Week 1 in College Football

It's back! Sit down and have a lazy day. Get your chips N' dip and your favorite drink cause college football is in the air! Week one started off with a few interesting things. A fe FBS upsets were Youngstown State over Pittsburghn 31-17 and Texas State over Houston 30-13. Penn State opened a new era with a loss at home to the Ohio Bobcats 24-14, and the Hawkeye's win a squeaker in Chicago, 18-17 over NIU. Iowa state Rallied from a 16-7 deficit to beat the high powered Tulsa offense 23-38. #1 USC started out their quest for a BCS championship with a 49-10 throttling over Hawaii, and College Gameday hosted in Dallas was a rout by the defending National Champions Alabama, as they coasted over denard Robinson and the Wolverines of Michigan 41-14. What will next week bring as the pigskin flies?

 

Hammering River Smallies!

Secrets to fishing the Iowa River, or any river will be told in today's article. It's September now, and the Largemouth Bass gear and boat is put away in storage till 2013. Sad isn't it? Ehh, no! Actually, this is where the fun really begins! No more tubes, jigs or finesse worms, but now we use spinnerbaits, twister tails and small crankbaits. Shoes, shorts and T-shirts in the summer, to coveralls and waterproof boots for clothing. Kruz and I have bought our high legged boots and walked the Iowa River ever since the first day of college football, which was September 1st. We have been in search of Smallmouth Bass and Walleye. We've fished Le Grand's 3 Bridges Park, Center Street Dam and a couple other spots near Kruz' house, but the hot spot this year has been Lowhead Dam which is located just downstream of Riverview Park in Marshalltown. Last year, spinnerbaits at Center Street where hammering HUGE Smallmouth Bass, this year it's Lowhead Dam with Johnson Swimming Grubs, Rapala shad rap crankbaits and Mepp's spinners (not spinnerbaits, original spinners). It's been unbelievable to say the least! Kruz and I have found over 50 Smallmouth Bass and I found us supper one evening when I used a shad rap crankbait and found a 17 inch slab of Walleye! A lot of Smallmouth have been an average of 12 inches, but I’ve also found 3 over 15 inches! What Kruz and I do is wade the river and vertically throw these lures against the rocks and in the rapids and fast current. Yes, we've lost a few lures due to snags but it’s worth it. My Berkley AMP is the only rod I’ve been using with the grubs, and my Browning Silaflex rod has been working great with the crankbaits! Beautiful dark brown hard fighting Smallmouth Bass while watching the leaves blow off the trees is a sign of fall. If you ask me, the REAL fishing has just begun!

structure fishing

                Fishing for Bass may look quite simple to me. Every week, I seem to show off a new big Bass I caught. It isn't that easy, and it takes a lot of practice, determination and confidence. Knowledge is another key to catching a Bass. Weeds and other structures are important in lakes, and even some ponds. In my Producto article I mentioned I often would flip-cast my worm into a tiny weed hole, or pocket. A lot of people think that these weeds ruin the fishing, when it’s very important, and some of my finest catches have came from the thick weeds where they are hiding to say cool, and protected. Hiding in the weeds also gives them beautiful color which is another reason I LOVE fishing, to see the color of a fish. I’ve caught so many beautiful Bass this year! Trees can also be very key in finding a good Bass. Yes, you will result in some snags and loss of a lure or two but it might be worth it if you are persistent. I always try to get my lure in the thickest, tightest part of the brush. It's lost me a few lures, but also caught me a 6.7 pounder in May. A lot of big fish are worth taking risks if you want them. It's like life. You want something big or something you can be proud of? Well, you might have to do a little extra work to earn it. In life you might get knocked down a few times, no one said it would be easy. You might lose a few lures throwing in the trees, or get some weeds on your lure, but like I said--It isn’t that easy, but it could land you a great fish also!

Kruz and I hit a public pond just north of Kellogg, Iowa. It’s somewhat near Rock Creek Lake. This place was the site of a great day! We fished a lot of drop-offs and used new lures in the process. The Bass were in pockets of weeds with the slow baits, and this pond also had a major tree-line that spread across the north end of the pond. We threw spinnerbaits and crankbaits in the trees and hammered them! We finished with 16 Bass total for the day. Kruz with 8, and I also got 8. These Bass weren’t huge, but they were BEAUTIFUL! Chunky for their size and a dark green streak across the middle! One fish exceeded 15 inches, and it was mine reaching 16 inches. Kruz and I had another great day on the water fishing structures! These Bass were caught in a weed pocket on a new lure, the Flat Rock Creek Baits SALAMANDER and KRAKEN! (And a spinnerbait in the tree line) A new company of baits I will write about in a couple weeks. Stay tuned!

Grape Producto Slaughter

I was looking through my garage the other day. I saw a package of grape Producto 6 inch worms, with a chartruse tail. I figured I may as well use them, rather than let them sit. I've used all my hotrod tubes, and I wanted to change things up again.

Colo Iowa's Twin Anchors Lake was the start of my quest with purple worms. I've fished with these before at this lake. It was a success like no other! I tried it again this time around. I got on my uncles paddle boat and fished the deeper waters. It seemed as if you just had to throw it out on the edge of the weeds, and jig it back. I had so many hits! Hits, and also FISH! My first fish of the day was a 18 incher. I got him in the boat with an exitement. "Booyah!" I yelled. It was surely a good start. The rest of the day was just like I mentioned. Slow jigging from the weeds into deeper water. I caught 13 Bass. All on the grape colored Producto worm.

Now Im at Goldfinch Pond in Marshalltown. I did this just for a mess around day. I didn't know that I would go on a slaughterfest with these worms again! All I had to do was throw about 5 feet off the bank, and fish the weeds. Weeds had a lot of little pockets where you could put your worm, or whatever soft plastic you had, down in there. BAM! They were extremly fun. A lot of times, I set the hook and brought them right out of the weeds and onto the bank! Small fish, but sure is fun! I fished it right as a cold front came in, and it put the Bass in a frenzy! I also fished the next morning. It was a rather cool, overcast day. I did the same technique, and got a few more Bass. One exceeded your 15 inch keeper limit, but was released like I always do.

Producto is a great lure to use. I have a bunch if anyone wants to check these lures out. But any other worm should work just fine too. Hope you enjoyed reading!

Catching Bass...FROGGY STYLE!!!

In the shallow waters, under the weeds, getting in done with the frog! Its officially summer time! Weeds are starting to over take ponds, and even a lot of lakes that I fish. Disappointing to a lot of people because now they cant fish with a jig, worm, or spinner/crankbaits without it getting loaded with moss. Luckily, theres a solution to the problems, and I'll tell you--its FUN!

A lot of people have actually told me that the moss is what ruins the fishing. They say its ''yuck'' for the fish and they don't wanna be in it. The fact is, the moss is a very good shelter for a Bass in the heat of summer. On a 90 degree day, the Bass wants to cool off, and the moss does it well. Of course, a lot of live frogs are making their habitat here, and a Bass loves a good frog for a bite. You can also use the frog in open water like a topwater lure, but is used best in the heavy weeds. One night the temperature was still in the high 80's, I tried the frog from Optimum Baits because I literally had no other options. To much moss for the Hot Rod tube or any other bait. I have struggled with the frog because it is yet another lure that I am just starting to get used to. You'll get a lot of blow ups jigging the frog across the moss, deer tounge and other weeds. A lot of times, the Bass will miss judge it, and misses the frog, but sure is fun to watch them come through the weeds to attack! A hollow body, with two hooks edging right over the back makes it a bit hard for the fish to grab it, but it doesnt ever get caught in the moss like other baits. After a lot of blow ups, I finally had one smack it, I set the hook hard and brought in a nice 14 inch frog eating Bass. The fish was so beautiful! Hiding in the moss gives them a dark Green color, and makes them look very healthy! Fishing with frogs--I love it!

Hitting the Century Mark

On Thursday, June 14th, My friends Todd Reed and Zach Maxfield took me along to a private lake. We didn't go fishing, we went CATCHING! We started off throwing buzzbaits and hammered about 20 to start with. I started slow-bait fishing a little while later. I started hammering a few off the Hot Rod Baits tubes, mostly on a Puke. Also caught a few on River Minnow and Green Pumpkin Blue. Soon, Todd let me use a lure that Ive never thrown before..a swim jig. I struggled at first but caught onto them and it turned out to be my key bait. I got about 10 on the swim jig! Todd and Zach were lighting it up on a weed bed, as I threw crankbaits and got a few off them! We left about 11:00 and hit the century mark for catches! Buzzbaits, swig jigs, worms, tubes, crankbaits equalled upp to 101 fish..now thats a great day!

My First 6 Pounder

Jigging with a Hotrod Tube, I landed this beauty in a private lake. My nephew and his friends were down at this place 5 times before me, they ended up with a 19 incher for there biggest catch. My other friend who told me about this lake, has fished it for two years..his biggest was only 22 inches. My 4th cast and I get myself a 23 1/2 inch 6.7 pound PIGGY. It was a private lake, but its still a heck of an accomplishment..some people may never get one this big, I got mine, now going for more!