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Posted by BigBassJB on Monday, May 05 @ 12:00:48 MDT (7 reads)
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For the past few months I have had the pleasure of communicating with Howard Elder (TPWD Aquatic Habitat Biologist), Steven Dougharty (SRA/Texas Div. Mgr Parks & Rec. Division) and Jim Pratt (Manager of SRA/Louisiana) regarding the status of Giant Salvinia (GS) related issues. Here are a few highlights from my notes that I think you will find interesting. For those not familiar with the GS problem I will begin with a brief review of a meeting held December 10th, 2007.
December 2007 – A GS seminar hosted by Toledo Bend Bi-State Alliance took place at the Hemphill VFW Hall. Speakers for the event were Howard Elder (TPWD) and Jack Canson (Caddo Lake Institute). Turnout for the session was excellent and attendees included TPWD, SRA/Texas, SRA/Louisiana, LDWF, mayors, judges, and many other concerned citizens and homeowners.
Howard Elder gave a very informative slideshow presentation, discussed areas of GS infestation, use of herbicides, “booms” that could be used to prevent plant spreading, and the need for more public awareness. GS was first confirmed on Toledo Bend in 1998 and has hit its worst infestation level in history.
Jack Canson had a slideshow presentation specific to GS infestation at Caddo Lake. Also discussed were associated problems involving GS merging with hyacinths and water evaporation. GS contributes to major water evaporation causing water to be lost up to three times faster than normal by “breathing” the water into the atmosphere. Canson also discussed the use of herbicides and volunteer crews that were spraying and removing GS along a fenced area of the lake that separates Texas from Louisiana.
The seminar was a tremendous success and made the community much more aware of the GS problem. Attendees were advised that those wanting to proceed with herbicide spraying should coordinate activities with Howard Elder (409-384-9965), while those wanting to install booms were asked to coordinate their efforts with Steven Dougharty (SRA/TX) to be sure that no navigational issues occur.
January 2008 – Governor Rick Perry announced the appointment of five new members to the Sabine River Authority of Texas Board of Directors. One appointment was Mr. David Koonce of Center. I visited with David and we discussed the Toledo Bend GS issue in detail. Also during the month .. GS was officially confirmed at Sam Rayburn Lake. February 2008 – I had the pleasure of discussing GS issues at the Texas Forest Country Partnership Board of Directors meeting in Lufkin with Jonna Fitzgerald (Congressional District Director for U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert). She advised me to discuss the issue with a federal National Invasive Species Council (NISC) representative. The National Invasive Species Council (Wash DC) involves Dept of Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Dept of State, Defense, Transportation, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services. Treasury, Environmental Protection, Agency for International Development, US Trade Representative and National Aeronautics and Space Admin NASA. NISC was established under Executive Order 13112 to increase invasive species cooperation and collaboration through the publication of a Management Plan and guidance documents, and the work of its nonfederal Invasive Species Advisory Committee .. of which Dr Earl Chilton (TPWD in Austin) is a member. I had multiple discussions with Chris Dionigi (NISC) in Washington DC. and made specific requests as to how this federal organization could assist with the GS problem at Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn. Bottom-line is that NISC’s role is basically as a coordinator; to assist in being sure that other groups are doing what needs to be done, and encourage acting at a general level. They said that I needed to contact state representative Dr Chilton at TPWD. Amazing …
During the month SRA/TX appropriated $100K to TPWD for herbicide spraying. An in-depth plan for use of these funds will be presented to SRA/TX. This plan is expected to provide 4 months of spraying and will involve 800-1000 acres. Private waterfront and high-profile ramps such as 6-Mile, Housen and Indian Mound will be areas of high priority.
March 2008 – I visited with Dr. Earl Chilton of the TPWD and was advised that TPWD was applying for various grants (Caddo and TB) and will be adding Sam Rayburn to list. Other than grants, TPWD has three sources for funding – 1.Fish and Wildlife (Wallace Breaux funds) 2. Corp of Engineers 3. Texas Aquatic Plant Control Program – Appropriated in 1999, however no money is in the fund. TPWD could use this money as matching funds ….if funds were available.
An update on GS was given to Senator Wayne Christian who was attending the Texas Forest Country Partnership Banquet in Lufkin, Texas. TFCP is group of 13 counties in Texas that have joined together to address common economical development issues such as retirement initiative, tourism, legislative issues, transportation and education.
In the later part of the month a discussion took place with Mr. Jim Pratt who heads up the SRA/Louisiana organization. Mr. Pratt graciously supplied two GS related documents; one from the State of Louisiana and the other from the Shreveport Times newspaper. A brief overview of these documents is as follows:
Commissioner of Administration Angele Davis and Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Robert Barham announced plans for an additional $2 million state allocation for LDWF’s Aquatic Plant Control Program. This will bring the total budgeted to $8.4 million. The additional funding will allow LDWF to treat additional acres of aquatic vegetation and develop research partnerships with state universities on alternative uses and treatment methods for nuisance plants. LDWF stated that they normally treat 40,000 acres of nuisance vegetation statewide annually, but biologists estimate that surface coverage has increased 48 percent in 2007 to 735,000 acres. Funding for this program is through a boat trailer registration tax set in place during the 2002 legislative session. That funding has been averaging $500,000 per year since fiscal year 2003-2004.
Caddo Parks and Recreation Director Larry Raymond is also planning a Giant Salvinia Awareness Day at Earl G. Williamson Park during late spring. Raymond hopes to have speakers talk about the invasive plant and will be holding a contest where boaters go out on the lake and gather as much giant salvinia as they can for a prize. It's his hope that the contest isn't just fun but shows people how big the problem is and how much of the plant has taken over the lake. Giant salvinia has encroached on not only Caddo Lake but also Lake Bistineau, among other water bodies. The plant cuts off oxygen in lakes, killing fish and other vegetation, and can make the water supply unusable. (Credits to Janelle Rucker of the Shreveport Times newspaper & State of Louisiana)
Many folks in Texas and Louisiana stand on their boat docks today and all they see is a green carpet of GS instead of water. What a shame! And to make things worse, we are now in the growing season and GS can double in size in a little over a week's time.
Chemical spraying seems to be the established method for controlling giant and common salvinia. However, both Texas and Louisiana are pursuing additional treatment options that include the salvinia weevil, containment booms and mechanical harvesters. Officials from both states agree that there is a need for increased public awareness regarding the proper steps for preventing the spread of GS.
Salvinia weevils used to control GS at Toledo Bend are currently at 6-Mile, Housen and the Huxley Bay area. Sam Rayburn herbicide spraying is currently taking place in the Coleman area
April 2008 – The TPWD contract for herbicide spraying is currently open for bids with spraying starting upon acceptance of bid. Spraying is expected to be taking place during the months of June, July, August and September. One unique problem has surfaced during this bidding process. One of the major world-wide suppliers of a needed herbicide is located in China. This company has recently gone out of business. The particular herbicide needed is therefore in short supply, has experienced an 8% increase in cost and has certainly made the bidding process a bit more complicated.
There is another chemical used for fighting GS and its called Galeon. It costs about $2,000 per gallon and is currently being used by the LDWF. TPWD has not had a chance to see it work first-hand, however, according to Elder it also has a couple of things to be aware of. For one it is pricey and it can only be applied once every 3 years to prevent plants from developing a resistance to the active ingredient “penoxsalum”. The product must be mixed within the water column, making the possible dilution of a treatment from heavy rainfall a major concern. The cost per acre depends on average depth but is in the neighborhood of $120.00 per acre. It will be most suitable in the back of shallow, protected, coves with little or no water exchange. Contact time is a minimum of 45 days and large scale treatments in open water will not be effective.
TPWD is planning to conduct aerial surveys in May to check the distribution of GS
Yet with all this negative information there is a bright spot. A letter was recently received by TPWD from the Department of Interior. This letter approved $379,500 Federal funds and $126,000 State funds ($505,500 total) that will be going into the Texas Aquatic Plant Control Program. This money will be greatly appreciated since prior to this the TPWD state-wide budget for addressing invasive plants was approximately $500k
***************************************************** Final thoughts to consider:
Plan 1 - Many of us pay a yearly charge (leaseback) to SRA/TX. It would be nice if some of this money could go back into a plan where SRA/TX would provide a full-time crew to work aquatic vegetation problems on Toledo Bend and assist at Sam Rayburn. The larger staffing of SRA/TX could be used as the primary resource and TPWD could always be available in a cooperative and advisory role. This would assure that herbicide spraying takes place by qualified personnel, proper boat ramp service is addressed and booms to prevent the spread of GS are installed where required. It would seem that having their own crew would be in SRA/TX’s best interest instead of relying on the very limited manpower of TPWD.
I certainly understand that liability is and will continue to be a major concern. However, if the State approved plan is followed what difference does it make if TPWD or SRA/TX does the job? I would hope that this issue could be discussed among the SRA/TX Board of Directors, and if need be move it on up the ladder to the Governor’s office
Plan 2 – If it is not possible for SRA/TX to provide a crew that would be responsible for addressing aquatic vegetation problems on our area lakes then we certainly need more financial support for TPWD. Howard Elder and his crew do the best job they can with limited funds and manpower; however, additional funding and personnel are going to be required to make the difference. To this end I would hope that our legislative representatives can assist in appropriating the proper funding required.
SRA/TX and the TPWD are two organizations that provide valuable services to our community. However, GS is one of those enemies that just cannot be treated lightly or ignored. The negative financial impact of having coves and ramps in our area lakes taken over by GS is staggering, and could well exceed the problems experienced with our recent low water issue. If not controlled GS will have a devastating long-term effect on how you, your children and your grandchildren enjoy our lakes and rivers. Let’s hope that history shows the actions we take in the upcoming months will do everything possible to protect these precious resources. JB
May 2006 Fishing Report
Posted by BigBassJB on Monday, April 28 @ 14:36:49 MDT (12 reads)
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So What’s Happening – May 2008 As of: 04/28/2008 7:00 AM Lake Level 172.02 Generator 1 Currently running 24 hrs/day Generator 2 Currently 8 hrs/12 noon - 8 p.m. Spillway Gates Closed Current Waterflow 6449 CFS Water clarity on the south end rated as fairly clear. Major feeder creeks somewhat murky. The generating schedule for Toledo Bend Dam is also available 24 hours /7 days by calling (337) 286-5253
Bass – Early morning anglers are experiencing some early morning and late evening topwater action on buzzbaits and Chug-bugs. The key is to stay near the grass or grass-line. Once the sun comes up its back to the ol’ reliable Carolina-rig with a baby brush hog, lizard, wave worm or one of your favorite plastic baits.
Some say that the spawn is complete and some say there are lots more fish in the spawning mood. During the past couple of weeks we have caught fish that show signs of already having been on the beds and likewise bass have been taken that are full of eggs and hopefully still have some spawning to do. The most effective fishing depth seems to vary somewhat with the weather but the two depths I hear from most anglers are the 11-15 feet and then 18-26 feet. Many of the strikes right now are very soft, so stay alert.
Richard Bolyard had a few nice bass taken off Magee Flats ridges with a kicker that was over 7-pounds. All of these fish were taken on a jig with a Paca-craw trailer in about 15-feet of water.
I recently had Pagosa Springs angler Dave Nelson in the boat for an afternoon of fishing and we did well on Carolina-rigs using pumpkin/chartreuse and watermelon lizards. We caught a variety of black bass and spotted bass using these lures and then took a few yellow bass on nickel ¾-oz jigging spoons. The fish were suspended off the bottom in about 26-feet of water.
Other baits that are doing well are the Texan Shaker, small Strike King crankbaits, and chartreuse/white spinnerbaits with double willow-leaf blades. You can still entice a few bass using the Rat-L-Trap fished near the grass using Toledo Gold, Tennessee Shad, chrome/ blue and solid gold colors.
In the next few months the Wacky worm will be one of the best patterns to use when the bite is tough. There is just something about this bait that the bass can’t resist. Root-beer, watermelon, June bug and watermelon-red colors continue to produce.
Local angler Johnny Franks with a 7-pounder caught in the 6-Mile area.
Crappie – Boy it has been a tough year so far for many of the crappie fishermen. Some old-timers say that the crappie haven’t really come in to spawn yet. Those that are catching crappie seem to be doing best at night using live minnows fished under a bobber. However, there are a group of die-hards on the lake that like to take a small jig and “stroll” it behind the boat using their trolling motor to move the boat. These guys cover lots of water during the day and can often bring in crappie when few fish are being caught on live minnows. It’s a fun way to fish and very enjoyable. Give it a try. Good colors to use are for the small jigs and tubes are black/chartreuse, blue/white, red/white and white.
Deeper Fish – Sooner or later the explosion of yellow bass will take place. This time last year we were loading up the freezer with prime fillets. The fish are starting to show up but not in the schools that we have seen in the past. Hopefully this action will get hot during May. All you will need to get in on this action is a couple of ½ or ¾-oz nickel jigging spoons. Work the baits vertically near drops, humps and ridges. ************************************************************ Fairmount Bass Club -
The Fairmount Bass Club tournament is held the first Saturday of each month with a club meeting following on the following Thursday of each month.
TOURNAMENTS: April 6th had windy and cold weather and a smaller group of anglers than usual. David Rousse took first place with a fine stringer weighing 9.66-pounds. Second place went to Justin Davis with 9.64-pounds, followed by Brian Corley with 8.74-pounds, James Theriot with 7.51-pounds and Jim Binns with 7.45-pounds. Binns also had big bass of the tournament which weighed 3.85-pounds.
FAIRMOUNT BASS CLUB 2008 STANDINGS - AS OF 4/5/2008
Points JUSTIN DAVIS 460 JIM BINNS 459 DAVID ROUSSE 374 RICHARD BOLYARD 356 DANNY ILES 348 TERANCE CORLEY 347 CHUCK EARWOOD 338 STEVE STANTON 245 MIKE LAFLEUR 245 JOHN CARTER 225 JOHNNY FRANKS 225 MICHAEL PAGE 136 BRIAN ALLEN 128 SCOTT TANGMAN 127 JAMIE THERIOT 117 SEAN PAGE 113 RICK POWELL 113 KENNETH LAIRD 109 SUZANNE HENNIGAN 60 MIKE BAGALA 40 CHARLIE SWANN 20 KEEGAN SWANN 20
If you are interested in learning more about fishing and want to join the Fairmount Bass Club contact: Club President Jim Binns (409-579-3524), Club Secretary Johnny Franks at (409-579-9900), Club Treasurer John Carter (409-579-3348) or Tournament Committee at 579-2203 or 570-4195. For Jackpot tournament information contact Chuck Earwood at (409) 579-2610.
*********************************************************** Things I learned living in Texas.
1. A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road. 2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in Texas. 3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in Texas, plus a couple no one's seen before. 4. If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha. 5. "Onced" and "Twiced" are words. 6. It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy! 7. "Jaw-P?" means "Did ya'll go to the bathroom?" 8. People actually grow and eat okra. 9. "Fixinto" is one word. 10. There is no such thing as "lunch". There is only dinner and then there is supper. 11. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar. 12. Backwards and forwards means "I know everything about you." 13. The word "jeet" is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?" 14. You don't have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you're done or it's too dark to see. 15. You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH EM. 16. "No. Jew?" is a common response to the question "Did you bring any beer?" 17. You measure distance in minutes. 18. You switch from heat to A/C in the same day. 19. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal. 20. You know what a "DAWG" is. 21. You carry jumper cables in your car --- for your OWN car. 22. You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Tony's, Tabasco and Ketchup. 23. The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports and motor sports, and gossip. 24. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday. 25. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit "a bit warm". 26. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas. 27. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past time know as "goin' Wal-Martin" or "off to Wally World". 28. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chicken stew weather. 29. Fried catfish is the other white meat. 30. We don't need no dang driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive dag-nabbit.
*********************************************** Looking for something to do around the middle of May? Well if so you need to check out the 2008 FFF Gulf Coast Expo - Fri-Sat, May 16-17. By popular demand, this great fly fishing event returns to the Lakefront Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana. This year, the activities are on Friday and Saturday, featuring some of the biggest names in fly fishing and fly tying - Bruce Richards, Nick Curcione, Tim Borski and Mark Sedotti. Also, regional experts on everything from shallow-water reds to custom rods, to dozens of exhibitors, FFF casting certification, Danish Casting Games, and last but not least, boiled crawfish on Friday night and the Cajun Feast Banquet on Saturday night. For more information contact The Federation of Fly Fishers at www.gulfcoastfff.org.
Well that’s all .. Have a great May and I hope to see you on the water – JB
April 2008
Posted by BigBassJB on Tuesday, March 25 @ 12:14:04 MDT (54 reads)
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So What’s Happening – April 2008
Lake Conditions - As of 03/25/2008 at 6:30 AM - Lake Level 170.06 Generator 1 Currently running 8hrs. 6am. to 10.am & 5pm. to 9pm. Generator 2 Currently running 8hrs. 6am. to 10.am & 5pm. to 9pm. Spillway Gates Closed. Current Waterflow 13599 CFS
Lake water surface temperature is running about 58-62-degrees with water clarity on the south end rated as clear. Major feeder creeks will have somewhat murky water in the back of creeks,
The generating schedule for Toledo Bend Dam is also available 24 hours/7 days by calling (337) 286-5253
If you like windy weather, you must have enjoyed our last couple of weeks. The winds limited open lake fishing and certainly filled up the protected coves with anglers.
Bass – Most anglers are working the shallow water with the anticipation of catching that bass of a lifetime. This is the time of the year where many fishing patterns can be effective, and the bass are hungry. For the shallow water angler one of the productive patterns has been spinnerbaits and Shakers worked parallel to the shoreline and over the tops of the grass. Best colors have been chartreuse/white, “iridescent” shad and all white. For the spinnerbait I prefer to use a double willow-leaf blades – one gold and one nickel.
Trap fishermen are still catching fish near the grass on Toledo Gold, Tennessee Shad and gold colors. Other productive patterns for the shallow water have been Wacky Worms, and un-weighted worms fished Texas-rigged style. Watermelon and watermelon-red colors continue to produce.
Not all of the fish are shallow. I caught this beautiful 10-pound 4-ounce lunker March 14th on a Carolina-rigged Tiki Wave Worm in about 15-20-feet of water. We took a few pictures and then released the bass to fight again another day. Hopefully the next time the bass is caught it will be in the 13-pound range.
Crappie – I see lots of boats “strolling” small tubes and they are starting to catch some pretty good size crappie. Work the edges of flats and back in the major coves. Yesterday I received a good report of some giant crappie being taken near the north bank on House, west of the island. Live minnows fished under a cork will turn on the night-time crappie. Best techniques have been jigging small tubes and fishing the minnows in about 17-feet of water. One of my neighbors caught some nice crappie fishing at this depth, however, the fish were suspended over 28 feet of water. If you plan to fish at night be sure to get a weather report and keep a radio handy for current updates.
Local angler Virgil Wilson and I had a great trip up in Housen Bay .. W-A-Y back in the back. Local crappie pro C.L. Wheeler put us on the fish and they were good ones. Thanks C.L. The fish were about 13-feet deep and taking live minnows and small blue/white and chartreuse/black tube baits.
Deep Fish – Always keep a jigging spoon and/or a drop-shot on one rod, and when you see fish on the graph offer them these little delicacies. Vertically jigging is the technique and you can often put a limit in the boat with five drops of the bait.
For the jigging spoon I recommend the ¼ to ¾-ounce nickel model and when working depths in the 30-foot range I prefer the 1-ounce model. Drop-shot bait can also be very effective. I even caught a few bass on my last outing vertically jigging a Carolina-rig instead of the traditional drop-shot. The key is to work the bait slow, stop and “yo-yo” the bait when you feel a tree or branch, and pay attention for light bites.
****************************** I had some sad news recently. Grits Gresham, noted outdoorsman, writer, author and television personality, died after a lengthily illness. Gresham served as field host and producer for The American Sportsman television series on ABC network, host of Shooting Sports America on ESPN and was shooting editor of Sports Afield magazine for 26 years. This was a big loss for sportsmen throughout the world ************************************************************
Fairmount Bass Club -
The Fairmount Bass Club tournament is held the first Saturday of each month with a club meeting following on the second Thursday of each month.
TOURNAMENTS: March 1st – The club had an excellent turnout with 20 anglers entered. The winners were: 1st Place – Jamie Theriot with a 14.24 pound stringer 2nd Place – David Rousse with 13.63 lbs. 3rd Place – Richard Bolyard with 12.34 lbs. 4th Place Justin Davis with 10.22 lbs. and 5th Place Terance Corley weighed in 9.48 lbs.
John Carter took Big Bass honors with a 5.52 lunker that was caught on a jig/pig combo.
If you are interested in learning more about fishing and want to join the Fairmount Bass Club contact: Club President Jim Binns (409-579-3524), Club Secretary Johnny Franks at (409-579-9900), Club Treasurer John Carter (409-579-3348) or Tournament Committee at 579-2203 or 570-4195. For Jackpot tournament information contact Chuck Earwood at (409) 579-2610. *********************************************************** Clean can be funny.
One day, a man came home and was greeted by his wife dressed in a very Sexy nighte. 'Tie me up,' she purred, 'and you can do anything you want.' So he tied her up and went fishing.
Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right, and the other is a husband.
A Polish immigrant went to the DMV to apply for a driver's license. First, of course, he had to take an eye sight test The optician showed him a card with the letters 'C Z W I X N O S T A C Z.' 'Can you read this?' the optician asked. 'Read it?' the Polish guy replied, 'I know the guy.'
************************************ ***********
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. 'Careful,' he said, 'CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the! salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!'
The wife stared at him. 'What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?' The husband calmly replied, 'I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.'
A husband and wife came for counseling after 20 years of marriage. When asked what the problem was, the wife went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 20 years they had been married. She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage. Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and, after asking the wife to stand, embraced and kissed her passionately as her husband watched with a raised eyebrow. The woman shut up and quietly sat down as though in a daze. The therapist turned to the husband and said, "This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you do this?"
The husband thought for a moment and replied, "Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays, I fish." *****************************************************
What are you to do if you have a heart attack while you are alone.
The Johnson City Medical Center staff actually discovered this and did an in-depth study. It is called Cough CPR. A cardiologist says it's the truth ...
Let's say it's 6:15 p.m . and you're driving home (alone of course), after an usually hard day on the job. You're really tired, upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home. Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. What can you do? You've been trained in CPR but the guy that taught the course, didn't tell you what to do if it happened to yourself.
Cough repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about very two seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many other people as possible about this, it could save their lives!
There's always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it. For example, some of the folks up north are slipping and sliding in the snow while I am sitting here in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
Well that’s all .. Have a great April and I hope to see you on the water – JB
February 2008
Posted by BigBassJB on Tuesday, February 05 @ 15:33:47 MST (90 reads)
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So What’s Happening – February 2008
Lake Conditions – As of February 3rd, 2008, the lake level is 168.65’ msl. Normal pool level is 172‘ msl. (Lake is now 3.35 feet low) Generator 1 and Generator 2 are currently closed. Lake water surface temperature is running about 52-56-degrees with water clarity on the south end rated as very clear to partly stained up in some of the creeks. The generating schedule for Toledo Bend Dam is also available 24 hours / 7 days by calling (337) 286-5253
Bass – The weather has been like a roller-coaster. Temperature in the 70’s one day and then rain, sleet and 30-degree temperatures a few days later. Mother Nature just can’t get it figured out and that sure makes it tough on the anglers.
A number of patterns have been successful on Toledo Bend. The “trap” bite has been on and off, and when a sustained warming trend I would think that a running bait like the Rat-L-Trap or Strike Kings Red Eye Shad would be the bait of choice. Colors would include the deeper reds, bleeding gizzard shad and now the new “Toledo Gold” color. If you haven’t heard of the Toledo Gold … here’s the story.
There are probably few fishermen on this planet that have not heard of the famous Rat-L-Trap fishing lure. The “Trap” as it is commonly referred to is the creation of a true sportsman and pioneer in lure development by the name of Bill Lewis, and it is manufactured just a hop-skip and jump from the shores of Toledo Bend in Alexandria, Louisiana. Millions of Rat-L-Traps have been sold throughout the world and the bait has been recognized by Field and Stream magazine as one of the Top 5 artificial lures of all time.
If you go through the results of the many bass tournaments that are held on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend you will find that the Rat-L-Trap was more often than not the bait that contributed to catching the winning stringer or the big bass of the tournament. And in the springtime the color 27 which is orange crawfish (or better known as “Rayburn Red”) definitely catches more than its share of bass.
There is certainly nothing wrong with the “Rayburn Red” color, however, I recently relayed to Everett Gill, Production Manager of Bill Lewis Lures, that we needed a bait that would better represent good ol’ Toledo Bend. One thing led to another, and before long we were putting colors together and producing a few proto-types for testing. After about a month the end-result was a fish-catching bait with absolutely beautiful colors that goes by the name of ..... “Toledo Gold”.
The lure has the overall look of a red crawfish with a brownish-gold belly and a slight bled of chartreuse up the sides. The rear of the bait has a subtle white speckled finish that is half-toned into the body and the eyes are enlarged with an outside accent of gold. It is a dynamite package that I know will soon become the favorite of many of our Texas and Louisiana anglers. The Toledo Gold Rat-L-Trap hit Ann’s Tackle Shop in Jasper and the shelves of Toledo Tackle around February 1st. In 1 ½ days Ann sold 7-dozen of the ½-oz model and about 4-dozen of the ¾-oz size. She said that she could have sold more but just ran out of baits. WOW!
Check it out. I personally think that the “Toledo Gold” will be worth its weight in gold at your next fishing tournament.
If you like to use a deeper crankbait try Strike Kings Series 3 and 5, the Rapala DT series or Bandits new 400 series. Bandit even has a new model called the “Mad Cow”.
We have caught some great deepwater bass using Carolina-rigs and Zoom Baby Brush Hogs in watermelon, pumpkin and watermelon-candy colors. Be sure to add a bit of chartreuse dip-and-dye to the tail. The biggest fish taken by our boat (angler Johnny Franks) in the past couple of weeks weighed 7-pounds 11-ounces and was taken using a Carolina rig and a Strike King Iguana 10-inch June bug lizard. Most of the bass came from about 18-28 feet of water .. and be sure that deeper water is nearby.
It will soon be time to get those spinnerbaits out and also the chatterbait type lures such as the “Shaker”. Color combinations of red/white, chartreuse/blue and white should produce strikes.
Wacky worm fishing will start getting really good and also a slow sinking Wacky Stick or Wave Worm. This technique can produce some fine bass when it seems like nothing else will get a look. The Wacky Stick by Crème Lures is a good one to try. Other soft jerkbaits tend to plane up toward the surface when the slightest line pressure is put on them. The Wacky Stick is appropriately named because of the wild and wacky way that the bait dives sideways as it gently floats downward. This one is a killer for big bass, but works effectively throughout the entire water column. Twitch it, wacky rig it, but keep it weightless to preserve it’s free-spirited action that is so appealing to bass.
There are still quite a few anglers chunking the jig and trailers and working them slowly near the edges of the grassline .. either hydrilla, milfoil or pepper grass. Best colors for the jig have been black/blue, brown and pumpkin-green. Most effective trailers for these jigs seem to be the Net Baits “Paka Chunk” , “Paka Craw” and Strike Kings “Chunk”.
As the water warms more buck bass will be heading to the skinny water with the heavy egg-laden sows not too far behind. Full moon for February will occur around the 6th, and that is usually a trigger for the early spawners.
Always keep a jigging spoon and/or a drop-shot on one rod, and when you see a pod of fish on the graph offer them this these little delicacies. Vertically jigging is the technique and you can often put a limit in the boat with five drops of the bait. For the jigging spoon I recommend the Texan 1/4-3/4 ounce nickel model and when working depths in the 30-foot range I prefer the 1-ounce model. A drop-shot bait can be just about any of your favorite plastics and I even caught a few bass on my last outing vertically jigging a Carolina-rig instead of the traditional drop-shot. The key is to work the bait slow, stop and “yo-yo” the bait when you feel a tree or branch, and pay attention for light bites.
Crappie – Not getting too many reports yet but the best one I received was from a group of anglers catching crappie are in the “gut” of a Housen creek channel in about 16-20 feet of water. Small tube baits are taking a few fish but the best bite seems to be in the afternoon on live minnows. Some of the “slabs” have been real chunks in the pound-plus size. I talked to folks at the Holly Park Marina and they said crappie at the famous Chicken Coop turned on about a week or so ago and then absolutely turned off. Perhaps the fishing will get better with a warming trend in the weather.
Yellow Bass – Not much action yet but this fishing should be red hot in the next few weeks. Taking a few fish in the 20-foot plus depths on small jigging spoons, however, the fishing has been slow.
******************************************************* SamRayburn Lake - Upcoming Tournaments at Sam Rayburn Lake – FLW Stren Series – Feb 20-23 Bassmaster Weekend Series – Division 10 – Feb 9 Bass Champs – Feb 16 Anglers Quest Saturday Series – Feb 2 Anglers Quest Super Team – Feb 24 American Anglers Tournament Trail – District 119 – Feb 23-24 American Anglers Tournament Trail – District 53 – Feb 10 American Bass Anglers Grand Slam – SW Division – Feb 29-Mar1
Since Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn are relatively close to each other you would actually think that the fishing at one would be similar to the other, but that is not the case. Currently the lake is about 5-plus feet low. Bass anglers at Big Sam have been using lipless crankbaits working in 3-8 feet of water and the wacky worm is starting to draw some big strikes. A couple of tournaments have reported that the Carolina-rig has also worked well using brush hogs in 6-10 feet of water. I talked to one team that had also done well on watermelon worms rigged Texas style fished in from 8-18 feet of water.
The Fairmount Bass Club tournament is held the first Saturday of each month with a club meeting following on the second Thursday of each month.
TOURNAMENTS: February 2nd - We had another good turnout Saturday with17 members fishing and one guest. The winners were: 1st Place - Danny Iles with a 13 pound stringer 2nd Place - Richard Bolyard with 12.94 lbs. 3rd Place - Jim Binns with 9.9 lbs. 4th Place Justin Davis with 9.80 lbs. and 5th Place Johnny Franks weighed in 8.58 lbs. Johnny Franks also edged out Danny Iles' 6.39 lb. lunker for Big Bass honors with a 7.10 lb. lunker that was taken on a Strike King 10” Iguana lizard. Overall, the best baits for the tournament seemed to be crankbaits, jigs and Carolina-rigs. Our next tournament is on March 1st. I'm expecting some big stringers in this one............. See you there.......Richard Bolyard ********************************* January 5th - What a way to start a new year in the Fairmount Bass Club! Fifteen fishermen weighed in 42 fish that weighed 110.33 pounds. We had a little wind and a little rain but the fish didn't care. Five fishermen had limits (5), three had a bass over 5 lbs., and it took almost 12 pounds of fish to be in the money. Here's how it all shook out: Wally Kilman won with 19.93 pounds, which is a record for this club I believe, Richard Bolyard took 2nd with 13.93 lbs., Danny Iles was 3rd with 13.25 lbs., Terrance Corley was 4th with 12.34 lbs., and Michael Page came in 5th with 11.86 lbs. Wally also won big bass with a 5.57 lb. lunker. Also with fish over 5 lbs. were Richard and Danny. Congratulations to all the winners! I'm looking for bigger and better things in February.......the fish should be starting to move in to their staging areas in shallower water and some of the bigger ones might be on beds....depends on the weather and water *************************************************************
Fairmount Bass Club Standings - 2008
-
POUNDS
POINTS
RICHARD BOLYARD
26.87
238
DANNY ILES
26.25
238
WALLY KILMAN
22.23
232
JIM BINNS
14.38
230
JOHNNY FRANKS
9.19
225
STEVE STANTON
6.55
225
MIKE LAFLEUR
6.41
225
JUSTIN DAVIS
11.73
224
MICHAEL PAGE
11.86
136
DAVID ROUSSE
9.61
135
TERRANCE CORLEY
12.34
117
CHUCK EARWOOD
7.95
114
SEAN PAGE
5.76
113
RICK POWELL
2.53
113
JOHN CARTER
1.98
111
KENNETH LAIRD
2.16
109
MIKE BAGALA
20
SUZANNE HENNIGAN
20
CHARLIE SWANN
20
KEEGAN SWANN
20
SCOTT TANGMAN
20
BRIAN ADAMS
20
If you are interested in learning more about fishing and want to join the Fairmount Bass Club contact: Club President Jim Binns (409-579-3524), Club Secretary Johnny Franks at (409-579-9900), Club Treasurer John Carter (409-579-3348) or Tournament Director Wally Kilman (409-579-3434). For Jackpot tournament information contact Chuck Earwood at (409) 579-2610.
I was depressed last night so I called Lifeline. Got a call center in Pakistan. I told them I was suicidal. They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck
***********************************************
LETTER FROM A FARM KID, (Now at San Diego MARINE CORPS RECRUIT TRAINING.)
Dear Ma and Pa,
I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled. I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6 AM, but I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, or wood to split. Practically nothing. Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water.
Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you till noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much. We go on 'route marches,' which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A 'route march' is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. The country is nice but awful flat. The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The Captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none..
This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting . I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes. Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake. I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6' and 130 pounds and he's 6'8' and near 300 pounds dry. Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in.
There's always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it. For example, some of the folks up north are slipping and sliding in the snow while I am sitting here in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Well that’s all . . Have a great February and I hope to see you on the water – JB
January 2008
Posted by BigBassJB on Thursday, January 03 @ 20:13:02 MST (134 reads)
(Read More... | Score: 5)
I hope all of you had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Years. Our Texas/Louisiana area offers many wonderful opportunities for the sportsperson, and if you are lucky enough to live in this area you are truly blessed.
So What’s Happening – January 2008
Lake Conditions – As of January 2nd, 2008 the lake level is 168.47’ msl. Normal pool level is 172‘ msl. (Lake is now 3.53 feet low) Generator 1 and Generator 2 are currently closed. Current waterflow is 204 cfs. Lake water surface temperature is running about 54-degrees with water clarity on the south end rated as clear to partly stained up in some of the creeks.
Bass – Depending on who you talk to – the fishing can be very good or very poor. This is especially true when those artic cold fronts roar through our area causing whitecaps and bone-chilling wind. If you ask Hayden Dubose (pictured to the right) he would say the fishing was great!
During the past week deep water spooning with a ¾-oz to 1-oz nickel jigging spoon took some hefty bass, however, the fish were scattered and not schooled up like they have been in late December for the past couple of years. Depth to fish the spoons seems to vary between 24-almost 50 feet of water.
I received two reports of spinnerbait fish that were taken on double willow-leaf models that were chartreuse/white and solid white. the technique was to be slow-rolling the baits near edges of grass or structure drops in 8-to 12 feet of water … and like some of the other reports – be sure you have deeper water near-by.
My ol’ favorite Carolina rig is still producing a few fish but you have to really slow down your retrieve, I recommend the watermelon or cotton candy centipede or a lizard in watermelon/red, pumpkin/chartreuse or the Junebug colors. Work the edges of the grass or channel drops in from 6- to 30 feet of water. I believe that the bigger bass usually come in first to spawn so start paying special attention to drains and channels that feed in from deep water to shallow flats and sloughs. The bigger bass will use these “highways” when coming in to and from the spawning grounds. .
Thanks to my friend Charlie Stigen from way out in Midland for supplying this great photo of his friend Ronney Connor with a 10.4 pound lunker taken while fishing from a kyak. That must have been some fight!
Keep a ¾ and ½-oz. Rat-L-Trap handy during the upcoming months because this bait will sure put some bass in the livewell quick. The key is to work the bait near drops and the edges of grass. A trap is especially effective when you “tick” the grass, pause the bait and then rip it forward. It will provoke a reaction bite and can attract the attention of some real heavyweights. A few years ago a friend of mine caught a 12+ pounder on a trap during the month of January .. and it was C-O-L-D!! Prime colors will be the always exciting “Rayburn Red” (orange crawfish), chrome-blue, shad and be sure to check out the new cherry bomb and sizzling bream colors. I like the ¾-oz model but if you are working shallow water the ½-oz model may better fit your needs.
Catfish - Bo Owens and his grandkids Drew Sciabarassi and Hayden Dubose had a great day of fishing for deep water bass (caught about 8 to 10 bass) and a giant catfish. So what do you catch big catfish on … cut-bait, Catfish Charlie or live bait? Not for Bo – He just uses a Carolina-rig with a watermelon-red baby brush hog to get his fish. And what a fish he and the boys caught. The catfish weighed 21-pounds 10-oz. and from what Bo told me .. It was a REAL battle getting the big ol’ cat into the boat. Congrad’s to the Owens bunch!
Yellow Bass – Fishing for these guys has been pretty slow but with the colder weather pushing the shad out into deeper water I expect that the deep water jigging is about to explode. Try a ¼ to 1-oz nickel jigging spoon and work the edges of channels and humps in the 24-45 -foot depths. Lots of fish are also suspended at about the 24-30-foot depth so if you see these fish on your graph be sure to drop a spoon in front of them. When the BIG yellow bass start showing up it is definitely time to put some delicious eating fillets in the freezer.
Crappie – I just received my first report that some big time crappie action may be getting ready to take place at the Chicken Coop area up past the Pendleton Bridge. The colder weather has the fish turning on and in past years the action has been really good. Fish live minnows or small tube baits vertically in the 25-35-foot depths near the river channel for best results. When the fishing gets good don’t worry about finding the Chicken Coop because so many boats will converge on the area that it looks like a little city.
Bream – I couldn’t get an update report for bream so thought I would just add an inspiration picture so that you could look forward to summertime fishing….
************************************************************************
Since we have so many of our angler friends fishing both Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn I have been asked to try and give a quick report for Rayburn also. We will give it a shot, however, I will depend on some of you that fish the lake on a regular basis to help me out a bit.
SAM RAYBURN - Currently Sam Rayburn is a little over five feet low with water temperatures about like Toledo Bend – in the mid- to high 50s. Many anglers have been out of town or hunting so the fishing pressure on the lake has been relatively low. I talked to a few of the tournament anglers this week and they have been pre-fishing for the upcoming tournament circuits and many are doing quite well. A “Trap” bite was on for a few weeks, with spinnerbaits and Carolina-rigs starting to do quite well. You would have to be very new to bass fishing not to know that “Rayburn Red” Rat-L-Traps are a hot item to be throwing during the next couple of months. This color actually has a history of catching some really nice stringers of bass on any lake. Double Willow-leaf spinnerbaits will start taking some real giants and don’t rule out the ol’ “wacky-worm” technique. It is always amazing to see how effective a wacky rig is on both Toledo Bend and Rayburn.
Upcoming Tournaments -
Anglers Quest – Super Team will be on the water Jan 27th,
Anglers Quest – Saturday Series Jan 5th,
Bass Champs January 19th,
BassMaster Weekend Series Jan 26th,
************************************************************************************* Fairmount Bass Club -
The Fairmount Bass Club tournament is held the first Saturday of each month with a club meeting following on the second Thursday of each month. There is also an afternoon “jackpot” tournament held the third Thursday of each month. If you are interested in learning more about fishing and want to join the Fairmount Bass Club contact: Club President Jim Binns (409-579-3524), Club Secretary Johnny Franks at (409-579-9900), Club Treasurer John Carter (409-579-3348) or Tournament Director Wally Kilman (409-579-3434). For Jackpot tournament information contact Chuck Earwood at (409) 579-2610.
Wally Kilman with 2 bass from his 19+ pound stringer taken January 5th during the Fairmount Bass Club monthly tournament. Good stringers of bass were taken on jig-n-trailers and rat-l-trap-type baits in 12-18 feet of water and drop-shots and spoons down to 45 foot depths. I would say the fish are pretty spread out. Congratulations to the winners.
************************************************************* Must Have Baits For 2008 – Part 1
I know that each of you were probably very good this past year and Santa filled your stocking with lot’s of goodies, however, did he bring you some of the new baits that just might make the difference between catching a limit of bass .. or nothing? Well you are in luck because during the holidays I visited with a number of companies and put together a list of the newest and best baits that will be coming to your local stores in the upcoming months. These baits are the cream of the crop and “must have” lures for your tacklebox. Tungsten Weighted Soft Plastics -
Dan Vesuvio of Fish Harder Companies offers Tru-Tungsten “Tungsten Weighted Soft Plastics” that will really get the attention of anglers in our area. These are hand poured in the U.S.A. and each bait is impregnated with 97% pure tungsten which is 50% smaller in size and lead free. These baits will allow you more hookups with bass and less hang-ups in the rocks and trees. The worms are a delight to cast and with the additional weight throughout the body you can easily cast them further with less effort. Just select your favorite hook and you are ready to go with no need for adding additional weight. Regardless of how you rig the bait the imbedded tungsten weight in the worm offers a unique presentation and falls with an action that is irresistible to bass. For more information go to the www.tru-tungsten.com website.
Top Dollar – Norman Lures is a company that has been in business many years and seems to always find new ways for anglers to catch fish. Catching bass on the surface is an all-time favorite technique for most anglers because they see the strike and it is usually quite explosive. The Top Dollar topwater bait is the first flat-sided topwater lure to hit the market. The bait has the thin profile of a baitfish and its spitting and popping action will drive the big bass crazy. The bait has a rear weight transfer system that allows you to cast the bait further and easier. Even beginning anglers can easily “walk the dog” with this bait. Just use short jerking motions of the rod tip and the bait will dance from side to side. Hang on because big bass can really explode on this awesome new lure. Hand-tied tails and super sharp hooks offer the utmost in fish-catching ability. Each Top Dollar bait is made in the USA with the finest materials and then individually painted to perfection. www.normanlures.com.
TUBO – Mister Twister has a new bait called the TUBO that is something to see. As most of you know, a live waterdog will quickly get the attention of a big bass. I have used waterdogs on a number of lakes and the strikes you get are usually very violent. In many cases it seems that a bass doesn’t necessarily want to eat the bait, but he definitely wants to kill it. The TUBO looks and feels like a live waterdog and I can’t wait to get it in front of a big Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn bass. The bait is actually a combination of a waterdog and a tube lure. The bait has a striking set of red gills, a fat tube design and remarkable natural marks and appearance. Holding the bait in your hand is almost like holding a real waterdog. The TUBO can be fished weightless for a surface presentation or rigged with a traditional tube jig head, Texas rig or even on a Carolina-rig. I assure you that the TUBO 5” design will take soft-plastic fishing to a new level. www.mistertwister.com.
Bandit 700 Series Crankbait –
Bandit Lures is a well respected name in this area because it always produces baits that run straight and true. The 700 series will allow you to move off the shoreline and search deep water areas where the big bass live. According to reports, prototypes of this deep diver caught 10-pounders like crazy at El Salto Lake in Mexico. The baits special weight chambers enable longer casts and a quick dive down to 17'. This bait will definitely keep you in the strike zone longer. All the super-tuned action Bandits are famous for their quality size 4 VMC® hooks. Be sure to also look at Bandits 200 series Sparkle Ghost and the Flat Maxx. www.banditlures.com.
Pure Fishing Products –
Pure Fishing is a privately-held company headquartered in Spirit Lake, Iowa, U.S.A., and has expanded its operations into 19 countries. Their portfolio of leading tackle brands include Berkley®, Stren®, Spiderwire®, Abu Garcia®, Mitchell®, Fenwick® and SevenStrand® products. Pure Fishing is devoted to helping anglers everywhere create more memories by catching more fish and their products reflect that. Obviously the company has many products that would fit into our Texas/Louisiana needs; however, here are a few new products that were recently introduced at ICAST (the sportfishing industry's largest annual U.S. tradeshow). www.purefishing.com.
Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon – Professional Grade –
This is the line that helped win the Bassmaster Classic. It has low memory for superior casting and its 100% PVDF formula provides the ultimate in impact strength. The line is virtually invisible in the water and is available in sizes that suit finesse or power fishing. www.berkley-fishing.com
Stren Blood Red Monofilament Line – If red is your preferred color, why not fish with the very best. Stren Blood Red has outstanding shock qualities for those hard strikes and strong hook-sets, high tensile strength for fighting big fish, and excellent durability for dependable performance. www.stren.com
Hi-Seas Line –
I recently had the pleasure of visiting with Yvette Rodriguez who is the Event Manager and Marketing Coordinator of American Fishing Wire/HI-SEAS. It was with great pride and excitement that HI-SEAS recently announced that they were the exclusive line sponsor of the BassMasters Weekend Tournament Series. Mike Shields, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. stated, “Our involvement in tournament bass fishing has grown dramatically in recent years and competitive anglers all over the country are finding that they can depend on HI-SEAS products when the money’s on the line!”
The BassMasters Weekend Series is comprised of a total of 125 tournaments which offer over $7 Million in payout and contingencies to weekend warriors across the nation. It is the proving ground where thousands of competitive anglers hone their skills working towards a chance to move up into the professional ranks. The culmination is the Weekend Series Championship where the top boater/angler has the opportunity for a $205,000 pay day along with achieving his dream—advancing to the ultimate fishing competition in the world, the BassMasters Classic. The top co-angler can win over $100,000 is cash and prizes!
HI-SEAS has gained a strong presence in tournament angling because of its superior performing products. These fine products were designed to meet the highly specialized needs of anglers who use a variety of techniques and tackle combinations. After years of being the top line in the biggest saltwater tournament venue in the nation HI-SEAS turned its sights on competitive bass fishing. In a few short years, working with the American Bass Anglers, it had an entire tournament series named after its popular Grand Slam line and anglers everywhere are raving about their products. As a result of that association, bass anglers across the country began to discover the many great line products they offer. Here are a couple of the new products ..
White Lighting –
This is a true test-rated fluorescent-clear, micro-thin diameter monofilament with sensitivity that exceeds braids. It’s engineered from a new co-polymer matrix making it thin, extremely strong, and has less stretch than most other monofilament lines. White Lighting has great knot strength and its supple texture makes it perfect for both spinning and conventional casting reels. Black Widow –
This line is a thin-diameter premium co-polymer line that incorporates multi-color camouflaging technology (black-grey-red). The coloring of the line makes it almost impossible for a fish to see. The line is very supple and has low memory so it won’t be coiling up when you cast. www.hiseas.net.
Rat-L-Trap –
Bill Lewis’ legendary invention, the Rat-L-Traps®, is a lure of all seasons. In the early years Bill Lewis sold various baits from the back of his old Ford (“rattle-trap”) station wagon. On more than one trip Bill had no choice but to sell his products below cost just to earn enough gas money to get back home. Things have changed a great deal since those days. The Rat-L-Trap is now a bait known throughout the world and it remains one of the best bass fishing lures of all times.
Last year when I visited with Plant Manager Everitt Gill he told me that the company had sold more than 150 million lures which are distributed to all 50 states and dozens of countries around the world. The Rat-L-Trap is a bait that practically replicates the sound of distressed baitfish with its Lin-N-Sound technology. I can assure you that if you don’t have a Rat-L-Trap in your tacklebox you are missing out on some good fishing. Just ask pro angler Boyd Duckett who won the 2007 BASS Master Classic using a red Rat-L-Trap. When the fishing gets tough the Rat-L-Trap always comes through.
Tail Chaser –
Just when you thought that Bill Lewis Lures had done everything possible with their product line they come out with the Tail Chaser. This bait brings the most realistic sounding bait to life with an incredible life-like Tail Kicking action.
Well there you are, a quick look at some exciting new baits that will be coming your way in 2008. I predict that you will have a banner year of catching when you use some of these baits. -- JB
I was gazing at some of the new items on the market and was amazed at how much the world has really changed. Here are some headlines that may be seen in newspapers during the year 2029:
Hybrid largemouth bass record broken. The 42-pound 6-ounce lunker was caught at Toledo Bend Lake on a Strike King Razzy Jack 26-inch watermelon-colored lizard.
Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world Mexifornia (formerly known as California) …White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language. Houston trying to annex nearby suburbs of San Antonio into their tax district.
Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock
Last remaining Fundamentalist Muslim dies in the American Territory of the Middle East (formerly known as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon). Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.
France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica. Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking. George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.
Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.
85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and Exercise is the key to weight loss. Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.
Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed, they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut.
Giant Salvinia plant now covers the Mediterrian Sea. Experts using hybrid grass carp from Lake Conroe Texas to help eliminate problem.
Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.
Average height of NBA players is now nine feet, seven inches.
New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.
IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.
Florida voters still having trouble with voting machines.
The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??
Tax his land, Tax his wage, Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirts, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his booze, Tax his beers, If he cries, Tax his tears.
Tax his bills, Tax his gas, Tax his notes, Tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers, Tax him more, Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom!'
And when he's gone, We won't relax, We'll still be after inheritance TAX!!
Accounts Receivable Tax, Building Permit Tax, CDL License Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Dog License Tax, Federal Income Tax, Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA), Fishing License Tax, Food License Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline Tax, Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax, Inventory Tax, IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax), IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor Tax, Luxury Tax, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service charge taxes, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax (Truckers), Sales Taxes, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax.
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?' … And I still have to 'press 1' for English.
Well that’s all .. Hope you have a great January and I will see you on the water -- JB
How about that Ralph Davis with a nice Toledo Bend bass..
Eric Johnson shows
off a couple of nice fish
taken with dad Ed Johnson.
The striper weighed 10.4 pounds
and the blue cat pulled the scales
down to 15.3 pounds. Great Catch!
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So What’s Happening – 
Other productive patterns for the shallow water have been Wacky Worms, and un-weighted worms fished Texas-rigged style. Watermelon and watermelon-red colors continue to produce. 
the technique was to be slow-rolling the baits near edges of grass or structure drops in 8-to 12 feet of water … 
and like some of the other reports – be sure you have deeper water near-by. 
I believe that the bigger bass usually come in first to spawn so start paying special attention to drains and channels that feed in from deep water to shallow flats and sloughs. The bigger bass will use these “highways” when coming in to and from the spawning grounds. . 
So what do you catch big catfish on … cut-bait, Catfish Charlie or live bait? Not for Bo – He just uses a Carolina-rig with a watermelon-red baby brush hog to get his fish. And what a fish he and the boys caught. The catfish weighed 21-pounds 10-oz. and from what Bo told me .. It was a REAL battle getting the big ol’ cat into the boat. Congrad’s to the Owens bunch! 
Fairmount Bass Club - 
Norman Lures is a company that has been in business many years and seems to always find new ways for anglers to catch fish. Catching bass on the surface is an all-time favorite technique for most anglers because they see the strike and it is usually quite explosive. The Top Dollar topwater bait is the first flat-sided topwater lure to hit the market. The bait has the thin profile of a baitfish and its spitting and popping action will drive the big bass crazy. The bait has a rear weight transfer system that allows you to cast the bait further and easier. Even beginning anglers can easily “walk the dog” with this bait. Just use short jerking motions of the rod tip and the bait will dance from side to side. Hang on because big bass can really explode on this awesome new lure. Hand-tied tails and super sharp hooks offer the utmost in fish-catching ability. Each Top Dollar bait is made in the USA with the finest materials and then individually painted to perfection. www.normanlures.com. 
As most of you know, a live waterdog will quickly get the attention of a big bass. I have used waterdogs on a number of lakes and the strikes you get are usually very violent. In many cases it seems that a bass doesn’t necessarily want to eat the bait, but he definitely wants to kill it. The TUBO looks and feels like a live waterdog and I can’t wait to get it in front of a big Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn bass. The bait is actually a combination of a waterdog and a tube lure. The bait has a striking set of red gills, a fat tube design and remarkable natural marks and appearance. Holding the bait in your hand is almost like holding a real waterdog. The TUBO can be fished weightless for a surface presentation or rigged with a traditional tube jig head, Texas rig or even on a Carolina-rig. I assure you that the TUBO 5” design will take soft-plastic fishing to a new level. www.mistertwister.com. 
The baits special weight chambers enable longer casts and a quick dive down to 17'. This bait will definitely keep you in the strike zone longer. All the super-tuned action Bandits are famous for their quality size 4 VMC® hooks. Be sure to also look at Bandits 200 series Sparkle Ghost and the Flat Maxx. www.banditlures.com. 
If red is your preferred color, why not fish with the very best. Stren Blood Red has outstanding shock qualities for those hard strikes and strong hook-sets, high tensile strength for fighting big fish, and excellent durability for dependable performance. www.stren.com 
Tail Chaser – 
How about that Ralph Davis with a nice Toledo Bend bass.. 
