Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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Fall Fishing I first saw Ben in action in 1993, when I was his observer at an All Star Championship. The first day of the tournament was on San Carlos, and I had the opportunity to watch Ben fish a variety of lures, including worms, spoons, jigs, jerkbaits, and even a Pork-o! Nice Weather The championship was in September, and for a change the weather was pretty nice. It was cloudy and cool, and the water temperature was a little over 77 degrees. Ben started off in the very back of a cove,... Full story
At the U.S. Open about several years ago, Arizona Nitro pro Kevin Finley found a Storm Arashi crankbait in the goodie bag he received at tournament HQ. Later, he went fishing at Lake Pleasant with a buddy, Taj White, and told him, "you tie on whatever you think I should throw – I've got a tournament coming at Pleasant." Taj absolutely smashed them with the Arashi. That's how he found out about the Arashi, and now he says it's the best crankbait he's ever used. Never Lost One Finley says he's n... Full story
Back in the day, nearly every Saturday, all year 'round, you'd find Gregg Warne fishing a tournament somewhere in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, or California, and the conditions were not always perfect. But regardless of freezing or torrid temperatures, rain, wind, or cold front, the tournament must go on. No matter what the conditions, Warne was a very consistent finisher. He almost always managed to get in the money. Gregg had earned a reputation as a master of split-shotting, and for good reason.... Full story
Jerry Tate of JT's Arizona Hunting and Fishing specializes in fishing Lake Pleasant.He's on the water several days a week, and has a handful of good friends who also spend tons of time on Pleasant. Between them, they always seem to know exactly where and how to fish for any species in the lake. Action Is Fast And Furious "The great thing about fishing for white bass and stripers is that once you find them, the action is fast and furious," Tate says. This kind of fishing is perfect for kids, beca... Full story
Levi Wittrock graduated from Northern Arizona University where he was the president of the NAU Bass Fishing Club for two years. He and his partner represented NAU at many tournaments during those two years – tournaments that were piggy-backed onto FLW and BASS tournaments, using the same stage and the same crew. "The opportunities were insane," Levi says, "because you get to meet so many of the big names – not just the tournament anglers, but also industry reps and the people who run the tou... Full story
AZ Lakes, AZ Pros – Bass Fishing In Winter Gary Dobyns Talks Winter Tournament Fishing From Dobyns To Margie Anderson I know Gary Dobyns is originally a California boy, but he’s in Texas now and no matter where he lives, he is arguably one of the best western bass anglers EVER. So this month, I’m letting Gary tell you how he approaches winter tournaments. Even if you don’t fish tournaments, this will help your winter bass fishing. So here’s Gary: One of the questions I get most is: What’s th... Full story
It was cold, but the fishing was hot. By Margie Anderson We went out with Dave Prothe under the worst conditions. Roosevelt was the lowest I've ever seen it, and it was cold out. The water was dirty and there was a tournament going on. Prothe, however, seemed cheerful and optimistic. And with good reason, too -- the first fish he caught (before the sun was even over the horizon) was a largemouth that weighed at least four and a half pounds. This Is The Time "This is the time of year that the wat... Full story
A crankbait can easily evolve into one of your favorite go-to techniques any time of year. Crankbaits = 'Idiot Baits'? Crankbaits are sometimes called "idiot baits" because people have the idea that there is nothing to them but casting and winding. True, you can catch fish on a plug even if that is all you do, but if you take the time to figure out just which bait and retrieve to use a crankbait can easily evolve into one of your favorite go-to techniques any time of year. Wobble, Wobble... Full story
Big Fish And Big Money Can Come On Crankbaits When water temperatures start to go down and lake levels begin to rise, crankbait time is here again. Fish start moving up and getting a lot more active, and one of the best ways to find them is to start cranking around the same places you found them during the summer, but shallower.Long points that have good drop-offs to deeper water are prime early-fall areas. Fishing Legend Danny Westfall Re: Crankbaits Fishing crankbaits is easy, but still... Full story
Then the weather heats up and the fish quit chasing reaction baits, John Murray starts using a spoon, especially at Lake Pleasant. "Spoons will catch everything in the lake," says Murray, "including not just bass but stripers, whites, crappie, and even catfish." The beauty of spoons is that you can fish them on almost any structure. Murray likes white spoons, and he likes to have feathers on the hooks. For deep summer fishing, he usually chooses a jigging spoon like a Crippled Herring and... 
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One of the best ways to catch summer bass on Lake Pleasant is with a Carolina rig. I remember back in the day when VanderKooi and his partner came to the scales with a 42-pound limit they caught on Carolina rigs! That's a 7-pound average! John Murray has some great tips for fishing Carolina rigs. He says Carolina rig fishing is simple. A large weight and a glass or plastic bead are strung onto the main line. The bead protects the knot from the heavy weight. A swivel is then tied to the end of... Website
Like Tai, take it easy. Tai puts safety in first place at night. "You absolutely must have a spotlight at night," says Au, "but Arizona law says you can't drive with it constantly on. What I do is barely get the boat on plane, take it slow, and use that spotlight intermittently to make sure where I am." Knowing what marker buoys mean is crucial – the buoys with vertical stripes mean "don't go between here and shore". A diamond on a buoy is marking a hazard like a submerged rock, a square contain... Full story
Something Different This Month: Crappie Pros Rambo and Chamberlin Tell Us What Not to Do! Most anglers are familiar with bass pros, but Arizona anglers might not be aware that there are a lot of crappie pros out there, too. Crappie tournaments are starting to mean big money and slab hunters have learned a few tricks to help them target the big fish. Closer to home, guys like Curt Rambo and Art Chamberlin are known for their crappie prowess. What do these guys think the biggest crappie fishing... Website
Early in February it can seem like the fish are on strike," says local resident and ournament angler Debbie Blanchard, "but before long the big smallmouth start to move in and you can catch a lot of really big fish." The smallmouth begin to spawn when the water reaches about 58 degrees, and they spawn deeper than largemouth do. Easy To Spot Debbie looks for beds in at least ten feet of water. They're easy to spot, she says, because smallmouth nests are as much as three times as big as... Full story
Prespawn can be a difficult time for bass fishermen. Marty Lawrence’s advice on prespawn fishing is “don’t overthink it”. That being said, the man probably has 14 rods on the deck by the end of the day, and several of them will have a Senko tied on. He’ll throw the Senko Texas-rigged, wacky rigged with no weight, or wacky rigged with a nail weight for deeper cover. As for the Texas rigs, he’ll have one with weight pegged or with a bobber stopper, and one unpegged. The Texas rigs are for around... Website
John and I have known fishing legend Fred Ward for many years, but we actually met him in Florida. At that time I was writing for a tiny publication (now defunct) called Arizona Fishing News. My day job, The New Times, sent me to Denver for a week, then to Miami for a week, and as a reward, they gave me a guided fishing trip on Lake Okeechobee and even flew John out there to join me. Fred was guiding for the Roland Martin resort, and when he found out I was a writer, he comped our stay! We got... Full story
When water temperatures start to go down and lake levels begin to rise, crankbait time is here again. Fish start moving up and getting more active, and one of the best ways to find them is to start cranking around the same places you found them during the summer, but shallower. Long points that have good drop-offs to deeper water are prime early-fall areas. Fishing crankbaits is easy, but still requires some effort and attention. You must learn to feel a crankbait while you're fishing it. A lot... Website
Marc Townsend is one of those guys who can catch fish just about anywhere, and Pleasant is no exception. We went out with him one September and started out fishing very shallow with Yamamoto buzzbaits, literally throwing them right on the bank and dragging them into the water. This works very well when the angler in the front of the boat is throwing the buzzbait, and the angler in the back follows up with a Yamamoto Senko. To Fish A Senko... Website
Yamamoto Pro MartyLawrence fishes a lot of night tournaments in the summer, and summer in Arizona means monsoon storms. These storms usually do roll in at night and if you're out on the water, it can mean that jigs and reaction baits can fill the boat in a hurry. He says that a fisherman's best friend in a storm is a Minnkota Ultrex because it will hold your position all night, even if water is coming over the bow. He has actually stayed on the water in those conditions – he just sets the U... Website
Daniel Elias found out about the Free Rig in early 2019 from Japanese bass fishermen on Instagram, in posts that weren't even in English. The rig is fairly simple – you use a cylindrical drop shot weight, but instead of a clip, there is just a small loop at the end – a pencil weight with an eye at the top. You simply slide it onto the line before tying on the hook, and it slides freely up and down the line: Free Rig. The Hook Up Tackle (www.thehookuptackle.com) has weights for this technique; ju... Full story
I'll never forget the year the All Star Super Team Championship at Lake Pleasant was won with a Carolina rig, and Rob VanderKooi and Lynton Leslie also took second place using the rig. Both before and since that tournament, many others have been won on Pleasant using the same technique. Dean Farrell and Dave Deadman are two other anglers ...... Website
Even if you have to brave the desert heat to fish, it pays to get out on your nearest lake this time of year. Warmer water means active fish, and active fish eat more. Even on the desert lakes, don't make the mistake of thinking that you have to use finesse baits in deep water to be successful – there are always some shallow fish to be had, especially early in the morning and just before dark. Fly Rods Ben Koller of www.thehookupoutfitters.com likes to go after all kinds of fish with a fly r... Website
Mark Kile was the guy to watch at any local tournament a few years back. We were lucky enough to go out with him several times at his home lake, Roosevelt, and he just flat knows how to catch them. This time of year, Kile would be catching forty-plus bass in half a day at Roosevelt, usually with at least one kicker over five pounds. "The fish are moving into the shallows," he'd say, "and some of them are spawning." Kile says that throwing a worm in a channel three to five feet deep will often... Full story
The legend is that an angler eating lunch on the lake accidently dropped a spoon overboard. As he watched the silver spoon drift downward, sun glinting off the handle and bowl, he saw a fish dart out and try to eat it. A typical angler, this guy was inventive and always looking for a new bait, so he went home, sawed up some spoons, and put hooks and a place to tie the line on them. Voila! A new killer lure is born! All Designed To Do Same Thing Today's spoons are usually store-bought, and they... Full story
The names Bobby and Garry Garland will be enshrined in the fishing hall of fame for all time because of the Gitzit, the original tube bait. The brothers invented the lure to help them catch the finicky fish on Mead, and it is still one of the best finesse baits ever designed. There are tons of knock-offs, but a lot of anglers insist that the original Gitzit is the best. We met up with Garry many years ago and fished Roosevelt with him. When Conditions Are Tough ...... Website
