This is a great time of year to fish, and one of the greatest things about it is that it is the time of year with the least amount of fishing pressure. Bass usually stay shallow a lot longer than people might think. I remember a tournament from several years back in mid November at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. It was cold! I mean really cold. The kind of weather you don’t really think about fishing in. The bass were chewing though and really shallow. As a matter of fact the tournament was won on a buzzbait right on the bank. You had to fish very slow, but they would hammer that bait, and the thing about it was they were all big! It was crazy. So even though fish do head out deep when it gets really cold, don’t overlook shallow water this time of year.
Persistence
I have been hunting and filming recently with my daughter, Emily. She decided she wanted to bow hunt this year, so I got her a Cabela’s Instagator bow and she has practiced a lot getting ready for hunting season. She goes to school at Texas A&M (Whoop!) so she can’t just hunt every day. The weekends we have gone have mostly been great hunting. The first weekend we saw a buck for her to take, but she just couldn’t get a shot. She was so close, but as she tried to draw, another buck saw her and took off, scattering all the deer. Then the next weekend we never saw a good mature buck, and we were dealing with rain all weekend. This past weekend it was not only rainy, but cold! We sat every hunt and she almost got shots at several different deer, but still nothing. I am really proud of her though! She has been flexible and persistent, and often times that is what it takes!
Hunting Season
Every fall I can’t wait until the start of hunting season. To kick it off this year, we continued a tradition of having the folks from Whitetail Diaries to the Wendlandt Ranch. We’ve had our ranch in the Texas Hill Country for nearly 35 years, and I never get tired of trying to figure out what deer are doing, what they’re eating, how close they are to the rut, and just figuring out the best way to kill one. Wade and Jeff both killed great deer, and as always we had tons of fun at camp – moving stands, setting up and planning the hunts. I didn’t kill a deer this trip and didn’t really even see many. There are so many acorns on the ground this year, the deer don’t have much reason to leave the woods. But the fun we have at deer camp preparing for the hunt just about makes up for the tough hunting – just about….
Big land, Big water
One of my favorite things in hunting and fishing is finding big land or big water – places that are untapped, that haven’t been fished or hunted on before, places where game is unmolested. I love whitetail hunting in South Texas and in Old Mexico for this reason, and I have discovered a similar gem for fishing – Venice Louisiana. It is just that kind of place. Just the vastness of that fishery is remarkable. You can never know or learn it all; it’s just too big. I was fortunate enough to return to Venice a few weeks ago and stay with Billy Nichols at Venice Fishing Lodge. Once again, it was an amazing trip! We caught a variety of species including largemouth bass, flounder and of course the big bull reds. There is nothing like the strike from one of those monsters! When people ask me where to go for a really great fishing trip, I am quick to respond. That’s easy, Venice Louisiana!
As we all know, bass fishing has its ups and downs. Those once-in-a-lifetime days on water are just that because there are so many different variables that need to be lined up just right. However, when it comes to the summer/fall transition, sometimes it can feel like you’re not doing anything right, but you aren’t alone. Fishing this time of year is downright tough just about anywhere you go.
Back home in Texas, the fish start moving to deep water at the beginning of June, and throughout July the fishing stays pretty good. As time goes on, the water quality will play a big part in the bite. In August, things get flat out tough because the water quality down deep isn’t very good, so you’ll start to see some fish moving shallower and towards the backs of creeks as early as mid-August. That’s when they begin the transition, but in August and September, it’s still flat out hot in Texas.
We will see the fall transition happening all the way into October. You will have the opportunity to catch some very good fish this time of year, but as those fish start transitioning to the backs of creeks, you will notice that the baitfish will be pretty small, so you’ll want to fish with small crankbaits and small topwater baits. Also try fishing around creek channels, but stick with shallower running baits, instead of the deep plugs like you would typically throw in June and July.
There’s still a lot of schooling action that happens in late summer/early fall, so pay attention to what’s going on. You can get on some really good schooling fish early in the morning, so make sure to have a topwater bait tied on.
Pre-Season Tune Up
With an increasingly busy fishing, filming and appearance schedule in the summers and limited places to hunt close by, I have not had much opportunity for a good pre-deer season tune up in recent years, and that’s not OK. This year, however, I have been fortunate enough to secure a lease right behind my house, and the pigs are really coming. I went down the other day with my future son-in-law, and we simultaneously killed 2 nice sows. It was a great pre-season hunt. For me, it’s about getting ready for whitetail season and putting something tasty in the freezer. I was also able to try out my new Cabela’s Instinct Xcite bow, and it worked to perfection. Judging by the pictures on my Cabela’s scouting cameras, I should have many opportunities! Just the way I like it.
Forrest Wood Cup, Aug. 20-23, 2015
In professional fishing the goal every year is to make it to the year-end championship -the Forrest Wood Cup, or the Bassmasters Classic. These tournaments showcase the anglers who have risen to the top after a year of competition. My season will conclude in a couple of days on beautiful Lake Ouachita, Arkansas at the Forrest Wood Cup, where fifty some odd anglers will compete for half a million dollars. And for all these guys, there is really only one place to finish, and that’s first. It is going to be a great tournament and an even greater show! The fishing should be pretty tough – very hot temperatures and falling lake conditions, but the tougher the conditions, the more I like it. I love a challenge, and figuring out how to catch ‘em when it’s tough will be fun. After winning the last Tour event at the Potomac River, I’m looking forward to riding that momentum to another great week and hopefully another win. Wish me luck!
A Day of fishing – for a Great Cause!
I’m very fortunate to be able to live my dream by fishing professionally. Today I ask for your help in making someone else’s dream come true. I would like to auction a fishing trip with me on my home lake, either Decker Lake or Lake Austin in Central Texas. The trip will be filmed for an episode of Fishing and Hunting Texas by Careco TV for 2016 if the winner wishes. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the “Cast for Kids Foundation”. C.A.S.T. is a non-profit foundation that provides fishing and outdoor activities for special needs, disabled, and disadvantaged children through their “Cast for Kids” program as well as for military personnel through the “Take A Warrior Fishing” program.
Please submit all bids via Facebook message. The auction will conclude at 5:00 PM on Friday August 14th. At that time I will contact the winner who will pay the full amount of the bid straight to the C.A.S.T. Foundation. We will then figure out a time convenient to both of us and have a great day on the water.
One thing I can promise is your money will be well spent. Please be generous for this great cause.
Let the bidding begin!
To Win Again!
I just finished the FLW Tour stop number six at the Potomac River, and what a great feeling to win again! It’s been a long time since I won a tour level event, and this one could not have come at a better time – what a difference a year can make. About this time last year, things were pretty shaky for me. I had a heart attack in May, and confidence was probably at an all-time low. What turned it around? It actually was the heart attack. I just have a new way of looking at things – more relaxed, better perspective on what’s important. It also gave me a small break – one where I got to feeling really well, exercised, lost a little weight and started gaining confidence by fishing on my own with a renewed outlook. I also started filming a lot for Fishing and Hunting Texas, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve always fished the best when I was really busy, confident and relaxed. That’s where I am now. It feels good, and I’m looking forward to many more years of winning!
Fishing re-fuels as Texas lakes re-fill!
The rains have finally come to Texas! Over the past four or five years, Texas has experienced an historic drought, and I have heard many people say that the lakes in Texas would never fill up again. While they are not totally full, lakes like Travis are at least well on their way. In my life I have seen Lake Travis go up and down many times, and the fluctuating lake level and resulting vegetation growth is actually what keeps the lake good for bass fishing. In fact, the extremely low lake levels in Central Texas have resulted in extensive vegetation growth. Now that the lakes are up, that vegetation will be excellent habitat and cover for bass, and in the next year to three years the lakes that were really low will really flourish. I love to fish shallow cover, and in Texas over the next year, that is going to be a norm. It does have its challenges, but you just never know what you may catch! I had the opportunity to go down to Coletto Creek in South Texas earlier this year and fish some flooded conditions. I had forgotten how much fun that really is, and I’m looking forward to many more fishing trips in Texas where I get to fish shallow cover.
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