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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Sunday, 30 January 2011 09:55 |
Angles Make a Difference
In the mid to late part of winter when the bass are still fairly lethargic, the angle that you approach a piece of structure can be a big difference maker; in fact I believe it is the angle of approach that causes the strike. So many times over my many years of fishing I have seen times when pulling a bait across an edge of some type of structure misses a fish just because the angle that the bait crossed was wrong, bass are lazy in the winter and many times something crossing 2 feet away is just not enticing and they will not hit it. Pull that bait at another angle one that gets it a foot or so closer to the bass and you may get a strike; point being the angle of presentation just moved the bait too far away from the lazy winter bass.
It’s also my experience that bass position themselves to face the current, so if the water is moving from power generation or wind the bait may very well move by the fish and she is facing in a way that the bait becomes hidden. Again changing angles of presentation while the water is moving from current can be the difference maker.
So I believe the question becomes how do you know the correct angle, well there is definitely no clear cut way of knowing, but working structure from different angles by turning your boat and approaching from different sides does work. The next important thing is not to make just one cast and change angles, if the structure looks fishy make enough cast to each side to prove that a fish is there or not.
Lastly bass seem to do similar things in like situations, so if you have been finding bass on the north side of a piece of structure then continue to approach like situations so the angle allows you to first pull across the north side. This will save you time and for some period of time allow you to get strikes quicker with less work in like situations.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
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Call: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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The Advancement in 4-Stroke Motors |
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Sunday, 23 January 2011 09:24 |
The Advancement in 4-Stroke Motors
As technology keeps advancing in the fishing industry the one thing that can’t be denied is the move to 4-stroke motors. The change from 2-stroke to 4-stroke technology in the last twelve months has taken giant leaps forward. No longer do you have to worry about purchasing 30 dollar gallon 2-stroke motor oil. No more worries about will your motor quit oiling for some unforeseen reason, the new advanced Yamaha 4-stoke Sho Motor has changed all that.
The bass fishing industry along with the obsession for boat motor performance has changed and your avid fisherman can now get equal if not better performance from a 4-stroke motor. In fact I am almost convinced that the Yamaha Sho is out-performing its own 2-stroke technology, namely the Yamaha HPDI 2-stroke motor. The hole shot is better, the top end is comparable, and the reliability is the best I’ve seen in my opinion.
Not only are you getting performance but you can run down the river and talk with your partner almost as if you’re sitting in an in-board motor. This motor is so quiet that the wind noise is higher than the motor noise. That right, the noisiest part of a run down the river is the whistling of the wind going over your head, or the 2-stroke boat crossing you’re path as they go by you.
For those that doubt how this could be, because the 4-stoke motor has always had a problem with the weight being much heavier than the 2-stroke motor, well Yamaha has fixed that also. The Yamaha 4-stroke Sho is actually lighter than it comparable 2-stroke by as much as 35 lbs. The weight factor is just unbelievable; you are actually carrying less weight than ever on your boat. Coupled with this advanced technology, my last year experience with the Yamaha Sho was completely without issue. I broke it in, changed the oil in the motor at 20 hours and it ran and performed with every other Yamaha I have owned. Four stroke technologies is here to stay, and it will take over the 2 stroke market as we move forward and continue to advance marine motor technology.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email:
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Call: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Sunday, 16 January 2011 09:55 |
The Vegetation X Factor
The more typical winter fisherman in the cold dead of winter fish a variety of different structure starting with points that falls into deep water. Others hit rip rap along deep banks, or look for old road beds along original lake crossings. Lakes with vegetation however can have an X-factor that last all winter long, depending on how cold the water temperature drops and how long it stays down to a severe cold temperature.
As the grass beds disappear into the winter months there is always areas along deep edges or creek beds that holds grass all year long. As the sunny days start to become back to back in late January and on into February the sun moves the bass up onto the grass beds in the shallow flats. The intersection of these flats and the standing grass become holding places for winter feeding bass. Generally the closer these flats are too deep water the better, but I’ve seen bass moving and feeding this time of year in three foot of water, in the back end of some long creeks.
Your typical winter fisherman generally fishes slow with lethargic hit the fish in the head type baits and methodically works an area until they get a bite. The X-factor being vegetation gives you an opportunity to take a completely different approach, that being using fast moving baits along the edges of the vegetation. When the sun starts to stack these back to back sunny days the bass are up feeding along the edges of the grass beds and big ¾ oz. rattle baits or a buzz baits can be a big difference maker in catching fish. It’s also a great time to take that big ¾ spinner bait and slow roll it over the top of the grass beds. The X-factor can really change typical winter time slow fishing into what might appear early pre-spawn and you can catch fish all winter long when the vegetation becomes the X-factor.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
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Call: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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Fluke Fishing in the Winter |
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Saturday, 08 January 2011 11:10 |
Fluke fishing in the winter
In the winter when it sometimes seem tough to find a bait that a bass will hit when it’s cold and nasty, I often turn to fishing what is a traditional summer bait; fishing a fluke. I know it seems hard to believe but there are several ways to fish a fluke in the winter that will catch good fish, and many times it’s the only way to put some good numbers in the boat.
The first way I rig a fluke is to Texas rig it with and 1/8 oz sinker. The key here is to let the fluke float down to fishing depth with that back and forth movement; if you weight it to heavy you won’t get the movement needed to make the bait move properly. You also have to fish it with patience, it will take some time to drop to the 10 to 12 foot or more bottoms and the movement of the bait working its way thru suspending fish can be the difference maker. With it weighted lightly, and the fact that many times in the winter because of heavy rains they are pulling water, the light weight just allows the bait to move and creep as it works its way to the bottom. Lastly continue to twitch the bait when it does get to the bottom, as the erratic movement from a twitch motion on the bottom can be a deadly as if it was weightless on top.
Next is to rig a fluke on a Carolina rig, with a good 24 inch leader the bottom movement is extremely similar to the top water movement with no weight. With a sweeping type retrieve a Carolina rigged fluke is just great for the winter bite. Just imagine a fluke darting and dropping thru 20 ft. deep stumps off a deep point on the edge of the river channel. The tantalizing movement is extremely deadly in deep water as it is in shallow water. In fact I have seen times when I would take a traditional lizard work it off the bottom Carolina style for hours and not get a bite, change to a fluke and immediately start catching fish in the cold winter water.
Fluke is very impressive bait; you just need to be creative with it to find new ways to catch fish.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email:
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Call: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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Fish up River During the Winter Months |
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Written by Captain Mike Gerry
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Sunday, 26 December 2010 09:37 |
Fishing Up-River during the Winter Months
As the winter approaches and I start looking for the winter bite, I get reminded why I go to the upper river for my winter search of bigger fish. My first reason is I enjoy fishing shallow water; I’m better at it than deep water and I’m better working baits around grass. This however is just a few of my preferences and there are many more good reasons for me.
I know many fishermen that would rather work deeper water but for me it just doesn’t do it. The real reason is as the cold water temperature pushes into the lake, the bass have much more open water to go to in the mid and lower part of the river. To me when you start fishing the bigger open bays the bass have more territory to travel on any given day and hence their daily movements cover more water than they do where the river narrows and begins to restrict their travel. Bass by nature do not travel endless miles like others species of fish do, in fact bass may not move a mile during the best of their feeding times. So to me this gives me an opportunity to find them where the river narrows in the upper river very close to where they would be in the spring. Some of the bigger creeks up river the deepest areas are only 10 feet deep, so as bass move to the deeper water in the colder water temperatures their instinct of not traveling miles on end puts them only in the 10 feet depth.
As you work these upper creek areas the structure is restricted and the points are not as long as they would be in the open areas hence the bass to me are easier to find. Not only are the bass close by but the sun warms the creeks first and hence moves the bass on a daily bases where in the deeper open mid part of the lake doesn’t feel the water temperature change as quickly and the bass tend to suspend more and longer into the spring. The upper river has always offered better fishing and bigger bass in the winter and I prove it every year with better catches and bigger fish.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntesvilleguideservice.com
Email:
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Call: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry
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