The Basics of Fly Fishing for Bass - Gear

Over the next few days I am going to try and cover the basics of fly fishing for bass in a series of posts.  This one will cover gear.  Next flies and presentations.  Then fishing different types of water - rivers and lakes.  I hope y'all enjoy!

If it swims in freshwater, I have probably chased it with a fly rod at one point or another.  I am not a total addict, like some folks.  I find no shame in fishing with conventional gear.  I enjoy the balance between the methods and consider myself quite good at each. However, the '50 Chunks on the Fly' challenge will definitely shift my techniques toward the long rod, feather chucking variety this year.  Here is a good introduction to the gear - rods, reels, line, leader, etc. - that I use to target bass.


HOW TO CHOOSE A FLY ROD
For those of you not familiar with how fly rod sizes work - they are called 'weights'.  A 1-weight would be a very light rod suited for small flies and small fish.  An 11-weight is a very heavy rod suited for bigger flies and bigger, stronger fish.  Some rods may be rated for multiple weights such as a 3/4-weight Orvis trout rod that I own. 

Most bass rods fall within the 6 to 10 weight range, with the most common being 7-8 weights.  I own a 5/6 weight Albright GPX rod that does the trick on smaller bodies of water with smaller bass flies.  It is a perfect choice for the Eno River that flows through Durham.  I also own an 8-weight Cabelas Prestige rod that is a great all-around rod.  My newest addition is a 9-weight Temple Fork Outfitters BVK series rod that I will be using to chuck mega-flies toward big bass and stripers.  I am super stoked to finally take it for a test drive.

You want to choose a rod that best fits your conditions.  For small rivers and creeks, an 8-weight or higher is overkill.  On those bodies of water, you typically use smaller flies, find less heavy cover and on average the fish are smaller.  The opposite is true for larger rivers and lakes.  Anything smaller than a 7-weight can be a chore to cast all day on bigger water and may not have the backbone to get fish out of thick vegetation or heavy cover.  The key is finding a balance between casting, fish fighting and comfort.  For some folks, it might mean owning two rods.  For others who want that one, all around rod, I would recommend the following:  smallmouth bass:  6-8 weight; largemouth bass:  7-9 weight; stripers:  8-10 weight; multi-bass species:  7-8 weight.  The TFO website rates each of their rods in 3 categories, so that they can easily be compared.  The categories are casting distance, presentation and lifting (lifting = backbone).  Those are the three biggest factors for most fly anglers, so that feature is very handy and worth a look.

The Albright and TFO BVK...very different rods, but both can fling it

 

For bass I prefer a 9' rod.  I find that is the ideal combo of casting distance, leverage for fighting and accuracy while casting.  Longer rods typically help add some distance to your cast and improve leverage.  Shorter rods tend to be more accurate.  You will also find that fly rods come in multiple sections - ranging from 2 to 8.  I own 2 and 4 piece fly rods and like both, but some folks prefer a 4 piece to a 2 piece, or vice versa.

Two more things to consider are rod action and comfort.  This is where it is important to take each rod for a test drive before you buy it.  Some folks prefer a rod that loads faster and has a quick tip.  Others prefer slower rods.  Each rod is different and no single rod will be the best choice for all anglers.  The same goes with comfort.  Some rods just don't feel comfortable for everyone - whether the cause is the way it loads, balance, grip or something else entirely.

And finally, you should not ignore price.  Fly rods typically follow the, "you get what you pay for" adage.  Personally, I have a hard time stomaching a price tag over about $250.  However, there are lots of great rods available above and below that price point.  Remember that the rod is the backbone of your entire set-up.  If you are willing to spend an extra dollar, do it on a rod rather than other pieces of gear.

Some brands I would recommend checking out are TFO, Allen, Orvis, Rock River Rods, Beulah, Redington, Albright or Sage...but there are many others.


HOW TO CHOOSE A FLY REEL
For me, there is one must that all good fly reels have - quality drag!  A smooth, strong disc drag is essential.  There are reels without drag, there are reels with clicker drags and there are others with plastic component drags.  When fighting big bass and stripers, a quality drag is your best friend.

That being said, you don't have to break the bank to get a good fly reel.  I refuse to pay more than about $125 for a fly reel - mainly because there are so many good options below that price point.  I have an Albright GPX on my 5/6 weight rod a Cabelas Prestige on my 8-weight and an Allen Fly Fishing Alpha III on my 9-weight.  If I upgrade any of my reels in the near future, I will most likely go with another Allen.  I am super impressed with the reel and their customer service.

My newest reel (the Allen), oldest reel (the Medalist) and a tweener (Albrigh GPX).  What fly fisherman hasn't owned a Pflueger Medalist at some point?

Other than price and drag, I look for a reel with high quality components made from materials like high grade barstock aluminum.  I also want a lightweight reel.  And I want one that is the right size - not too big or too small for the rod/line weight.  On that note, balance is key.  Always try and put a reel on your rod before you buy it.  Make sure it balances and feels good.  Imagine throwing big flies in windy conditions for 10 hours.  If it passes that test, you should be good to go!

My recommendations on fly reel brands would include Allen, Orvis, G Loomis, Albright, or Lamson - among others.


HOW TO CHOOSE A FLY LINE AND BACKING
Fly lines come in a huge variety of styles.  Some float, some sink and some partially sink.  There are different tapers, weights, colors, densitites, grains, and codes.  It can get confusing.

Let's start with weight vs grain size.  Some lines are sized just like rods and reels - using weights that match the rest of your gear.  Other lines are sized by grains.  The conversion from grains to traditional line weight is a debated topic.  Traditionally, an 8 weight rod would be best with 200-250 grain line.  But many of todays lines and rods would push that number closer to 300.  Again, if you can test a line with your rod before purchasing, it is a huge plus.  Sometimes, you may need to step up or down a line size to get the rod to work exactly the way you want it.  But if the line is too light it may not load the rod.  If too heavy, the rod may not be able to cast the line properly.

I consider a weight forward (WF) line the best all-around line.  WF describes the taper of the line and is by far the most popular among fly anglers as well.  It comes in a variety of densitites that float and sink.  Most folks fish WFF (weight forward floating) line, but you can sink it with weights or pick up a spare spool and put sinking line on it.  Depending on location, target species, and fly size you can vary your leader length and weight to make WF line work for most flies.  I use Cortland 444 WFF on my GPX and Prestige reels and love it.

On my 9-weight, I use sinking tip line - specifically Rio 24' Sink Tip Line in the 350 grain size (which they note corresponds to a 9-10 wt).  Sinking tip line is pretty self explanatory - the first 24' of line are a different color than the rest of the line and sink with the leader while the rest of the line floats.  It is a huge advantage when fishing big, sinking flies - especially in rivers or other areas with current.  Different size lines sink at different rates, so pick whichever is best for your needs.

Does liking Cortland 444 make me old school?

Lines these days run from $40 to $100+.  Remember that you get what you pay for, but most anglers need not venture above the $75 range.  The other thing to keep in mind is that this not like buying line for a spinning or baitcasting rod.  With proper care and maintenance, fly line can last a long time.  I have heard of some lines lasting 15+ years.

You also need to remember backing.  Backing is not cast, but is the last line of defense between a big fish and an empty spool.  Basically, it connects your fly line to the reel.  Most backing is made with dacron, micron, or some sort of magibraid and comes in the 20-40 lb test range.  You can also use braided polymer lines like PowerPro or Sufix.  The key with backing is putting the right amount on the reel.  Too much and your line won't fit properly.  Too little and you run the risk of being spooled by a trophy fish.  Every reel has a recommended backing capacity.  Stick to the recommendation and you should be just fine.  I typically use an improved slip knot to attach my backing to my reel (the Arbor is also very popular).  To attach the backing to the end of my fly line (make sure you get the right end), I typically use an Albright knot.  Other knots will also work, but those are easy and do the trick.

Some of my favorite line and backing brands are Rio, Cortland and Scientific Anglers.


HOW TO CHOOSE A FLY LEADER
You can go to just about any tackle shop and buy a pre-made leader for bass fishing.  The key word with leaders is 'tapered'.  Tapered means the leader gets thinner and thinner as you move toward the end with the fly attached.  The taper helps the fly turn over - a necessity for proper presentation. 

Leaders are rated either using a pound system (e.g. - 8 lb test) or an "X" system.  The pound system refers to the last length of line that you tie the fly too.  This is also called the tippet.  So an 8 lb test leader will start at 50-60 lb test at the top and gradually taper to an 8 lb tippet.  The "X" system corresponds with a poundage-tippet diameter system.  I have no idea how it came about (I suspect long ago in Europe) but it is the traditional rating system.  For largemouth and smallmouth bass, a 1X, 2X, or 3X leader typically what you want.  For stripers, I would recommend a 01X, 0X, or 1X. 

Buying pre-made leaders can get expensive.  So, I tie my own.  I start with about 2 feet of 50 lb test. I then use 18"-20" lengths of 40 lb test, 30 lb test, and 20 lb test.  That gives me roughly 7 feet of leader.  At that point, I may tie on one more section of roughly 2 feet long or two sections, each roughly 1 foot long.  I typically fish tippets in the 8-10 lb range.  I will bump to 12 lbs and even 15 lbs sometimes as well.  This isn't a perfect formula and I regularly alter my leaders as needed.

The top row is backing & bottom is leader/leader material.  Notice the Orvis pre-made I got for free a few years ago is still unopened...HA.

If you do the math above, you find that I like to use leaders around 9 feet in length.  I may go as short as 7 or as long as 10 depending on the situation.  Few people fish bass leaders over 10 feet long, but some will fish them down to 5 feet.  Personally, I think longer leaders get more strikes, so go with the longest leader you can handle and effectively fish.

I almost always tie my top 3 sections with monofilament line.  The bottom 2-3 sections I interchange between mono, fluorocarbon and braid.  Mono is the only one of those three that floats, so if you are fishing surface flies, stick with mono.  If fishing subsurface, I like to use fluoro, especially because I fish a lot of bottom bumping flies.  If you are fishing really heavy cover - whether surface or subsurface - braid may be your best bet.  You can even use wire leader, although that is typically reserved for pike, musky and other toothy fish.

The last thing to note is knots.  Everyone has their favorites, but knots are super important if you are tying your own leaders.  A few popular knots to tie mono to mono or mono to fluoro are the surgeon, albright, double uni, turtle, and blood knots.  There are a number of others that would also work well including a bunch of variations on those I just mentioned.  Always remember to wet the line before you tighten these knots together.  A broken leader knot is the worst way to lose a fish.

This should get you out the door of a fly shop with a much lighter wallet.  But it is about to get a little lighter.  Come back tomorrow to read about fly choice and the different presentations that catch big bass.  And if you have any questions or have any suggestions for things I might have missed, please let me know.  Until tomorrow, tight lines!

My Week in Fishing Pet Peeves

For some reason, this week seems to be fishing pet peeves week for me.  Every time I turn around, someone is frustrating me by posting something annoying or inaccurate online.  I have gone back and forth all day trying to decide if I should post this or not, but it is Friday, so I am ranting...

***UPDATE****
After some of the comments got out of hand, I felt I needed to add a statement.  This is not meant to single out any specific person or event.  If you feel I did so, then you are reading way too much into this.  The pet peeves listed below can be seen across all types of message boards, social media, websites, etc.  Please understand that they are general trends and at times, we are probably all guilty of one of them.  Also, this blog is meant to rant, not commend all the folks out there who don't do these things.  Please do not take it personally.  If you feel the need to address something I have said, I openly ask you to keep it civilized and comment below or email me (drew@manpoweredfishing.com).

First, we all exaggerate fish size.  We all hold fish closer to the camera.  We are fishermen - it is in our nature.  But I have found that kayak fishermen are becoming terrible judges of fish weight.  All the CPR we do has us rounding up...WAY up.  I try to abide by the policy that I only post lengths unless I have a calibrated scale onboard.  Since I almost always carry a hawg trough, at least I know my lengths are accurate.  I ask that you do the same because we all know that isn't a 6-pounder.

Second, stop lying about where you were fishing.  Twice this week I have seen great fishing reports that supposedly took place on Lake "A" or Lake "B".  Well the joke is on you, the background on your pictures clearly shows you were at Lake "X" and Lake "Y".  If you are going to lie about where you were fishing then just post no location at all.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to protect a body of water, but those of you who lie should be embarassed.  People of all levels of fishing expertise frequent forums and they all deserve respect - particularly beginning fishermen/women who just want to learn.  If nothing else, do what a lot of folks do (including me) and just say "the lake" or "the river".

Third, don't make up events.  If you fished a tourney, great, I love reading tournament reports.  It is interesting to here how different guys scout new lakes, use their electronics, mentally attack tourney day, put together a good (or not so good) pattern, etc.  But don't pretend to have fished a tournament because you and your best friend had a fish-off.  That is not called a tournament.  That is called, "loser buys the beer tonight."

Fourth, I beg the computer cowboys and private pond jockeys to stop ruining good message boards.  I feel like you spent all winter reading about fishing, so now you must offset your skunks and one fish days by feeding us garbage.  I want to go online to read reports, learn, and share.  I don't want to argue.  I don't want to read your invalid arguments with strangers.  Conversation is good.  Debate is good.  Chest puffing in front of your laptop is silly.  I also don't want to read your tenth report in a row where you caught a 4 lber at your pond...an experience you use to then advise others how to approach 1,000 acre reservoirs.  I have nothing against folks fishing private waters...just don't let it go to your head.

Fifth, your kayak is not better than my kayak.  My kayak is nearly perfect for me.  Your kayak is nearly perfect for you.  And Hobies, or any kayak with pedals, are not kayaks at all.  *It was brought to my attention via email that Hobie actually does not refer to their pedal boats as kayaks on their website and in their brochures.  Kudos to you Hobie for sticking to the traditionalist definitions!

Sixth, kayak stability is not overrated nor is it a fad.  Being able to stand and fish has huge perks.  It is not a must - you can certainly catch fish seated.  I am not standing all the time in my boat while on the water.  And I understand I make sacrifices in other areas (speed, tracking, etc.).  But you are being hard headed if you can't see the benefits of added stability and being able to stand.

Seventh, I read a topic this week in a forum that irked me.  I have heard this misconception before as well.  The line is, "the way to catch busting bass is with a topwater plug."  There is no doubt that topwater baits work great for bass busting shad.  But bass are feeding up when you see them busting bait.  If the bass are suspended midway down the water column or deeper, you can throw about a million baits and still get bit - flukes, spoons, senkos, lipless cranks, swimbaits, jerkbaits, tailspins, spinnerbaits, etc.  A bigger key is to be able to make long casts and isolate the depth where you are getting the most bites.  So, stop with the topwater only garbage.  In fact, it is often most productive to switch between a surface bait and a subsurface bait when bass are busting baitfish.

Eighth, and this is another hot topic in the forums, there is a huge difference between most custom rods and most factory manufactured rods.  Beyond that, you get what you pay for with rods (and reels and other gear).  Jeff Little agrees...read it.

Ninth, this is totally not a pet peeve.  In fact, this is the opposite of a pet peeve.  Go check out Pat Kellner's June CPR tournament over at Fish Tattoo.  It is a cool format, totally free, and he is giving away a bunch of cool goodies. 

I apologize for the rant.  It is now over.  Monday will be positive vibes as I go over the basics of gear needed to chase bass and stripers on the fly - part of a week long series.  Tight lines!

Giant Bass & Repeat Champs - 2013 Duke-UNC Charity Bass Fishing Tournament at University Lake, NC

I am a lucky man.  Yesterday I was able to hit the water and fish the 3rd annual UNC Charity Bass Fishing Tournament.  It was a day of ups and downs, tough fishing and a lot of work.  But for my partner Santosh and I, it paid off and for the second year in a row we brought home the victory for the good guys.

When the inaugural event was announced in 2011, the hope was that fishing teams/clubs from NC State, UNC-Greensboro and others would join in the competition, but that never materialized.  So it has been a  Duke-UNC rivalry, although not nearly as fierce or competitive as the one that takes place on the hardwood.  However, I can assure you that every team there wanted to win...and wanted to win badly.  I wasn't able to fish the event in 2011, but last year Santosh and I put together a solid post-spawn bag and took the victory by nealry 5 lbs.  Originally I didn't think I would get a chance to defend the title, but as luck would have it, things worked out and I was able to join Santosh and the rest of the Duke team at the lake.

The bulk of the Duke-UNC Crew

*Photo from Jason Wolonick of the Daily Tar Heel

The event is held at University Lake in Carrboro.  I like the lake, but have fished it only once before - at the tournament last year.  All of the teams rent jon boats from the lake with identical motors and gear so that the playing field is level in that respect.  This year, 18 participants hit the water - with 6 UNC teams and 3 Duke teams.  The bite was setting up to be completely different than last year with some bass deep, some staging in pre-spawn mode and probably a few scattered spawners.  Santosh and I came up with a plan to target points with wood cover, deep banks, drop offs adjacent to flats and other areas where fish typically stage.  We also wanted to use the wind to our advantage.  As we would find out, our plan wasn't perfect, but it worked.

Everyone launched around 7:45 AM.  We immediately headed to a long tapering point with stumps and brush.  But we didn't get bit there and knew it would fish better when the wind picked up later in the day.  So we motored across to a deeper bank and started flipping into wood cover.  Around 8:30 AM I got a good bite.  I felt my plastic snag on a stick and when I popped it off the fish inhaled it.  I knew it was a solid fish and after a fun fight and some acrobatics we had him in the net.  We estimated he went around 4-4.5 lbs and suddenly we were feeling good.  Santosh put him in the livewell - a large, water filled cooler with an aerator pump taped to the side - and we went back to fishing.

Within the next 20 minutes I had bite number 2.  I tossed my plastic worm toward a downed tree and let it sink.  I actually let out a grunt of disgust as my cast wasn't as close to the tree as I had hoped.  But apparently the fish didn't care.  I felt a slight tick and saw the line start to move toward deep water.  It was on!  Moments later I saw the fish flash and knew it was big.  Then came the slow-motion moment.  The fish was headed back toward the tree.  I leaned it into her with my Carolina Custom Rods - Finesse Special and was able to turn her away from the branches - but she was coming up.  As she breached the surface, Santosh and I let out a collective, "holy _____."  The rest of the fight was a blur, but she finally tired and Santosh provided a perfect net job.  As I unhooked her, we repeated the same phrase we had used when we first saw the fish jump.  Measuring 23", bass number two was in the livewell.

A boat (this might be us) working a shoreline at University Lake

*Photo from Jason Wolonick of the Daily Tar Heel

We then ran a few patterns that should have worked, but didn't.  I suspect some of it could be chalked up to right place, wrong time - areas that would have fished better after the water warmed more in the afternoon.  We decided to fish down a long bank that was good to us the year before.  Santosh had a couple of short strikes, but other than that it was dead.  We were beginning to worry.  We couldn't put our finger on a reliable pattern and there were enough boats on the water (both competitors and rec fishermen) that it was hard to get a good stretch of water to ourselves.

Just before noon we made a move up the lake to an area we had caught a bunch of 12"-15" bass last year.  We figured that if nothing else, we may be able to fill our limit with short fish.  On the way, we saw one angler catch a 3-4 lb fish on a jerkbait on a windy point - a pretty textbook pre-spawn bite.  The problem was that because of the lakes shape and the wind direction, windy points were hard to find.  But we kept that in mind and headed for a deep bank with scattered wood cover.  We fished the first 20+ blowdowns without a sniff.  I was beginning to day dream of a nap while regretting not having brought my depth finder.  Then came the day changer. 

While I was changing baits, Santosh was flipping into a large laydown with a plastic lizard.  The bait snagged, so I picked up another rod and said, "let me throw one cast in there before we go in and get it."  I cast toward the base of the tree on the deep edge.  The fish inhaled the bait on the fall and by the time I reeled in the slack she was trucking at full speed.  We both saw her at the same time and that familiar phrase from the morning was again being repeatedly spoken.  The fight wasn't nearly as long or intense, as Santosh came up with another awesome net job.  He scooped her and swung her into the boat.  I lipped her, unhooked the bait and let out a huge sigh of relief.  She measured right at 22" and had a gut that rivaled Santa Claus.  Bass number three was in the livewell.  After a couple of fist bumps we retrieved Santosh's bait and went back to fishing with just under two hours before the weigh-in.

Santosh weighs fish as everyone eagerly awaits the results

*Photo from Jason Wolonick of the Daily Tar Heel

 The rest of the day was slow.  In fact, we didn't get another bite.  We even tried small baits hoping for a couple short bass to complete our limit, but nothing wanted to bite.  At 2 PM everyone met back at the dock.  There were rumors of some 5 fish limits, a few boats with 4 fish and some big fish being caught.  We knew we were in solid shape, but weren't sure if our three bass would hold up.  The first few teams weighed in with limits under 8 lbs.  One team had a nice fish that was a little over 7 lbs, but only one other fish which was less than a pound.  The weight to beat, I believe, was around 10 lbs when we weighed in.  We tried to keep our fish a secret until the very last minute.  Only our Duke teammates had looked inside our cooler and we hadn't told anyone how we did.

I wet my  hands and pulled out the 4+ lber first, remarking, "I'll start with the small one."  That drew an array of comments from the crowd.  There were a couple exclamations of "holy crap" and a couple of folks that I don't think believed us.  Then Santosh pulled the 22-incher from the cooler and announced it as the second biggest.  Now we had everyone's attention.  Finally, I lifted the 23" fish from the cooler and put her in the weighing bin.  They weighed a combined total of 18 lbs 9 oz.  The biggest was 7 lbs 13 oz, the second 6 lbs 8 oz and the smallest was 4 lbs 4 oz.  It was a heck of a good day on the lake!  We snapped some photos and released the fish alive and kicking.  I should note that 7 lbs 13 oz ties, exactly, my personal best largemouth.  Since the other - a river bass, was a little longer, he gets the nod as the PB...but it was super close!

My two big fish (sorry about the blood).  Although it is hard to tell, the one on the right was the bigger fish.

*Photo from Jason Wolonick of the Daily Tar Heel

A couple more teams weighed in after us including one 5 fish limit that looked solid - including a big kicker.   In fact, they completed their limit with a solid 3.5 lb fish just minutes before the weigh-in.  But the 7 lb 8 oz kicker wasn't enough as the bag totaled 14 lbs 12 oz.  Santosh and I were back-to-back champs...and it felt darn good.

Eric Dean of UNC with his 7 lb 8 oz beast

*Photo from Jason Wolonick of the Daily Tar Heel

 

It was a tough day of fishing and a really good group of folks.  There was a lot of good spirited joking, trading of fishing tips and mutual respect.  Behind it all, that is what the Duke-UNC rivalry is all about.  Best yet, 100% of the proceeds of the tournament go to a charity of the winners choosing.  Santosh and I were torn between Schoolhouse of Wonder and the Ronald McDonald House-Durham.  We decided to flip a coin and it turned out that the Ronald McDonald House won.  Although I was rooting for SHOW, RMH is a really great organization.  In fact, I have been trying to get a program set-up with them to take folks kayak fishing and Santosh has been volunteering his time there this year.  He said that money has been really tight for them and that the donation will go a long way to re-stock items in the house.  That makes victory feel a whole lot better.

A big thanks to the UNC Fishing Club for hosting the event, the folks at the lake and OWASA for all of their help and hard work, Andy and Jason who reported for The Daily Tar Heel (click for their write-up - although some of it makes me shake my head), and to all of the other guys who came out to compete and have fun.  I am also really proud of all of my Duke teammates who went out there, fished super hard and brought fish to the weigh-in during some tough conditions.  Another thank you, to the companies who help me catch more fish - Carolina Custom Rods, Abu Garcia, Deep Creek Lures, Columbia Sportswear and Smith Optics.  And finally, to the beautiful Mary May Pratt for accepting my fishing addictions and loving me anyway.  Until next time, tight lines....and GO DUKE!

The 2013 KBF Invitational - An Entirely Different Story

After the KBF Open ended, we all gathered for the KBF Invitational captain's meeting at Blacks.  I was on the fence about entering, but after hearing all of the awesome big fish stories from VIP Adventures I figured that if nothing else it would be fun to chase monsters for a day or two.  I was also a little disappointed with my finish in the Open and was hoping to redeem myself.  So I was one of the 60 anglers up early Saturday morning, winding through the backroads of South Carolina like a string of red ants.

I randomly drew "Group 6" and would fish with 30 other anglers who did the same.  Among them were 2nd place Open finisher and SC guide Justin Carter, Hobie World Champ Marty Mood, TKAA Champ and 3rd place Open finisher Ray Montes, KBF Open winner and KBF Challenge Series Champ Andy Thompson Sr., Big fish magnet Andy Thompson Jr., RiverBassin Champ Tim Perkins and a bunch of other really talented anglers.  Oddly enough, I think only one of the names above made the day-2 cut, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Group 6 started on the larger of the two lakes, while Group 5 started on the smaller of the two.  We all launched and waited to do a shotgun start.  Of course, the pedal boats took off - leaving a wake behind them.  I managed to tuck in behind Donny Miley and draft his boat down the lake.  Within a few minutes I was at the far end of the impoundment.  I don't think any of us realized just how small these lakes were, but it was close quarters fishing.

Immediately I realized there were some awesome points on the lake.  The problem is that they were overgrown with green pond scum and almost impossible to fish.  My plan was to try and hook two good fish shallow early and then fish the deeper areas of the lake when the sun got up and wind started blowing.  On cast number three I got a bite, set the hook Santee Cooper style and ripped a 9" bass out of the water about two feet.  I reeled him in, unhooked him and didn't even bother measuring him before throwing him back. 

I weaved in and out of different arms of the lake and managed bass measuring 14", 12.5", 13", 14.75" and 12" fishing shallow.  At that point, I knew I had to start doing something else.  So I started throwing a 3/4 oz Strike King Red Eye Shad over deep humps and oyster bars.  It seemed like a perfect plan, but I just couldn't get bit.  Eventually, the guys around me were catching them with the same type of technique and I knew something was wrong with my approach.  I downsized to the 1/2 oz version of the Red Eye Shad and on my second cast hooked a 14.75" fish.  But it was too little, too late our time on the first lake was nearly up.  I managed one more bass - my biggest of the day at 15" - and about a 9" crappie. 

It was 10:45 AM and time to switch lakes.  I knew, as did others, that we left them biting in the first lake.  We also knew that the wind was forecasted to keep blowing hard, which should have kept the lake biting most of the afternoon.  But, we were also excited to see what the other lake had in store. 

We packed up our gear and meandered over to the other lake.  When we arrived we saw two 5.5-6 lb fish being carried from the water for the "live big bass weigh-in".  I knew I had my work cut out for me if I wanted to make the cut.

In order to avoid the 4 hours of monotony that I endured that afternoon, I will keep this short.  The second lake was brutal.  It was way too small for 30 boats and had been ravaged with baits all morning by the other group.  I ended up catching probably 10 bass in the 11"-12.5" range and that was it.  I didn't get a single good bite over there....and I certainly was not alone.  It turns out that both of the lakes were loaded with 11"-13" fish and had few over 16"-17".

I headed back to the launch and loaded everything in the car.  I tried to help as many folks as possible get their boats back to their cars as well and found out that my two fish weren't as bad as I had once thought.  Still, I knew the cut was out of reach.  Eventually the other group came back over to where we were and the folks at VIP Adventures put together a low country boil, of sorts, for us.  There were a lot of frustrated anglers and a bunch of rumors swirling.  They announced the first cut at 30" and 21 anglers had at least that much.  I missed the 30" mark by just .25".  The top-15 cut eventually landed somewhere around 32.5", so I wasn't really that close, but 22nd (roughly) out of 60 of the best anglers in the country is nothing to sneeze at.  And as I mentioned above, most of the heavy hitters who did well at the Open struggled in the Invitational.

I gathered up a spare spinning rod, fish finder battery and YakAttack Park 'N Pole that I had loaned to different folks over the course of the day.  It was time to hit the road.  I have no idea how day 2 went, but the results will be released this week over at KBF.  I do hope someone from "Group 6" won it, so good luck guys and gals!

Since the tournament ended, I have talked to a few folks about their day 1 experience.  Most felt like I did - frustrated and a little let down.  Others were a little more harsh, especially since it was leaked that a few competitors had some very good inside info on the private lakes that the rest of us were not privy to and that helped them A LOT on day 1.  But this industry is growing at a rapid pace and with that growth comes a cutthroat aspect that is unfortunately sad.  Admittedly, it left a bad taste in my mouth and soured me a little bit on tournament fishing - especially in private bodies of water.  But it was still a lot of fun and I met so many awesome people.

I know they are working on an entirely new format for the Invitational next year, which I think could be really great.  Keep an eye on KBF for more details on that and kudos to Chad for listening to feedback and coming up with the new ideas.

Now it is time to go fun fishing!  Tight lines!

The 2013 KBF Open - My Story

For a long time, I was on the fence about entering either the KBF Open or KBF Invitational.  It meant taking a couple days off of work, battling guys with way more knowledge of the lakes than myself and being away from Mary May and the dogs.  But in the end, it seemed like too much fun to pass up.  So, last Tuesday afternoon I packed up and headed to the Santee Cooper Lakes in central South Carolina.  It was a roller coaster of a week for me and although not an unsuccessful tale, it was certainly a "what might have been" experience.

I spent evenings the week before the tournament scouring over lake maps and aerial photography.  I also elicited the advice of friends Bill Kohls and Will Petty.  As mentioned previously on this blog, Bill and I often break down lakes in very similar ways and regularly talk fishing strategy.  I met Will, a very talented angler form the Charlotte area, through Bill back in 2011.  Will had fished Santee Cooper a few times before and was able to give me a lot of good advice going in to the event.  For those of you not familiar with Santee Cooper - it is made up of two huge lakes.  The upper lake is Lake Marion and the lower lake, connected by a diversion canal, is Lake Moultire.  After lengthy discussion, I decided to start fishing a creek on the south side of Lake Marion.

PRACTICE

I got to Lake Marion around 1:30 PM on Tuesday.  I was on the water by 1:45 and headed out to explore a long set of deep docks I saw on the map.  The ends of said docks dropped into 10-15 feet of water, which is quite deep for these lakes.  It looked like a perfect area for fish to stage as they moved back the creek to spawn.  I fished them hard, but only managed one small bass which ate a 4" Berkeley Power Tube.  I talked to a few other bass boats in that area and most of them were finding the bite slow as well.  So, I decided to paddle out toward the mouth of the creek in hopes of finding some fish.  I fished another hour without a bite and was beginning to wonder if all my game planning had went terribly wrong.  About that time I ran into a group of kayak anglers from Florida who had been in the creek arm all morning.  They too had been skunked.  I spoke with them for a few minutes, but was determined not to give up on the area.  I paddled to the backside of an island that looked promising.  As is much of the lake, it was littered with cypress trees and mixed grass.  It looked too good to not hold fish, but still I was without a bite.  Finally, at 4:15 PM, I got my first sign of life.  I flipped a finesse worm to a big cypress tree located on a point situated off a funnel area.  I felt a bite, set the hook and immediately the fish began pulling drag.  I knew it was a solid fish as it bulldogged me toward deeper water.  After a good fight, I landed the brute - a 21.5" fish that was in the 5.5 lb class. 

The biggest fish I landed from Santee Cooper at 21.5"

At this point a light bulb went off in my head and I realized I was wasting a lot of time casting to trees that weren't holding fish.  So, I paddled up to the next tree that looked like it fit the pattern, tossed in my finesse worm and BAM - fish on!  This fish again pulled drag like it was nothing and had a stomach that looked like it was about to burst.  The 19.5" fish weighed around 4.5 lbs.  Santee Cooper was growing on me.

I didn't want to sore mouth all of my fish before the tournament, so I made just 3 more casts.  The last of the three happened to hook my third fish of the day - a 3.5 lber that measured at 18.5".  I then just cruised around marking trees, drops and grass beds until about 5:30 PM.  At that point I packed up and headed for camp to game plan for my second day of practice.

This 4.5 lber made for one heck of a practice session

I talked with some fellow anglers who had mixed success.  In talking with them, I realized that I was fishing a different pattern than most of them - targeting colder, dirtier water.  So I decided to try a different creek arm on my second day of practice.  This particular creek was situated right off of the main river channel and had a mix of trees and side channels that looked perfect.

The next day I launched around 7:15 AM.  I paddled about 15 minutes to my starting area and within 5 casts was hooked up on a nice fish.  He ran drag like those before him and tried to wrap me around a cypress knee.  Thankfully, my Carolina Custom Rod was up to the task and bullied him to the boat.  It was a 20.5" bass - my cold water gamble was working.  After releasing the fish, I scouted a shallow, reedy area with no luck.  I then went back to deeper water hoping to replicate my pattern once or twice again.  This area didn't have many prime targets, so it made for a lot of paddling between casts.  Finally, I found an extremely fishy looking spot and had a fish smoke a jerkbait.  It was another good fish, measuring a fat 18.5"....and it was 8:30 AM.  I realized that in about 5 hours of fishing a lake I knew nearly nothing about, I had managed a 5 fish limit of about 22.5 lbs.  I was feeling confident so I marked a few more spots and then paddled back to the ramp to avoid the brutal winds that were forecasted to roll in that afternoon.

The rest of the day I caught up on work, napped, prepped gear, did a little more map study and eventually headed down to Blacks Fish Camp for the captains meeting.  KBF head honcho Chad Hoover went over the rules and details of the event and there was a definite buzz in the air.  There were 131 anglers entered and eager to show their fishing skills.  I got to see a lot of familiar faces and meet a bunch of new friends too.  I didn't stay too terribly long and headed back to camp to get some sleep before the big day.

DAY 1

Official launch time was 6:30 AM with first cast at 7:00 AM.  I arrived to find an empty launch around 6:15 AM.  The air temp was 34 degrees and the water temp had dropped nearly 10 degrees overnight.  That sort of cold front can kill a bite.  My mind was racing and to top things off,  6-7 other kayakers rolled up around 6:30.  I knew it would be about execution and focus.  I scarfed down some jelly beans (eating candy is a pre-launch tournament tradition of mine), absorbed some caffeine via a Coke and around 7 AM I made a long paddle to my main area and started working a trick worm very slowly. 

It was in the 30's to start day 1 of the KBF Open

I hit my first few trees with absolutely nothing to show.  I then went to an area I had marked on the map, tossed a cast to the base of a big cypress tree and saw my line immediately swim sideways.  I set the hook and knew it was a big fish.  Unfortunately, my drag must have been knocked around in the car because it was lighter than I typically set it and I never got a good hook set.  I continued to fight the fish on light drag until I caught a glimpse of the brute.  I decided to try and tighten up the drag and re-set the hook.  The plan almost worked, but as I tried to tweak the drag the fish came right at the boat and when I put pressure on the hook it popped right out.  I dropped an f-bomb that was probably heard on the lower lake.  The fish was in the 21"-23" range - a heartbreaker.  A fish like that at 7:45 AM is a game changer, but I had to shake it off and keep fishing.

I continued fishing that area with only one other bite - a fish that bit very lightly and stole my worm.  It was around 10 AM and I was fishless.  It was time to make a run to my other area and try to get a couple quick fish on the board.  I paddled back to the car, packed my gear, loaded the yak and was headed 10 minutes down the road.  I launched at warp speed only to find that the wind was just blasting my area.  I was paddling through near white caps and rolling over some serious waves, but the MK Stealth 12 handled it like a champ.  The areas I had caught fish in or marked the day before were totally out of the question because of the wind, but there was one area that looked perfect.  It was an ideal place for fish to tuck in out of the wind and river channel for a quick rest and snack.  Sure enough, on the first cast I hooked a fish that felt more like a freight train.  We fought each other with all the might we could muster and when he finally hit the bottom of my net I had the utmost respect for him.  The bass measured 19" and was probably in the 4.5 lb range.  I was on the board and feeling good.

A very health 19" bass from a Lake Marion creek arm

I briefly fished around the area before paddling back to the launch, re-loading and heading back to the creek I had started in.  Some anglers were leaving as I was pulling in - never a good sign.  I ran to my best area - nothing.  Then my second area - still nothing.  My pattern had changed slightly.  I began throwing a variety of baits hoping to get some sort of reaction bite, but was having no luck.  Finally, around 1 PM, I made an adjustment and immediately caught a 17.5".  I quickly followed with a 17", 15.5" and 15" fish to end the day.  It was a two fish limit, so I went to the weigh-in with 36.5". 

After the judges surveyed all of the photos, I was only a couple inches off of the lead for Day 1.  The best stringer was 40" followed by 39" and 38.5".  The big bass was 21.5" (although there was a 22" bass caught and photographed without the required identifier).  I was told my total put me somewhere in the 6-10 range.  What I didn't know was that on day 1 we were fishing to simply make the cut into Day 2.  On Day 2, we were all re-zeroed and it was like an entirely new tournament.  Since there were about 40 skunks, the cut was simply catching one fish.  I knew my spots were all recharge spots, meaning that fish would cycle in and out of them throughout the day, but I was still a little bummed about the zeroing process.

Regardless, I liked my pattern and was eager to start day 2.

DAY 2

The plan for day 2 was to start in my secondary area, try for two really quick bites and then chase big fish shallow the rest of the day since I expected the warm weather would move a few big fish up in the afternoon.  I got to the launch at 6:45 AM knowing that I needed some sun for my areas to produce.  While getting ready, I realized that I was out of jelly beans and other Easter candies - never a good omen for tourney day!  I decided to wait until 7 AM to launch because there was a public park that opened at 7 AM and launching in it would cut about 15-20 minutes off of my paddle.  Well 7 o'clock came and went without a sign of a park attendant to open the gate.  When 7:15 came and I called the number on the sign.  The guy who answered seemed surprised it wasn't open yet and assured me that at any moment the attendant would be there to open it.  7:30 AM came and I decided I was done waiting around, launched from the cement launch, paddled an extra 15 minutes and grumpily started fishing.  I worked my way down a line of trees without a nibble.  Eventually I came to the tree where I had caught the 19" fish the day before.  I felt a bite, slowly lifted my rod and felt the line hang up on a stick.  It was a risky situation - set the hook and possibly have it shoot sideways and out of the fishes mouth or don't set it and hope that it somehow becomes lodged.  I chose to set the hook.  For a second, drag peeled and then nothing.  The hook popped free.  I am not sure how big the fish was, but it definitely would have helped me.

I paddled to a creek arm adjacent to where I had been fishing.  It was an area that looked great on the map, but was impossible to get to with the high winds of Wednesday and Thursday.  I fished the area hard - really hard.  Finally, I got a bite and landed a 17" buck bass.  I knew I would need to upgrade before the day was done, but it was a start.  I fished that area a while longer without another bite.  So I paddled back to the park and beached my boat.  It was nearly 10 AM, so I figured the park would surely be open.  The plan was to jog about 1/4 mile back to the car, drive the car down into the park and load up there rather than fighting the wind for 15+ minutes around a long point.  I ran to the car as quickly as I could, but as I emerged from a wooded area, I noticed that the gate was still closed.  Insert day 2 f-bomb here.

Another bass that didn't quite get it done...
*note that I turned in a better picture to be judged

I ran the 1/4 mile back to the yak and was about to drag it the 30 yards back to the water when I spotted a sandy jogging path.  I grabbed the tow rope and headed for the path.  Let's just say that pulling a fully loaded yak some 150+ yards down a sandy path is not a fun tournament day task.  But I eventually made it to the gate and across a small grass patch to where I had parked.  Although my legs were on fire, the drag saved me a good 10 minutes or more.  For a moment I contemplated the letter I would be writing the city park and rec department, but I was too motivated to be angry and headed to an area that I hadn't pre-fished at all, but looked perfect on the map for big fish moving up to spawn.

Long story short, that area looked great in person as well.  In fact, I found one secluded pond that looked downright amazing.  But I couldn't buy a bite and the last thing I wanted was to come in with only one fish.  In all, I wasted about 4 hours chasing a big fish that never materialized.  I headed back to my main area for one last hurrah before I had to get to the weigh-in.

I launched, made a short paddle and on my first cast hooked a 17.25" bass that completed my limit.  I knew I needed a 20"+ fish and I knew my time was running out.  I fished super hard until 2 PM and managed only one more fish - a 17" bass that kept my string of mediocrity going strong.  I decided to pack up again and fish one last area that I had seen near Blacks Fish Camp - a backwater area with lots of vegetation. 

If only this fish was a little bigger!

I got to the area, pulled off the dirt road (which was littered with cans) and dropped my yak in the water.  The backwater was small and I was able to fish it pretty thoroughly in about 15 minutes, but it was fruitless.  I packed up the yak and spent a few minutes helping a county employee pick up the cans.  Knowing I had a very marginal total (34.25"), I figured it might be in danger of a tie.  So I headed to the weigh-in knowing that tie-breakers go to the guy who shows up first.


THE RESULTS

Immediately I knew I would struggle to make the top-10, but was hoping I at least placed "in the money".  After some tasty BBQ the results were announced.  There were 29 day two skunks and it took 28" to make the top 25.  They called a bunch of really good anglers to the stage and my heart lept with each place called.  Then came #12.  #13 has 33.25".  #12 was 34.5".  My heart sank.  Had I forgotten the identifier?  Did I leave the mouth open?  Did I submit a bad picture?  I was fairly sure I had double checked everything, but my heart was now in my throat.  The top 3 were announced - Ray Montes took 3rd, Justin Carter took 2nd and Andy Thompson, Sr. took home first prize, $3000, numerous goodies and a lot of glory.  Eventually there was a short break in the action, so I crept up front to ask about my photos. 

Chuck Wrenn, who might be the nicest guy I met all week, was quick to help and realized that they hadn't registered one of my fish.  The judges looked at the photos to double check and all agreed that they were both good to go.  So, my total was upgraded and I officially finished in 13th place with 34.25".  A big thanks to Chuck, Chappy and Chad who were all super helpful and apologetic about the mix-up.  I took home a custom rod, a gift card and other goodies for the finish.  According to a fellow angler, if I had caught another 1/2" of bass, I would have been in the top 8.  Oh what might have been!

My finish also qualified me for the KBF Invitational which was being held the next two days at VIP Adventures - private lakes about an hour away.  I was a little torn, but decided to enter the Invitational.  Tomorrow I will tell that story.

A huge thanks to all of the folks who made the KBF Open possible and big congrats to all of the competitors.  I met so many great people and great anglers and had a blast in the process.  Also, a big thanks to all of my sponsors, affiliates and companies whose gear I use on the water.  As I mentioned, my Malibu Kayaks Stealth 12 was AWESOME handling tough conditions on that big lake.  It was also one of the fastest non-pedal boats out there.  And my Carolina Custom Rods paired with Abu Garica reels gave me incredible sensitivity and fighting power to handle those brute bass.  As usual, my P-Line performed great, my Columbia PFG gear worked like a charm, my Kokatat PFD kept me safe and my Crack of Dawn Black Diamond paddle was the perfect blend of light weight and power.  I was also blown away by the clarity and quality of my new Smith Optics Backdrop Evolve glasses with polarchromic lenses.  Good gear can go a long way!

Until tomorrow, tight lines!