Try Something Different to be Better

 

EJ with a nice Smallmouth caught on a JIG

I have been bass fishing seriously for about 30 years.  Over those years I have been able to fish with a lot of different people, many older than me and some younger too.  The sport of fishing has always enthused me, even from an early age...the thought of finding where a fish lives or is feeding, then giving them an artificial bait that they think is real is an awesome felling.  It is a thrill that I still get excited about.  Along the past few decades I have learned so much about the different bodies of water in Iowa, rods and reels, techniques and the many...many different baits out there for anglers to use. 

 Learning...that is what is important in fishing.  When you stop learning things, you will plateau as an angler.  Sure, you will continue to catch some fish, but as fishing pressure increases and fish get smarter (yes, I do believe in this hypothesis) anglers must get better to improve their game.  This can simply be trying a lure that you may not have ever caught a fish on.  It may be trying new areas of the lake or river, a place you have never been fishing before.  Both of these situations can be learning experiences.  When you learn, you become a better angler, perhaps not on that day, but down the road on a different day or body of water that lesson or technique might be key.  

I was reminded of this "learning" recently when I was a captain for a HS team during a tournament.  Ranger and EJ had their limit of bass in the first few hours, but really needed a couple bigger ones to move up the standings.  EJ, in the boat with me for the first time ever asked what I would be throwing in the later hours of the event to try and get something bigger.  It took me a half of second to answer that question; "a jig".  I knew my son Ranger had never caught a bass on a jig and he was using a Texas Rigged tube, a great bait in itself for bigger fish.  EJ, the other student said "I have never caught a bass on a jig before."  "I would be throwing one right now if I were you", I replied.  I grabbed my jig box, EJ  picked out a nice crawdad imitation colored jig, tipped it with a craw and he was fishing a jig.  We talked about specifics of the bait, bite tendencies and the overall feel of the bait.  It wasn't long after that, EJ did something for the first time ever, he caught a bass on a jig.  Guess what...it was their biggest bass of the day too!  

Learning...a little lesson that the boys probably won't forget anytime soon.  Baits matter, technique matter and rod/reel/line setups matter too.  It was a fun ending to the event with the boys, they both learned a few things, something I try to do every time out too.  They ended up 2nd out of 19 teams, which might help them remember that good day on the water too!  To be better at something, you must continue to learn and study the topic of importance.

Coincidental or not, one of my podcasts had this same message on this morning.  If you like short podcasts you have to listen to "Catch a Better Life" on YouTube with Jimmy Houston (He also has a book).  Jimmy Houston is fishing legend and a spiritual man.  He combines fishing with a biblical message every single day on his YouTube channel.  It is typically 10-minutes long and always has a great message to start your day off on the right foot. (he records them at 6am each morning)  He has a quote from the bible, how he lives his life and always a fishing tip for the time of year you are listening.  Give it a listen, I have found it to be a great way to start the day.

Link to Book

LINK TO YOUTUBE Channel

Indee Bass Club September Pool 9

Gable and Jackson are the Pool 9 Champions

The Indee Bass Club traveled to the far corner of Northeastern Iowa to visit the Mississippi River this past weekend. Lansing, IA was the destination, arguably the best pool for bass fishing in the state. The water was at normal pool and the flow was great for the event, leading to a lot of bass for the kids in attendance.

 
Finishing in third place at this event was Clinton Junk and Christian Simmons. They had three keeper bass that weighed 8.00 pounds, this team was captained by Dave Wilson. Clinton was able to catch the big bass of the tournament, a huge largemouth that weighed 4.51 pounds. Clinton caught that giant on a Texas-Rig plastic in the Junebug color. 

Coming in with second place was Cal Sweeney and Ranger Reed. They caught about 10 keepers on this day and their limit of the five biggest bass weighed 11.36 pounds, their captain was Todd Reed. They caught their fish on a variety of baits, including a Wopper Plopper, Texas-Rig Hot Rod Baits Tubes, and bladed jigs. 

The Pool 9 Champions were Gable Eddy and Jackson Beatty with their captain Jeff Ferris. These two anglers caught 13.14 pounds of smallmouth and largemouth bass, a great limit for the Mississippi River. This team also used a variety of baits to catch their limit; Chatterbaits, frogs, crankbaits and swim jigs were all used to get to that thirteen pound limit culling a small keeper one time. Scheels of Cedar Falls had gift cards and fishing gear for the top three teams while Hanks Bait and Tackle took care of the Big Bass prize full of lures for the big bass winner, Clinton Junk. 

This was the last regular season tournament of the year for the bass club, however the state tournament is this coming weekend and the Eastern Iowa Bass Club Battle, an event where the Indee team will compete directly against the Cedar Falls Fishing Team and the Cedar Rapids Prairie Fishing team, will take place on October 12th at Lake Delhi. This event has been won by the Indee Bass Club the previous two years. 

All anglers took home prizes at this event for competing that included a Lew's baitcasting combo, fishing tools and many, many fishing lures.  All of these great prizes are possible due to our fantastic lineup of sponsors, they include; Colony Heating/AC, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, Klever Concrete, BankIowa, Tim Reed State Farm, Shays Minn Kota, Cy & Charley's, Rona Memorial, SCHEELS of Cedar Falls, The Rod Glove, X-Zone Lures, Lews, Strike King, Hank's Bait and Tackle and Hot Rod Baits.

Dog Days of Summer Bass fishing

 

A nice bass on a walking topwater
bait on a rare cool August morning

I recently received a phone call from an avid bass angler about the current bite here in Eastern Iowa.  It truly is the dog days of summer, especially with the low water levels in our river systems.  As we chatted, several things kept coming back up to possibly offer up a reason/solution for fishing during the last few weeks of the hot summer weather.  One thing that we kept coming back to was the time of day to fish this time of year.  Early morning is key during these warm water weeks, recently we have had some cooler mornings, and the bass sure loved it!  Getting out early when the sun is rising will gain you a few more fish this time of year.  In another month it won't matter, but for the upcoming weeks make it a point to get up and get out to your favorite fishing hole.  Another good time of the day is the last couple of hours of the day.  When the sun starts to disappear over the treetops, the bass know they have a limited time to get more to eat.  Both the morning and the evening can provide you with some fantastic fishing as the bass come alive to feed up under these low light hours of the day.  It is also prime time to throw topwater baits...my favorite!!!  

Another portion of our conversation turned to the many school of minnows and shad present the rivers at this time of year.  No matter where you fish, the smallest of rivers or the mighty Mississippi River, the bait is bunched up and in great numbers around this time of year.  This could offer a reason why the middle of the day can be difficult for anglers.  It does allow a lot of light for the bass to prey on this forage.  These smaller fish become easy targets in the light of the day as they swarm around natural eddies and shaded areas of the rivers.  Perhaps the bass are "full"... or perhaps the bass are napping in those same areas too???  

One last thing, this time of year the bass will be in the current directly or they will be very close to it.  Current brings them fresh water, a steady pH level and a constant flow of food.  During these dog days of summer, those are a must for smallmouth and largemouth alike.  

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer...I am really looking forward to the fall season and the leaves falling to the ground!  

Indee Bass Club Summer Scramble

 

The Winning Team: DanS, ChristianS and KeeganK

Each summer for past three summers the Indee Bass Club and Coach Reed have held an event for local anglers to learn about the sport of bass fishing.  This past week, sixteen anglers and eight volunteer boat captains took to the Wapsipinicon River to work together to catch their three biggest bass.  Partners were drawn along with a random draw for a boat captain.  This gives anglers a chance to learn from peers and  captains that they would typically not fish with.  The Wapsipinicon River was in great shape for this event, the water level was normal for summer months, the current was flowing, and the fish were biting!

Dan Sweeney and his anglers Christian Simmons and Keegan King found themselves at the top of the leader board at the end of the night.  They caught 3 bass weighing 7.45 pounds.  Second place for the night went to Jackson Beatty, Aiden Svoboda and Captain Todd Reed.  They weighed in 5.22 pounds.  They caught their bass on slow presentations, Texas-Rig Tube, Wacky rigs and Ned rigs.  Ending the night in third place was Carter Eddy, Ranger Reed and Bo Peyton.  They weighed in 3 keepers, all being largemouth bass, which weighed 5.19 pounds.  They caught most of their keepers on bladed jigs.  Fourth place went to Captain Jackson Toale, Evan Hoyle and Alaina Svoboda.  Jackson was able to catch a 4.13 pound largemouth bass for their team.  Fifth place went to Will Clark, Colton Cameron and captain Dave Wilson.  They had three bass that weighed 3.49 pounds.  Coming in sixth place was Captain Shane Beatty, Sawyer Clausen and Clinton Junk.  They had once keeper bass that weighed 1.81 pounds.  Others participating included captains Landry Jones and Jeff Heinze, anglers Gable Eddy, Cal Sweeney, Memphis Peyton and Brayton Kuhse.

The top three teams all earned trophies and Scheels Gift Cards.  The Big Bass of the event caught by Carter Eddy earned the Hank's Bait and Tackle prize pack and the club trophy.  Carter's largemouth bass weighed 2.48 pounds.   All anglers left with prizes that night that including rods/reels, fishing tackle, fishing tools and lures.  All Indee Bass Club fishing events are free to any Independence or St. John's student.  This is made possible by their gracious sponsors that include: Colony Heating/Air Conditioning, Cy&Charley's, BankIowa, RONA Memorial, Tim Reed State Farm Agency, Klever Concrete, Shay's Minn Kota, Buchanan County Wildlife Association, SCHEELS of Cedar Falls, Hank's Bait and Tackle, Lew's, Strike King, The Rod Glove, X-Zone Lures and Hot Rod Baits.  You can find all results and more pictures on the Indee Bass Club Facebook page, Instagram or search for their website online.  

High Water River Bass

 

The rivers in Northeast Iowa this past month have all had the same thing in common, HIGH WATER.  A lot of people shy away from fishing high water.  It can be a challenge, and it does create obstacles while driving the river as well.  Caution is key when driving during flooded times, especially as the river hits its crest and starts coming down.  

As for the fishing, it is pretty typical to any bass fishing on rivers.  It is all about the current.  Current brings food, and bass will follow the food no matter how high the water levels may be.  This time of year if you can find the right amount of current around bait then you will be catching your share of bass.  On the big river backwater areas turn into sloughs full of current.  Following the typical contours and typical channels will lead you unlocking the correct current.  "Running lanes" that are normally a couple feet deep are not eh "main channel" of that backwater area, funneling the flooded water down river.  Standing trees, rock structures, and creeks all play into unlocking this high water mystery.  

FIND THEM: Catching fish isn't the hard part, finding fish is.  It is vital when fishing high water to stay on the move and cover a lot of water.  My favorite baits for this include a swimjig, bladed jig, and a swing-head craw.  These three baits let me keep the trolling motor going and me casting to the next area in front of the boat.  Shad patterns or bluegill colors are best for the swimjig and bladed jigs.  The swing-head craw color varies with the water clarity.  These baits allow me to cover a lot of water and catch the active fish in the area.  Then, after catching a few, I like to slow down and work things over with a Texas-Rigged Tube or jig/chunk.  When you find a couple of fish when the water high, most likely there are many more in that same area.

Rod/Reel/Bait Specifics: 

• Lew's Custom Lite 7ft Medium Rod Reel with 30# Tour Grade braid
• Strike King Pro Swim Jig
• Strike King Thunder Cricket

• Team Lew's Custom Pro Rod/Lew's Super Duty Reel with 15# Tour Grade Mono
• Hot Rod Baits Tube/Swing-Head Big Craw