Abu Garcia® Vendetta Series

Factory balancing a rod is no top-secret science; it’s simply an extra step most manufactures choose to ignore. The Vendetta™ series of rods are precisely balanced to meet the weight and specifications of the Revo® and Soron™ reels from Abu Garcia®.

A counterbalance system in the handle creates the perfect harmony between rod and reel, allowing for greater sensitivity and control without the undue fatigue caused by an unbalanced blank. Average Fisherman will be using these rods in the 2010 Bass Masters Southern Open series. Of course these rods make a perfect compainion with Fishing Tool Bag.

Fishing With Your Phone

With the fall in full swing, now is the time to get on on the rivers
that you fish the most. Most large river systems the water level
has been lowered to winter level by now. If you have a smart phone like myself, this is the best time to use your phone's gps system to map and make notes on trees that are under the

water.

When the water is at full pool you might not see these trees.
Another idea is t take a camera and photograph these trees. This
allows you to reference land marks so when the water is at full pool
you will have a reference. I like to print off these photos and have them laminated and keep
them in my boat, to reference on he water. In almost every case I place that laminated photo in my fishingtoolbag butt seat so it's within easy reach.

Average Fisherman supports use of iPhone. Sent from version 3.0 S

Kentucky Lake River Level

TVA uses operating guides for each reservoir to make decisions about moving water through its dams. These guides are based on many decades of operating experience. They are built around the idea of allowing seasonal variations in the use of flood storage space.

Operating guides take into consideration all the features that influence a reservoir’s ability to store and release water—the size and shape of the surrounding watershed, the reservoir’s surface area, and the average rainfall and runoff—as well as historical demands for water use and flood storage space at different times of the year.

Kentucky Dam is 22 miles upstream from the confluence of the Tennessee River with the Ohio. The dam is the longest in the TVA system, and the reservoir, which stretches for 184 miles across the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, is the largest in the eastern U.S.

Kentucky Reservoir is home to many varieties of fish, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, bluegill, sauger, and crappie. Numerous boat docks and launching ramps dot the coves of Kentucky’s shoreline.

Fishin Tool Bag can be found on most days on the Kentucky Lake putting it though its paces.

Carl Perkins Bass Classic

The water on the Tennessee River will be busy on Friday, October 9th & Saturday, October 10th. This will be when the Carl Perkins Bass Classic has more anglers on the water than bass fish can handle. The Carl Perkins Bass Classic will be hosted from Perryville Marina at mile marker 135 on Tennessee river. Since this is the lower end of the Kentucky Lake, most fisherman will be locking through to Pickwick Lake. This Average Fisherman will be heading back north to my normal spot.

Keys to winning are:

• Make sure your fish stay alive, if you are going through a lock or traveling long distances flush your live wells to keep fresh water for the fish.
• Ice your live well if you are done fishing and waiting to head to the tournament weigh in.
  
• Watch for Shad movement, food always brings the larger fish.
• Fish Ledges and shallow water early in the morning.

And of course always fish with your Fishin Tool Bag in your boat.

Kentucky Lake

As an Average Fisherman, I fish on large river systems The river that I can be found on most, is the Tennessee River, although it is also known as Kentucky Lake. As with most rivers the water depth fluctuates depending on rain fall, power generation, and the seasons. Since we are moving into the early fall, the water depth on the Kentucky Lake has been on the fall for about the last month. With the water depth dropping this moves fish into areas that they would normally not suspend in. Just like when the water level is high, the fish will be in a part of the lake that they would never be found. So this got me thinking about how I fish.

So this past weekend I was out fishing in an area that I normally fish, but with the water depth being down. I decided to try some areas that I would normally never fish. Because of the water depth, I tried some of normally tactics and sure enough, there were fish there. So the next time you are out on the water and the fishing is slow, take the same tactics and move into a new area. I bet you will find some fish.

Stuck In The Water

So have you ever wondered how a boat can get stuck in the water. Saturday while I was out with my Fishin Tool Bag on the Tennessee river, i came across this large yacht. It seems that they were out for a easy day on the water, when they missed a turn on the main channel. The water depth went from 40 some feet to three. Boats like this one, need at least eight feet of water to run in. When he went into only three feet of water, he was stuck.
There was a small tow boat and they pulled for more than an hour. In the end, a large barge that travels the river pulled him out. This would be a good way to eat up some props by hitting rocks, e was lucky.

Nylon Nitro Boat Trailer Glide On

About a month ago I installed E-Z Slide Trailer Pads from Bass pro Shops. These really make it easy to launch and load your boat. Before I had these installed I would need to speed up when putting the boat onto the trailer. With these installed now I can ease up on the trailer and and it slides right one. Although I almost lost the boat onto the ground, the boat ramp was very steep. With these installed the boat will slide right off.

Just Plain Lucky

About 2 weeks ago when we were fishing at our hot spot on the Tennessee river I was fishing with a Bomber Crankbait and ended up getting hung on a tree. I yanked and pulled for nearly 5 minutes until I finally admitted defeat and cut the line. 2 weeks later Darren and I returned to our spot and we had been fishing for a couple of minutes and Darren said "What's that floating in the water? It looks like a lure." I looked over to where he was pointing and sure enough my crankbait was floating in the water. Somehow the current must have worked it loose, and the line somehow tied itself around the log because it was just sitting there not moving. I pulled out my knife and cut it loose. It was dirty and the hooks were rusted but I'm sure I'll be able to clean it somehow.

Rod Socks

Have you ever heard of a rod sock. It covers your rod so that it doesn't get tangled up inside your rod locker. It makes fishing a lot easier when you can get your rods out quick.

Tenneesse River Hot Spot

Aaron the Average Fisherman and myself have been fishing on the Tennessee river, more than we did last year. We normally put the boat in at Cuba Landing Marina which is located at exit 137 just past the river on I-40 east. Recently the state repaired this ramp which makes it really easy to launch your boat now. It wasn't till this past fall when the water was low that i noticed how certian land features where. Now at normal pool this structure is under water and you would never notice this.

So the last few times on the river, we would fish this but would only give it about two hours and then move on up river. Yesterday, I decided to focus on this area the enitre time. When Aaron and I got there, I started off throwing my favorite trick worm and sure enough within in minutes i was catching fish. We fished for 5.5 hours and put six fish in the boat around the 2lbs each, and only two got off. Aaron caught nine in the same time and was on fire. Although we catch and release. We always take a picture before we release.

So the next time make sure you take the time in the fall and pay attention to how the land structure is when the water is down. Otherwise you might be driving past the best fishing spot and never know it.

The Bass Magnet

So yesterday we went to the Tennessee River to go fishing. Darren the Average Fisherman already knew a spot that he wanted to try, so we went straight to it, and sure enough within 10 minutes I had a fish and not long after that I had another. All in all I pulled in 9 bass that day on a pumpkin seed Berkely Power Hawg . I was running out, so I had to keep reusing them no matter how tore up it got, and in the end it was just barely hanging on the hook. I think it's the smell and the bulky profile of the bait. It smells exactly like the crawbait scent. And the way it flutters and flaps, it caught me several decent sized bass. I never would have had the chance to catch so many bass if I would have been searching for pliers, but I didn't have to, because the Fishin' Tool Bag kept all of my tools within reach.

Mossy Oak Camo Fishing Tool Bag

The makers of the Fishin Tool Bag have out done themselves again. Now they make their same great four pocket design with Mossy Oak Shadow Grass camo fabric. Just like the its big brother, the Mossy Oak camo bag offers the same great features. The features are stainless steel mount, marine grade nylon fabric, brass groumet, and four pocket design to hold any fishing tool you might ever need. You can biy them from their website store or Amazon.com

White Crappie

Aaron the Average Fisherman today caught this slab at my Father-In-Laws pond. This is a White Crappie and weighed around 4 lbs. Very healthy fish and swam back into the water. There are a lot of these fish in this pond.

Boat Ramp Blues

This morning my neighbor called around 6:30 am, his wife said their truck was under water. They bought a pontoon boat about a week ago, this was the second time they had used the boat. All this all happened at our local lake Glenn Springs, in Tennessee. When he backed the boat into the water, he put the back wheels of the truck into the water, then he put the truck into park and was going to let his wife pull the truck out, as almost all of us do. Well what he didn't know was the boat ramp has a huge drop off at the end of the ramp under water. This lake has a lot of moss and this ramp is slick concrete "this was poor design for a ramp" so when he put the truck into park, the trailer pulled the truck into the water. He couldn't do anything and watched his 2007 Ford F150 slipping into the lake while it was running, which soon stopped and will never run again.

This is a total loss, at least his boat floated away, although his truck was was totalled.

Grand Lake in Oklahoma

While fishing on grand lake we had high expectations, but sadly we were let down. My dad caught one fish the whole entire time we were there and here is my theory on that. Grand Lake is huge, so it has a lot of boat traffic. Big boats some yachts and anything else you think of. And there were huge waves because of all of it. I believe that the fish went deep. Like WAY DEEP. Into the 100 + feet of water and just hide. So plan your day on a week day when no one else is there.

Oklahoma Experience

While fishing in Oklahoma there was a slight turn of events. We didn't fish the Tournament and we only caught a couple of fish. The only explanation I could find is that the day before there was some tornado activity and a front moving through might have affected it. Next time it'll be better. All we need is sunshine.

Kentucky Lake

If you read my post on BASS Elite Marshall's then you know my stance on this. Although this weekend was the Tenseness trumpet on Kentucky Lake. Aaron and I were there fishing, and it was enjoyable watching all the people chase these guys around the lake just to watch them fish. Aaron and I were running back down the river as Skeet Resse was fishing a point with about 20 boats watching. We rode right by him onto a point just further down from him. We started landing fish just as he was.

Abu Garcia Revo S

I recently had an Abu Garcia Revo S reel passed down to me( thanks Darren) with complaints on how it always got backlash and everything. Well, I think that he just doesn't cast right because that baby casts like a dream in my opinion. I have had backlash maybe twice and I am so glad he gave it to me.

Sardis

Sure fishin at Lake Sardis was suicidal at times but I am glad to say I finally caught a fish there.
My dad was talkin to someone about fishin and how bad we been doin. When suddenly WHAM my rod was bent over, and the bale was goin berserk. My dad and his buddy were amazed, " Here we are talkin about not catchin fish and my 14 year old son just caught one". As soon as my fingers were in his mouth my line snapped. I felt incredibly lucky to have got my fish. I caught him on a Berkley Power Hawg.

Fishin Tool Bag

If you fish a lot like I do, you are always in need of somewhere to place your tools in the boat. When you catch that monster bass and have to move stuff around or dig into your glove box to get your pliers. Well the folks at Fishin Tool Bag have solved this problem. They offer butt seat and full seat mounts made from stainless steel so it won't rust. They have mount that fits any bass boat seat on the market today. I have one on each seat in the boat. They offer them colors to match your boat, or in Mossy Oak camo.

Spike-It Scented Dip-N-Glow

If you fish with soft baits, try the Spike-It Dip-N-Glow. Fish attracting scent actually penetrates the lure, eliminating the need for constant reapplication.Y Put some of this on a soft worm and give it an extra edge to land that monster fish. We use it here at Average Fisherman and love it.

BASS Masters Elite Marshall Program

ESPN which owns BASS Unveils New Marshal Program for Bassmaster Elite Series this year. At the start of the year I was a fan of this of this program, I signed up and paid my entry fees. Although my complaint is that ESPN does a horrible job of communication. They took my money but never received any communications on what would happen. Now I am waiting on my refund.

Bass Pro Tournament Rewards

If you're a Tournament fisherman and you own a Nitro or Tracker boat. You might want to check out the Bass Pro Tournament Rewards program. The Average Fisherman Pro Staff participates in the tournament rewards program. Whether you're a pro or an amateur, earn cash in thousands of tournaments from coast to coast. Just fish any qualifying event in your program-eligible boat, and you can win\cash and Bass Pro Shops^® Rewards Points for your accomplishments! Use the Points to get free gear and accessories from Bass Pro.

Grubs For Bass

Every fisherman at some point in time will use a grub. They are mostly used for Crappie and Panfish, although a bass will be tempted to bit a grub. I have found that when a front is moving in, sometimes bass will prefer a small quick meal rather than a large one. I started using the Mister Twister grubs and still prefer their grubs. Although Gray Yamamoto makes some of the best that work for either bass or pan-fish. There's really no reason to single out one type of grubs. Most all manufacturers make grubs and they're all good. Most of the tips and tactics can be applied to most any brand of grub.

In clear water, grubs provide the same wide range of visual color attraction as other soft plastic types. In addition, grubs have the magnetism of visible tail waggling that draws the eye of every wanton, hungry hunter. In cloudy, dark water (or in dense cover or at night) a grub's beating tail lights up on lurking lateral lines in the same way as a vibrating crankbait or spinnerbait blade, except that the grub is weedless and snagless. And always, grubs have the plump bodies, natural texture and saltiness that is held onto once taken.

So the next time you aren't getting any bites, tie on a grub and give it a shot.

A Plethora of Knots

There are many many types of fishing knots that can be used to help you reel in your hawg. There are different categories of knots and different knots inside of the categories, and much much more. There's the fish-n-fool(one of the strongest I have EVER used), the king sling and many many unnamed knots out there. Now what I recommend you do is this, if you've ever gotten a letter in the mail from a company called North American Fishing Club I would accept because it is really worth it. Visit their website and go to the NAF-TV tab. There you'll find a story called knot wars. Knot wars is where they test each knot head-to-head until there is a winner.

Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor

The Power-Pole slips into the water using a smooth and quiet pump system that doesn’t disrupt what’s going on below the surface. With Power-Pole you can stop your boat quickly and quietly with the touch of a button and keep your boat securely in place, even in heavy wind and current. Power-Pole deploys quickly, fully deploys in 4.8 seconds, allowing you to position your boat right where you want it to make the perfect cast. The fast action of the Power-Pole gives you the control to stop as soon as you see a fish or hook one. When you’re fishing, the last thing you want to hassle with is a pile of messy tangled anchor line, mud, and grass all over the interior of your boat.

Abu Garcia

I only fish with Abu Garcia Revo reels. I have a couple of their spinning rods and while fishing on one of our last trips. I hooked a fish and while I was reeling it in my Abu Garica rod broke in half. I was upset because everyone has their favorite rod and reel. Well I went into the rod locker and pulled out a backup.

So when i got home i fired off an email to Pure Fishing which is the parent company that ownes Abu Garcia. The next day, I got an email with instructions to send the broken rod back to Abu Garcia to get it replaced. I am now ready to get fishing with my favorite rod and reel!

don't be afraid to write these rod and reel manufactures and ask them to stand behind their products. In almost every case they will!

My Fish in Oklahoma

When we were out fishing on the Fort Gibson River I had NO luck whatsoever. But the next day when we went fishing at the lake I was catchin fish left and right. I would throw a worm into the shallows and bring in a fish. At one point I threw into some dead bush and when I finally pulled my lure out from the bush I had a 3 1/2 pounder. The reason that we were catchin so many fish was because we found a bass haven. It was basically a forest, just filled with trees, and the the lake was a little flooded so the trees were in 2 or 3 feet of water. We reeled in countless number of fish off of this hole
.This was the Fish I cought in the bush.

Better Luck Next Week

We went out to Sardis Lake today and boy was I disappointed. First we didn't catch a single fish. Second we nearly capsize a dozen times, because there were 4 or 5 ft. swells. ( It was like a scene from Deadliest Catch on the discovery channel). But the only good thing is that there was a front coming through so that might explain why we didn't catch any fish. Hopefully there will be better luck next time when we fish the tournament for real.

High Wind At Sardis Lake

Today Aaron the Average Fisherman and myself, went to Sardis Lake in Mississippi to pre fish for the Saint Jude Bass Classic. Although we didn't have much luck fishing today. While we were on the lake a storm came up the storm swells were at least 3 feet.

Hopefully we can get some fishing in this week before the classic.

Gettin' Ready

Darren and I went on an adventure. We went to our local lake and acted like we were fishing a tournament. It was good practice but i didn't catch a fish. Can't wait until we get to do it for real.

St Jude Bass Classic

The Average Fisherman Pro Team will be fishing the 37^th annual St. Jude Bass Classic will be held Sunday, May 24, 2009, on Sardis Lake in Sardis, Mississippi

For more info visit St. Jude Bass Classic

Spinner Bait Blues

So every bass fisherman has thrown a spinner bait at some point in time. I love to throw a spinner bait and get bit on it. Although I hate to lose them, due to a line break. I have lost way too many so, I deciced to learn some better knots. As for Spinner baits I like the Strike King double willow blade. I have pretty good luck with these. But in the end it comes down to the knot that you use. I have been learning new knots at North American Fishing Club, and most of the time they work, but there have been some exceptions. For instance, this past Saturday Aaron an I went fishing at Sardis Lake, we didn't catch anything, but I lost 3 spinner baits that one day. Maybe its mot the knot I am using maybe its the line. I am using braided line and i think it might be gettin g brittle , because the last spinner bait i lost it broke inside the reel, so maybe I need to change the type of line I am using.

The "Whale"

So as Darren has undoubtedly already told you we recently went fishing at the Arkansas River. We put in and rode for several miles trying to find the perfect fishing hole. So we had found a one way bridge and were fishing up along the shore. The reason we stayed near the shore was because it was so windy and there was such a strong current, that that was the only place that we could actually fish. So we are sitting there fishing all excited to fishing at a new river, when WHAM Darren's pole was bent over. You should have heard him "Oh my God I got a whale!!" and suddenly it stopped fighting and Darren was all like dangit I think he got off. So he was reeling and up came the biggest long-nosed gar I have ever seen. " Dam*** I got a gar"
And I swear that gar was at least 3 or 4 feet long. And the funny thing was, that the gar didn't even hook himself he was just holding on, so Darren gave the rod a flip and off it went.
He caught it on a green culprit same as with the 7.8lb bass.

7.7 Lbs Monster Bass

Fishing at Fort Gibson Lake in Oklahoma I caught this monster of a bass. Aaron and I was where near the dam site in some flooded timber and it was around 4pm the water was 62 degrees. I was using a green Culprit Chartreuse Shad worm, about an hour before this I was fishing near some rocks and landed a fish. Just as I set the hook my favorite spinning rod broke in half, since I like to fish with about ten rods like all pros do I didn't want to take one of the other baits off another rod.

So i went into the rod locker and there she was, my wife's rod was in there. It was the Pflueger Pink Lady, so i tied on the Culprit worm and off we went. Aaron the Average Fisherman was making fun of me, but shortly i was catching fish one after another.

After fishing with the Pink Lady for about an hour. I landed the monster. He was in about a foot of water and had been tearing up the shore eating small bait fish. On my second cast, he took the worm and it was on. He fought so hard, but in the end the pink lady was my hero.

Needless to say Abu Garcia has replaced the rod, although i have the pink lady as a backup!

Here is a picture of the monster!

Fishing the Arkansas River

During our fishing trip to Oklahoma and Aaron the Average Fisherman and I made a stop to fish the Arkansas River. We put in at the Port of Muskogee this will be the host of the FLW Walmart Bass Fishing League on June 6th 2009. We thought that we would get to know this river and do a little pre tournament fishing. This is the point where three rivers meet. There is plenty of water and you can get lost. Although we noticed that its not a deep river. The average depth is about 8 ft and you have to keep an eye out when running up river. It wasn't soon till we found a small cove. There i caught a 4 lbs bass. I was using a Stacy King pumkin seed jig.

Here is picture of one of the fish we caught.

Spring Fishing at Fort Gibson Lake Oklahoma

So Aaron the Average Fisherman and I went to Fort Gibson Lake in Oklahoma to do a little spring fishing. When we got there a cold front had moved through and the water temperature was in the low 50's. The wind was blowing about 12 miles an hour out of the north and the outside temperature was near 45 degrees in the mornings, although it warmed up in the afternoon to mid 60's. After a couple of days of fishing we noticed a pattern to the fish there. In the morning they would be near the rocks and later in the day they would move to shallows.
On the third day, the outside temperature was around 74 in the afternoon and water was up too 62 degrees. This was the perfect time. Almost every fish we caught was around 3 lbs. We fished in water that was about 3-6 foot and in flooded timber.

How to Catch Crappie, Mr. Crappie Style

I got a Mr. Crappie fishing video this past Christmas and so far I haven't really been able to crappie fish but when I do, I think all of his tips and techniques will help me pull in more crappie. The DVD that I have is called Crappie Secrets Uncovered II and I think that it is highly accurate in the art of catching crappie. I will give you a summary of the video in these next few paragraphs.

Fishing for Crappie in Standing Timber
I learned that you can fish with a 10' or 12' rod when crappie fishing, and it is better to use Mr. Crappie Line-Super Vis, so that if a crappie comes up from beneath it, you will be able to see the line go slack and yank the rod, to set the hook. If you use a 10' rod, than basically you can pitch it where you see a fish and basically not even have to reel. You can just throw the bait in the water and let it sink until a crappie bites it, then you just pull the fish out of the water, and you can can set the bait anywhere that is in your reach. I've also learned that the fist thing you want to look for if you are fishing for crappie in submerged trees, that you should look for slanted trees or trees that are at an angle. Those are supposed to be full of big crappie.

Fishing for Crappie on Bridges
One of the advantages to fishing bridges would be that you can fish them and catch fish year round. The crappie love to suspend on the concrete bridge pilings that are in 20 or 25 foot of water, so if you get parallel to them then you have a good chance of catching you a big old slab. I learned that unless you want to spook the fish you should cut off your main motor and use your trolling motor until you get to the area you want to fish.

Crankbaiting for Crappie?
I know that most of you average fisherman out there are wondering if it's possible to catch crappie on a crankbait, well that's what I thought until I watched this little segment. On the video Wally Marshall trolls the crankbaits and to me that just takes away the fun because Darren The Average Fisherman and I fish catch-and-release style. There isn't much to tell about this segment he basically rigs 'em up and trolls. If you want to get more details on it buy the DVD.


Fishing for Crappie in Brush Piles
On this segment, Wally Marshall fishes for crappie on giant submerged brush piles. On his first cast he caught a huge female white crappie. Most of the bigger crappie were hanging out on the outside of the brush pile, and the littler crappie were hanging out on top of the brush pile. What he does is he pitches it to the side of the brush pile and bring it over the top of the brush pile and let it hang off that other side.

Cloudless Rain

Earlier this week Darren The Average Fisherman and I went fishing at Glenn Springs, due to the unlucky fishing experience the day before. We went to the lake as soon as I got home from school. We were fishing at one of our faithful crappie holes, but to no avail. We had several bites but they jumped off before we could set the hook. So we decided to let the wind, which was 10x calmer than the night before, push us nearer to our other crappie hole, when suddenly it started to rain sporadically. And what was totally bizarre about it was that there were no clouds. We were both wondering where this rain was coming from it. It only lasted a few minutes but it was off and on.

We didn't have much luck that day, but we figured it was because of the cold weather, and then mild weather were upsetting the fishes balance. My dad caught the only fish and it was another little bass. We are gonna have to wait till it warms up and there aren't 3o or 40 mph winds to go fishing again. I only hope that the fish are gonna be biting in Oklahoma when we go in a few weeks.

Spring Fishing In The Wind

Today, Aaron the average fisherman and myself went out onto our favorite lake. We spent the day before going over the boat. Since it was the first fishing trip this year, we wanted to ensure that everything was ready. The boat was ready, we were ready, but the weather wasn't so ready. We decided the day before that we wouldn't go out because it was so windy. The wind was gusting over 30 mph. The weather man said that it would be slight breeze so we waited till the next day.

When we got to the lake there were white caps on the lake, once we got onto the lake there was two foot swells out in the largest part of the lake. We powered though that, and went into a cove were we could get out of the wind. Although it wasn't as bad, we still couldn't get out of the wind.

About the lake... even with the wind, the water is very clear. Hopefully one day this week we can get back on the water and we will have better luck.

The dangers of fishing in wind

Today Darren the Average Fisherman and I made a huge mistake. We went fishing in the 45-50 mph winds. I was so excited, because we had checked the boat and put on the right lures on our rods, it was going to be awesome going fishing after so long... the only problem was we paid no heed to the winds that were blowing through the lake all day. We were nearly capsized 3 or 4 times, and my hat flew off my head and PLOP...it went right into the water. I nearly lost it forever and I would have if Darren the Average Fisherman hadn't of fished for it and caught it for me. When that gust of wind hit 3 thoughts rushed through my mind. #1 Holy crap I lost my hat. #2 The lure box in my hands nearly flew out of that boat. #3 I'm about to get knocked out of this boat.

Today was the worst day of fishing ever, we were nearly knocked out of the boat countless times and one time I thought the boat was going to flip over and we were going to drown!!! When we got to a suitable spot I could barely fish. My dad had the only catch of the day, and it was a measly little baby bass. I was so mad because we had spent hours making sure the boat was up to par, just to get my hat knocked off and to nearly be ejected out of the boat, suffice to say I was not a happy camper.

If there is one thing that I learned on this nearly fatal fishing trip it was to be calm and no matter how eager you are to go fishing you just wait until you have a good fishing day or else you might pay for it with your life

Fishin' at Glenn Springs

I recently had a chance to fish at Glenn Springs where I caught another big bass. He was right in the algae/grass that we're always getting hung on. I was just about to reel in to recast when I got the bite. I immediately yanked in the line and started reeling in top-speed, then Darren The Average Fisherman told me to slow down or else I would lose the fish. So, I slowed down and sure enough I caught that fish and it turned out to be the only catch of the day. It was also my 3rd bass I had ever caught. I was very proud of that fish, and the only reason I got it was because I was patient and slow going. Here is a picture of my bass.

Largemouth Bass

Bass are feisty little creatures, they can propel themselves forward at a speed of about 40 mph. They eat anything small than them and sometimes things that are the same size as the bass. The average lifespan for a largemouth bass is 16 years.



Most fisherman, average and pro alike, prefer fishing bass than any other because of the thrill you get when you feel that exhilarating bite. It sends a rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins every time I get the bite. Another reason that people would prefer bass fishing to let's say crappie fishing and whatnot. Of all the different types of fish I have caught nothing puts up a better fight that a big ole fighting bass. And another good feeling is releasing the bass afterward, knowing that it will grow and that some little kid might catch it. It feels good to know that you are fishing for fun, and not killing the bass as some people do.

Nitro Z8 Bass Boat Review

I purchased the NITRO® Z-8 last fall, this boat is built for the professional angling world. The z8 is 20' 1" long with a wide 96" beam, I have not found anything that i don't like about this boat, it's a perfect mix of size, power and features.

With Nitro's patented RPS transom, not only will you get on plane quickly and easily, but you’ll also experience extreme top-end performance and maneuverability. It did take a while to learn when the boat wanted to plane out and when to trim the motor to get the best performance but you get the handle on this pretty quickly.

I have found that it's kinda crowded when you have four people onboard, but it has plenty of deck space with three people. The Nitro z8 is huge on features and everything about this boat spells tournament fishing.

The powerful MotorGuide® 70-lb. thrust trolling motor with recessed footwell makes trolling very easy.

When it comes to catching fish and keeping them alive, the Nitro Z8 has two Guardian™ livewells which make it easy for getting the fish out. because it is a devided live well some smaller fish can swim across to the other side.

The z8 has plenty of storage, with this boat you will do alot of serious fishing, it’s the Z-8 all the way.

Expanding on worm fishing

I mentioned earlier how the only rig I use is the Texas Rig, but what I failed to mention is what knot I would use, the different types of weights, and why I use these items.

The reason that I prefer to use the Texas Rig over the other types of rigs, would be that it keeps the worm in an upright position. Now I will tell you how to Texas Rig a worm.

First you add a bullet weight to the line with the top facing the rod tip. Then I use a trilene knot to tie the hook to the line (the reason I use the trilene knot is because it is extremely durable an if done properly nearly impossible to be yanked off by a fish, because I am sure that has happened to more than a few of you).



Second you stick the end of the hook through the head of the worm for about a half inch. Then you push the hook out of the worm and push the hooked portion of the worm to the indention at the top of the hook.



Finally you push the hook into the middle of the worm and and leave it in the worm. What I mean by that is leave the hook in the body of the worm. By leaving the hook in the worm, it makes your rig weedless and you get a better feel of the bass when it bites.



Regular Weight
Now you see the type of weight used in these pictures, that is one type of weight that you can use. I recommend this sinker because there are a couple ways to use it. One way is to put a toothpick in the bottom of the weight so that you can adjust where you want it to be. The other is crimping the top of the weight with some pliers.

Pros- The weight can be moved wherever you want.
Cons- The toothpick will get wet and soggy, and most likely start sliding. If you crimp it, you have to dispose of it when you are done. If you used a toothpick than you can reuse these, but you have to drill the toothpick out.

Screw-in Weights
The other type of weight to use is the tungsten screw-in weight. This one doesn't use a toothpick or need to be crimped. This one (as the name suggests) screws into the head of the worm.

Pros- The weight stays in a constant spot and is reusable.
Cons- The screw in weight will tear up the head of your worm and you will have to keep replacing your worm. To me one of the worst things about this type of weight is the price. It costs approximately $1.25 per weight. Now that might not seem like much but trust me it really adds up.

Zoom Plastic Worms

When I started bass fishing I didn't know what to use, or how to use it, until a fellow fisherman recommended artificial worm fishing. The very first day I started fishing with Zoom Plastic Worms I caught a 2 or 3 pound, 16 inch bass on a plastic motor oil worm. Motor oil worms are unique in a way that most worms are not, what makes it so unique is the ability to change color when it hits the water, and when you pull it back out of the water it's back to its original color.



Anyway, on that same day of fishing my neighbor caught himself a 2 or 3 pounder. So in my experience, if your gonna go bass fishing, always bring some worms. One last thing to add, the Texas Rig is the rig that I always use. It keeps the worm in an upright position and it almost looks real and alive.

Abu Garcia Revo STX

The Abu Garcia Revo series is stunning in appearance, comes with impressive specifications, and is priced very competitively. Now it’s time to take the best of the series, the Revo STX, out on the water to see if this new challenger is as impressive as its specs lead us to believe.

If you take this reel out of the box, string it up, without any basic setup. You will be very unhappy! I suggest that you read the instruction sheet that comes with the reel. The first few cast that I made, I spent most of that time picking out backlash. Instead of fishing!

After I understood the instructions and did some basic setup of the reel I was casting without any backlash. The Revo STX is very easy to cast with, you can fish for hours without your wrist getting sore. The reel does get slick after you get your hands wet, but the reel is an outstanding buy.