Yearly Event Has Multiple Benefits

The annual Take A Kid Fishin’ Day event recently took place on October 1st near Louisburg, NC. Intended as a fund raising event for the Franklin County (NC) Community Foundation, this event serves as more than just a platform for generating grant money for area non-profits, it is also an opportunity for our future outdoor enthusiast to enjoy a day of great fishing and family fun.

Located on Mort Harris road, the property is covered with multiple ponds that allow the individuals to spread out and enjoy their own personal time of fishing enjoyment. The private location is only open to the public once per year for this event and usually draws a good crown of anxious locals dreaming of an opportunity at a “Mort Harris Monster”. Many anglers look forward to the chance at hooking one of the “Big Ones”, but most are just as happy to enjoy the offerings of many species of fish from these beautiful ponds.

As an incentive to introduce a child to the sport of fishing, each team competing in the event was required to consist of one adult and at least one child. Two children per team were allowed. Prizes for the largest Bass, Sunfish, Crappie, Catfish, and most fish total were awarded. All fish were weighed using equipment from local North Carolina B.A.S.S. Federation Nation (NCBFN) clubs. The NCBFN set up multiple weigh stations around the ponds for easy access for the participants. Each team was provided with a weigh bag so that all fish could be brought to the weigh stations alive, weighed, and then released back into the water.

The Franklin County Community Foundation Board of Directors invites you to…

Take a Kid Fishin’

• Saturday, October 1st, RAIN OR SHINE
• Harris Farm
• Mort Harris Road, Louisburg NC
• Games – Prizes – Food!
• No fishing license required
• 1 Adult & 1 or 2 children form a team – $30 per team
• (Food not included in ticket price.)
• Tickets are available at Raymond James Financial Services, Hodges Insurance Agency, Batton & Guin, any FCCF Board member, or at the farm that Saturday.
• Bring your own chair & tackle! (no minnows allowed)
• Open fishing 12 noon to 2:00
• Tournament runs 2:00 to 5:00
• Catch & Release
• Prizes given for largest fish, most fish, and more!
• 100% of your ticket is tax-deductible. All proceeds go to the Franklin County Community Foundation’s unrestricted fund to give grants to area non-profits.

Light winds and a thin blanket of fog consumed the Tar-Pamlico River city of Washington, NC this morning as we pulled into the boat ramp parking area. Carefully making our way out on to the river system it didn’t take too long for us to find a little action. A school of small stripers were tag-teaming a couple different pods of baitfish as we headed down river. Not wanting to discriminate against these top-water lure crushing species we had to give it a whirl to get the blood flowing in our veins. Not the species we were targeting, but who can pass up a few casts into such a frenzy?

After getting a few satisfying hookups on the schooling stripers we decided to turn our attention back to the game plan of finding some largemouth bass. Not being in the same chasing mood as their striped cousins, the largemouth were a bit harder to coax into playing. Fast moving lures, such as buzz baits, didn’t draw any attention. A slowly worked popper managed to draw a couple of smaller fish. However, in order to lay our hands on keeper largemouth we had to pitch plastic lures into some pretty tight and secluded locations along the bank. Focusing on current breaks near the river channel we were able to find a few fish tucked up tight against the base of cypress trees and lay-downs. A 6 inch Z-Man LizardZ, Texas rigged with a 3/16 ounce bullet weight got the nod for the flipping and pitching duty, which ultimately turned the trip into a productive day on the water.

New Swimbait Test Drive

Having recently received a few packs of the new (2012) Z-Man Scented PaddlerZ I couldn’t resist the opportunity to give these lures a try. Although not the preferred meal on this trip, I quickly realized the potential of this new design. Having the basic shape and size of the Z-Man StreakZ, the addition of a paddle tail and segmented rear body allows for a life-like swimming action that just begs for a strike. Considering my appeal for swimbaits, I will certainly have a Scented PaddlerZ rigged for future needs. (Scented PaddlerZ shown in picture below with a weighted 3/0 EWG hook.)

View the complete Z-Man 2012 Catalog here.

The fall season is now within sight. Cooler weather will soon greet us making for a more tolerable day on the water. As the bait fish eventually start to migrate to the backs of creeks, the bass will follow.

Anyone that knows me well will agree that this is probably my favorite time of the year to fish. These individuals will also agree that you can typically find me using a crankbait during this season searching for schools of shad-feeding bass on off-shore structure leading into the creeks. But, when I search for fish in the skinny water during this time of year, I choose a couple of additional shad imitating lures that can be worked in and around heavy/shallow cover without the worry of fouling my lure as much as I would with a crankbait.

Chatterbait

To help me cover ground quickly, I’ll employ a Z-Man Chatterbait to draw out any aggressive bites. Don’t get me wrong, a spinnerbait can provide the same type of reaction bite in these shallow areas, but I like the Chatterbait for it’s ability to bounce off of cover, ease of retrieval in and around grass, and the option of skipping this lure under boat docks, which is where the typical spinnerbait falls a little short. Also, during the retrieve, a simple twitch of the rod tip will send the Chatterbait into an erratic movement, much like a fleeing bait fish. The direction is always different with each twitch and creates a very realistic appeal.

Click to see the Chatterbait in action.

Streakz

As a second option for a shallow water bait fish imitation I’ll select a Z-Man Streakz. This soft plastic offering allows me to present the lure in many different fashions. Due to the Elaztech material, from which the lure is made, the Streakz will float, suspend, or sink depending on the size and weight of the hook in use. If I wish to cover water quickly with this lure, I’ll use a 3/0 or 4/0 weighted Extra Wide Gap (EWG) hook, somewhere in the 1/8 oz range, to keep the lure submerged. The weighed hook will also allow the lure to quickly fall on a slack line. If I need to slow down my retrieve and offer more of a finesse approach, I’ll use an un-weighted EWG hook in the same 3/0 or 4/0 size. Simply changing hook sizes will control the Streakz ability to float or suspend.

The Streakz is a good “Quick Back-up” when using other fast moving lures in the shallows such as buzz baits or Chatterbaits. I’ll have a Streakz ready to toss into action in the event I get a short strike on the reaction lure.

Click to see the Streakz in action.

Tournaments will be televised and aimed at a wide audience.

By”: KELLY BOSTIAN World Outdoors Writer (www.tulsaworld.com)
Published: 8/5/2011

If it worked for professional poker, it could work for professional bass fishing.

The Outdoor Channel and a group of 24 top anglers announced Thursday they have formed Major League Fishing, an organization owned jointly by the cable television company and the anglers. The organization will be Tulsa-based with Winnercom producing the shows.

Winnercom founder and chairman Jim Wilburn is Major League Fishing general manager and Don Rucks, a former BASS general manager, is league commissioner.

The idea is to spice up bass fishing with new rules and a new format to give greater insight into what anglers go through and capture the drama to draw in more viewers, Rucks said.

“The goal is to expand the sport of bass fishing by presenting a different product that will attract a broader base of viewers for the sport,” he said.

Rucks worked for years with BASS and its former owner, ESPN, and said changes of format and drawing more viewers were subjects often discussed.

“There were many attempts,” he said. “But the product was the same. Here we have adjusted the product so it’s more appealing to a broader base of viewers.”

The idea originated with a coalition of professional anglers in 2009. Outdoor Channel, looking for fishing content to add to its lineup that now includes Bassmaster tournaments, seized upon the idea this year.

“Boyd Duckett and Gary Klein developed most of the unique parts of this game,” Rucks said. “They’ve been able to match it up with desires of Outdoor Channel.”

Fishermen involved are some of the best from the BASS and FLW tours, including several Bassmaster Classic and Angler of the Year champions like Kevin VanDam, Skeet Reese, Alton Jones and Denny Brauer. Three Oklahoma pros are involved; Edwin Evers of Talala, Tommy Biffle of Wagoner and Jeff Kriet of Ardmore.

“I think it’s something we’ve been needing,” Biffle said. “Hopefully it will make fishing a lot more exciting.” A part of the format he finds most appealing is that fishing locations – aside from the first tournament set at Lake Amistad in Texas later this year – will be secret. There will be no practice days and anglers will not be allowed to use GPS with pre-marked fishing locations. “I really like that part of it,” he said.

Evers said all anglers will have a judge on their boat. They will weigh each of their fish as they are caught and enforce any rules infractions. Anglers also will have a live leaderboard on their boats to show where everyone stands. “It will give you the knowledge to make adjustments,” he said. “I think it’s great to know the score … some guys it won’t, it will make them melt.”

Evers said he’s excited by the show. “It’s just got huge potential,” he said. “It has that wow factor. It sounds neat and it could be a really big deal. People will see more of what we go through in competition.”

Rucks emphasized the league is not out to compete with BASS and FLW tournaments. “People will ask that,” he said. “I don’t see it as a conflict with BASS or FLW. Those organizations provide things for the everyday angler on up to being a pro that we have no intention of providing. Hopefully it will benefit everyone.” Anglers in Major League Fishing will continue to compete in BASS, FLW and other tournaments.

League tournaments also will not have public weigh-ins. Everything will be done for television. The Amistad tournament will be a weeklong event that will be broken down into seven episodes to air in the second quarter of 2012 on the Outdoor Channel, Rucks said.

Anglers wanting to watch the tournaments earlier will be offered a pay-per-view option through the league’s web site. Look for it at www.tulsaworld.com/majorleaguefishing

Calling all anglers
Major League Fishing Commissioner Don Rucks is looking for Tulsa-area anglers interested in serving as competition judges. They will need to be knowledgeable about fishing and able to travel for the tournaments, which will have them gone for a week at a time. “We want to keep it as Tulsa-based as possible,” he said.

Contact Rucks at 918-281-4546.

Source: newsobserver.com

By: Terri Saylor – Correspondent

Clay Dyer’s greatest fishing challenge has nothing to do with his physical disabilities. Even though he was born without legs and a left arm, Dyer uses his partial right arm to perfect a fishing technique that has landed him in the ranks of the top bass fishermen in the country.

He just hasn’t figured out how to read a fish’s mind.

“Figuring out how to overcome that challenge is really the hard part,” he said. “I have a lot of equipment and tools. It boils down to making the right choices. It’s all mental. You read the conditions. You have the knowledge of what the fish are supposed to do, but they have a mind of their own and a brain the size of a peanut, and they can either make you look like a champion or look like an idiot.”

Dyer, 33, has been looking like a champion most of his life.

He believes he is living proof that with faith and perseverance, anyone can be successful and overcome adversity.

That is the message he plans to convey to an audience Saturday night, when he delivers the keynote address at the Ridgecrest Outdoorsmen Banquet at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Durham.

Dyer lives in the town in which he grew up, Hamilton, Ala., where he dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. While helping his grandfather with chores around the family catfish farm, he discovered a talent for angling, and through that he has realized his dream career in professional sports.

Along the way, his friends and family helped him uncover a flair for public speaking, and he has become successful at that too.

“I had about a thousand people, it seemed, trying to talk me into pursuing a career in motivational speaking when I was in high school,” he said. “I had never seen myself doing that, but I did it and started liking it, and I had an opportunity to make a living doing it.”

At his peak a couple of years ago, Dyer was on the road 250 days of the year, speaking to church groups and outdoorsmen and at corporate events and fishing. He has since scaled back to fewer than 10 speaking engagements per month. And even though he last fished with the FLW Outdoors Tour in 2009, FLW executives tout his attitude and his abilities.

“Clay is simply one of the most amazing people to ever fish an FLW Outdoors tournament and a true inspiration to everyone he meets,” said Kathy Fennel, president of FLW Outdoors’ operations division. “His incredible talent with a rod and reel is matched only by his enthusiastic attitude and unwavering determination to succeed. He is a winner every time he takes to the water and a wonderful example for anyone trying to overcome obstacles in their life.”

Dyer looks forward to getting back on the tournament circuit in the 2012 season.

“I need to focus my efforts on activities I want to be the best at,” he said. “I want to be the best I can be and improve my skills. Most people will tell you that when I’m pitching at my best, I can beat anyone, and then there are days I can’t fight my way out of a wet paper bag.”

Still, he perseveres, and that is the message he takes to his audiences.

“In this day and time, there is so much negativity, people dealing with obstacles in their lives and adversity,” he said. “I’m living proof that if you have faith in God and perseverance, you can be successful and overcome adversity. I deliver a message of hope for people.”

Dyer was about 7 and had already been fishing for two years when he started noticing his body was different from other kids’ bodies.

“But rather than concentrate on things I can’t do, I have always focused on things I can do,” he said. “My friends like to say, ‘Don’t tell Clay he can’t do something, or he’ll prove to you that he can,’ and I will. I will literally come to blood and tears to prove I can do something.”

Dustin Wilks of Rocky Mount, a professional angler with the Bassmaster Elite Series, knows Dyer from fishing shows in which they participate throughout the U.S..

“Clay is a great guy. He’s always happy, and the way he has overcome his situation, having no arms and legs, is unbelievable,” Wilks said. “The rest of us struggle with day-to-day things, and it makes you feel petty to complain about little things when he has overcome so much.”

Watching videos of Dyer fishing would make a believer out of most anyone.

With a fishing rod and reel tucked between his chin and collarbone, Dyer swings his entire body to cast his line, and he uses his upper right arm to reel in his catch. Using his chin and teeth, he can thread a lure balanced on that right arm.

“Without having hands and fingers, I had to learn to do it the way that I could do it and be efficient,” he said.

In fishing, if efficiency had a physical image, it might just look like Clay Dyer.

Story: Bassfan.com

Boyd Duckett said Major League Fishing will try to capture three key components of the sport for TV viewers – competition, emotion and characters.

Does competitive bass fishing have the potential to become a nationwide TV phenomenon like poker did a few years back? Boyd Duckett and a couple dozen other top anglers believe it does, and that premise is the foundation behind the long-rumored new venture hatched by the 2007 Bassmaster Classic champion and successful businessman.

For the complete story, click here.

Story from WRAL.com

Henderson, N.C. — A fast-growing aquatic weed is causing headaches for some property owners along Kerr Lake.

The weed hydrilla has been a nuisance in Kerr Lake in recent years but sprang up with a vengeance around docks and shores last year, said Paul McKenzie, agricultural agent for Vance and Warren counties.

Hydrilla is concentrated in the lake from north of Clarksville, Va., to around Nutbush in Vance County.

Hydrilla can cover the surface of small bodies of water, like coves and shallow areas along the shore. The weed’s stems can grow up to 25 feet long, making it impossible to boat, swim or fish.

The invasive weed plagues lakes from Florida to Connecticut and west to California and Washington.

McKenzie said that Kerr Lake homeowners can have a professional treat it with the chemical Komeen.

For complete story from WRAL.com click here

Mercury Marine Video Contest

Mercury Marine is running a contest that allows those that enter videos into the contest, as well as those that simply vote for their favorite video to win great prizes. Enter the Mercury Films Festival site and start by voting for my video here or click the photo above.

Note: You can win just by voting!!!

Thanks for your support.

Preparation and coaching techniques for tournaments and new bodies of water.

By: Mike Iaconelli

The best way for me to coach myself for an important tournament is to prepare myself for a tournament. Preparation has always been one of my strong points. By using a two-step preparation method I have developed, I enter new bodies of water and tournaments with extreme confidence. My two-step preparation method is as follows:
(1) At Home Research + (2) On The Water Fine Tuning = Sweet Spots

At Home Research

This part of the preparation stage happens way before the tournament and happens before you ever get to the lake. This is a very important step in preparation. In over half of all the tournaments I’ve ever won, I’ve found the winning spot or pattern at home.
   The first part of this step involves historical research on the tournament location. I review old bass fishing magazines (Bassmasters, Bassin, Bass Fishing, In Fisherman, BASS Times, etc.), libraries, and the Internet, to find information on the lake. I am looking for what I call “buzz words.” Buzz words are facts or information that keep coming up in reference to a particular lake. For example, if after researching 3 magazines, a newspaper article, and an Internet article, I keep seeing the word “Pink Worm” come up, I will consider this a buzz word. I will write down these buzz words and other facts about the lake in a notebook. I will keep several pages open in the notebook, so I can continue to add notes during the next part of the at home research stage.
   The second part of the at home research stage, involves getting more current and up to date information. I do this by contacting local anglers or by calling local tackle shops or marinas. In this stage I’m looking for general information ONLY! No specifics! I never try and get exact information in this stage. I instead gather current, general information, like lake level, water temperature, water clarity, etc.
   Finally, the third step of at home research, is map study. Map study, is the most critical aspect of home research. During my map study phase, I can usually eliminate over half of any given lake and point out key areas that will hold fish. I start by ordering as many maps of the lake as I can find. I do this because no two maps are usually exactly the same. If I can gather 5 different maps, I can use all of them to cross-reference each other. After I get the maps, I begin breaking the lake down into manageable sections. I do this by thinking about seasonal patterns and bass migration routes. By understanding the universal seasonal migrations of bass, you can usually pin point potential fish holding areas. In the most general of terms, the universal seasonal migration of bass is as follows:

• Bass will winter in the deepest, most vertical break areas in a lake.
• When water temperatures start warming up in early spring, bass will start migrating toward potential spawning areas, stopping first on main lake points, then on secondary points.
• During the spawn phase, the bass will seek out flats and coves with the correct bottom composition to spawn on.
• After the spawn, the fish will start heading back out toward deeper water, staging on the same points they stopped at during pre-spawn.
• Summer time heat, finds most of the bass in deeper water main lake areas or in heavy cover areas. Current can also be very key during the summer.
• The fall transition, finds the bass following bait to feed up before the winter. Fall areas include the same flats and coves the bass used to spawn.

Again, that was the seasonal migration in the most GENERAL of terms. But, even in general terms, it lets you establish key areas on the map. I mark these key areas with different colored pens. I circle deep wintering and summering areas with a blue pen. I circle spawning flats and coves with a red pen. And I circle transition points between deep areas and spawning grounds with a black pen. Now, when I get to the lake, I have it sectioned off and have key areas identified.

On The Water Fine Tuning

This is the pre-practice stage, where you actually go to the tournament location and start checking out the potential areas I have circled on my map. This is especially important when visiting new lakes. I use a combination of sonar work and search baits to try and find tournament winning locations called sweet spots. During this stage, I am looking for key areas and concentrations of fish more than specific patterns. As a general rule I like to spend 4 to 6 days pre-practicing for a big tournament. Once I get to the lake and get into areas I have circled on my map, I use two methods to try and locate concentrations of fish. The first method involves studying my sonar unit. With my Lowrance X-85, I fast idle in a zig-zag pattern around the area. I am looking for anything out of the ordinary. I am specifically looking for things like subtle points, humps, depressions, drop offs, and the presents of baitfish. Once I see something different or something that catches my eye, I will drop a marker buoy on the spot. I will then idle some more trying to define the boundaries of the spot. With the marker buoy out, I am ready to use the second step to on the water fine tunings.
   Finally, this second step involves getting out my rod and reel and using search type, transmission baits to get more information about the area. Generally I use three types of transmission baits: crankbaits, Carolina Rigs, and heavy jigs. These three baits let me cover a lot of water and feel exactly what is on the bottom. With these transmission baits I am trying to do two things, I am trying to make contact and find isolated cover and I am also trying to catch a few fish. I will fan cast in the area all around the buoy trying to locate that isolated piece of cover. The isolated cover I’m looking for are objects like a rock, or a stump, or an isolated patch of grass. Usually when you can find an isolated piece of cover on some form of structure change (bottom change), you have located what I call “sweet spots.” Sweet spots are the kind of areas that win tournaments. They are the kind of areas that tend to hold large concentrations of fish. Once I have located a potential sweet spot and have hopefully caught a few fish, I will mark the area with my GPS unit. This will enable me to get right back to the exact area come tournament time.
   After all this preparation, I am ready to fish the tournament. Again, for me the best form of coaching myself and confidence, comes in preparation. By the start of the first day of the tournament, I have a solid game plan and back up plans. I always try and put myself in a position to win the tournament. I put all of my faith in God and all of my confidence in my ability. If by the end of the tournament, I’ve had a bad tournament and did not catch the fish I wanted to, I have no regrets. I gave 100% during the tournament and in my preparation. I try and take failure in stride and learn from my mistakes. I will make notes on what I did wrong and on what the winners did. When I come back next time, I will be better prepared and I will be ready to fish again.