Mountain Dew, Jack’s, Fish Neely Henry Lake.com, Alabama Power Company, Lew’s Fishing, Berkley, YETI, Power Pole, Big Bite Bait Company, E3 Apparel and Hydrowave.
For information about Alabama Bass Trail and for complete tournament standings visit www.alabamabasstrail.org.
