High Waters

I have been itching to go out fishing, but we have had a ton of rain.  All of the ponds and the Yadkin River are near flood levels, which is not conducive to good fishing conditions.  Worse yet, it's raining more today!

Guess I'll just have to wait.  Meanwhile I am adding rod holders and an anchor to my kayak to get it ready.  As soon as conditions improve I'm hittin' the water!

HOT New Lure!

Rapala Clackin' Crank Crankbaits - 2" - Bleeding Olive Shiner

New Lures

Now is a time great time of year to get your new gear and get everything organized.  Many of the lure companies like Rapala and Strike King are introducing new lures and there are some sales on the older models.
The new Rapala Clack n Crank crankbaits seem to be stirring up a big time buzz.  I plan on getting at least one for myself real soon!
Be sure to clean and lubricate reels, change old line and organize your tacklebox so you will be ready when you hit the water for the spring spawn.  Of course, in another shameless plug...click on the Bass Pro Shops banner and you can find the latest and greatest as well as anything else you might need for your outdoor excursions.
Now get your $#&* together and go fishin'!

KVD Wins #4!!!

Here we are again!  Kevin VanDam is the Bassmaster Classic champ, AGAIN!
I was doing some thinking and came to the conclusion that he must undergo testing!
Is he a man? A machine? A cyborg?  Or some kind of human-largemouth bass hybrid?
Just kidding, of course!
What else can be said about the greatest bass angler of our time and probably of all time?
Congratulations KVD!  You Da Man...or are you???

Learning Experience

 Today was a new fishing experience for me.  Last fall I bought a kayak, but due to shoulder surgery have not used it, until today.  I am not nearly back to 100% and am quite sore this evening, but I really did love it.
The weather has been extremely cold in NC this winter and the water was even colder than I thought it would be.  The conditions were tough, and being new to fishing from a kayak, I only managed one small bass in 2 hours of fishing.
I had to stop because my shoulder was starting to hurt a bit.  It's definitely different fishing in a kayak and I think I am now addicted!  It's very peaceful and quiet, you can sneak up on the fish for sure!  Hopefully with some more warm days the fishing will get better and my shoulder will get stronger!

Catch and Release

The spawn is on!  Now is the time when bass start spawning and are vulnerable because they are aggressive and hungry.
This is great for anglers and is a great and fun time to go fishing.
I would like to encourage everyone to practice catch and release at this time of year.  The big females are laying eggs or may still be carrying eggs, so it is important for the future of the species that they be allowed to spawn and protect their spawning areas until the baby bass can develop.
If it's good for the bass, it's good for all of us who love to catch 'em!

Love is in the air....uh, water!

In the south, February is the beginning of the bass spawn.  Female bass begin to move to shallow water to get ready for spawning.  This is when they are big, hungry and most aggressive, and prime for catching!
It's a great time for anglers to get out a hunt for the lunker bass of a lifetime!  One of the best ways to catch bass now is with Texas-rigged soft plastic baits.  These can be big 10 or 12 in worms, tubes or creatures like the Berkley Chigger Craw. 
Look for shallow flats near deep water with some type of cover like grass, stumps and brush.  Make fanshaped casts and drag, hop and swim these baits searching for where the bass are and which presentation they prefer.  During the spawn the bass will not be as picky and will attack anything that comes near their spawning beds!  Hold on tight because these bass will hit hard!