The most recent FLW Tour event was on the Harris Chain of lakes out of Leesburg, Florida. To be honest, I haven’t ever fished it before and really had not heard that many good things about it. It ended up being a great place to fish though. I caught some giants in practice including a nine one day and a ten another. Those fish came on a Strike King KVD 1.5. The tournament went well for me. I finished 11th, just ounces out of the top ten cut. I had two different patterns going. I caught my fish on a shallow crankbait over grass and also on a ½ ounce Strike King Red Eye Shad, gold with black back. My other pattern was flipping shallow pads and reeds in three to five feet of water with a Srike King Cut-R-Worm. I would look forward to goin there again. It’s a great fishery. Next stop on the tour is Lake Cumberland Kentucky, and I’m ready to get it going!
Lake Travis
FLW Tour stop number 2 recently wrapped up on my home lake. Travis. There is always a little extra pressure that goes along with fishing your home lake, so I was anxious to get it started and get the jitters out. Travis is definitely on the upswing. There are bushes and cover all over, and the fish look fat and healthy. After the first day I was in 26th place with 12-7 – just could not get a big bite. But just getting that first day out of the way went a long way to relieve the home lake pressure. On day two I got that big bite I needed to catapult me closer to the top of the leaderboard. It was an 8-6 giant. I weighed in nearly 18 pounds that day and finished the day in 4th place. On day 3, I started out well catching 2 nice ones and ended up weighing in 12-4 – good enough for 3rd place. I needed a good bag the last day to win but only managed 11 pounds. I finished 5th, but it was still a great tournament and I really had a great week. Travis is definitely a fishing destination in Texas right now.
Lake Guntersville
The first tournament of the 2017 FLW Tour was at Lake Guntersville, AL. I was ready to get the season started and starting off at one of the best fisheries in the country always feels good. The first day of competition I had 15 lb. 2 oz, and was in 38th place. Fishing was really TOUGH. One of the biggest problems was the large amount of floating eel grass. It’s really hard to fish a moving bait slowly when there is grass floating on top of the water. I caught most of my fish on a Strike King ½ oz. Red Eye Shad, and a few on a Strike King Pure Poison, but there definitely were not many bites to be had. I only weighed in 8 fish during the two days for a total weight of 23 lb. 6 oz., which was just enough for 49th place. I’m ready to hit the water tomorrow on my home lake, Lake Travis, and am hopeful it will be a better event for me. I’m feeling good about it and am ready to get out there!
2017 FLW Tour
The 2017 FLW Tour is about to kick off. To give you an idea about some of the great fisheries we will be at this year, here’s a quick preview. We start off at Lake Guntersville, AL, arguably one of the best five lakes in the country. The tournament kicks off this Thursday, February 2nd. Though the water temperatures will be cold the weights will be big.
Next up is Lake Travis, my home lake. Most people know Travis as a lake with a ton of fish, but not many good ones. The lake is two years removed from a severe drought, which put it more than fifty feet low. There is all kinds of bass-holding cover there now. It will fish as good as it ever has.
Then for our Florida stop in early March, we go to the Harris Chain. It will probably be around the spawn, and even though I’ve heard it will fish small, I’m excited about this one because I’ve never been there, and I love going to new places.
From Florida, we head to Cumberland Lake in Kentucky. The Tour has only stopped at this reservoir one time, and it, like Travis is just coming out of a huge drought. What I hear is that the fishing is awesome there. I’m looking forward to this one.
Next is our annual stop at Beaver Lake, mid to late April. Fishing has been much better at Beaver over the last few years. This tournament ought to be in or around the spawn and I think a lot of fish will be caught.
Then we go to the Mississippi River way north in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Everyone I know who has ever fished this place thinks it’s awesome. Both shallow small mouth and large mouth could win here. This is another lake I’ve never been to, so I’m really looking forward to it.
The last stop on the tour is the Potomac River, which is probably my very favorite tournament venue. Last time FLW fished there, I actually won the event. It’s a power fisherman’s dream there – where lots of different patterns will emerge, but any of them could win.
I’m extremely excited about the upcoming schedule – several places I’ve never fished and several proven fisheries that I’ve always enjoyed. It should be a great year.
The One that Got Away
This was not the end of the story for this deer. Far from it! Fast forward another year – the Mexico giant is 6 ½, and we are actively hunting him. I saw him one time at the end of the year. It had broken off almost all of its points but had one 13” tine remaining. The deer had a very distinct color, so I knew it was the same deer. Then at 7 ½, we got a scouting picture of the deer before the season. Three pictures. An absolute giant – easily over 170 and might could have even scored 180. But we never saw the deer in person that year. Then, at 8 ½, I saw it one time, probably a mile away. No doubt, it was the right deer – gigantic, but I had no way to get close enough for a shot. The next year, when the deer was 9 ½, he eluded us during the season but we got some trail camera pictures of him after the season, and he was probably right at 170. Then the following year, when the deer was 10 ½, we once again failed to see him at all during the season, and we concluded he was probably dead. We did, however, find his shed in April. Again, no doubt about it. It was the same deer. Then again, the year he would have been 11 ½ we never saw him nor did we find any evidence of him – no scouting pictures, no sheds.
This year, the deer would have been 12 ½, and while looking for another deer my brother had shot, we stumbled across this monarch. The antlers were totally preserved and absolutely enormous. We concluded that he had died some time between September and January when he was 11 ½ years old. Following this free ranging Mexican monster’s progress over seven years was an awesome and instructive experience. It affirmed our philosophy that allowing giants to grow old and breed is an important factor in improving the herd. We definitely have a lot more good looking young ten pointers in that general area than we did seven years ago. No doubt, this Goliath positively genetically influenced the herd. And he got the last laugh. We hunted his area extremely hard, and he died right under our noses. So was letting this monster go at 5 ½ the right thing to do? Absolutely!
Fall Bass Fishing
When the water starts to cool in Texas (about October), bass often get really active in shallow water. Probably my favorite way to fish this time of year is to throw top water. Two of my go-to baits are a Strike King 3/8 oz. Buzz Bait and a Sexy Dawg. I have caught a lot of great fall bass on these baits. Another technique I often go to in the fall is working toward the backs of creeks. Shad usually migrate toward the backs of those creeks this time of year, and I like to look for creek channels with depth from 7-20 feet. Bass will often school this time of year and chase bait on the shallow flats around these creek channels. Crankbaits like a KVD 1.5 or a Strike King Series 3 crankbait can also bring in some great catches. So when fall is in the air be sure to take time to hit the lakes for some great bass fishing!
When the water starts to cool in Texas (about October), bass often get really active in shallow water. Probably my favorite way to fish this time of year is to throw top water. Two of my go-to baits are a Strike King 3/8 oz. Buzz Bait and a Sexy Dawg. I have caught a lot of great fall bass on these baits. Another technique I often go to in the fall is working toward the backs of creeks. Shad usually migrate toward the backs of those creeks this time of year, and I like to look for creek channels with depth from 7-20 feet. Bass will often school this time of year and chase bait on the shallow flats around these creek channels. Crankbaits like a KVD 1.5 or a Strike King Series 3 crankbait can also bring in some great catches. So when fall is in the air be sure to take time to hit the lakes for some great bass fishing!
Vacationing
For the first time in a long time, Patti and I recently had the opportunity to go on a vacation. Many of our friends take tropical vacations and tell us we should go, but we never could make the time. We still don’t have the time, but we just decided we were going to make it work this year. So in September we took a vacation to the Bahamas, and it lived up to all the hype. It was a truly great experience – with just the right mix of relaxation and adventure. I always want a vacation to have some kind of activity. I can’t just sit on a beach. And we ended up getting plenty of activity (with enough relaxing for Patti). We were able to Kayak, snorkel and fish right outside our back door. I caught a lot of grouper and a few snapper. We also had a chance to explore and observe the local culture, eat fresh conch salad (from conch we caught) and spear spiny lobster in the Atlantic. In fact, between the lobster and the fish we caught (and some we bought from fishermen on the docks), we ate fresh seafood all but one night. Anywhere I’ve ever been, I always like to try to eat what we catch or kill. But this was an all time high. And the lobster spearing was as fun an activity as I have ever done. We went out with Fishbone Tours on Eleuthera Island. Our guide, Julius, found the lobster and taught me how to maneuver the snorkel gear and use the Hawaiin sling. And before I came up on that first reef in the Atlantic, I had speared my first lobster. For someone who likes to hunt and fish, this was the ultimate thrill, and the lobster were gigantic. The tail weighed between one and a half and two pounds. The highlight of the trip though was getting to spend the week with my beautiful wife away from it all. Now that’s a vacation!
Venice Red Fishing!
I have been fishing many places in my life – all over the country. When it comes to sheer greatness, I would probably pick Venice Louisiana as my number one pick. It is just so vast. You can fish for trout, flounder, tuna, jackfish, shark, snapper, bass, ling, and of course redfish. Venice calls itself the capital of red fishing, and I would have to agree. You can catch bull reds until literally, you cannot lift the rod. And then go fish near shoreline cover and catch a bunch of keepers for dinner. We stay at Venice Fishing Lodge, and if you’ve never been there, you have to try it – great atmosphere, great food and great guides. All in all, if you have three days to fish anywhere in the country Venice would be a good place to try!
For the Love of Dove Hunting!
For me dove hunting marks the start of hunting season, which is one of the things I spend a lot of time planning for, thinking about, obsessing over, preparing for and just flat enjoy. Deer hunting is probably my favorite kind of hunting and what I spend the most time on, but dove hunting is a time you can get together with family and friends and spend time in the outdoors. You really don’t even have to have that much gear – a good shotgun, some shells, some camo and a bird vest, and you’re ready. You can even borrow a shotgun if you need to. And it is hands down the best way to get kids excited about hunting. You don’t have to be really quiet. Movement can be important, but it won’t mess up an entire hunt, and there is usually some really good action. Shooting at and killing dove are two very different things. Dove like to dart and fly fast, and can be really challenging. My advice is to take as many shells as you can and shoot a lot. Patti and I had the opportunity to hunt with Angel and Wade Middleton on opening morning. It was a great time and a we all got our limits. If you’ve never tried it, dove is delicious (and Angel has some great recipes!). What a great sport and family activity. I hope you all get a chance to get out in the field in the next few weeks!
Fishing Re-fuels as Texas Lakes Fill Up!
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. I was always pretty hopeful as I’ve seen this cycle before. 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. This picture was taken before the rains, and you can see how low it was but can also see some of the vegetation behind me. 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 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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