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!