DATE: 25 Jul 2009, 1:38 pm / MOOD: Other
The first reports came out about a possible new world record largemouth bass caught in Japan on July 2, 2009, and it weighed 22 pounds, 5 ounces, which was one ounce more than the 77 year old record of George Perry.
Here is what I reported first on my website on July 2, 2009, just a few hours after the bass was first caught.
Congrats to the angler on a fine catch.
Lake Biwa shocked the bass world a couple years ago by producing a bass that was well over 18 pounds (The Japan record was caught at Lake Ikehara, and weighted over 19 pounds.).
A 25 lb. bass was caught as by catch in a fisherman's net earlier this year, so many thought it would be just a matter of time before a record size fish was taken from Japan's largest (over 70 miles long) natural lake.
More updates from the Deps site:
As best I can summarize before the actual translating: He (reporter) was returning from a previous trip and had been out late that night. The next day around 12 he got a call about the big bass and to hurry as it was over 20 pounds. He arrived with a camera crew. The fish was originally kept in a recirculating livewell but as the day wore on the power died and so did the fish ultimately. Originally they thought of donating the fish live to the local museum for tourism purposes. The fish is now frozen and awaiting certification process.
When the fish was landed, the hook(s) fell out right as he got it in the net. It is still unclear even from the translator whether it is a lure or live bait that was used.
It apears to not have been caught on the "Mother" swimbait as was originally speculated. It also appears to have been caught in deep open water.
ROD: SIDEWINDER THE DOM DRIVER F / E
LINE: TORAY SUPER HARD STRONG 25lb
Then on July 4, 2009, I received this update on the staus and a video surfaced which i posted to my site.
It's amazing how quiet it is in Japan after the news that Japanese angler Manubu Kurita may have tied the more than 77-year-old all-tackle world record for bass with a 22-pound, 5-ounce largemouth he caught from Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture of Japan.
Jon Storm of BassFan.com said the lack of news could be because the rights for the story have been locked in by a magazine there. Storm has reported the bass was caught on live bait, but there's also a report that Kurita used a $300 swimbait. He represents Deps Tackle Co., a Japanese firm. Storm has been told that Lure Magazine in Japan might have secured the rights to this fish story, so the details of the catch could be a while in coming.
THE VIDEO OF THIS BASS IS NOW UP IN THE VIDEO SECTION OF THIS SITE. http://www.delawaretrophybass.com/apps/videos/
I was excited at this point with all the commotion surrounding this catch, and the fact that we may have a new world record, even though I assumed it was going to come from California like so many others also thought, but it was still exciting to see such a monster finally weighed and certified, so I thought.
Then came the news that they had certified the scales in Japan and it was over the 22.4 mark of the Perry bass, and that the Japanese media, DEPS lure company, and LURE magazine in particular, had secured the rights to the story and were witholding any other information at all to the public because they were going to sell the DVD in Japanese later in the year and run an article in Lure magazine. Hmmm. seems strange that they wouldn't want to capitalize on the biggest money making opportunity to hit bass fishing in 77 years, I thought.
At this point I was wondering what was going on along with everyone else.
Then came the ICAST 2009 show in Florida, and the rumors started to fly about the bass being caught in an off-limits area of Lake Biwa and the IGFA does not allow world records from what it calls "Sanctuaries".
After hearing this, I started examining the photographs a lot more closely. I ran the video in slow motion and after about 2 hours started to really question the big red marks all over this bass. They really looked familiar to me but I couldn't figure out from where. That was until my cousin, who is a commercial fisherman came over and looked at them, and said "Those marks on that bass look just like the ones on the fish I catch in my Gill Nets!".
Now I knew where I had seen these before. I tried as hard as I could to discount this theory by trying to find some type of predator in Lake Biwa that may have caused those marks, but I couldn't. Then I tried to find any other bass with those marks that lived in lakes that had a high level of contamination, but I just didn't see it. I have had people tell me they have caught bass with these marks on them in Korea before. If they prove not to be marks from a net, then they must be an infection of some sort that I am not familiar with, but then my next question is raised, which is: "Why are they serving these and other fish from Lake Biwa on the restaurant menu with those types of infections on them? I know I certainly wouldn't want to eat anything that had those marks on it. If that's what you can see..What is in it that you can't see?
Now I am not going to say that I know conclusively that this is what they are, but it seems strange that the IGFA has not received any paperwork on this bass at all as of today, July 23, 2009, and neither has any other organization in Japan that I am aware of. There is no news, no comments by Japanese media, nothing! We will just have to wait and see what happens, but at this point I am really skeptical! You can view all these photos and videos yourself and you be the judge at Delaware Trophy Bass.
Given all the controversy surrounding Manubu Kurita's pending World Record Largemouth Bass, Bounty Fishing decided to pass the picture along to the Forensics Team for me. Using the picture below, it was conlcuded that this fish was 28.27″. While this may break the BountyRecord, it falls quite short of the 29.4″ called.
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DATE: 27 Apr 2009, 3:10 pm / MOOD: Other
One of the most effective ways to catch huge prespawn bass in lakes and rivers are lipless crankbaits. These baits are especially effective when the water temperature is between forty-nine and fifty-eight degrees, especially in stained or muddy water in lakes and ponds, but it also works well in the rivers. Some of the techniques outlined below will help you catch bigger bass all over the country in the early spring starting in March, and peaking in April
TYPES OF BAITS
There are are variety of lipless crankbaits on the market that catch bass, but in the spring, in most lakes and ponds, in the Northeast, the Rat-L-Trap by Bill Lewis Lures, the Rattlin' Rapala, Lucky Craft, and the Ambush Stealth Diver, are some of the best. All lipless crankbaits have a different sound. Some are much louder than others, and will produce bass when some other quieter baits won't. At other times, the more quiet rattling baits will produce better. You just have to experiment with several baits until you find the ones that are producing best in the particular body of water you're fishing. Sometimes the same baits, in the same size, by the same company, make slightly different sounds that can be better than the other, and experimentation is the only way to find which bait works the best. Some baits won't run as true at different speeds, and they turn sideways a little more than others, so you just have to watch them in the water, and find the best ones. The hooks should always be changed to a premium hook system such as Daiichi or X-Point. There are many other great hooks, but I prefer these. Most of your lipless crankbaits should be used in a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce size, but recently, bigger bass in the Northeast and in Florida have hit the larger Salt Water Traps in the 3/4 to 1-1/2 ounce sizes.
COLORS OF BAITS
The best colors for the spring, especially if you have a lot of crawfish in the lake, are red, red/orange, and other variations of these colors. Some have spots on them and these are very effective. The standard chrome, and chrome with a blue back, and chrome and red, have worked especially well for the larger bass. If the water is extremely stained to muddy, we forund that the red, and the chartreuse/brown combinations work well in this kind of situation. If you have a lot of bluegill in the area, and less crawfish or shad, then the Bluegill/Suncracker patterns work very well. The primary forage in the lakes are the best patterns, unless you know that many anglers are aware of this, and are using these colors also. Then switching to unconventional patterns can fool some of the wary bigger bass. Again, we switch only the front hook to a "Bleeding Bait Hook" by TTI-Blakemore, (Daiichi), and then change the back hook to the same brand but in the traditional nickel color.
TECHNIQUES
Most people just cast the baits out and reel them straight in. While this will always catch some bass, there are more specialized methods that trigger strikes from the bigger bass. Cast the Rat-L-Traps out, and depending on the depth of the water, count them down to the level of the fish before starting the retrieve, and if it is a sandy and/or gravel/rocky type of bottom, let them sink to the bottom, then slowly raise the tip of the rod till you feel the lure vibrating, reeling the slack up slowly, then lower the rod tip, and do it again. Many times they will hit as it is on the bottom, and first starts to be lifted up. If these techniques don't work in a few hours, use a slight pumping action of the rod as you reel, keeping contact with the bait. If it hits a rock, weeds, or other structure, hesitate a second, and then rip it off quickly, and reel it in with a steady retrieve. You can also yo-yo the bait similar to a spoon or spinnerbait in deeper water near points and drop-offs, which can be extremely effective in colder water or on inactive fish that are suspended. Most of the time in water below fifty-eight degrees they hit very mushy, like grass or leaves, or even like you are snagged on a small branch, but most of the time it is a bass.
As they get close to the boat they will see you and make a dash for the trolling motor, and down to deeper water, sometimes even breaking the surface to throw the lure. The bass have to played very carefully as lipless crankbaits come out of the bass's mouth much more easily than you might imagine. Most of the bass will be in the shallower water off the flats, near deeper water, rip-raps, if available, or any place where there are baitfish and/or cover near the north shore or bay, close to food sources, near their traditional spawning areas.
EQUIPMENT
I like to use spinning gear for the smaller 1/4 ounce baits, and I use baitcast gear for the larger 1/2 to 1 1/2 ounce baits. I use a 7 foot spinning rod in medium action for the smaller baits, so as not to pull the bait from their mouths, usually a S- Glass rod, a G.Loomis Cranking Stick, or a "Kistler" rod. In the baitcasters, I use a 7 foot, medium to med/heavy rod, with a high speed reel, but many people prefer a good reel in a 5:0:1 or 5:3:1 gear ratio. I always use P-Line or McCoy in ten to twelve pound test, but eight pound test is preferred by many. Stren is also a good line for this. Fan cast the baits in as many directions as possible in the prime areas such as the mouths of the back bays with creeks, where grasses and riprap are on a harder bottom, and you will start picking up some of these monsters this spring. A good scent on the baits, such as "Megastrike" can't hurt either.
Delaware Trophy Bass
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DATE: 23 Mar 2009, 7:45 pm / MOOD: Full of life
NEW STATE RECORD LARGEMOUTH FOR MARYLAND!!!
If you could pick the conditions under which to catch a new state record fish, you'd be hard pressed to top the real-life set of circumstances under which Justin Riley broke
Maryland's Chesapeake Bay largemouth bass mark.
For starters, the Woodbine, Md., angler was fishing with his father, Ed. For another thing, he was fishing a team tournament, so there were plenty of witnesses, a set of scales nearby and money on the line. Finally, it was under super-tough conditions that few would have picked to produce a trophy bass.
January 26th started slowly for the Rileys. They had decided to fish a section of the river called "the Spoils" and found their favorite spot covered with ice. Relying on their boat to break up the thin sheet of ice and the river's currents to carry it away, they soon had water to fish, but nothing was biting.
Justin realized the most productive spot in the area — that key spot within the spot —was still covered by ice, so he backed their boat into the ice to break it up.
"I was looking at my electronics and saw some fish on it as we backed into the ice," he said. "When we pulled forward, I pitched my bait (a 1/2-ounce Bass Pro Shops XPS Lazer Blade in chartreuse and lime) back to the spot and let it fall to the bottom."
Justin and his father, Ed Riley, landed a limit that weighed better than 26 pounds to win the tournament.
Riley lifted and dropped the blade bait twice, then let it sit still on the bottom. That's when the big bass decided to make a meal of it.
"She picked it up off the bottom, and I set the hook," Riley said. "At first I wasn't sure it was a bass, but after several minutes she surfaced and turned so I could see the lateral line. Even then I had no idea how big she was."
With Ed Riley manning the net, Justin led the fish to the boat. She came aboard at about 8:15 a.m.
"I still didn't know I had a record fish," Justin said. "I had caught a nine-pounder from the river a couple of years before and knew this fish was much bigger but didn't know how much bigger."
It didn't help that their on-board scale was malfunctioning in the cold or that it didn't register weights over 10 pounds. So, with a very big bass in the livewell, the Rileys kept fishing.
And they proceeded to fill out a tournament limit that weighed better than 26 pounds. It was good enough for the win and, naturally, Justin's lunker took big bass honors.
Special to Bassmaster.com/Clifford Magnus
Riley at the tournament scales.
On the tournament scales, Riley's bass weighed 11-9, but they weren't certified. Once he realized the fish might exceed the state record, Justin and his dad went looking for some certified scales. They found them at a UPS shipping center where the bass weighed an official 11.18 pounds.
For most trophy catches, the story would end there. The fish would either be taken to a taxidermist or released in the waters from which it came, but the Rileys contacted the Bass Pro Shops store in Hanover, Md., and asked if they'd be interested in the fish.
They were, and after an hour-long drive to the store, the Rileys and store manager Aaron Frazier spent the next three hours gradually warming the water the bass was in to the same temperature as the store quarantine tank — a 35 degree difference!
After a quarantine period, visitors should be able to view the state record in the store's aquarium.
Technically, although Riley's catch is the biggest largemouth ever certified in Maryland, it's not the freshwater record. Because his fish was caught in tidal waters, Riley's bass is the Chesapeake Bay (or tidal waters) record for the state. The previous tidal waters record was caught in 1975 from the Pocomoke River and weighed 9-1. The Maryland freshwater record largemouth weighed 11-2 (about an ounce less than Riley's bass) and was taken from a farm pond in 1993.
Justin Riley is no stranger to tournament competition or fishing success. For three years he fished the Bassmaster Opens series before an automobile accident sidelined him in 2007. Now he's ready to get back on the trail and try to qualify for fishing's big time, the Bassmaster Elite Series.
"My dream is to become a professional bass fisherman," Riley says.
In the meantime, he's pretty happy with his state record.
Date: Jan. 26, 2008
Species: Largemouth Bass
Weight: 11.18 pounds
Location: Potomac River, Md. ("The Spoils")
Bait: Bass Pro Shops XPS Lazer Blade (chartreuse and lime)
Rod/Reel: Shimano Curado and medium-heavy Shimano casting rod
Line: 12-pound-test Berkley Big Game
Details: The bass hit at about 16 feet deep on a drop that fell from 11 to 19 feet
Status: Maryland state record for tidal waters
To read more about this and other giant largemouth bass and participate in contests visit BASSFISHINGSTORIES at http://bassfishingstories.webs.com
LOCATION AND RAMPS
The Nanticoke River is located in both Delaware and Maryland, and runs through several small towns all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. There are two ramps that you can access from Delaware. Phillips landing is the most popular. It has a big parking lot with room for about 30 boats and trailers. It has two ramps that can be reached by taking rt.13a to the town of Bethel, going over the Bethel bridges, and past the Bethel hole to Portsville. Take your second right after Portsville Pond, and follow the signs to Phillips landing. The other ramp can be reached by turning off rt.13, and taking rt. #20 west, down to Shipley Street in Seaford, and following the green signs to the launching ramp. There are restroom facilities, and room for about 40 trailers. There are two ramps there with deep water and good docks.
LOCATIONS AND LURES
The best location to start searching depends on the time of the year. In the spring from April to the end of May, launch at Phillips landing, and head to the right towards Broad Creek. About 1/4 mile up, past the lily pads on the left hand side, is a series of laydowns, and underwater boulders. The sun hits this area all day, and warms the water up a few degrees more than the rest of the area. Start working all the visible structure, laydowns, etc.with a fast moving bait such as a 3/8 ounce Terminator Spinnerbait in chartruese/white, with tandem blades.
If you don't get any takers in a short time, rework the same area with a crankbait parallel to the pads and in the wood. You should have a spider grub rigged on a spinning rod also, with 6-8 pound test line. Brown/orange or watermelon are a good choice. If you can't locate any bass in this area, then continue up into Broad Creek, all the way towards the Bethel Hole. Work the bridge pilings and the wood on the turn before the Bethel Hole, with a black/blue tube bait, jig, and a buzzbait. If these locations fail to produce, turn on the outboard and head back towards Phillips Landing.
Proceed past the ramps, and make a turn at the main channel towards the Woodland Ferry. There will be a series of docks and pilings a short distance before the Woodland ferry that should be worked well with a buzzbait and spinnerbait, then move in closer and flip a black/blue jig or a Senko. After working these docks, cross over to the entrance of the creek, and work the mouth with a spinnerbait and a buzzbait, then work all the wood with a jig and a Senko. Next, move down to the Ferry crossing, and throw small worms and Senkos right up against the sea wall, being careful of the ferry and the cable. After leaving this area, head up river towards Maryland to the next major creek on your right. There is a lot of wood there that should be worked thoroughly with spinnerbaits and buzzbaits first, then rework the same area with the jig and Senko. Many times while searching for bass here you will run into some decent size Stripers.
BEST TIMES
The best time to work these areas is the first two hours of the incoming tide, and the last two hours of the outgoing tide. Three days prior to a new moon in April are best, but other times produce with a little patience. Many 2-3 pound bass are caught in this area.
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS
When all else fails, run up into "Broad Creek," on either tide, and work the Bethel hole with tube baits and Senkos cast directly up on the bank and then pull them slowly into the water. This is a bass spawning area, and only one of a few on the river, so be respectful, and practice catch and release.
BAIT STORES AND LICENSE
A&K tackle has a variety of lures and bait, and are open year round You don't need a freshwater license in Delaware to fish tidewater, but you need both a Freshwater and Bay Sport license in Maryland. The weekends will have a lot of boat traffic, jet skis and the like, but all in all, most people are pretty respectful. There is a variety of wildlife along the river to enjoy, so take the whole family sometimes. It will keep them occupied all day.
Skeet Reese! 2009 Bassmaster Classic Champ!
BOSSIER CITY, La. — For Skeet, this one was sweet.
James Overstreet
Skeet Reese (First, 54-13)
Two years after losing the Bassmaster Classic by 6 ounces on a last-hour big fish, Skeet Reese outslugged 2003 Classic champion Mike Iaconelli by 11 ounces to fill the only glaring hole in his bass fishing résumé.
"To be able to do it — I didn't know if it was going to be possible," Reese told a capacity crowd of 9,300 at the CenturyTel Center.
With the win, Reese reaps a $500,000 payday (less, of course, the 6 percent tax the state of Louisiana will immediately impose). He cast himself as only the 11th BASS angler to earn both the Classic and a Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year title in a career.
The 39-year-old Auburn, Calif., pro knew it would go down to the wire. Iaconelli whacked 20 pounds, 3 ounces to rise from 10th on the final morning to first, with 54-2 over the three-day tournament.
Needing 16-2, Reese figured his bag was perhaps 16 pounds. When the scale read 16-12, he leapt in the air, pumped his fists and hugged Iaconelli.
"It's hard to be that far back in the standings and win the Classic," Iaconelli said. "It's almost impossible. I knew the potential was there but these guys are too good. They're not going to slip up."
Day 2 leader Jami Fralick's weigh-in was almost a formality. Needing 16-5 to complete his Cinderella run, he brought a 10-9 limit across the stage, falling to eighth.
James Overstreet
"It just wasn't my time, I guess," said Fralick, the 33-year-old from Martin, S.D., whose bite abandoned him on a stretch of water that he shared with third-place finisher Brian Snowden.
The Classic win caps a stellar run since Reese lost the 2007 Classic to Boyd Duckett, who finished 12th in this Classic after leading on Day 1. Reese won his first Elite Series event that summer on the way to his first AOY title, and in 2008 finished fourth in the points.
Before this win, he had won three BASS events and finished runner-up in seven. Until the final moments, he was mentally weighing fish, hoping not to be the bridesmaid yet again.
"There was a math war back there," he said.
That battle began with Reese figuring he needed 18 pounds to win. At launch he sped to the nearby water that he had scouted only lightly in practice. While most anglers, Iaconelli included, committed to exploring backwater pockets where they could pound on fish, Reese fished a relatively simple tournament on the Red River. He didn't run far, didn't push his boat up some godforsaken ditch, and though he fished near Duckett and others, he didn't jostle much with crowds.
"When you look at a map," he said of his preparation, "it's pretty self-explanatory."
Reese focused on a 200-yard stretch of bank outside of the Goose Pond area, where he fished pad stems with a 3/8-ounce Lucky Craft Redemption spinnerbait and a new Berkeley Crazy Legs Chigger Craw.
James Overstreet
At around 1 p.m. he caught a key fish from a stump along a bank he was scouring: a 4-plus-pounder that allowed him to cull a 2-pounder. He hollered with joy. He felt a sense of potential.
Then he didn't catch another fish for the final two hours he spent on the water, and doubts began to gnaw at him.
"I was an absolute mess," he said.
It was Kenyon Hill who first motored up to Reese after he reached the dock: Iaconelli had 23 pounds, having upgraded in the final moments with a reportedly 6-pound fish. Hope bled out of Reese.
Reigning Classic champ Alton Jones idled up and asked Reese what he had. Reese said 15 pounds, but that Iaconelli had 23. Jones consoled him, saying that Ike is prone to overestimating his weights.
Duckett pulled up to the dock across from Reese and asked how he did — after all, Duckett had heard his celebratory howl earlier. Reese was still coming to grips with Iaconelli's 23 pounds and 6-pound last-hour kicker fish.
"Two Classics I get beat by a big fish late," Reese said to the guy who beat him with a big fish late in the 2007 Classic.
James Overstreet
"Wouldn't that be something?" Duckett asked. He was reclined on the deck of his boat, legs crossed at the ankles, sneakers leaning against the dock. "Well, no matter what, you fished a great Classic."
When the anglers actually checked their fish backstage with BASS, an official's estimate pushed them closer: 16-4 for Reese, 18-10 for Iaconelli. Seeing Iaconelli's bag actually weigh in at a full pound and a half heavier than that put Reese back on edge.
When his bag finally was weighed, Reese said, "I knew it was game over." He leapt on his tiptoes, pumped his fists, clutched the trophy and came within a good hard nudge of openly weeping.
After a victory lap around the arena floor, Reese later told reporters, he snuck away to the bathroom and repeated to himself: "I just won the Bassmaster Classic. I just won the Bassmaster Classic. I just won the Bassmaster Classic."
Then he told everyone at the post-tournament news conference that drinks at the hotel bar were on him, and they were all invited. At press time, that promise had yet to be verified.
Bass Tactics For Delaware's Lums Pond
Senkos and other plastics will work at Lums when the pressure is on in the summer.
Lums Pond, located just off Rt. # 71, in Kirkwood Delaware, is a 190 acre state park, with a very shallow launching ramp, and has room for about 25-30 vehicles with trailers in the main lot by the launching ramp. There is a daily fee at sate parks, or a yearly pass can be purchased at any of the park offices. This is a prime location for bass anglers in the spring and summer, and receives fairly heavy fishing pressure, from weekend anglers and tournament fisherman. Although it has a lot of pressure, there are still quite a few big bass in Lums, along with a decent population of Hybrid Striped Bass. If you follow these steps, you can still connect with a real trophy in Lums Pond this spring.
"Wood Cover"
There is quite a lot of wood, laydowns, and cut off stumps in Lums. Most of the wood is located on the left and right hand sides of the main lake, right after the beach and docks, about 1000 yards up from the launching ramp. The first area to try is the laydowns on the right, as you head up past the beach. This area is overlooked by a lot of anglers, but is a good location for largemouth's in the two to four pound range. This same area also holds quite a few Striped Bass hybrids that run around six pounds on average, but some in the eight and nine pound class have been caught here. You can't go wrong by flipping a black/blue jig, with either a blue Uncle Josh Pork trailer, or a Sweet Beaver trailer. Both have worked real well flipped into the laydowns along both shores in this area. The North shore receives the most sunlight in the spring, and as a result, warms first. I like to use a seven foot, Falcon graphite rod, with a Shimano Chronarch, spooled with twenty to twenty-five pound test. Flip all the laydowns in this area, working each one of the branches moving from the outside in, right up to the shore. If this area doesn't produce right away, move across the lake to the other laydowns, and work them the same way. When you can't get a hit in this area on the jig, often, you can move off this area a little farther, and rework the same areas with a 3/8 ounce Terminator spinnerbait in Golden Shiner, with tandem blades. Make as much contact with the wood from as many different angles as possible. Keeping a buzzbait rigged for this area is a good idea, and many times, repeated casts to the same areas over and over, at different angles will provoke a reaction strike.
"Points and Drop-offs"
Although it is common knowledge that bass will stage on drop-offs and points this time of year, all drop-offs and points aren't alike. Look for drop-offs and points that are nearest to the main channel, preferably on the North shore, that contain some type of new vegetation growth under the surface. There are several areas that are eight and nine feet deep, but the average depth is four feet, with some of the shoreline much shallower. The water is very stained to
muddy, so the bass will go very shallow to feed. Don't be afraid to cast right up against the shore in the very shallow water. At first glance, Lums doesn't seem to have a lot of grass, algae, or emergent weed growth, but there is a wide variety of aquatic vegetation under the surface that hold lots of baitfish, and bass! One of the best spots to connect with some big largemouth's and hybrids is the sand point and drop-off just across from the dog training area. Work this area well with a white/chartreuse spinnerbait and long shad colored minnow baits, such as a Husky Suspend Jerk, or a Rattlin' Rogue in blue/chrome,or a Lucky Craft "Pointer". Last year working this point, and the one directly to the north of the cove with a pier, we caught more than eight bass in the three to five pound class, with a couple of nice six pound Hybrids thrown in.
"Buzz the Flats"
Don't forget the buzzbait in the spring. When the water warms to sixty to sixty-five degrees, the buzzbait will draw tremendous topwater explosions on overcast days,and sometimes the whole day. Many times in April, we started with the buzzbait early in the morning, looking for active fish, and never switched baits all day. Some days of twenty to twenty-five fish, are not uncommon at all, with most in the three to four pound class. The best areas for the buzzbait in Lums are located on the flats that are adjacent to deep water. A good fish locator, such as a Lowrance, that is made for shallow water performance, is a great tool to have when you first start to explore Lums, as it is one of the larger Delaware Ponds.
Head straight up the lake from the launching ramp until you get to the upper end of the lake. There will be a cove with a fishing pier all the way up on the right. Work this area with repetitious casts using a double-buzz, in black, and a clacker type buzzbait, such as a Terminator Ball Buster or Charon Klacker buzz, in 1/2 ounce, with a trailer hook. Many times here you will get a lot of short strikes due to the muddy water. A trailer hook will increase your hookups greatly. Stay well off shore here, and make as many as thirty casts, from different directions, before moving on. Make sure to hesitate just a second when the bass strike, and set the hook hard. I like to use a 7 foot Lews Crankin stick, or a G.Loomis Crankin stick with seventeen to twenty pound test for this type of fishing.
"Cover Water"
When all of the above methods fail, start covering water. Sometimes the bass are still a little off shore in the early spring, and covering water quickly, until you get a strike, is a good idea. The best lures for this are 1/2 ounce chrome/blue Rattlin' Rapalas. Position the boat a little off shore, and cast out to the drop-offs and weedlines, retrieving it back with a pumping motion, raising your rod from a 9 to 12 o'clock position. Make sure the hooks are really sharp. When you locate the fish, work the area slowly with the lipless crankbaits, spider grubs, and a 4″ Senko." Follow these tips for Lums Pond this year in the spring, and you will get a quick start to a "trophy year." Later in the afternoon, the area directly across the lake from here contains a lot of overhanging trees, and a lot of stumps. These stumps can't be seen until it's too late. So make sure you have a breakaway mount on your electric motor, and keep the outboard up out of the water. There is a no-wake policy on Delaware ponds, but you can use the outboards. The bass in these heavily pressured areas become conditioned to sounds more easily, as they can't rely so much on sight, due to the muddy water. So keep the trolling motor on low, and try to avoid any banging around in the boat. I have caught bass with the trolling motor on, but most of the bass above five pounds were caught with the trolling motor off.
Keep these things in mind this year at Lums, and you will connect with the bass you are looking for. Most people get on the water too late. Start in mid to late March, or as soon as the water temperature gets to around forty-eight to fifty degrees.
Pharmaceuticals In The Water
More evidence has come to light recently that aquatic life is being exposed to a deadly cocktail of Pharmaceuticals. The USGS confirmed that a recent study detected the presence of drugs, hormones, steroids, and other products in about 80% of the U.S. waters sampled. Researchers say that almost all forms of aquatic life are being exposed to trace amounts of everything from Prozac to birth control pills, and some beleive that the exposure is in high enough concentrations to impact the health and reproductive systems of wildlife. About 80% of all the rivers and streams sampled in 2002, contained trace amounts of pharmaceuticals. The samples were taken in 139 rivers in 30 states. Researchers are now working on several fronts to determine the short and long term effects this will have on wildlife. A researcher discovered Prozac, an antidepressant, in the brains, livers, and muscles of Bluegill caught downstream of a plant in Dallas, Texas. Antidepressants have the same effect on fish that they do on people. They tend to relax them. That s not a good thing for fish. While these medications were discovered in fish in the wild, other researchers are studying fish in the laboratory to determine just how these medications will effect them. Marsha Black, a toxicologist, found that low levels of Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Celexa, cause developmental problems in fish, and metamorphosis delays in frogs. In Mosquito fish, markers of sexual maturity were delayed in both males and females, and metamorphosis in frogs was also delayed. Timing is critical to the survival of many aquatic creatures, and this may cause a real problem in many species. Sewage treatment plants are not equipped to filter out any of the hundreds of different prescription drugs that are present in wastewater. And it s not clear how they would approach the cost or technology of such a challenge. Because prescriptions like antidepressants are for chronic conditions, patients often take them for months and years at a time, making them more likely to build up in wastewater, and subsequently, in the nations fisheries.
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