3-25-09 Twin Buttes

Went fishing Wednesday afternoon after all the rain had fallen. Wendell Ramsey wanted to see if I was indeed a charm and not a jinx. As is typical, results were mixed.



Weather was pretty warm and water was mid to low 60's and pretty stained. We fished a flat that historically was a spawning ground and Wendel caught a nice high 3 to low 4 pounder. That was fun to watch! I noted that he has a very different way to pitch and flip that is much harder than it looks.



We went up the Middle Concho for a bit and ran into the Dormans. Mike said he caught a 5.5 pounder and that the fish broke his carrot stick. It didn't matter as Mike pulled in the line to make the catch.



That's an expensive fish!



I'm trying to develop a thing called a "Called Shot". This is where the fisherman says that he is pretty sure there is a fish here and that it is worth me trying to record the cast and catch with my camera. This is not an easy feat for wither the fisherman or the camera dude; me. Some might think it is boring, but it is really fun. Below is Wendell's called shot.



Although not a bad fish, he wanted to give it another shot.



Much more what he had in mind. I know I couldn't have done it! Even his casting is hard for a guy like me to pull off. He curves a pitch like some scene out of "Wanted".

We went to the flats over by the old boat dock and did pretty well. All in all we caught a lot of small fish on creature baits. It was a fun and I consider it a success. The fish are biting and Wendell said he expects that it will stay good until the next full moon.

I think this is something that really separates fishermen like Wendell from guys like me. It is one thing to watch Bass Masters on TV, but to see these guys do what they do, the actual process, in catching fish is something one cannot take for granted. It just illustrates how far I have to go before I can ever approach this level. It gives me a new appreciation for what I see in some of the better fishermen I know.


Thanks for reading and remember, "Cast straight, cast often, and keep your wake small for the guys in the plastic boats."

PABC March Tournament Result

PABC Conducted their March Tournament 3-21-09. Results below:

1. Morris, Jeff 2 13/16, 3 5/16, and 4 12/16 for a total of 10 14/16
2. Cavanass, Roy 2 9/16, 2 12/16, and 2 14/16 for a total of 8 3/16
3. Miner, Scott 3 and 4 8/16 for a total of 7 8/16
4. Witt, Bob 3 13/16, 1 12/16, and 1 12/16 for a total of 7 5/16
5. Day, Jim 2 13/16, 1 12/16, and 2 4/16 for a total of 6 13/16
6. Day, Garrett 1 14/16, 1 11/16, and 2 11/16 for a total of 6 4/16
7. Palko, Chip 2 9/16, 1 8/16, and 1 13/16 for a total of 5 14/16
8. Leeper, Jay 5 4/16 for a total of 5 4/16 (Big Bass)
9. Lucas, Jesse 4 14/16 for a total of 4 14/16
10. Dorman, Bryan 4 9/16 for a total of 4 9/16
11. Brumley, Josh 1 15/16 for a total of 1 15/16
12. Dorman, Mike 1 13/16 for a total of 1 13/16
13. Brumley, Justin 1 8/16 for a total of 1 8/16 (Small Stringer)
14t. Lopez, Jaime 0
14t. Dorman, Cambry 0
14t. Gagliano, Scott 0

Thanks for all the participants who made this a memorable tournament.

PABC Monthly Tourney @ Twin Buttes 3-21-09

The PABC Monthly Tournament for March was conducted 3-21-09 @ Twin Buttes. 17 fishermen braved the wind and baking sun in pursuit of the elusive big fish that Twin Buttes hides so well. The fishing was pretty good with a lot of sightings. Right are 4 boats we saw as we headed back in.

Scott and I baked and fished the Middle Concho. We hit the salt cedar and bluffs with crank baits and worms. We really thought they would hit the worms, but discovered that they really loved the crank bait! This was found out on my first cast with the Bomber.

Right is a picture of the traffic we saw. For the record, most of the fishermen were very respectful of the occupants of the small plastic boat. Just for the records, Jesse Lucas was not nice (but he is a heck of a nice guy!). ;-P

Not everybody was fishing bass. These guys were parked up against the bluffs fishing crappie. My better half made my buddy and I a T-Shirt for WTJB. I loved that she did this and it worked as these guys were asking about the site. Thanks, babe!

We were pretty beat and caught a number of small fish, but no keepers. Limping in on my 30-pound thrust trolling motor against the wind, we stumbled into Bob Witt and Garrett Day flogging the water. Bob and Garrett both weighed in 3 fish and placed well in the tournament. (4th and 6th respectively.)

We also found Jeff Morris (front) and Jim Day. Jeff ended up winning the tournament with 10.14 pounds of bass. His biggest was 4.12. Jim placed 5th.

We saw the Dormans all day long. These guys fish hard and have both placed well in other tournaments. Unfortunately, this was not the best of days for them.

Roy Cavaness showed us his big fish at the time. Roy placed 2nd with 8.3 pounds of fish. This guy seems to always be in the top end of the standings!

Everybody reported that the bass started up at about 6ish. Most caught their stringers at this time and there were some good fish brought in.

Big Bass honors goes to this yo-yo!

That's right, fellow fishing jerks! I lucked into this 5.04 with 10 minutes before we had to head in. We were beat and just looking for a place to get out of the wind to finish off our time. I do a little trick in my tiny boat where I grab a cedar with my ankle to hold us on a spot. In this area was a little cut about 10 yards long. I cast down it thinking I had caught a big bass like this before when it hit my bomber right by the boat. I knew it was big, but I figured it would get off easily as my partner couldn't have possibly had time to get the net. Just at that moment, Scott dipped the net in and caught the fish. All I could say was ..."WOW"!!!!!

Sometimes it is just better to be lucky than good.

Take care and remember, "Cast straight, cast often, and keep your wake small for the guys in the plastic boats!"

WTJB in the Standard Times

I am SOOOOO embarrassed!

I just got an email from a friend of mine, Scott Gagliano, telling me that Wendell Ramsey did an article on the site. It is:

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/mar/15/web-site-a-great-place-for-anglers-to-swap-info/

I absolutely loved it!

I usually read the Standard Times online as I am a pretty cheap guy. I think all of Mr. Ramsey's articles should be featured on the web site if for no other fact than there are so many fishing enthusiasts in the area.

Many thanks to Wendell Ramsey for the article and taking me out fishing. I will remember my first 5+ pounder for the rest of my life! What a blast!!!!!!!!!!!

Twin Buttes 3-20-09

Paw-in-law and I fished around the old boat dock up towards the north shore. Weather was a bit windy at first and settles down about 9ish. Water was clearer than usual and about 65 degrees.

I struck first with a crank bait catching a keeper and a dink. But then John caught a lot on a

crank bait.. I lost count after 5. We wrapped things is at about 10:50, but he caught this 2.15 right there at the end. He ended up harvesting 4 keepers and the TPW would be proud.

I had fun getting whipped and look forward to the next big catch!

Take care and remember, "Cast straight, cast often, and keep your wake small for the guys in the plastic boat."

Concho River @ 306 and Ben Ficklin 3-19-09

Went solo to this spot and fished the west bank. There was a lot of fallen timber. Water was low to mid 60s and pretty clear.

I would throw a worm in the timber, but got nothing. I ended up dragging a crank bait across the wood and got a few this way. My biggest one was probably 14".

Heading out tomorrow with paw-in-law.

Take care and remember, "Cast straight, cast often, and keep your wake small for the guys in the plastic boat."

Twin Buttes 3-10-09

WOW! I got a surprise invite from this guy.

San Angelo's own and Standard Times Outdoor Columnist, Wendell Ramsey! What a privilege for anyone and an honor I do not take lightly. I had a blast getting my behind whooped by this guy!

Heading out, Wendell confessed that he felt the pressure to put me on the fish. I had to assure him that there was no pressure as I was use to not catching fish. We had a laugh and this lightened things up.

Wendell took me to a spot that I could never find again if my life depended on it. It just looked out in the middle of nowhere. Weather was nice; overcast with a slight breeze. Water was 61 degrees and we both agreed that it would be great fishing weather.

Wendell was fishing a shallow running crank bait and I started with a swim bait. I threw it a time or two and decided to change to my confidence bait, a baby bass Bomber Fat A. I knew this would pay off as I noted that Wendell caught 3 in the time it took me to tie on my crank bait. I tried to record him catching this 3+ pounder, but being the bright guy that I am I predictably could not find the right button in time.

In all honesty, Wendel did this for quite a while. He caught 6+ in the first 30 minutes we were there.

I finally tied on and started casting. I caught a few trees, but managed to work my way off without embarrassing myself too much. Wendell said there were big ones here, but I was pretty busy watching what he was doing.

Then it hit.




This 5.9 is by biggest fish. I was sure I had caught a bark bass as Wendell and I got into a discussion as to whether it was a fish or not. I was wrong. I almost freaked out when I saw the fish. It took some time, but we got it. I could get use to that.

We fished a lot of spots and caught more fish than I could count. I just appreciated the chance to learn from one that truly has spent a lot of time learning his craft.

Thanks, Wendell!

Thanks for reading this and remember, "Cast straight, cast often, and keep your wake small for the guys in the plastic boats."

SuddenLink Open Results 3-7-09

The SuddenLink Open was conducted Saturday, March 7th.

The winner of the SuddenLink tournament was Lee Smith.

Lee won with a total 3 fish stringer 20.30 with over half of the weight being based on his big bass that was 10.55.

Second place went to Tad Box (left)who's 3 fish stringer totaled 18.04 with his big bass standing out at 6.71.

Third place went to Joe Smith (right). Joe's 3 fish total was 15.84 with his big bass being 5.52.


Russell Baumann (left) took 4th place woth a 3 fish stringer worth 13.78. His big bass was 5.39.






12.52 was the weight Paul Montelongo (right)recorded off his 3 fish stringer which was good enough for 5th place. His big bass was 5.51.







David Elliot (left) had a big bass of 5.63 with his other 2 fish totaling out at 12.50. This placed him at 6th place.







12.46 (man, what a close call between 5th and 7th)) was the weight Tony Gibson(right) recorded to take the 7th place spot






Roy Cavaness( left) recorded 11.98 pounds to wrap up 8th place.






Rick Danials (left) took 9th place and Bryan Dorman (below) rounded off the top 10.













Congrats to all who competed on behalf of SAISD and RCY Internet Safety. Hats off to you, folks!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and remember, "Cast straight, cast often, and keep your wake small for the guys in the plastic boats!"

Suddenlink Open 3-7-09

The Suddenlink Open kicked off on 3-7-09. The fish caught came out of Nasworthy and Twin Buttes. Weather was pretty decent despite being a bit windy. Water temperature was low 60s and 118 fishermen ranging from as far as El Paso made this an event to remember.

The Suddenlink committee members really worked hard to put on this event. The members seen left (from left to right) are; R.J. Jones, Cory Peddy, Craig Thornell, Monica Kincer, Junior Torres, and Gary McDonald.

It was obvious right from the start that these nice people had put in a lot of effort on making this a success. Volunteers were organized and efficient in getting the fishermen in to weigh their catch minimizing the stress the fish had to get through.

As mentioned earlier, the wind was up, although not gusting to 30 mph like it did last weekend. Skeeter boats were offering to give demonstration rides and the Suddenlink Photographer, Ramiro Galvan and I got lucky enough to get to ride with Scott Burriss (left) and score some great pictures of the contestants. Thanks Scott!

On right is Andrew Ortega and his son, Andrew Ortega Jr. from Odessa. We found them not far from the docks over by Knickerbocker Park. Although they didn't catch any keepers, Junior did manage to score the high score for the Cast for Kids Casting competition and has been invited to compete at the next level at Hubbard Lake. Contrats, kiddo!

Tim Dolenger was working the reeds in his kayak as we passed by to say "Hi"!

Over here, we found Kenneth Preston working the boat docks.



About this time, we headed back to the Head Quarters over at the Concho Bass Busters Club House for the weigh-ins.



And we didn't have to wait long.






Melvin Harris showed up with this 5.86. This was a quality fish!












Despite this great start, it didn't take long until Lee Smith showed up with this monster.

It was a 10.55 caught in Nasworthy in the ski lanes. Lee said he caught it on a black and blue jig and that it took him 10 minutes to land it. He also said that he had been waiting 17 years to catch a 10+ pound fish. What a time and place to do this!







What a beautiful fish! Remember, those are 14+ inch keepers under the monster!

I wasn't the only yo-yo covering the event. Wendell Ramsey, Outdoor Writer for the San Angelo Standard Times, fished the tournament and stuck around to watch. Wendell is a heck of a fisherman and writer. It was great to see him here and take a few minutes to visit about the fishing.











I was sincerely appreciative of the tournament as that the proceeds went to SAISD to benefit the kids of San Angelo. Dr. Carol Ann Bonds showed to participate and represent the district. As the head of the district, it was great to see her and her husband be a part of the crowd and visit with the people that we serve.







Thanks, Dr. Bonds!







In all, this was a great experience for everyone involved from the volunteers to the participants to the MC and weigh masters!

My sincerest gratitude to Cory, Gary, and the Suddenlink folks for allowing me access to everything for the coverage of this blog.


Stay tuned for the next post covering the results and remember, "Cast straight, cast often, and keep your wake small for the guys in the plastic boat!"

SuddenLink Open

Stay tuned for coverage of the tournament.

PABC Made an Impact at the SuddenLink Open

Two members of the PABC placed in the 118 man SuddenLink Open on Saturday, March 7th.

Representing the 10th place winner was Bryan Dorman (far left) with a 3 fish stringer which was over 9 pounds.


Roy Cavaness placed 8th place with

his big fish on the right. As I recall, Roy's stringer was over 10 pounds.

Chip Palko and Scott Miner also competed with the big dogs and held their own.


Big contrats to these guys for a job well done!

Anticipation Builds

The SuddenLink Bass Tourney kicks off tomorrow. I can honestly say that I have never been this excited about not fishing a tournament.

I am volunteering tomorrow and hope to get some great shots and footage.

Come on out and say "Hey" to the gang!

See you out there!

PABC Standings 3-4-09

As posted below, the Feb. Tourney results are:


1. Cavaness, Roy 4 1/16, 5 13/16, and 6 4/16 for a total of 16 2/16
2. Dorman, Mike 1 15/16, 5 2/16, and 8 1/16 for a total of 15 2/16 (Big Bass)
3. Morris, Jeff 3 12/16, 3 9/16, and 2 2/16 for a total of 9 7/16
4. Day, Jim 3 3/16, 2, 3/16, 1 14/16 for a total of 7 4/16
5. Day, Garrett 1 14/16, 1 14/16, and 2 8/16 for a total of 6 4/16
6. Dorman, Brian 2 5/16, 1 7/16, and 1 13/16 for a total of 5 9/16
7. Palko, Chip 1 15/16, 1 9/16, and 1 11/16 for a total of 5 3/16
8. Witt, Bob 1 9/16, 1 9/16, and 1 6/16 for a total 4 8/16
9. Halfman, Brandon 2 10/16 and 1 8/16 for a total of 4 2/16
10. Minor, Scott 1 5/16 and 1 6/16 for a total of 2 11/16
11. Leeper, Jay 2 4/16
12. Lucas, Jesse 2
13. Lucas, Travis 1 9/16 (Small Stringer)
14. Gagliano, Scott 0


The overall standings have changed a bit. For those recording weights at this point are:

1. Roy Cavness 88.20
2. Mike Dorman 85.57
3. Brian Dorman 82.26
4. Jeff Morris 63.17
5. Garrett Day 42.19
6. Chip Palko 38.25
7. Jim Day 35.51
8. Jay Leeper 33.12
9. Jesse Lucas 32.07
10. Scott Gagliano 11.19
11. Bob Whitt 9.06
12. Scott Miner 8.45
13. Brandon Halfmann 6.75
14. Justin Houk 6.00
15. Drew Searsy 5.50
16. Westley Wyatt 4.06
17. Kevin Johnson 1.94
18. Justin Eady 1.88
19. Wes Hayes 1.88
20. Justin Brumley 1.69
21. Travis Lucas 1.56
22. Noah Brumley 1.44


Way to go, gents!
(Overall weights are recorded in decimal format.)

Thanks for taking the time to read this and remember, "Cast straight, cast often, and keep your wake small for the guys in the plastic boats!"