Lake Falcon Bass Biting

Pinch me, I am Dreaming... South Texas was Tropical compared to the weather around here. Saturday morning we woke up to 59 degree air temps and expected to be around 80 degrees and no wind for the 2nd Basschamps in the south division. All this turned out to be true but I still thought I was having one of those dreams of a perfect day of fishing.


Ronnie Wallace and I waited with anxious tension for our boat number to be called at take off that morning and were excited to be on one of the hottest Bass lakes in the country . Not knowing how the day would unfold is a big part of why I fish Bass tournaments and with a game plan in mind you cant wait to put it to the test.


Lake Falcon did not dissapoint as Ronnie and I pulled up to our 1st spot in the mouth of Solado Creek, a big creek arm on the Mexico side of the lake. A fat 5 lber crunched a DD-22 crankbait I worked near a dropoff then soon after that we headed to the shallow water for some spinnerbait and flipping action. Working my spiner through some small green willow bushes I saw a 7.5 lber inhale my bait near the boat and lit the water up with a thrashing you could hear all over the lake. After Ronnie netted the fish we noticed a very bloody tail and that told us we had made the right decision to move up and stay shallow.


We moved a few miles up the Rio Grande and started working some small pockets off the main river channel that were loaded with log jams that were remnance of the flood that had filled the lake a few years ago. Ronnie picked up a spinnerbait and fired it across the logjam only to see a bass rollup on the bait but not taking it. Instinct told him to drop the bait quickly after the fish missed it and he let it flutter down only to have the fish inhale it and set the hook. This fished weighed around 7 lbs. and after a quick release into the livewell he tossed his spinnerbug back into the same spot only to quickly set the hook on another 7 lber. After a short fight the fish wedged in a fork of a laydown and got free.


After the shock of losing the fish I flipped my trusted Ragetail SpaceMonkey into the very same spot and lost another fish around 6 lbs.


Now we were not happy about loosing those fish, but we were pumped because we had a workable pattern that we could duplicate in several areas on this same bank. Going into another pocket that looked simular to the last Ronnie flipped up another 7 plus lber on a Brushhog then shortly after that I got the bite we needed. Using the same Green Pumpkin SpaceMonkey, I flipped over several big logs in about 3 ft. of water.I hopped the bait one time and I felt the familiar "thunk"that I know is going to be the big one. After setting the hook the rod bent heavily as I pulled hard with very little give at the end of the line. "Big One"I grunted as Ronnie went for the net and I wrestled the chunky 9 lber over several logs in a worried state and into the boat.


We caught alot of nice fish and had a few missed opertunitys but the 35.70 lbs of fish we weighed that day was one day I will never forget. These kinda of days don't happen all the time and to do it with a no practice and working a gameplan that came together was truly special.


In all the excitment we did not take any pictures and believe me Jay let me hear about it but I do have a couple of pics from the following day when Ronnie and I stopped at Choke Canyon on the way home. A fat 7 lber fell prey to my Gold RattleTrap in about 5 ft of water Then we saw another critter in the cove we were fishing that was truly a better hunter than we were. Ronnie snapped this picture then asked me to get out on the bank next to him to give the picture some scale.... I didn't think so!!! .... See Ya on the Water.

Local Boy on Tournament Trail

Take a look at who finished top 10 out of 233.

http://www.basschamps.com/basschamps/results.cfm?tournament_id=96&type=team&yearSelected=2010

Early Valentine present on O.H. Ivie

Feb. 13th on Ivie was a welcome relief from some frustrating days of fishing on Lake Belton the last couple of weeks.
My long time fishing partner, Ronnie Wallace, and I headed for the lake around 8 a.m. with our sites set on big bass and enjoying some decent weekend weather for a change.
Ronnie and and another talented fisherman, Chris Nock (Lubbock), are just coming off a big win on Lake Brownwood in the Media Team West Circuit where they braved the elements to catch over 13 lbs and a big bass of 8.05 adding $2000.00 to there wallets.
We launched at Concho Park and roared across the calm waters to the Leday area of the lake and alternated beween here and the cemetary area. Ronnie picked up 3- 3 lbers on a RED/BLACKBACK DD-22 crankbait in about 12 to 18ft of water near drop and steep ledges. I left my carry-on tackle bag in the pickup so I sifted through Ronnies arsenal and tied on a 3/8th oz. green pumkin jig with Rage craw trailer. I lost a fish in a deep tree then caught a decent fish in about 12ft. deep.
After about an hour, the wind showed its ugly face at about 20 to 25 mph so we decided to head up the Colorado. Once up there, we decided the runoff that had come down had the water too stained to fish so we headed to some mid-lake pockets that had some deeper water in them and that's where we hit pay dirt.
Pitching the same jig as before along a rocky bluff bank in 4 to 10ft of water my bait was inhaled by a fat 8-lber.
Then 10 minutes later, another fish that could have been his twin sucked down the jig and was not happy to see the boat. What a fight and we took another picture and a quick release.
Ronnie quickly joined in on the action with a fat 5-lb plus fish that munched on his jig and we knew the pattern was going to work well.
We started hopping around in these pockets and though we caught one or 2 fish in each one, none would compare to the first pocket we fished.
These fish were hitting the jig as it fell on the 1st drop and every one of then sucked the jig down in the mouth. It was around 2 PM when we really found the pattern. Water temp was 48 degrees and warming along the rocky bank with a wind blowing into them seemed to be the trick.
We had around 15 bass this day with our best 5 around 34 lbs.
I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as Ronnie and I enjoyed catching them. Boy, we needed a day like this to get the blood going again!!! Headed to Lake Falcon this weekend for some Hawg catching (Hopefully) for the 2nd Basschamps event in the south division. See Ya on the Water.

Ivie Reservior 2-6

Hi guys!

I got an invitation from Bob Whitt to go flog the water over at OH Ivie Reservoir Saturday, 2-6-10. You have all heard the stories and seen the pictures of the quality bass coming out of the lake and seeing as I have been out there only a handful of times I lept at the opportunity! I really want to learn more about this lake and possibly catch a biggun!

We launched at Kennedy Park on the east side of the lake. We got there by about 10ish and the parking lot was packed. This attested to the popularity of the lake.

You heard him and why he thought the day would be productive. The water was reading about 43 degrees in the NE areas of the lakes. Wind was pretty light, but so cold that driving the boat was a challenge and the stinging cold air caused our eyes to tear up something awful.

We started up fishing a shoreline with a combination rock and mud. This was a rough start as my casting was uncharacteristically off and I promptly lost 2 crank baits. Bob was casting away when he landed this beauty!

We hadn't been fishing long. Bob was showing me a technique he and a buddy were using the prior Thursday where they were casting spinner baits. Now, conventional fishing was to throw slow baits like worms and jigs in the cold winter. Supposedly, the fish are lethargic and do not want to hit something that struggles too much. I had this notion challenged Jan 1 and it seemed to be continuing. Bob is running those spinners just under the surface through the submerged trees. Last Thursday this was successful and his friend caught an 8-pounder with this technique. The spinner we were using were chartreuse and white with a gold willow leaf and gold turtle shell spinners. It produced a different sensation on the line and was flashing brightly. As he would bring it through the trees, he would stop and let it flutter down right in the middle of the mess. Late in the afternoon, the fish were coming out of their negative mode and started chasing his spinner out of the trees, but wouldn't snag it.

On this day it wasn't producing, but I stuck with it as I was learning something new. Bob was doing the same and he was chased out of the trees by some small bass.

Then it happened.

I watched this little booger come up and hit it. Bob said I announced the catch before I even set the hook. Interesting info on the teeth of a bass as an indicator on what they are hitting. Another knowledgeable guy, JR over at Field and Stream, said the bass will be feeding on crayfish soon for the minerals in the shells. This is when we start to see regurgitated crayfish in the live wells ... if your boat has a live well! Does anyone know if there is a live well for a little plastic boat??? Good info to have. I am also reminded of when Scott Miner showed me how feeling a bass stomach for the tell-tale sign of shells in the belly. This may change your tactics a bit.

We ended a great day of fishing with one catch apiece. We headed back to Kennedy Park and observed a tournament concluding. I walked over and talked with some guys to see what was going on. To my luck, this was what was happening.

What a great bunch! If you want more info on Still Waters out of Abilene, their website is

http://www.stillwatersbassclub.org/

Eric was very kind to take a minute to talk to me.

Funny story, I have fished the plastic yacht for a few years now and dream of the day I migrate to a real boat. I have been begging a few friends to teach me how to drive a boat and Bob has been gracious enough to agree to teach me. We were in a cove and he put me behind the wheel. We were in 12-feet of water and in the channel. After getting started going, we were puttering out and Bob told me to give it some gas. I stared to, but was doing it slowly. Just as I was about to open her up a little, the front of the boat shot up and I felt a HUGE thump on the front. A second later, I felt a thump under me and the back shot up. I about keeled over! Apparently, I found the only tree in the "safe" channel. Neither of us saw it! I had visions of a hole in the hull or even a Titanic-like tear and we would sink immediately. I was freaking out! Thank God that Bob was A LOT calmer than I and he was telling me that this happens. He was great!

There was not damage done to the boat, but I was rattled. I did manage to safely pilot the boat the rest of the day, but MAN! If this is an omen, maybe I just need to stick with the putt-putt.

Big shout out to Bob Whitt for taking me fishing and teaching me a few things! It was a lot of fun and he is a blast to pass the time with!

Thanks for taking a minute to read the article and check out the videos. Please feel free to comment as I and many like me are always looking to learn!

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

PABC Weigh Ticket Tourney Results and Fall Season Results

The January Weigh Ticket Tourney finished. PABC had 12 people participating this month. The results are:

1. Watkins, Bandy 14 4/16 (Big Bass at 6-pounds even)
2. Cavaness, Roy 10 14/16
3. Miner, Scott 10 6/16
4. Leeper, Jay 10 5/16
5. Whitt, Bob 8 15/16
6. Lucas, Jesse 6 11/16
7. Dorman, Mike 3 8/16
8. Dorman, Bryan 3 2/16
9. Palko, Chip 2 14/16
10. Cavaness, Stephen 0
11. Morris, Jeff 0
12. Gagliano, Scott 0

The PABC Fall season has wrapped up. The top 8 will have an invite to participate in the Tournament of Champions at the conclusion of the Spring Season (Feb-Jun).

1. Cavaness, Roy 53.32
2. Leeper, Jay 51.87
3. Watkins, Bandy 44.72
4. Miner, Scott 44.23
5. Whitt, Bob 35.37
6. Palko, Chip 34.63
7. Lucas, Jesse 33.52
8. Dorman, Bryan 31.48
9. Morris, Jeff 30.77
10. Snyder, David 23.32
11. Dorman, Mike 15.75
12. McAlpin, Thomas 14.92
13. Day, Garrett 9.02
14. Gagliano, Scott 6.81
15. Day, Jim 5.33
15. Carter, Randy 5.31
16. Lucas, Travis 4.81
17. Hall, Jason 4.34
18. Brumley, Justin 3.57
19. Elloitt, Carl 3.06
20. Rutledge, David 3.00
21. Strange, Cameron 1.25
22. Allbright, James 0.00
23. Cavaness, Stephen 0.00
24. Knight, Andy 0.00
25. Moseley, Cody 0.00
26. West, Tom 0.00
27. White, Steve 0.00

Congrats to the participants. This was a break-out season for several of us. The Spring Season promises to be a good one.

If you would like to fish with the PABC in a monthly tourney, the first tourney of the Spring Season will be Feb. 27th 7 AM to 2 PM. We will meet at 6 AM at the Town & Country on Sherwood Way over by the Academy. We would love to have you there!