http://www.fishingclub.com RSS feeds for North American Fishing Club 60 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2978/nafc-facebook-fans-help-pattern-a-new-lake-for-bass#Comments 1 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2978 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2978&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2978/nafc-facebook-fans-help-pattern-a-new-lake-for-bass I recently fished a 300-acre lake I’d been on once before more than 10 years ago. In other words, I knew virtually nothing about it. My fishing partner for the day was Greg Huff. He oversees the NAFC’s Facebook page (www.Facebook/fishingclub), so when he suggested we solicit input from NAFC's Facebook fans on how to approach this “new” water, I thought it was a brilliant idea. To help get the ball rolling, we provided the following information: -- Size of lake: 300 acres -- Water clarity: 3 to 5 feet -- Maximum depth: 80 feet -- Bottom composition: sand/gravel/muck -- Vegetation present: bulrushes, cattails, coontail and milfoil -- Target species: largemouth bass -- Weather conditions: 70 degrees, post cold front -- Time of year: spawn/post spawn I use water clarity as one of my primary factors when deciding where to start fishing -- and even when. In general, I fish shallower in waters with limited clarity (a foot or two of visibility); and fish deeper when faced with clear to ultra-clear waters. Water clarity determines depth of weedlines and in lakes with limited clarity, weedlines may max out at 7 or 8 feet, while they may go to 20 feet or deeper in clear lakes. That’s important, because species like bass usually relate closely to vegetation. Water clarity in the lake on the day we fished was about 4-5 feet. Where did we find the biggest concentrations of bass? In 7-10 feet of water, concentrated the most near the deep weed edge. Frankly, I had expected to find more fish up shallow, holding tight to cover in a couple feet of water or less. But when an hour of fishing produced only two small bass, we left the shallows and began probing deeper. Some of our Facebook fans had suggested doing that very thing -- starting shallow and then moving deeper if bites were hard to come by. I caught most of my fish on Texas-rigged Powerworms in both 7- and 10-inch sizes. Greg tried a spinnerbait early and creature baits around docls, but ultimately found success also with Texas-rigged Powerworms and, later, 4- and 5-inch Berkley Heavyweight worms rigged wacky style. Indeed, several Facebookers had suggested Texas rigs and wacky-wormed stickbaits. We landed dozens of bass to 5 pounds, a day for the ages! If you are looking to become a better angler, take the new-lake challenge. Fish as many new bodies of water as you can. Rely on your knowledge of the lake type and your targeted species, and build a game plan for the conditions. If fishing’s tough (it usually is at first), begin making big changes in location and presentation until you get things figured out. On familiar bodies of water, it’s easy to fall back on memories and favorite lures and locations, and when you get in that rut, innovation suffers NAFC Social Media Editor Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:57:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2978 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2968/eat-bass-improve-your-fishery#Comments 7 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2968 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2968&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2968/eat-bass-improve-your-fishery Karen looked at me with her soft brown eyes and said, “I’d really like fish for dinner tonight.”  Well, it was mid-afternoon on a hot August day and my first thoughts were that a batch of fried crappie did sound great. But then I remembered I had searched low and high for crappie a few days before without success. Bluegills? Well, the lake was loaded with runts and I’m not a fan of potato chip fillets. Which left one option: bass. It had been years since I put a knife to a bass, largemouth or smallmouth, so the idea of killing a few for dinner was a bit unsettling though I couldn’t figure out why. It could be that catch & release has become so automatic for me that simple change may have been the difficulty. It could be that I’d put bass on a no-eat pedestal. I honestly didn’t know. What I did know was that I left the dock armed with bass gear and in short order I had four from 12 to 15 inches in the live well. Filleting the first one reminded me that bass have thick rib bones and a distinct odor, but other than that the finished fillet looked very similar to crappie. I watched Karen when she took the first bite and her reaction was positive. “It’s great; exactly what I had a craving for,” she told me. It was only after dinner that I shared the fact that the main course was largemouth not crappie. My decision to eat bass was based on a couple things. One, I knew I could catch a few in short order. Secondly, I saw it as a way to improve bass fishing in the lake, which offered great numbers of small to medium size fish, but very few large fish. Would removing numbers of smaller fish allow more of the remaining fish to grow to larger sizes? Science suggests it would help if enough like-minded anglers harvested smaller fish. In these days of slot limits and length limits and the proliferation of catch and release, the very idea of eating fish, especially bass, carries a stigma that simply is misplaced. In truth, harvesting fish is part of fisheries management and when done properly, is beneficial. And bass fried golden brown does taste mighty good! -- Steve Jim Edlund, Web Editor Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:36:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2968 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2967/sonar-advice#Comments 1 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2967 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2967&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2967/sonar-advice Years back, a sage angler friend suggested I turn off all the automatic features on my sonar and play with features like sensitivity to learn as much as possible about what was beneath my boat.   It was great advice ... still is.   Today's sonar units are incredible technological devices, so much so that most anglers today take for granted the benefits of  GPS and mapping, and many are still awaking to the benefits of side imaging. To get the most of  your sonar, take the time to read the Owners Manual of the unit or units you own, even leaving your fishing rods at home if they get in the way of truly learning how to run your electronics.   Last week, I had access to a 15-year-old portable Humminbird on a trip to Quebec's Gouin Reservoir with Bob Smouse, winner of the Quebec Ultimate Destination Giveaway (to enter yourself visit www.quebecultimatedestination.com), and it was a gentle reminder of how far sonar has come in recent years (all it did was show depth).    After returning Saturday, I launched my own boat on a lake near home. It's rigged with a Humminbird 1197C on the dash, so  I immediately switched it to a split screen mode with sonar on the left and GPS/Mapping on the right, then set up a couple trolling passes for walleye as the sun set. My daughter Maddie connected on a 4-pound pike as we approached a point, then my buddy Mitch hooked a walleye in the same spot a half hour later. As we approached the spot a third time following my plot trail, I turned my attention back to the sonar side of things to see if there was a breakline or other reason for fish to concentrate there and as I watched, my concentrated was broken by a 17-inch walleye that took my crankbait!   And that's when I noticed it ... all three fish came along a transition zone where the bottom went from a gravel/sand mix to a soft mud .... a line clearly visible on my graph because Humminbird incorporates WHITELINE into its option packages. Simply put, when I am over a hard bottom area, the sonar uses white to signify this. When I'm over soft bottomed areas, the sonar bottom contour is signified as red. When it's a mixed bottom, the sonar uses both red and white in various combinations to show it.   A little thing? No. It was the key to finding numbers of fish Saturday night and will be again in the future.   So I'm back to review my Owner's Manual again to find out what other features I should be using, but don't because I don't know they exist.-- Steve   Jim Edlund, Web Editor Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:52:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2967 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2964/art-of-conservation#Comments 1 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2964 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2964&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2964/art-of-conservation What began as a kid's homework assignment in 1998 has grown into one of the most effective conservation education programs in the United States.   Wildlife Forever's State Fish Art Program uses art, as part of the Fish On! school curriculum, to teach kids about aquatic resource conservation. Participants produce original art of a state fish in their native habitat and write an essay about the fish, their preferred habitat and life cycles.   Once a year, the thousands of submissions received are judged by a panel of artists, outdoor writers and conservation leaders, with awards given for top entries in grades 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 in every state. All winners are then invited to attend the State-Fish Art Expo, was held last week at the Texas Freshwater Fishery Center in Athens, Texas. Past events have been held at the Mall of America in Minnesota and future Expos are being explored in states like Arkansas and Georgia.   The program has grown in both stature and size since it's launch in 1999, and the level of art produced by children and young as age 10 is astounding. I'd suggest you visit www.statefishart.com  yourself to see the incredible works submitted. I'd also recommend you check out the article by Karen Hollingsworth in the spring 2011 issue of Eddies magazine (online copy available at www.fws.gov/eddies).   If you are a student, teacher or parent of a child interested in art, I'd recommend you contact Wildlife Forever for more information on how to participate in this incredible program. -- Steve      Jim Edlund, Web Editor Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:48:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2964 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2952/heading-north-packing-light#Comments 0 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=94&ModuleID=464&ArticleID=2952 http://www.fishingclub.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=2952&PortalID=0&TabID=94 http://www.fishingclub.com/features/blogs/articletype/articleview/articleid/2952/heading-north-packing-light I am leaving soon on a fly-in fishing trip to northern Quebec and have assembled what I'm bringing for four days of walleye and pike fishing. In the days before one bag limits when traveling by air, bringing enough gear was much easier (I'd just bring it all). But now I must pack more carefully--here's my list (note--I outfit my guests with tackle when taping): * 3 spinning reels/rods * 2 baitcasting reels/rods * assortment of Northland Tackle leadhead jigs 1/16- to 3/4-ounce * 4 bottom-bouncers and 4 bell sinkers * 1 spool of SpiderWire Fluorobraid (30 pound) * 1 spool Berkley Trilene XT mono (12 pound) * 6 packs of Gulp! Minnows (3 and 4 inch) * 6 packs Berkley 4-inch ring worms * 6 packs Berkley Ripple Shad (2 to 5 inches) * 6 Northland Tackle Live Forage spoons * 3 Johnson Silver Minnows * 6 Berkley Leaders (new Fluorocarbon models) * variety of crankbaits (Sebile and Frenzy) * 4 bass jigs (blue/black) * lip balm * sunscreen * polarized sunglasses * high expectations My plan is to target big pike first. The ice went out on the lake we'll be fishing less than a week ago, and I supect we'll find fish from 10 to 25 pounds still in the first-to-warm back bays with mud bottoms. If sight fishing is an option, we'll target big girls with the bass jigs tipped with Jiggercraws. If not, covering water will be the order of the day--we'll cast soft plastic swimbaits and spoons. For walleye, I'll have jigs/Gulp! and other Powerbait, spinner rigs and Gulp! or cranks all available--one of the three will work, if not all three. Other than a sleeping bag and good rain gear, I'm set. --Steve Jim Edlund, Web Editor Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:57:00 GMT f1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:2952