Florida Fishing

When I spoke with Tim Mann and Chris Holleman about possibly getting together to fish later this spring and they both said they could make something work just a few days later, I couldn't pass on that chance, so a few days later I was in my car and had it pointed south. I fished Lake George one day, sight-fishing for largemouths, and spent two days chasing redfish and speckled trout in the Jacksonville area.

Sight-fishing with Tim is always fun and a learning experienced, and while the wind chased us around some in the afternoon, conditions, plentiful fish on beds and Tim's direction allowed even my untrained eyes to see several fish and catch a few. While we didn't land any real giants, we caught a lot of good fish, and our best limit would have easily weighed more than 20 pounds. Hard to say how big a bag Tim would have caught if he had just been fishing instead of mostly trying to help me! It's not uncommon for he and tournament to bring 30 pounds to the scales this time of year.

The saltwater days were extra fun for me because I haven't done a lot of that recently. In fact, my species list from last year didn't include any saltwater species because I never made it to the coast. This year's list now includes both specks and reds, and I hope to keep adding to that. I was actually supposed to be saltwater fishing in Texas this week, but the weather blew out that trip. However, my next two trips are to Louisiana and Florida, and plans for both include some saltwater fishing.

Naturally, I like the way a redfish crushes a lure and the fight that follows. Beyond that, though, I simply enjoy being out in the marsh, smelling the salt air, and watching the changes brought by rising and falling tides.

Christie's Conundum

Jason Christie - B.A.S.S. Photo by James Overstreet

It's hard to not wonder what Jason Christie is thinking today as he works the smallmouth-rich waters of New York's St. Lawrence River.

On one hand he must be glad to have made the cut and earned a check for at least $10,000, and by theory at least to still be in contention to win the tournament. On the other hand, practice begins tomorrow morning for the Forrest Wood Cup, the FLW Tour championship that carries a top prize of 1/2 million dollars, and he's more than 20 hours drive away from the venue. And when it comes down to it, he's 20 places and more than 7 pounds back in a tournament where the guys in front of him have been absolutely whacking them, so he's chances of winning this weekend are pretty slim.

As of this morning, Christie was only a pound and a half out of the Top 12 cut. Were he to get a good bag today, he could easily move up just enough to be fishing again tomorrow. That would mean missing all of the first day of practice for the Cup and much of the second day, I would have to think. He's using the same boat for both events, so even if he could get an evening flight out, his boat wouldn't arrive in Louisiana for close to a fully day after it leaves New York. He has a friend helping with the driving, and last I knew he didn't know if he would fly or go with the truck and boat. I also don't know whether practicing in a different boat part of the time is a legal and legitimate option.

If today he were to catch them well enough to maybe make the 12 but didn't see himself legitimately in contention to win, I wonder if he'd even be tempted to cull a larger fish for a small one so he could get on the road. As a winner of another Elite Series event this year, he already had his Bassmaster Classic ticket punched. Meanwhile, the Red River, where the Cup will be held, is the sort of fishery where Christie seems to do the very best. Shallow, stained and thick with cover, it lends itself wonderfully to pitching a Wooly Bug, or bouncing a shallow Bomber or a spinnerbait off lots of cover. And again, it's the championship -- a career-changing event that's far bigger than the big check that comes with winning it.

I've not talked to Christie at all about any of this and honestly don't know him well, and I haven't read stories written since he made the cut that quoted him regarding his thought processes. It could be that he's far too competive to even think about the next event -- no matter what it is -- until he's done everything in his power to try to win the one he is fishing. I'm just curious what he's thinking about as he fishes today. Can he focus on catching smallmouths and trying to place as high as possible on the St. Lawrence, or is he strategizing Red River largemouths or mentally playing out every possible travel scenario even as he fishes for New York smallmouths?

Gear: Bomber 13 A -- Trout, Watch Out

I suppose trout would not like the news I got yesterday (if they could understand it), but I sure consider it good news. The Bomber 13A, the littlest of Bomber's classic Long A series, is coming back, and Bomber is adding a half a dozen really cool-looking new color patterns to the Long A line.

The return of the 13A, which is only 2 1/2 inches long but has the same basic profile and wobble as its big brothers, grabs my attention because that size is ideal for much of the trout fishing I do. The small size also makes this a fine bait for fishing ponds or wading warm-water creeks and casting for a mix of species. Still, it's a trout lure first in my mind.

The other sizes (14A, 3 1/2 inches; 14A, 4 1/2 inches), which are most popular with the bass crowd and among some saltwater fishermen, actually have their place in bigger trout streams, especially tailwaters, but the 13A has the right profile for me to tie one on much more frequently. Although several small minnow baits offer a somewhat similar profile, that Long A kick gives it a unique appeal.

The new color patterns, which were designed to suggest the prism-like reflective properties of baitfish scales, are available in all three sizes, including the Bomber 24-A, which is a deeper version of a 3 1/2-inch Long A. New colors are: Citrus Minnow, Chartreuse Shiner, Flip Shad, Royal Flush, Jade Minnow and Baby Drum. I'm torn about which the trout will like best, and I'm sure water color and the brightness of the skies will have a major impact. Flip Shad or Jade Minnow really catch my eye, but the trout will cast the votes that count.

Sometimes Frantic Action

I've heard people joke about not hanging rods out of sides of the boat because the fishing was so good, but today that was played out -- twice. Lawrence Taylor and Capt. David Iverson scored a day-ending double when both of them laid down rods with dangling Bomber Pogies on them and turned to other tasks, only to have redfish attack both baits.
That finale was par for the courses on a day filled with doubles, break-offs, shark appearances and huge schools of redfish. We caught several "eaters" early but never could quite fill our limits because almost all the fish we caught this afternoon were more than 27 inches long and therefore above the slot.
One of many highlights for me was catching the most uniquely marked redfish I've ever seen. Really, though, the whole day was one giant highlight reel.

ICAST Preview: Square Lip Fat Free Shad

"What if you..?"

Lure manufacturers hear countless questions that begin with those three words as pro staffers and customers dream about variations of existing lures that would do something a little bit different.

Occasionally such a question makes too much sense to not create a bait that provides the answer."What if you combined the deflective values of a square-lipped crankbait with the shape and swimming action of a Bomber Fat Free Shad?"

Meet the Square Lip Fat Free Shad, which will be introduced in two sizes and eight colors at the ICAST show in Orlando next week. In most ways, this is the same Fat Free Shad that changed the crankbait world forever when Mark Davis used one to win the 1995 Bassmaster Classic. The main difference is a squared-off diving lip, which allows this Fat Free Shad to walk through brush or rocks 10 feet beneath the surface. The square-lipped version is also weighted to swim slightly nose down for the same purpose. That helps the lip and not the hooks to hit snaggy cover first.

This new Fat Free Shad will allow you to crank those classic spots where offshore structure and cover meet: thick brush on a point, a rockpile atop a hump, laydown branches at the edge of a channel...  Stuff you only used to be able to fish with worms or other weedless offerings.

I'm looking forward to putting the Square Lip Fat Free Shad to work some time soon!