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!

Tubes, A Rising Favorite

It has been an intersting last few weeks in fishing, and in general..just an interesting last month in life. Being called out on a stage and being graduated was one milestone, ending one chapter and then starting a new one. It's been a rollercoaster, thats for sure, but one thing stands the same..whenever I am free..I gotta fish.

Nothing stops me, even after a hard day of hauling scrap metal to Mcgervich & Sons will not keep me from the water. Its been a different type of fishing season though, taking a new level with tournaments, trying out new waters, and of course..new lures, let me share!

Private ponds can be considered "cheating", because it is an easy way to find good fish, but can also teach you a lot..and what I like most about ponds is that you can use more lures and catch more fish with them. When you are less-confident about using this bait, or that bait, try out a pond..but get permission first. Use a lure that you seldom throw and see what happens, thats what I've been taking time to do. One lure that was on the bottom ofmy tackle box was the tube from Hot Rod Baits. Just about a month ago is when I decided to give them a shot..well, now I can say they are possibly my favorite. What happend to Producto? Well, I have been using them also, but not as much. I've been so confident on these tubes!

It was a cloudy Sunday morning when I used every color of tube I had with me, at a private pond. Doing the same tactic of jigging like a worm has resulted in MORE hits that anything else. Well, I thought to myself, "maybe its just the pond thats good for the hits on tubes". A week or so later, I tried another private water, this time with Strike King and Hot Rod tubes. In just one hour, I brought in 11 Bass, and used a different color each time! Two fish were over the keeping limit, at 16 and 18 inches, but gently released back into its home for future catches! Then, just last week, things went NUTS! Bringing in over 20 Bass in just an hour anda half, and 5 were keeper sized (pic shown--18 inch PIG). My tournaments have brought the same..no keeper sized, but I surely have nailed a few on them, now its just got me wondering..is this now my favorite bait?! I didn't even trust them strongly a month ago, now its my top weapon!

I hope you all enjoyed my first article outside of the classrooms, making time work for these isn't easy with the work I am doing, but I find ways because of this passion I have caught. I hope you learned a little about "tubing" and always give a lure a shot..cause who knows..it may get you some memorable fish along the way..sure did for me!!!

Seeking Time To Try Out New Lures

Thursday, May 3rd, a private water was the place set out for my last fishing article during my senior school year at GMG Jr/Sr High. This was originally supposed to be about a trip to Twin Anchors, in Colo, but I found this day far more interesting to share! My friend Richard was my partner for today (and at Twin Anchors, Sat. May 5th). We fished all the time in 2011, we made about 20 trips last year. This years been different, he’s been more busy with priorities, so I’ve had to find new partners. (which is also a good thing) Till today, he got his chance! 

Right after a day of school, I rounded up my rods and tackle box. My starting lineup for rods included a Berkley AMP with a Producto 7 inch worm, and a Berkley Lightning Rod with a Hot Rod Baits tube. I also brought my Berkley Ultralite Bluegill & Crappie rod, with some jighead hooks. I bought some nightcrawlers at Walmart, its very easy access, I live just 2 blocks from the store. I figured I’ve done enough extreme fishing of late..a competitive tournament (where my partner & I placed 9th, weighed in 1 Bass), practicing with Hot Rod Tubes, using and showing off all my Producto’s..I’ve done a little bit of everything of late, except use live bait. I haven’t used lived bait in over a month, I guess I could go all out and write on this for a change also since I’ve done everything else! 

This was one of those nights where everything goes right, couldn’t ask for a better evening. I’m not all Bass, I also will occasionally go for Bluegill and Crappie. It was hot out at the start, so we did the easy type of angling to tie us over, and keep us busy till it cooled off for the Bass. We put on some live nightcrawlers, (2nd time I used them all year) and soon I landed this nice Gill (pic shown) and my first Crappie! Richard and I totaled 48 Bluegill! After that, we tried for the BASS. I hit 2 right off the bat. Then I thought this would be a great time to brown my horizon and use a brand new lure that I’ve rarely used. Jim Wiegand is a member of the club I am in, and has his own lures “Wigs Jigs”.  I decided to use one, first cast ever on a Wigs Jig..cast, jig, jig, felt the hit, set the hook HARD, showing the fish who’s boss, then reeling it in STRONG!!! Result: A 15 inch bass, BOOYAH! Things went even better, I started throwing spinnerbaits and nailed a couple off that. The great story of the night was when Richard learned how to use my expensive bait-caster. He had a backlash at first, but figured it out and got the hang of it, and nailed 2 good fish off it!  When Richard smarted out a Bass, I promised him a picture in the paper, so we got it done! (pic of him with Bass off a WIGS JIG) 2 1/2 hours..48 Bluegill, a Crappie, and 12 bass together = 61 fish & FUN!  Just a terrific evening and getting him a chance on the water!

Richard is a member of Sea-Cadets, and has been busy dedicating time with this, instead of fishing. I would like to thank him for his courageousness. He doesn’t have to do this, but he dedicates some of his free-times to train on protecting the greatest country on earth. Kudos to you bro!

Why Not Double?!

Cloudy skies, and cold temperatures is what was to be on Sunday, April 29th. I quickly rose up though, It was soon to be just another day outdoors, trying to accomplish another goal of mine on the water. This trip was an experiment, and was also a nice little friendly competition. My friend Richard, who was supposed to come and get his first opportunity to get fish number one on the season, had priorities to take care of, and had to miss out. Kruz, who also wanted to come with, did tag along, and we had ourselves a friendly competition.

A mistake of mine to start off, was forgetting my spinnerbait rod. Arriving at the water we were fishing is when I noticed it was left at my apartment. Oh well! I still had other things to experiment. My WFL tournament on May 2nd is at Pine Lake, and i’ll give you all a hint, PLASTIC TUBES really work well at the Pines. I figured this Sunday would be a great opportunity to test these baits out. Hot Rod baits plastic tubes is one product that I really don’t use much, due to all the success with my Producto worms. I know I can get Bass off Producto, and have got thousands off them in the past, so why use them today really, especially when this is a great practice day? I needed to try these tubes out for practice, get some confidence and experience with these. 

Kruz and I started off very slow, which was rather shocking. We made a bet..who ever gets the first fish, gets a dollar. Well, the TUBE struck through! Oh yeah, double pump that!!! I suggested that he used a spinnerbait, since I forgot mine. I told him, “lets see what I can do slow bait fishing, while you use fast flashy baits”. Fast flashy spinnerbaits in colder 40 degree weather are a great tool to use. Kruz nailed quite a few off them, I just laughed and said “Doctors orders, told ya they would work!” He was really hammering them, I wasn’t doing to well, but I was fine, I needed to really work on the tube, and I knew it would be slower fishing with slower moving baits, rather than Kruz’ flashy white “Booyah Pond Magic” spinnerbait. It was really getting cold, but thats when I started coming on with the fish! 2 Bass in 2 minutes, off the tube! Kruz soon pulled up a very strange fish in a lake like this..a WALLEYE! We put our fish in a basket for another thing I wanted to do..my goal: Why not get a double picture? Once we finished, we lost the stringer and basket off Bass, but somehow managed to snag it with a jighead hook, boy would I’ve been mad if we lost our fish! We didn’t though, and we got our pics for showcase. Kruz came in with the bigger fish today, with his biggest 2 fish being 15 and 16 inches, all caught on a Booyah Pond Magic. My two big ones were only 14, and just slipping over 15, and mine were hooked on the Hot Rod Baits tube! We then RELEASED ALL THE FISH, and saved them for another time. Good fish off the baits we attempted to get em on, and good pictures..MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Remember, colder waters, like today, and warmer waters, like in July & August..fish will tend to be in deeper waters, but can also be found in the shallow areas also with some luck (like today).

I’m glad I got this trip accomplished! Ever since I found a real enjoyment for writing to the paper, I’ve been very busy trying to set up fishing trips, which I can write on, and atleast change a few things within the writing to keep it interesting, instead of the same thing over and over again. Unfortunately, after next weekend, I will not be writing fishing articles AS MUCH..but still will, whenever I’m free this summer. Next week, I plan to hit a lake previously mentioned before in an article called “Twin Anchors”. Its about 40 miles west from Garwin, and I plan to meet up with a friend from the Colo-NESCO area, a good known friend who I haven’t fished with for awhile. After that article, the fishing slow down quite a bit. The reason why fishing will slow down a bit will be revealed in next weeks Twin Anchors article, so you’ll have to wait and see! Hope you enjoyed reading about my exiting and FUN day!  

Always Have a Plan B

Once again, I couldn’t resist to get out and get fresh air and feel the freedom of being outdoors. My close friends Lane & Austin Williams were telling me about this pond  a ways out of town for awhile now. So, we just had to try it out, which exited me. I LOVE  testing out new waters. This time, I was the one getting the ride, instead of giving rides. I learned Sunday, April 22nd, that you always should have a “plan B” with you. Luckily, I did. 

We arrived about noon, and saw this pond was very shallow, had a lot of shallow flats for structure. I tried my Producto like always..but I couldn’t get them no matter what. Lets jig slowly, nothing. Faster jigging and more action..still nothing. My friend Austin was out to a quick lead, he had 5 and I only had one..but the one I got was from “Plan B”. Spinnerbaits were definitely the key today. (Browning Silaflex rod) Austin and Lane were using small twister tail jigs and getting Bass and Crappie. Plan B, the spinnerbaits saved me once I started using them. Off the dam, the water was a but deeper, and I hammered them off a white & green spinnerbait. I never caught Largemouth like I did of spinnerbaits this day! I did not get a crappie because I had no crappie gear with me, as Austin and Lane got about 6 beautiful slabs of pond crappies! I only got one off my Producto worm, which was shocking, but spinnerbaits saved me from getting skunked. We got some pics of the spinnerbait Bass and Austin & Lane’s Crappie for description. The Crappie (around 14 inches in length) were a nice dinner for Austin! We left around 6. We totaled 24 Bass between the 3 of us. 

Austin won, catching 12 Bass, and I only got 10. Yep..I was outfished, but hey..thats the beauty of fishing. Somedays are just a little off, but still..I was very satisfied, because I luckily had my spinnerbaits saving me. You can’t win em all!  A great weekend, taking my nephew Ethan on Saturday, then fishing with Austin & Lane Sunday. It’s great to have friends who share the same hobby!!!

A Saturday Filled With Producto

Again, the weekend came. I didn’t go fishing last weekend, so of course I had a lot of outdoor ambitions to do this time. I got my nephew Ethan again for my fishing buddy. Once again, we chose another farm pond, because my boat is having a few issues, I need to get on fixing it before it gets on the water. So, we did the easy type of fishing, I just wanted to do something as a little project, and the pond was great for it. Yes, farm pond fishing is way easier than boat fishing from a lake, but no biggy, already had a great night in the WFL earlier in the week. My goal was to find a good bass off a Producto worm and get a descriptive picture and write on this lure.

Winds and rain coming wasn’t gonna stop me and my nephew from heading, as we arrived around 10 AM. Quickly, Ethan and I got fish, literally on our first casts, but not       big enough for the description I wanted. I wanted to fish the other side of the pond cause I never tried it before, and I quickly hammered two 15+ inch Bass off a drop-off. Ethan next got a beauty off his green Producto. It slowed down, till about 20 minutes later I found my fish I was set out for. A nice fat 16 inch Bass found in deeper water was landed, and I got my descriptive picture as shown. Rain started to pour around noon, I nailed a tiny 8 inch Bass, then decided I didn’t wanna mess with getting Pneumonia, so we left, with a total of 8 Bass in 2 hours. 

Producto is by far my favorite lure, of course they represent a live nightcrawler,  they are still in business, but you don't find them on a shelf at Walmart or Bass Pro, you'd probably need a special order. My father had a bait shop back in his day, and got to keep all the lures that were never sold. We have about 20 boxes and tubs of Producto in our garage. The boxes and tubs contain about 10 packages of lures in them..so we have got thousands! We would like to sell a few of them since we have so many, and as you people have read about..they maybe old school lures, but these lures catch Bass!!!!! If you would ever want to buy some from my dad and I, contact me at Hawkeye_1fan09@yahoo.com or on Facebook-Jer Ridout. 

A Day with the Nephew

A pond near Gladbrook was the place where I took my nephew Ethan Ridout on Friday. It was a great day, as we started off throwing my producto worms. I landed two keeper sized Largemouth in 5 minutes, and I knew I was gonna enjoy this trip! Ethan wasn't off to a hot start, till I suggested a green spinnerbait from my tackle box. Good guess, or genuis? quickly he hammered 3 fish before I got my next one, then it slowed down. I Bluegill fished for a bit and got about 20 of them, before I crossed the other side of the pond and landed a PIGGY (pic shown). Every fish was released, and the total count was 10 bass, a lot of chunky fish. Ethan doesn't get out much like me, so he usually doesn't do as good based on lack of experience..but he sure nailed them today (with some help on lure suggestions) but he got em, and was satisfied. These pics will be uploaded to Northern Sun Print, the paper I write for. He will love having his first pic in the paper, and I am glad to be a part of that opportunity. HAPPY EASTER!

A Little Pond Fishing

Its April! Can you believe it? Well, it has a arrived, and it is a great month for fishing! I set up a plan to fish a private pond (with permission) with my nephew for Saturday, March 31st. 

Everything was set up, and I headed to bed on Friday night just thinking about my trip I was about to endeavor. The next morning..I wake up with a fever and stomach cramps, look outside and the weather wasn’t too spiffy either. I was so angry, one because I just had to get sick on the day I planned to go, the other..because it was supposed to be 75 degrees and sunny, and it wasn’t, I would not take the chance of getting sicker so I stayed home.

The next morning though, after a good nights sleep, I was 100% better. My nephew though couldn’t fish that day, so I got myself another buddy. My friend Kruz, who was disappointed with not being able to fish the other pond to weeks ago, got his chance at this pond today. We hit the pond relatively early, around 8:30, and as expected..we had FUN. We Bluegill and Bass fished, and both were hitting. I started off getting Bluegills on Jigheads on about every cast, and rounded up to about 40 for the day (released). Then, the BASS had its turn, they were in trouble!!! Of course, using my ol’ reliable Producto 7 inch tournament worm, I threw about 20 feet out. Jigging it slowly, then feeling a hit, I landed my first Bass! Moving down the pond, it was even better. Kruz must be the master of Crankbaits, cause he was getting them left and right. Meanwhile, I was hammering them with my Producto, including a beautiful 17 inch Bass. Kruz and I got fish at the same time, and we just had to take the picture of both our fish. I was not totally satisfied though, as I missed atleast 3 of them (one right up to the bank, then flipped off). We left around noon, so three hours of fishing, and around 60 total fish!!! (Gills & Bass) 

It was a great morning, and I can’t thank the owner enough for giving me the access to his waters. Remember, if you ever do want to fish a private water, GET PERMISSION, and keep the place clean! Hope you guys found this story entertaining!

One Week Later

One week ago, I found myself disappointed in the world of fishing. One week later, I find myself to be a lot more satisfied. Of course, the weather is still in the 70’s, and it’s really starting to show an effect. Reports in southern Iowa say that the Bluegill are starting to spawn, and this is MARCH! Usually a Bluegill spawns in May, the fish think it’s May due to this weather, and they are HITTING! It was just Sunday, and I found myself bored, I did everything else other than fish this weekend, so of course I had to give it a shot at a pond in Marshalltown. First I tried some Bluegill fishing, and the Gills were lighting it up, and was extremely fun with my Ultralite pole! After I got around 12 Bluegills (ranging anywhere from 5-8 inches) I tried to get my first Largemouth Bass of 2012. SUCCESS! Jigging my Producto worm, this one hit like a freight train to say the least. 12 inches was the size but it made me feel a lot better, and got this monkey of my back to get that first Bass of the year. If you thought this article was interesting, this was just an appetizer compared to what I’ve got planned for next weekend. Oh boy, I am pumped for some fishing!!!

First Trip of the Year-Disappointment

Fishing has officially arrived! People have already caught their first fish, and the weather has been HOT for the month of March. My friend Kruz and I were set to hit a pond that I've fished for 5 years. This pond has been great to me, getting myself a ton of great Bass, and Bluegill. Bass up to 4 pounds and Bluegill over 9 inches! We arrived and saw an array of bass and gills for us, but we were inturrupted by the owner telling us that is now not avaliable to fish anymore. I was heartbroken, but we resumed. We fleeted down to Twin Anchors which is a public pond, and has treated me well for as long as I can remember. It was slow though, the Bluegills were lethargic and wouldn't budge. We did manage to get a couple Green Sunfish but that was it. Bass were not hitting either. The drive home was quiet and disappointing, but it is still early in the year. It was a nice day to at least go fishing, and the next time I may have something more to write about. Join me next time, as I got access to fish a BRAND NEW pond. I hear it has great fish. I will be heading there on April 1st. I am pumped!!!!

Fishing is Here!!!!!!!!!

Basketball season has passed into just a memory now, as last night GMG lost in a district game, 60-42. That only meant this: Instead of staying after school for practice, I go home.  Well then, I wonder what I'll do now, I'm not in a gym with my basketball buddies. Im not busy now. I have too much free time. I guess I could get things ready for fishing! Its only Valentines Day, and there is snow covering the ground and its still cold. The water is pure ice and we still have another month at least, till I'm acually catching fish. Still, it can never hurt to plan all your trips, schedule the articles that I am going to write this season, get my tackle all rounded up and my fishing poles set. Here is a preview for this season, as I now get all my gear set up on my free time.

I plan to start my year out on March 18th, a Sunday. I am going to take my friend Richard to a private pond, which holds some PIG bluegills. It will not be a challenge, but it will be a nice way to start out, write an article on, and have a nice fish fry if I am up to all the work!!!

My second article should be about Crappies, I don't know when this will be. Last year I was catching Crappie in June, which is a bit late for them, so that article will be a surprise. 

After I graduate, I am moving to Marshalltown. I will likely be doing my own things by then, hopefully a good job. Meanwhile, I plan to start BASS fishing, lakes, ponds Ect. 

In the end, I plan to fish for Smallmouth Bass down at the Center Street and write on that. Should be an exiting year!

                           Set for fishing, with my two favorite poles, this pic was taken in 2011.

Senior Night

Senior night, it's always emotional. You've played on a team for all those years, working hard, having the fans come out to watch, and just like that..those four years are up, and its your last chance to make a stand.

Coming off a loss, but my best performance of the year-7 points, includes hitting a 3 at the buzzer to make the score a bit more respectable. GMG played AGWSR in the final home game. We started with a ceremony to honor the five seniors on the team, also the seniors for other sports. Then it was the ball game. I got the start, it was the only start on varsity for my career. For my starting line-up I tried something funny, and did the Tim Tebow pose as I was introduced on the court.  We fell behind 3-17 in the first quarter, as I missed my first two shots. We trailed 33-16 at halftime. I started the second half, just like the first, and this time I finally scored on a fast break lay-up. GMG fans were very happy to see me score, always were chanting my names whenever  I got the ball. I'm gonna miss that. I was pulled out to receive a standing ovation with 40 seconds left, along with the 4 other seniors, but lost 37-62.

I didn't look forward to playing basketball this year, primarily cause I just wanted to fish, but basketball has always kept me busy. We still have 3 games left, starting today at Gladbrook-Rienbeck. After the season is over, I have about a month to get all my fishing plans up, then around March 15th or so, it's FISHING season!

                      Out of all pics, this is my favorite from my basketball career. Vs Colo, in 2010, catching major air!

A Sunday in the Off-season

It is still winter, but we are getting through the worst part. Yes, this is a fishing blog, but; it isn't fishing season and I don't wanna leave this site empty, so during the wait for fishing, I'll talk about some other interests until the water thaws.

It was Sunday morning, and I was in Marshalltown to kill time. An odd hobby of mine is walking down to the railroad. I've always loved trains, so I fleeted down 12th Ave and watched a few trains pass by the city. It was an oddly warm January day so I was out for quite awhile, and saw a total of 8 trains (did not get pics, but I do have pics on my laptop from the past I can share). After "railfanning" for a couple hours I got hungry, and had a couple dollars in the wallet. Haley's market located on Swayze Street was the spot for an afternoon meal. My grandfather lived in that area when I was young and I was at the store a lot in my early years, even before I knew how to fish or play basketball! I prefer the chicken legs, mashed potatoes and gravy, with a side of green beans and a dinner roll, so I went with that. After the enjoyment of my lunch I walked back to my Grandmother's house, to visit a little. I turned on the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls game, I enjoy watching Derrick Rose play, but in a hard battle, they lost 93-97. The sun was setting after that, and I was picked up to go to my home, in Green Mountain. It was an enjoyable day, but it was not something new, its pretty much a routine for me in the colder stage of the year, when I can't fish, and need to improvise to keep 'entertained'.

Hope you enjoyed this non-fishing article, and found out a little more about me, off the water and when the poles and boat are in storage, I plan to do this routine till March or so until its fishing again, I will also post other stories about my basketball season, music, and other hobbies until fishing arrives to keep this site active.

A picture of a UP train in Marshalltown, in 2011, one of many i've seen.

Getting to know me.

Hello, you have reached Jer Ridout's fishing blog. This is a site where I will talk about fishing of course, some tips, my stories, and pictures!

I grew up in Marshalltown Iowa, my father was a good angler himself, fishing tournaments in the 80's and 90's. I started out honestly with a passion for the game of basketball, but that soon faded. I got hooked into fishing when I got my first keeper bass, at age 8. Although it was luck, I was interested in it deeply. I started fishing for panfish for starts, casual bobber, sinker and a nightcrawler, at a local pond. As I grew older, I got into more challenging stuff, BASS FISHING! I wasn't the best at the start, but as the years went by, I learned. I knew that I really wanted to persuit this in just a way of recreation, in effect; I bought my own boat at age 16. A 10 foot Basshound Boat was enough to keep me satisfied, no; it does not work well on big lakes at all, but on no wake lakes it is great. Even though I love Bass fishing, Crappie, Bluegill, and other panfish are sought by me. I don't eat Bass, I do eat Bluegills, Crappies Ect, however. Last of all, I would like to share some of my favorite gear used on the water. My favorite pole would have to be the Berkley AMP. Lure would be Producto Tournament worms or a Hot Rod Baits tube. Line would be a 12 pound test, and any of the lines are fine with me; Stren, Spiderwire, Trilene, Ect. Now on to the good stuff!

It is a new year! Another year of getting up, watching a beautiful sunrise, putting your boat on the lake, and  most of all, CATCHING SOME FISH! Last year was a great year, buying a boat, meeting some fantastic people associated in fishing, and catching some memorable fish. Making it as far as Brushy Creek Lake (located in northwest Iowa, near Fort Dodge) and just fishing in some city ponds. My best largemouth last year was a 3.6 pounder from a Marshalltown city pond. My best Smallmouth, was 4 pounds out of the Iowa River! With the success of last year, I am hoping and expecting the same or even better in 2012, and feel free to look at my posts as the year goes on!

Pic of two 3 lb IA River Smallies in 2011. My favorite pic!