THE LATEST NEWS
Tying a Palomar Knot
Here is a NEW look at tying the palomar knot. Brandon Palaniuk filmed this with a GoPro Chesty mount so that you can now see exactly what you see when you do it yourself. It makes a difference coming from this view!
Klein Will Carry a Zebco 33 in Classic Competition
More than sixty years ago, a Texas watchmaker named R.D. Hull watched packaging string flow tangle free from a spool at a local supermarket and thought it might make a good idea for a fishing reel.
Gary Klein will graciously carry, and possibly compete, with a Zebco 33 at the Bassmaster Classic in honor of Mr. Hull’s life-shaping invention.
To sentimental types, Klein’s decision to carry a Zebco 33 in his boat is an admirable act. To serious fisherman, the idea of competing with a $29 spincast reel for a Bassmaster Classic title, that has seemingly unfairly eluded Klein in 29 previous attempts, may seem crazy.
“I think it’s important to remind everybody that freshwater fishing’s most basic roots are hugely tied to one reel. I know mine are,” said an appreciative Klein.
“The Zebco 33 was born in 1954, and I was born in 1957. If I wasn’t walking the shoreline of Lake Oroville as a kid, then I was at the family cabin on Lake Almanor using marshmallows and salmon eggs under a bobber to reel in trout with a “33”,” the northern California native fondly remembers.
“My dad was a fireman, and if he was busy fighting a forest fire then mom would take my two younger brothers and myself fishing,” said Klein. “Maybe she just thought it was easier to take care of us if we were fishing, but I can tell you for sure that pretty much every weekend of my childhood was spent hiking, fishing or camping, and a Zebco 33 was part of every trip,” he fondly remembers.
But again, setting aside warm and fuzzy memories, is Klein really sure he wants to chase his first Classic championship with a reel made mostly for beginning anglers?
“At a minimum, yes, I hope to make a few casts with it during Classic competition,” says Klein. “I’m serious enough about using it during the Classic that I won’t do it cold turkey, so I’ve already been practicing with it,” he explains.
“In fact, I put the 60th Anniversary model “33” on a 7’ medium action Quantum Smoke rod, with a ¼ oz. red crankbait tied to it, and made several casts while practicing for the Bassmaster Open on Lake Amistad,” says Klein.
Klein says that like a free flowing packaging string in a grocery store, castability is not a concern. But being the consummate technician, he worries a bit about speedy line pick-up. The 19.1 inches per turn of the handle in the brand new 60th Anniversary Zebco 33 should help alleviate some of that apprehension.
“There’d be nothing more gratifying than weighing-in a fish at the Bassmaster Classic that I caught on a Zebco 33,” says the always classy Klein. Other than winning the Classic title on his 30th attempt, of course.
Spring Colors
Picking a lure color for bass fishing is never an exact science, but there are some basic rules of thumb that hold true most of the year. Spring seems to have its own rules though, possibly because crawfish are changing colors, bass key on different prey species, or because bass become more territorial with spawning. Regardless of the reason, following are some guidelines I’ve developed over the years—a system that is more complex than the “throw something red” spring advice you’ll get at most tackle shops.
In clear to stained water on a sunny day, I’ve found gold to be my best color. Not a whole lot of baits come in gold, but some old standbys like Lucky Craft lipless cranks, square bills, and Pointers are spring producers that are available in this faux 24 karat finish. The clearer the water, the better gold works.
In similar water but on a cloudy and/or rainy day, I prefer red or sexy shad colored hard baits. Especially in areas with a lot of grass, bright fire engine red baits seem to do best, possibly because this color is the polar opposite of the greenery, making it highly visible. Others postulate that crawfish often have a reddish hue this time of year and bass are keying on them. In any case, this is the optimum scenario I’ve found for red lures.
Switching to muddy water (approximately 1’ of visibility or less), baits with a lot of bright orange excel on sunny days. Bright chartreuse color schemes are a good option as well.
Muddy water on a cloudy or rainy day is my least favorite option and I haven’t found a magical color combo for it. Normally, I’ll try chartreuse sexy shad as my first option here.
The rules above are what I typically use for hard baits, such as crankbaits, lipless cranks, and jerkbaits. For soft plastics and jigs, black and blue is hard to beat, especially early in the season. As it gets closer to the spawn, I prefer soft plastics in watermelon shades for clear water and green pumpkin where it is more stained. If the sun comes out, either watermelon or green pumpkin with red flakes or purple flake mixed in are top options. Along the same lines, after bass have seen 1000 black and blue jigs, changing up to PB&J or some shade of green is often a good idea.
As a general rule, I fish clearer sections of the lake on windy days and/or dark days (overcast or rainy). Fish don’t get as good of a look at your bait on these days and roam more, so covering water is normally the key. If I can find any grass, I launch super long casts with lipless cranks on my 8’ Dobyns 804CB crankbait rod, hitting points and spawning flats. For the same reason everyone has gone to 8’ deep cranking rods, an 8’ trap rod is just as helpful and the rod is so well balanced, it is actually easier to rip baits free from grass with it all day than with a 7’ rod.
When the wind stops and you get a bright bluebird day in the spring, the clear water bite gets really tough and I head for the mud. The bright light and low water visibility typically pins big bass tight to cover, so I go hog hunting with my Dobyns flipping stick and Lake Fork Trophy Lures jig & craw. Pitch it tight to stumps on creeks running through the flats or to any shallow staging cover you can find. You might not get a lot of bites on a tough day like this, but they should be the right ones. Later in the day, the sun will warm up the dark water quickly and square bills, bladed jigs and spinnerbaits catch fish that suspend near the surface next to stumps, docks poles and other vertical cover.
I use these guidelines only as a starting point. Exceptions are common, so if the fish aren’t biting, keep experimenting until you find what works. For more fish catching tips, check out my website www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com, or follow me at www.facebook.com/tomredingtonfishing and www.twitter.com/Tom_Redington .
Good Fishing Tom Redington
Tom Redington is a FLW Tour pro, host of TV’s “Big Bass Battle” & a bass guide on Lake Fork. To make the most of your experience in the outdoors, he recommends the Boy Scouts of America, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Dobyns Rods, Ranger Boats, Mercury Outboards, Diamond Sports Marine, Lucky Craft, Costa Sunglasses, Lowrance, & Power Poles.
Crews Control: Trip 12
Elite Series pro John Crews explains the features of the new Baby Fat John from SPRO. This crankbait is perfect for those in between depths.
Keep up with John on Facebook and his web site.
Get the latest offerings from SPRO here.
SFT
Hi’s Tackle Box
2 New Raps for 2014
At the 2014 Bassmaster Classic, Rapala will be releasing two more weapons Scatter Rap line up. The Scatter Rap Deep Crank, and the Scatter Rap Shallow Crank. These two baits will be a phenomenal addition to the Rapala line of crankbaits. The deep version will run ten to twelve feet, and the shallow version will run to a depth four to five feet. These two baits will make impact on crankbait fishing, and they are a crankbaits you will want in your tackle box come this fishing season.
Get all your Rapala products here.