How To Fish

Lessons from the Bassmaster Elite Tour with Travis Manson

Kurt — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:27:20 GMT

Whatever is good to know is difficult to learn. -Greek proverb

Recently, I had the chance to speak with The Reel Shot Elite Pro Travis Manson, member of the J. J. Keller fishing team and Power Team Lures. He told me about the lessons he learned during his 2011 rookie season and his plans for the 2012 season ahead.

2011 had its moments, but overall it was tough. The biggest eye-opener was discovering the amount of prep work necessary to compete at this level. For Travis, a Wisconsin native, most of the tournament waters were relatively unfamiliar to him. Developing a game plan in just 2-1/2 days, that works consistently for four tournament days was a tall order. Those practice days disappeared just learning safe navigation routes, let alone patterning fish and understanding how they change according to conditions. With limited time on the water available, pre-tournament homework became incredibly important. Each tournament required hours and days of map study, satellite photo analysis, historical tournament results review, specialized tackle preparation, etc. Travis had several good day one weigh-ins, but found himself running out of backup plans as each tournament progressed.

But his rookie year was not without its benefits. On the bright side, his time competing with the Elites has matured him as an angler. He was able to work through the jitters and excitement any of us would feel in our first year in the big leagues. Travis said he consciously noticed the change in himself at this year's Classic. He has been working the Classic show, representing Mercury Marine for the past several years. Again, like any of us, he had always found himself giddy with excitement just being in the presence of legends like Denny Brauer. But this year, he said the event had a different feel for him. It was still fun, but he felt much more at ease, more calm, ready to take care of business--these are the benefits of experience. Plus, 2011 was sprinkled with enough solid daylong performances to prove to himself that he can catch them with the best of them, he just needs to improve consistency. That all comes back to learning how to work within the limited practice time and develop a plan, and several back-up plans.

So what does this mean going into the 2012 season? It has become obvious to Travis that life has changed, and he is changing with it. He has always believed in the power of visualization and goal setting, but the reality of his time constraints has changed his approach to these as well. Travis has found that long hours on the road have become prime time for visualization exercises. As the drive through Indiana seems to last forever, he remembers his strong finish on Wheeler Lake last year. He thinks about the key decisions that led to that finish. He pictures them handing him a check. He remembers putting those fish in his livewell. He remembers how great that felt. Now, he imagines those same scenes but in Florida. He pictures himself on stage on day four of the St. Johns event. He visualizes a check from the St. John's tournament. Imagine how that would feel? Fantastic! Then he looks up and sees a sign for Indianapolis. He's still got time. He starts the visualization exercise over. He can't do it too many times, and there are lots of miles between Wisconsin and Florida.

Another adjustment has been the way he sets goals. Obviously, the overriding goal is to qualify for the Classic, but he's got a series of shorter term goals he hopes will get him there. When I spoke with Travis the other day, he told me that goal number one is to survive Florida. These first two tournaments are a long way from the northern strain largemouths and natural lakes he was raised on--last year's results reflected that. This year he has the benefit of experience and the confidence that comes with it. So the goal for the next two tournaments is good, solid, consistent performances. Obviously, Travis is very competitive by nature. He pictures himself winning every tournament he enters, but the goal for now is to keep himself in the running for the rest of the season. He wants to be within striking distance when the tour swings north and matches up with his strengths. His ability to finish well, even win, up north is without doubt. Plus, he's using the fact that the mystery lake may very well be right in his back yard as additional motivation for a solid first half performance.

The Reel Shot Pro Travis Manson knows he has the potential to do well. He knows he has sponsors and fans who believe in him. He knows it will not be easy, but he knows he has a plan. Most of all, he knows 2012 will be a great year!

-Kurt Mazurek
Keep Fishing Forward!

Wellness on the Water: Anglerʼs Block (Part 3)

Kurt — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:39:03 GMT

By Chad Leton

In Part 1 of our Wellness on the Water series, we defined Anglerʼs Block and the negative effects it can have on an anglerʼs daily fishing performance. In Part 2 we provided proactive remedies in the form of body basics to ward off the onset of Anglerʼs Block. Plus, we highlighted how with appropriate rest before an event, and deliberate attention to nutrition and hydration throughout a day of fishing, Anglerʼs Block will be easily diverted and an individualʼs psychological angling potential may be unleashed in the form of clutch decisions, unwavering confidence, diligent attention, and ultimately peak performance.

Now, we want to conclude this series by emphasizing organization and it's role in your success on the water. Simply put, increased organization increases efficiency. Increasing efficiency is like creating "extra time". Just like in any timed sporting competition, "extra time" puts you at a huge advantage. If you think about it, extra time might even allow you to invest in eating properly during the fishing day! (See Part 2ʼs discussion regarding “wasting time eating while fishing”.)

As you strive to avoid Angler's Block, we are excited to introduce you to the folks at Bass Utopia. Bass Utopia has created an excellent 2-part, 10 minute interview with Bassmaster Northern Open Angler, Jason Dudek, as he walks you through his methods for organizing his boat to compete amongst the best anglers in the region! Check it out!
BASS UTOPIA_Tournament Boat Setup with Jason Dudek Pt1
BASS UTOPIA_Tournament Boat Setup with Jason Dudek Pt2

“The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious”--Marcus Aurelus, Roman emperor AD 121-180.

We appreciate the opportunity to contribute to your quest for success on the water and hope you found this series helpful. Thatʼs what Fishing Forward is all about! Let us know how you take action to avoid Anglerʼs Block by sharing your organizational strategies or your “body basic” preparation prior to a stellar day on the water!

Keep Fishing Forward!

Chad Leton
Chad Leton possesses a Bachelorʼs Degree in Psychology from Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida and is a youth angler educator from Southeastern, Wisconsin who operates HookedUp101 Fishing Academy.

Wellness on the Water: Anglerʼs Block (Part 2)

Kurt — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:07:59 GMT

by Chad Leton

In Part 1 we defined "Angler's Block", cited several examples, and highlighted some stories of triumph. Now let's look at several ways to keep "Angler's Block' from ever even getting in your boat.

Preparing with Back to Body Basics
The most consistent and efficient way to prevent Angler's Block is to focus on proactive solutions. Preparation is crucial. Begin by preparing for your body's basic needs.

Basic #1: Maintain Adequate Hydration
An adult loses approximately 2.5 liters of water daily through the lungs as water vapor, through the skin as perspiration, and through the kidneys as urine. If you donʼt drink enough fluids to replace this loss then you will begin to exhibit symptoms of dehydration. These symptoms include irritability, loss of concentration and reduced mental functioning--all synonymous with Anglerʼs Block. The early effects of even mild dehydration can negatively affect our feelings and behavior. Coffee, tea, colas, and most energy drinks contain caffeine, which some people use to boost energy levels. However, in large quantities caffeine can increase blood pressure, anxiety, depressive symptoms and sleep problems--which may negatively affect your angling performance. Caffeine also has a diuretic effect in the body – it encourages the production of urine, which of course, leads to dehydration. For this reason you should not rely solely on caffeine-based fluids. If you MUST drink something caffeinated, try to limit yourself to just 3–4 cups per day and drink plenty of other fluids such as water, fruit juice and non-stimulant herbal teas (with water always being the best choice). For a cutting edge review of an angler-friendly product that prevents dehydration, check out Hale Whiteʼs “Fish Strong” Blog article review of O.N.E. Active water. bit.ly/ocp4sl .

Basic #2: Food Affects Mood
Recently, www.basszone.com featured Anthony Hunt, a FLW tour pro and professional chef. He discussed how top-level bass anglers make a conscious effort to be more healthy on the water. Proper nutrition is vital while competing in the pro ranks. Studies show that competitive bass anglers burn thousands of calories during the course of an event. During the Empire Chase BASS Elite Series event a couple years ago, Peter Thilveros burned 4,800 calories in one day. In the same event, Aaron Martens burned more than 5,800 throwing a spinnerbait for the entire day. Here again we find an opportunity to proactively ward off Anglerʼs Block and increase opportunities for success. Consistent replacement of calories lost becomes a high priority for those anglers who want to perform consistently. On a recent survey conducted on various social media channels, amongst local and regional bass fisherman who fish a minimum of 10 bass tournaments per year, it was found that an astounding 39% of anglers choose not to eat during a tournament event! The most common reason for abstaining from caloric intake revolved around “wasting time”. While it is acknowledged that every angler is different in their physiological and psychological makeup, general research findings show that ingestion of proper calories leads to better memory, more energy, increased alertness, and a feeling of calmness. Generally, neglecting the intake of food ultimately leads to increased fatigue and anxiety. Of the anglerʼs who indicated they DID consume food while fishing, in the aforementioned survey, they commonly reported they ate while idling through channels and away from fishing areas, or while running to their next fishing location.

But what to eat? Foods low in sugar are recommended. Ingesting large amounts of sugar can disrupt the formation of valuable memory proteins in the brain. Foods with essential Omega-3 Fatty acids (such as certain granola and protein bars) positively effect neurotransmitter pathways in the brain allowing mind and body to work together for the anglerʼs benefit. Small, pre-packaged bars are easily consumed while anglers run to and from different fishing locations. Plus, ingestion of the right foods leads to anglers producing a valuable mood regulating neurotransmitter known as serotonin. Serotonin is identified as a natural antidote to the dreaded Anglerʼs Block.

Basic #3: Get your Zzzzʼs
This one might not be ALL our fault. From longstanding sayings like, “make hay while the sun shines”, to touring pros who speak of being on the water from sun up to sun down, anglers often adopt a sleep-deprived pattern of their own. Working hard to obtain optimal results is heavily warranted, but time invested does not always result in an equitable return. Failing to obtain adequate sleep is setting yourself up to meet Anglerʼs Block head-on. Researcher Cheri Mah of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory has studied the effects of sleep on athletic performance. Mah noted that sleep is a “significant factor in achieving peak athletic performance. Many athletes accumulate a large sleep debt by not obtaining their required nightly sleep, which can have negative effects on cognitive functioning, mood, and reaction time.” Not surprisingly, Mah suggests that the “negative effects can be minimized or eliminated by prioritizing sleep in general and, more specifically, obtaining extra sleep to reduce one's sleep debt.”

Consider these 3 helpful practices for ensuring quality sleep prior to fishing:
1) Allow for pre-sleep readiness. Great athletes across all sports talk about the advantages that come with pre-performance routines - the activities that help prepare your mind and body to perform at itʼs peak. Create a pre-sleep routine where you allow yourself to be ready for sleep. Ease into the sleep process.
2) Be consistent with sleep patterns. Find the number of hours of sleep you need to perform optimally on the water. Build time into your day (and evening) to comfortably transition to sleep mode--this includes, of course, adequate time for your ideal duration of sleep. Be consistent.
3) Clear your mind. Keep a small "to-do" journal next to your bed. If, as soon as you lay down, your mind "turns-on" with "ah-haʼs" from practice or plans for tomorrow, clear your mind by jotting them down. It's amazing how simple this is, and how well it works.

Preparation will help you unBLOCK your angling potential! So you've planned for a great nights sleep and packed nutritious foods for your energetic day, HOWEVER, don't stop there. Check back soon for some great tips on utilizing organization techniques for ultimate efficiency on the water and avoiding Angler's Block. Until next time - keep fishing forward!

Chad Leton possesses a Bachelorʼs Degree in Psychology from Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida and is a youth angler educator from Southeastern, Wisconsin who operates HookedUp101 Fishing Academy. http://www.facebook.com/pages/HookedUp101-Fishing-Academy/116812915087288

A Fishing Story That May Save Your Life.

Kurt — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:15:57 GMT

by Kurt Mazurek

That was a rough morning of fishing. I'm heading in. But even when the fish don't cooperate, it always feels great to rip across a big lake in a high-powered, modern bass boat. Just a couple hundred yards to the dock. I ease up on my hot foot pedal as I approach, but this time, unlike the thousands of times before, my outboard continues running wide open. I stomp down hard, hoping the pedal's trusty springs will snap to life…nothing happens. Now I'm about 150 yards from the ramp and closing fast. Specifically how fast? At 60 mph, I'm covering 100 yards in just over 3 seconds. What to do? I was pretty sure I didn't want to fly my boat into the trailer parking lot like Evel Knievel, so I began a sweeping turn left away from the launch. This move bought me a couple seconds, but now I'm headed for a shallow, rocky, sand bar that separates a large bay from the main lake. C'mon brain! Think! And my brain replied, "Take it out of gear!" But with the throttle stuck open the big motor screamed in protest. If I live, I'm gonna need this motor. Quick, put it back in gear! Bad brain! Try again, fast! The hot foot pedal has a stirrup built-in so you can pull the throttle up with the top of your foot in case the springs fail. I pulled as hard as I could but the pedal wouldn't budge. Seriously brain! What should I do? I've got it! Kill the motor! I turned the key and instantly felt like I probably wasn't going to die, but by now, there was no way to avoid the rocky bar. I aimed my gradually slowing thrill-ride, between two large rocks that stuck well out of the water and feebly began trimming the motor up as I braced myself. I can't really remember if it made a horrible sound although I'm sure it did. Surprisingly, it slid across 6 inches of water, rock and sand fairly smoothly and came to rest in the deeper water of the bay. I sat dazed and motionless for a few seconds. I was emotionally shaken, but physically fine. Now, what about that pedal? I crouched under the console and saw the typical scraps of monofilament and a few discarded Sweet Beavers, but nothing that would cause complete failure of the unit. I felt around behind the pedal and discovered that an old AA battery had lodged itself (one-in-a-million style) in the hinge and prevented the pedal from springing up. Wow, that stupid battery just cost me a couple hundred dollars in skeg repair, but the truth is it could have been much worse.

Now, here's what I took away from this experience, and the reason I've shared this story with you.

First, maintain your equipment. I think there's an old expression about the importance of "running a tight ship". You'll dramatically improve the safety of your boating experience if you control the variables that you are able to control. Weather, water and other boaters provide plenty of distractions. I'm pretty diligent about cleaning and reorganizing my boat after each trip, but something like a battery should never be left rattling around on the floor -even for just one day. It's seems like such a small thing, but it would also be a small thing to put it in a compartment somewhere out of harms way. Even if it hadn't become stuck in my pedal, a more likely scenario would have been me stepping on it and turning an ankle. Sloppy mistake!

Second, plan for emergencies. I never really thought about what I would do if my throttle stuck open. I guess (based on my reaction) that I thought I would use the safety feature built right in the pedal, the stirrup, to manually pull the pedal back. But what would I do if my steering fails? What if flames come pouring out of the cowling? I'm not suggesting that I need to live like I'm paranoid and take all the fun out of fishing, just be prepared. As I sit here at my desk, having time to calmly and rationally think about it, turn the key off comes to mind fairly quickly. But sitting behind the wheel of a boat screaming towards disaster, there are a lot of distractions. In that moment, clear thinking is a real challenge.

Maybe it's just common sense. I imagine some of you are saying "I would have thought of that", and maybe you would have. But for everyone else like me, I hope my experience causes you to give it a couple minutes thought so perhaps you can react more quickly if you need to. I sincerely hope you never need this information, but believe me, 200 yards goes by pretty quickly at 60 mph.

Keep Fishing Forward (safely)
Kurt Mazurek

Wellness on the Water: Anglerʼs Block (Part 1)

Kurt — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 23:17:47 GMT

By Chad Leton

Whether you have just begun fishing tournaments or you are a seasoned veteran of your local or regional tournament circuit, you may one day experience that agonizing ordeal on the water known as “anglerʼs block”. As you read further, you may recognize that you have already encountered it.

Anglerʼs Block Defined:
Anglerʼs block can best be described as a condition, primarily associated with angling competition, in which an angler loses the ability to execute the mental and physical aspects of targeting bass by presenting an artificial lure in a purposeful manner in an effort to hook and land a bass.

From the back of the boat, anglerʼs block may come to light as grunting, moaning, or sighing. Perhaps it comes to the forefront of your fishing day in the form of questions like “Whatʼs going on out here?” or “What am I doing?”. The worst scenario is when it manifests itself AFTER the event, on the ride home, without an opportunity to turn things around. “What just happened out there?”.

And beware: There is an almost evil side of the anglerʼs block spectrum that can exhibit itself as an all-out meltdown on the water. Even the most accomplished fisherman can fall victim. Think of Michael Iaconelliʼs rant during the 2006 Bassmasterʼs Classic. For those who may not recall....Ike had an “incident” on Lake Toho, experiencing a mental lapse that cost him any chance of victory. When he discovered that his limit of fish was expiring in the livewell, he ran head-first into a virtual wall of anglerʼs block. The resulting behavior left Mike one straight-jacket short of ʻThe Cuckooʼs Nestʼ! Needless to say, he didn't win.

Wise anglers recognize, accept, adjust, and recover…the best go on to win! For example, the October 2011 issue of FLW magazine features two articles which recap Scott Martinʼs Forrest Wood Cup victory on Lake Ouachita and Mark Modrakʼs Everstart Series Central win on Lake St. Clair. The common denominator of their winning tales is that each overcame anglerʼs block. They recognized the condition at the onset, made an adjustment, recovered, and ultimately secured the win.

For Scott, he had a limit of a little more than 12 lbs on the final day. He figured he needed at least 14lbs to lock up his win. He began to struggle out deep for another bite, when all of a sudden, and (as Scott describes it) "for no apparent reason”, he felt the need to go to the bank and throw a topwater for a minute, "just to clear his head." He pulled up to a random bank and began to throw a topwater walking bait. On his third cast he hooked a 3 lb largemouth that put him over the 14 lb mark, removing all doubts that the FLW cup was his!*

Modrak describes how he fished the same general area during all three days of his tournament. On the final day, he was struggling to keep fish hooked and get them into to the boat. After missing several bites, he decided he “needed a mental break”. He packed up and fished another spot that didn't produce any "useful" fish, but it did give him the opportunity to settle down. He returned to his primary area ready to execute and was able to put a few quality fish in the boat and cull up to 20 lbs.*

In Part 2 of Wellness on the Water, we will highlight several valuable steps an angler can explore and execute in their efforts to efficiently and effectively recognize and overcome “Anglerʼs Block”.

Stay Tuned and Keep Fishing Forward!

Chad Leton possesses a Bachelorʼs Degree in Psychology from Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida
and is a youth angler educator from Southeastern, Wisconsin who operates HookedUp101 Fishing
Academy. http://www.facebook.com/pages/HookedUp101-Fishing-Academy/116812915087288

*Martin and Modrakʼs article recaps provided by David A. Brown and Rob Newell, writers for FLW Magazine

The reason I fish

Kurt — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:28:35 GMT

by Kurt

WHOOSH! A solid four-pounder explodes into a full aerial cartwheel, nipping, but not quite getting the hooks of my Phat Frog. For that brief, unexpected moment there is nothing else in my world. My adrenaline surges. My stomach flutters. My senses are supercharged. It is a feeling that is hard to explain to someone who doesn't fish, but a feeling with which I have become very familiar.

Although my first time was nearly 40 years ago, I can remember the details like it was yesterday. It was nearly dark that warm July evening in northern Illinois. I had worked my way around to the low, marshy side of my favorite fishing hole. I swatted at the ravenous mosquitos as I approached the waters edge through a clearing in the cattails. I fired my newly acquired Rebel Craw crank bait as far as my Zebco's tired, twisted monofilament would allow. I had read in Fishing Facts magazine that people had caught bass using crank baits, but I had yet to prove it personally. I remember feeling the wobbling vibration telegraphing through my fishing rod as I began my slow, steady retrieve. Quickly, no less than a dozen mosquitos took advantage of my full hands and began feasting on my bare arms. I tried to ignore them, knowing that if I stopped reeling, my lure would lose it's action and never fool a wary bass. I tried to ignore them but it was too much. As the lure drew near, I began reeling as fast as I could, set on dealing with those pesky, blood suckers. Just as I was about to lift the Craw out of the water...WHOOSH! There was the biggest bass I had ever seen (probably about four pounds) looking right at me, crank bait locked solidly in his jaw, shaking his huge head from side to side. My adrenaline surged. My stomach fluttered. My senses were supercharged. Then SNAP! And just like that, he was gone. I stood in the cattails with my mouth hanging open, unable to move or speak. Certainly I was disappointed, but even more than that I was thrilled. Awestruck! High on the rush of that moment of contact. It was magic to me. Already, I couldn't wait to find my next fish.

As I stand on the front deck of my boat today, I've experienced that magical rush hundreds, perhaps thousands of times. But today, as that big bass attacked my frog, I realized for the first time on a conscious level that the rush is the reason I can't stop fishing. I love the outdoors, the comradery, and all of the other wonderful benefits fishing offers, but these things can be found in lots of other activities like hiking or even bird watching. That magical, sometimes violent, addictive rush that happens when a fish strikes, can't be found anywhere but fishing. It happens when a bluegill pulls your bobber out of sight, just like it happens when a 50" Muskie tries to pull your arms off while stealing your favorite TopRaider. Magic. Sweet, addictive magic.

Silently, I ease my boat around the spot in the pads where the big bass had assaulted my Phat Frog. Perhaps a different retrieve angle across the same spot will convince her to take another shot. My lure lands with a soft "plop". I let it sit motionless for as long as I can stand it. Twitch, twitch…twi -WHOOSH! There she is, and this time she crushed it - both hooks firmly planted in the roof of her mouth! And there's that feeling, that magic. That adrenaline, fluttery, sensory magic! And just like every time before, I already can't wait to find my next fish.

-Kurt Mazurek
Keep Fishing Forward!

Early Summer Weed Walleyes

Kurt — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:37:11 GMT

by Jeff Ekstrand

Over the years, Craig and I have done very well chasing walleyes on the deep, natural lakes of northern Wisconsin. But this year, the season had been moving on without us. After daily life had spoiled our plans again and again, we finally got an opportunity to share some time in the boat. But now that we have this precious time, how can we make the most of it? Ideally, we'd like to know where the fish are and how we can catch them? But to find the answer to the "big" question, we must first ask ourselves a series of smaller questions. Some have obvious answers, others require a bit more observation and analysis. On this day, it went a little something like this:

Where? Northern Wisconsin.

When? The calendar said July 1, but when considering the kind of spring we'd had so far we both agreed that it was cooler than normal and the lakes were behind in their seasonal development.

What kind of water are we fishing?This is a deep, rocky, sandy, clear, natural lake.

How clear is the water? Approximately 10' feet of visibility.

What is the current weather? Light wind and sunny skies.

What is the time of day? Early to mid-morning. The sun's already over the trees.

What's the main forage? From DNR surveys we knew this lake had a good population of perch and lake shiners.

So, July 1st in northern Wisconsin means we should be into summer patterns, but with a cooler than normal spring, and a deep, clear lake, it's likely these fish haven't settled in to deep water summer patterns yet. And since we would be fishing during the day with light wind and sunny skies, we could probably also count out shallow water. Let me explain briefly: our definition of shallow water is relative to the water's general clarity plus the current light conditions. Basically, if you can see bottom, it's shallow. So shallow might be 2' in a dark lake or 18' in a clear lake. If it's a windy and/or cloudy day, the clear lake might have it's visibility cut down to only 9 feet which would change it's "shallow" status. All of this comes down to finding a depth/area that is beneficial for walleyes to feed efficiently. Since this lake's water clarity was about 10' on this morning, we decided to rule out water shallower than this to find some catchable walleye. Considering all this, it's more likely that transitional areas (where spring (shallow) areas meet summer (deep) areas) would be our best bet. Now we consider our cover options in these areas. What would concentrate walleyes on the move from spring to summer haunts? Weeds can hold fish all year, especially the deepest thick stuff you can find, but early summer is when they're at their best in lakes. Plus, in spring, shiners spawn on sand and perch prefer new weeds coming up through sandy/silty bottoms. If emerging weed beds are sufficient, the perch will move right into those after spawning as will the shiners. Give a lake a few weeks for the weed beds to grow after the spawn and you can bet that they'll be full of prey fish such as perch and shiners, followed by predators like walleyes. But many contour maps (especially older ones) really don't indicate areas where weeds grow. Here's a quick tip for you: in hard bottom, clear lakes, like the one we're on, check the map for wide contour lines in the 8 to 20' range on inside turns. Pay careful attention to bays since they form the largest inside turns and tend to collect silt (fertilizer) on the bottom to promote weed growth. The opposite of a turn is a point or hump and these tend to be the least likely to support weeds in sand/rock bottom lakes.

Once on the water, we cruised to the windward side of the lake to a bay with deep water (30+') butting up to it. The map showed wide contour lines in depths of 10 to 15' right in the corner of the bay, indicating a likely weed flat. We criss-crossed the area a few times with the sonar, and found a lot of 4' tall weeds (a mixture of cabbage and coontail) through the back of the bay, and then found an 80 by 80 yard flat, 15' deep with weeds all across the top, protruding from the corner of the bay. Our electronics didn't reveal much for "full-sized" fish, but we found plenty of bait along the base of the weeds/drop-off in 16 to 20'. If it were a cloudy or really windy day we might have been discouraged at the lack of larger fish on the sonar, but because of the sun and lack of wind, it's typical that the fish might be tucked into the weeds a bit. We chose to start fishing on the side of the flat with the most baitfish, near an area where a nice cut of deeper water ran nearby.

Now that we've determined where to find them, the question is how to catch them?
Wisconsin anglers have varying opinions on their DNR but one point they agree upon is the ability to fish with three separate lines during summer and winter. Three lines is especially important for walleye fishing, and changes the way we approach our presentation. A lot of different presentations will work for weed walleyes, but typically the decision is dictated by water clarity and fish activity levels. Our choice on this day (and actually most days for Wisconsin weed walleyes) would be slip bobbers and leeches. If only one line were allowed, an argument could be made for casting light jig/leech combos, or maybe pulling crawler harnesses across the weeds but because the area was relatively small and two fishermen properly anchored means six lines working the area, slip bobbers got the nod. Why leeches you ask? That's a good question and a bit of a mystery. Generally, minnows work great during the colder weather months or in lakes where there is not a large crop of bait (minnows). But in summer when lakes are booming with bait, another minnow down there just doesn't seem to work as well. I realize that there are exceptions of course, and I'm just basing this on my personal experience. But also, leeches are usually cheaper, stay on the hook longer, and pack in a neat little cup in the cooler. Case closed!

Now, before we get to tackle rigging, we need to discuss proper anchoring. As Craig will tell you, I am a fairly unorganized person. I'm the guy with the 4-week build up of lures tucked in every out-of-the-way spot in my boat, but anchoring is a meticulous science to me. I could write an entire essay on this topic but I'll keep it to the important points for this situation. Two anchors, one at each end of the boat, keep it from swaying in the wind. Bobbers near the boat in clear water rarely get bit so plan on positioning a minimum of 30' from fish, and better to make it 40'. It's also best to anchor with the wind blowing across the boat from the side rather than having it at your back. I know it's tempting to be anchored directly up wind from your spot but it's hard to predict the exact position of weed fish since you won't see most of them on the sonar. Position the boat with more of a side wind to allow drifting the baits across the weed tops. Basically, you want to be able to cast up wind and let your baits sweep down wind across the weeds Your bobbers should always be slowly on the move. For my 18 foot boat I have a 30lb anchor on the front and an 18lb on the back with enough rope (100 feet) to allow for anchoring to depths of about 35 feet in wind. It's not that I'm fishing that deep, but sometimes the boat is positioned over deep water and we're fishing shallower. Hopefully, I've impressed upon you how important boat position and anchoring can be.

Our slip bobber rigging consists of the knot, bead, and bobber like every other set up with our own special twist on the weight and hook. The bobber is made of a two inch piece of balsa and my color of preference is orange. I find orange is a little easier to see in most light conditions than yellow. At first glance a bobber with a two inch float body seems awfully big for a leech, and it is. Go ahead and rig a dainty bobber with a couple of split shots and a leech, and try and make a 90 foot cast (which you can't). See if the line feeds properly through the bobber down to depths of 15 feet or more (it won't). The larger float allows us to slide a 3/8 ounce barrel sinker below the bobber on 8 pound test monofilament or braid (not fluorocarbon, it sinks- very bad for the bobber main line) before tying on a swivel. Attached to the swivel is five feet of 4-6 pound fluorocarbon, and tied to the very end is a size 6 hook for leeches (larger if you decide to use minnows). I prefer aberdeen style hooks since they bend fairly easy when fishing around hard cover, but since we're just talking weeds, I'd pick an octopus style, or as Craig has recently turned me on to, a kahle hook. Don't go with a circle hook. They work wonderfully well for some fish, but not walleye. Also, I usually add a small 3/0 split shot about a foot above the hook. This setup allows the angler: long casts; a rig that slides through the bobber quickly to get back down to the fish; a swivel that allows the leech to spin on the cast and on the descent yet doesn't twist the line; a fluorocarbon leader that's hard to see and is resistant to teeth (plus, it's lighter than the main line so it will break when snagged and you won't lose the entire set up). Another benefit to this rig is that you will never have to untie your leech ever again. If you've fished leeches before, you know how the leech ties itself into a nasty knot around your hook and line and usually causes you to cut off the bottom six inches of line and retie. If your swivel does its job, this will not happen any longer (If it does happen, change your swivel!). Also, some guys like jigs rather than plain hooks which I'm fine with as long as they're 1/16 ounce or smaller. You'll get a lot more "drops" with a jig larger than this. Lastly, we primarily use 8-1/2' rods- they cast farther, set hooks easier and fight fish better than shorter rods, period.

Now that you can picture our setup, here is how we fish them. Craig and I have fished together a lot and have a system for bobbers that can be used anytime you're fishing two or more lines but really shines with four or more. Like a troller working open water, each line represents the tooth on a comb that is meant to contact new water and different fish. If we're working a large weed flat off one side of the boat, as we were on this day, we start by placing baits on the upwind side of the flat at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80' distances from the boat. As they sweep down wind across the flat, we shift the rods down the boat and whenever a line makes it down wind so that it's past the "spot" we reel it in, hand it to whichever one of us is at the upwind side and he repositions it to fill the gap in our "comb". This addresses line placement but it doesn't address the depth of our leech. I've found that a good starting point is two feet above the tops of the weeds. Pay attention to the sonar as you motor over the weed bed and notice the depth of the weed tops. Next, use the length of your rod as a measuring stick for setting the bobber stop. The temptation when setting slip bobber depths is to place the leech right at the level of the fish. I understand the temptation, but we've learned through the years that they almost always prefer a bait 2 to 3' above them.If you do find that they want the bait right in their face, this is usually a good indication that you'll probably do better with a light jig, casting and keeping it right near the bottom.

As you can see, this is not just the stereotype of casting out bobbers and waiting. This is very active fishing, especially when it's windy and the baits are moving through areas quickly. Pay close attention to the rigs when they initially hit the water to make sure the line is clearly running through the bobber and that it's floating correctly. When fish are biting pay close attention to their position as you will often make contact with a school and catch several before they move on or stop biting. Also, resist the urge to put all your lines on the school. Two or three is enough and lets you utilize the other lines for searching out more fish. And obviously, we don't have our "own" rods in this program. We share our lines and take turns reeling in fish. On this particular day things went well and we ended up with 17 beautiful walleyes in the 4-1/2 hours we fished that morning. When the wind blew they bit more aggressively and when it died down to almost calm we struggled. We probably would have doubled our total had it been a breezy or overcast day, but this way the lake left us wanting. This August, Craig and I have plans to get on some open-water, summer pattern, beasts! More to come.

Jeff Ekstrand
Keep Fishing Forward!

A Lesson in Success with Outdoor Channel Pro Joe Thomas

Kurt — Tue, 17 May 2011 23:03:00 GMT

by Kurt

The question was "How do you feel about the success that you've achieved, compared to the vision you had for your career when you were first starting out?" "Disappointment" and "failure" were not the answers I was expecting to hear…or were they? If you've read any of my other articles, you've probably noticed that I spend a good amount of time considering the psychology of successful fishing. I'm deeply appreciative to Outdoor Channel Pro Joe Thomas for sharing some very personal insight on this topic.

Joe Thomas is definitely successful. He is arguably one of the most successful people in the entire fishing industry. Few anglers have been able to transcend their professional status as a tournament pro into success as a television personality (multiple shows viewed by as many as 40 million people worldwide), author, spokesperson and ambassador of the sport. And don't forget that these accomplishments have come while continuing to compete at the highest level of professional bass fishing. So how could the word "disappointment" be the answer to my question? Let me go back a bit earlier in my conversation with Joe.

"When did you realize that you wanted to fish for a living?"

"I remember seeing my first issue of Bassmaster magazine when I was a freshman in high school. I picked it up because I liked fishing and thought I might learn how to catch more fish. But then I saw that there were guys out there that were fishing tournaments, and actually making a living. I never realized that was even possible, but I knew that was for me. I wanted to be a tournament angler."

So early on, Joe did something that most successful people do. He created an image in his mind of what his future would be. He set a goal and he visualized it. It was amazing to hear him describe the moment he knew what he wanted to do. I could tell by the way he described it, that he still has that very clear image in his head, still driving him forward over 30 years later.

But he IS a tournament angler…and then some. How could he feel "failure"? Joe said he "wanted to be a tournament angler", but in his mind, I believe he wants to be THE tournament angler. Later in our conversation he revealed that he "wants more than anything to be what Kevin VanDam has become." And please let me be clear, he said that with nothing but admiration in his voice. In his vision, the name Joe Thomas would be synonymous with bass tournament fishing, the way KVD has become. He sees VanDam as proof that his goal can be realized. It makes the image in his head a little clearer and the fire in his belly a little hotter.

But doesn't he have enough? Should he be using the word "disappointment"? Joe Thomas has a couple traits that seem to be consistent with most successful people I've studied. Successful people are almost always very competitive, incredibly driven, and never 100% satisfied. Joe was quick to point out that he is deeply grateful for everything he has. He has a very positive attitude and recognizes that he has many great accomplishments. He just has that feeling in the back of his mind that he's still after something very specific.

So is this feeling of "failure" a curse or a blessing? In his quest to become THE tournament angler, Joe has won (and had very high finishes) in many of the sport's biggest tournaments. He has maintained a team of high-profile, satisfied sponsors who gain much through their association with him. He has authored a book, and countless articles that help fellow fishermen enjoy the sport we all love. He has created, produced and starred in several highly rated television shows. Thousands of fans follow him online. It seems like this curse creates a lot of blessings along the way.

I believe that if Joe Thomas set the record for most Classic tournament wins, he would always want one more. That's not greed, that's drive. That's the fire in his belly. That's a lesson in success.

-Kurt Mazurek
Keep Fishing Forward

Walmart BFL - Mississippi River, LaCrosse, WI 5/7/11

Kurt — Tue, 10 May 2011 03:13:00 GMT

by Kurt

Well, tournament number one for the 2011 season is in the books. I just wanted to post a quick blog and share some of the highlights and a few lessons learned.

Let's start with the highlights. After the ridiculously long winter we've had in Wisconsin, I was dying to fish this tournament. It was great to be out on the Mighty Miss at LaCrosse, WI. I've been here many times before and just love this water. The pool level was a little on the high side, but completely navigable and fishable. I only got about 9 hours of practice time in, but I was satisfied with how it went. I tried a part of this pool I had never fished before, and found it to be loaded with fish. In a little over an hour, without beating up any particular stretch of this area, I could have weighed in a 12 lb. limit. I knew from past experience that it would probably take more like 18lbs to have a shot at a win here, but I also knew that an area with that many solid 2.5lb'ers, was likely to give up a few big girls if I really picked it apart. In addition to that, any of the other areas I checked seemed to be tough to find bites in at all.

Another highlight, was a great partner draw. I had the pleasure of sharing my boat with LaCrosse local, John Hamilton. Great guy and a solid stick! A good co-angler can make a huge difference in how a tournament day goes. I definitely can't blame my non-winning performance on him. Thanks John!

Now, let's look at the lesson parts of my story. It became really clear that no-cull tournaments (by Wisconsin state law) are not my favorite. I threw back several fish that were nearly a pound larger than the last one I ended up keeping as I ran out of time. Frustrating! While I caught lots of good solid keepers, I never got that big bite I needed. As we headed to weigh-in, I was fairly sure that my estimated 12lb. limit would not be the winning weight, but I wouldn't have guessed that there would be 74 bags ahead of me! Wow! Congrats to all of them! Bags in the high teens, to almost 20lbs., are not easy to reach when you're not allowed to upgrade. Nice job! I guess the lesson I learned is to never assume you have enough weight. I don't think I slacked off all day, but maybe I should have fished with more urgency.

Actually, let's go back to another highlight. As I mentioned, I was carefully selecting which keepers to keep. As time wore on, I would decide that I should probably put this 2.5lb'er in the box. My partner John's plan was to keep every keeper. Coming into the last hour, I had kept 4 so far, and my partner had 3. Then, of course, the bite really slowed down. It was tough to stop the negative self-talk in my head. "I knew I should have kept that last 16" fish!" But I caught myself, and remembered to "keep fishing forward". Finally, when I knew the clock was running out, I swung a keeper aboard. 14-1/2". "What time is it, John?", I asked.

"Six minutes left", he answered.

Reluctantly, I threw the runt in the box, admittedly relieved that I would be bringing in a limit. "Alright partner", I said, "my confidence is so high, that I'm gonna just stand here with the net in my hand."

John chuckled and almost instantly said "There's one!" I scooped it for him and encouraged him to get that lure back in the water. Two casts later I heard, "And there's another one!"

In the last six minutes of our day, we went from 4 fish and 3 fish, to two 5 bass limits! Now that's a pretty sweet way to end a tournament day! Like I said, I knew we hadn't won, but it felt pretty good anyway. So, I guess the final lesson is (stop me if you've heard this one before) never give up.

-Kurt Mazurek
Keep Fishing Forward.

Can you imagine what Reel Shot Elite Pro Travis Manson is thinking?

Kurt — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 22:58:00 GMT

by Kurt

I am blown away by a video I just saw online! Blown away! Take a look (promise me you'll come back here, though) http://bass.outdoorsfirst.com/watch.asp?id=3479 My brother emailed me the link to this video blog by The Reel Shot Elite Pro Travis Manson on OutdoorsFirst Media's site.

Good gravy those are monsters! Most guys (even the pros) would call any day with one bass in the 10lb class, a good day. It just looks weird to see somebody reach into his livewell and pull out three fish that would go 30lbs! But then I started thinking, the REALLY weird thing is how this can happen on the same water, under the same conditions, where 100 of the world's finest fisherman just competed for 4 days, and nobody came close to 30lbs for 5 fish? Wisconsin's Travis Manson is one of the Elite. This guy can CATCH 'EM! Unfortunately, he caught these fish after he was eliminated from this competition. So what was different today? Luck? If it was one 10lb'er I might admit that it could be luck. But three giants? (and actually, there was a fourth fish that would have dwarfed these three). To me, that starts to point to more than just luck. I asked Travis what he thought the difference might be.

Pressure, he told me - two different kinds of pressure. First, was the pressure the fish felt. He drove far from the tournament launch site (so he wouldn't interfere with the remaining competitors) and found fish that weren't quite as spooky as the spawners that had been pressured by a weeks worth of the best fishermen in the world plunking soft plastics on their heads. But second, and most importantly, was the inescapable pressure that comes with competing at the Elite level. This is his career, his income, his life. There's a lot at stake. And while that pressure can be incredibly motivating, it can also make you second guess yourself, hurry your decisions, and challenge your focus.

Travis estimates that at least 75% of anyone's success on tour can be attributed to their ability to turn in a strong mental performance. All of his competitors have mastered the mechanics of casting and boat control. Everyone has access to gear and lures that rarely fail. The most consistent finishers have a remarkable ability to stay focused and confident under the most challenging conditions.

So I asked Travis about controlling focus and confidence. Can it be learned, and can it be improved upon? Absolutely, he replied enthusiastically! Obviously, experience (time on the water) will go a long way to improve confidence. If you can draw on a memory of similar conditions, you'll be more likely to find the answer to the current puzzle before doubt can creep in and erode your confidence. It is often said that there is no substitute for time on the water, and it's true. But even the most dedicated angler can only spend a finite number of hours on a boat. A great way to gain an advantage is to practice fishing even when you're nowhere near the water. Visualization exercises are a key part of Travis' practice. If you can imagine yourself having the best day ever, catching giant bass after giant bass, and winning the big tournament, then your brain will believe you. This is a really simplified explanation of how visualization works, but we'll have to save a detailed discussion for another blog. Just know that logging time imaging yourself being successful will go a long way towards improving your confidence in real life. Travis shared a quick story that really makes this point. It was in 2006 that he realized that he wanted to fish the Elite tour. If you're reading this, you've probably thought to yourself, that you'd like to fish the Elite series too. So how did Travis make it a reality, while it's still just a daydream for the rest of us? As soon as he decided that was what he wanted, he let his brain know that there could be no other outcome. He found an article about an Elite series tournament, and replaced the winners name with his own name. He replaced the photos with photos of himself. Then he read the article again and again. Travis Manson, Elite angler. And then he would read it again, and imagine what it would be like. Wisconsin angler Travis Manson fishes elite series. And again - how would it feel? Travis Manson wins Elite Tour event! Several years later, he found himself leading day one of the qualifying event that would be his invitation to fish the Elite series. He thought about that article and realized that his weight was exactly the same as the weight of the day one leader in the inspirational article. Coincidence? Maybe. Cool? Definitely! But would he have made it to the big leagues without that article? Obviously, it's impossible to say for sure, but let me point out again that he IS fishing the Elite series while the rest of us are still dreaming.

Now let's get back to those giant fish in the video. The average angler might see those fish the day after the tournament and think that was the most frustrating, torturous thing that could happen. Obviously, Travis would admit that he would have preferred to have caught them during the tournament. No one would have blamed him if he had just hopped in his truck, hit the road, and put this disappointing finish behind him. But remember, Travis' brain KNOWS that he will win an Elite series event. Even on a subconscious level, his mind leads him to do things that will make his win a reality. Going back out on the lake was another chance to gather information about catching Florida largemouth that he can use to his advantage later. You saw the video. Do you think it would help your confidence if you knew for a fact that you were capable of catching a bag like that? I believe that this well-trained, competitive, Elite series angler's brain knows exactly what to do with this information. I said earlier that it looked weird to see someone pull that many freakishly oversized fish from one livewell, but now that I understand the way Travis Manson approaches this sport, I wouldn't be so surprised to see it again…only this time, he hands those fish to Trip Weldon. I can picture it now…and you know Travis has already pictured it hundreds of times!

-Kurt Mazurek
Keep Fishing Forward!

Part of Fishing Forward is remembering fishing past

Kurt — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:02:00 GMT

by Kurt Mazurek

So much of our future lies in preserving our past.~Peter Westbrook

Recently, Craig and I, motivated by our passion for fishing, have been donating our time and talents to preserve the history of the sport by making renovations to the landmark, giant musky building at the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, WI.

After 30 years since it opened, the Hall, which relies heavily on volunteers and donations, is in need of updating. Maintaining such a large collection of fishing memorabilia and historical records requires constant effort. It would seem there is always a lightbulb to change or replica to dust or display to update.

"I remember coming to the Hall when I was just a kid in the late 1970s. Our family would spend our summer vacations fishing in Hayward," says Craig, now a long-time Hayward resident.

As for me, I would look in amazement at all of the huge mounted fish, and read about the legends of the sport, and imagine myself setting a line class record. Those visits took the sport to a new level for me.

Craig has spent his career building custom cabinetry and woodworking. I'm a seasoned marketing and graphic design professional. Our experience, combined with a deep passion for our sport, make us a uniquely qualified team for the renovation of a fishing museum. While visiting the Hall last year, it just hit me that we could be of service here. I mentioned it to Craig, and he agreed. "Considering our skills and how the sport, and specifically this place, have influenced our lives, it just seemed like the right thing to do," said Craig.

Over the winter (while open-water fishing season has been closed) I contacted the Hall and met with Director Emmett Brown. Together, we toured the museum, and discussed possible projects for us. It was decided that updating a display case containing a series of collectible Jim Beam decanters was a good place to start. This is the first display visitors see upon entering the giant musky building, plus, the proceeds from these bottles were the first real source of income for the fledgling Fishing Hall of Fame. I presented design plans for approval, and construction took place over the first couple weeks of April. We are very proud of the results, but agree that there's plenty more where that came from. Several more projects will be attended to in the coming months and years.

Up to 100,000 visitors will walk past that display every year. If our efforts help to make a positive impression on those visitors, then perhaps more of them will make a return visit to the Fishing Hall (which is good for the city of Hayward and the Hall) and perhaps a greater percentage of them will become more deeply involved in the pursuit of fishing (which benefits the future of the sport). It feels good to be able to give back a little. Plus, I still haven't set any line class records, like I imagined I might as a kid, but now we will always be a part of the history of this place.

I also put together a little video of the renovation process. If you get a chance, check it out on the video section of our site.

I'm really looking forward to some new stories of open water fishing! Soon!

Keep Fishing Forward!

-Kurt

4 Simple Steps to Tournament Success : Good Guys Finish First

Kurt — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:57:00 GMT

by Kurt

"Hello?"
"Hey bud, they just posted the Great Lakes BFL schedule. Can I count on you as my co-angler?"
"No, I'm out. I'll fish any team tournaments you want, but I think I'm out for any of those draw, pro-am format tourneys. I'm done handing out my money for another day of being disrespected by a stranger."
"Wow. I'm sorry to hear that, but I know you've told me your stories, and I can't blame you. I'll let you know if any good team events come up."

I hang up, disappointed. That's a shame. He's a good fisherman, and a nice guy. He's the kind of guy I'd like to draw at one of these events. Hmm… who else can I call? I know.

"Hello?"
"Hey, have you signed up for the BFL series? I'm looking for a guaranteed co-angler to…"
"No thanks. I'm still kinda rattled from last year. I nearly got killed in that last event. Those boaters are crazy. And then when I caught that 6 lber, I thought that guy was gonna throw me out of his boat."
"Yeah, but…"
"No thanks."

Yikes! This is a bad trend. I wonder how many other non-boaters feel this way about these tournaments? I know not every guy that's ever shared my boat has become my new BFF, but I don't think any of my co-anglers have quit the sport because of me (If you have, please let me know. I owe you an apology). The fact is, it's the co-anglers that allow me to use my boat in pro-am style, draw format tournaments. Without an equal number of eager co-anglers signing up, boaters get paired together and face the difficult decisions of whose boat to use, whose water to fish, who will run the trolling motor, etc. If you're like most of us, you didn't spend the kind of money it takes to buy a bass boat, to have it sit in a motel parking lot on tournament day.

I, like many of my peers, spent the first several years of my tournament career in the back of someone's boat. I remember being very appreciative for the opportunity to compete in these high-level events. I also remember being impressed, inspired, educated, and welcomed by my boating hosts. Some were more outgoing and talkative than others; some were better fishermen; but all showed me a reasonable amount of common courtesy and respect. Granted, that was several years back (OK, maybe even more than several), but it seems like something has changed. I know that the guys I called to sign up with, are descent, friendly, intelligent guys. Why has their experience been so negative?

I realize that nobody's perfect, people have different personalities, and everyone is entitled to have a bad day sometimes. I am far from perfect (just ask my wife), but I've found that if I keep a few simple things in mind, my tournament days (and tournament successes) are much better. Also, let me say, if you're a non-boater reading this - these suggestions apply to you too.

1.) Treat others, like you want them to treat you.
I know this seems obvious, but maybe it's SO obvious, that it gets overlooked. Would you like to have someone who moves quickly and attentively to net your fish? Net his fish quickly and attentively. Would you like some encouragement when things aren't going according to plan? Would you appreciate congratulations when you land a giant? Offer these things to your co-angler, and they're likely to come back to you. Would you hope that someone would offer you a blue jig trailer when the bass have stolen the last one you have? I'm not suggesting that you hand out your favorite $20 Lucky Craft Pointer Minnow, but you might be surprised how far a little generosity can go towards making this a great day.

2.) Stay focused.
Remember, that in most tournament formats, you're not competing against your co-angler. Also remember that you have to spend the next eight hours with just the two of you in a space about the size of your bathroom. If there's a bad vibe in your boat, you're gonna feel it. A negative attitude or negative thoughts, will not let you take full advantage of your capabilities. Just take a second right now, and think of the last time you were fishing in "the zone". Every cast was perfect. You could predict when and where your next bite would be. Now think about your state of mind. Were you worried about what you would do if the guy in the back of your boat filed a protest against you for unsportsmanlike conduct? Were you dwelling on the fact that someone else just caught a nice keeper out of your best spot? Creating a positive environment in your boat, one that will allow you to focus on the task at hand, will serve you much better than hard feelings.

3.) Two heads are better than one.
To maximize efficiency while forming a solid pattern, always consider that second person's results. Let me tell you a quick story that illustrates this point. Prior to the tournament, I had been catching fish by pitching a jig to the edges and pockets of matted weeds. Apparently, my co-angler had been catching them on a frog, from these same mats. As the day went on, my jig bite seemed to stop, but my non-boater was getting lots of bites on his frog. Unfortunately for him, the fish just weren't biting hard enough to get the hook. The fish were clearly under the mats, but the techniques we were using just weren't getting to them. I had just heard about how California bass guys were using a "punch rig" to pull big bass out of the mats of the Delta (this was several years ago). I dug around my tackle compartment for a minute and came up with my version of the rig. I started catching fish almost instantly. By paying attention to the results my co-angler was getting, I was able to adapt and get on fish much quicker than I would have on my own.

Also, make sure you give him a chance to catch some fish. The most frequent complaint of anyone fishing at the mercy of the person on the trolling motor is that they were "back boated". Hung out to dry. Left with no fish-holding cover to throw to. Again, you're really not helping yourself gather information that can help you determine the best pattern for that day most quickly.

4.) Be an ambassador.
While most of the boaters in the tournaments I fish are "weekend anglers", many have some form of sponsorship helping with costs. Of those that don't have sponsors, most imagine the day they will represent a team of companies. Your image is the most important thing to these companies. The last thing you need is the reputation of a guy that people don't want to spend a day in the boat with. Word gets around pretty quickly at the local and regional levels.

Now let me make this clear, sometimes this just doesn't work. Some guys will not reciprocate with respect. But the good news is it DOES work most of the time. Plus, there's no down side to you being a good guy. You'll have a day free of worries and focused on fish (WIN), your co-angler will enjoy the experience and look forward to future events (WIN), and because you're focused and positive, your tournament results will show it (WIN!).

Have a great tournament season and keep fishing forward!
-Kurt

Spring Musky Tips - by Craig

Kurt — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:03:00 GMT

Many people (including myself) get pretty excited about chasing musky. I'm sure that even if you've never fished for musky, you've heard it's legendary reputation as "the fish of ten thousand casts." Believe me, if I made ten thousand casts to catch each musky, I'd find a more "sane" hobby. But with a couple simple suggestions, maybe I can help you cast less and catch more.

One of the best times to increase your odds of boating a musky is the early season. In northern Wisconsin (where I live), musky season begins the last Saturday in May, but you may be able to get started sooner based on the regulations where you live. In the late spring/early summer, the lakes have not yet met their full potential for weed growth and water temperature. The muskies have fully recovered from spawning and are eating like only a "top-line" predator can. Many of the bait fish are still spawning or at least hanging out in the newly formed shallow weed beds. The muskies will always be in close proximity to the bait fish. The outside weed edge is always a great place to start your search, but please note that I said START your search. If you've fished a promising looking weed edge for a reasonable length of time (let's say one hour) without at least seeing a following musky, start to move in and work over the weed flat. You need to cover the water efficiently and figure the fish out for that particular day. The aggressive fish will show you where you should focus.

Instead of using the 10" - 12" lures that I will use later in the season, I prefer the smaller 6" - 8" sizes for spring. I like using lures like small twitch baits or small bucktails. These downsized lures help me keep the baits above the newly formed weeds and let me work them a little faster and more erratic then I can work a bigger bait. And, just because I am using smaller lures does not mean I use smaller equipment. I recommend a 7' to 7-1/2' bait casting combo with no stretch super line. Could I use smaller tackle? Sure, but my odds of landing a musky go way down.

These musky on the weed edge are normally quite aggressive, so my retrieves are aggressive. As I reel, I am constantly twitching, pausing, and twitching my rod to make the bait do an erratic dance. If you get a strike or see a fish follow, try to remember how you were working the bait and then repeat that retrieve.

You must also remember to finish each cast with a "figure 8" (or at least an L-shaped turn), whether you see a fish or not. I can remember many times where the musky came out from under the boat, having followed my bait in on an earlier cast and waited for a chance to attack.

Musky season is short. This year, let's cast less and catch more!

Craig Mazurek - Fishing Forward

The Highs, The Lows, & The Lessons Learned -by Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:07:57 GMT

Ouch! That was a painful way to start the 2010 competitive fishing season. It would be really easy to pretend it never happened and never speak of it again, but I think there were some lessons learned, and that's exactly why I want to share this tale of the highs and lows of tournament fishing.

In fact, let's start with a lesson.

Lesson 1. Sometimes, things don't go according to plan. Even the best competitive fisherman in history (Clunn, Brauer, Reese, Nixon, and even VanDam), have had a day, or a week, or a season where they felt like they were a step behind. Everything looks right; you believe you're making the right moves; but the fish let you know you're wrong. Everyone who fishes tournaments has experienced this feeling. The difference between history's best fishermen and everyone else, is their ability to remain focused and confident during these times. Generally, the more confident you are, the sooner things will again go according to plan.

Spring came early to the upper midwest this year. The ice was off of most lakes several weeks ahead of schedule. My brother and I had signed up for this mid-April team event knowing full-well that it could still be snowing in this part of the country, but this year the weather was giving us a break. The week leading up to the tournament brought temps well above average. The river, which had been approaching flood stage 4 weeks earlier, had come back down and while still dropping a bit each day, was fairly stable. I had dreams of super shallow, super hungry largemouth bass - and in my dreams they were big ones (why not?).

This was a relatively small team tournament; 25 boat maximum; with my brother (a fishing machine); not far from my home; on the river that I have fished many times. In other words, fairly low pressure. While I had never fished the pool the tournament was launching from, I had a long history in the next pool over. We decided that one day of practice would be plenty of time to develop a solid plan.

Saturday dawned with cooler temps, blue skies, and a strong north wind. Actually, I'd like to add a few more adjectives here - steady, increasing, relentless, punishing wind. But that's OK. We've caught fish during worse weather. We remained positive, we analyzed the conditions, we made adjustments, we covered every possible bass position...we received very few bites. Were we way off, or were the fish just really tentative because of the conditions? Our practice day was over, and we really didn't have a plan for tournament day. Now what?

Lesson 2. Don't panic! The only way to make this work is to remain focused and confident. The weather report predicted a sunny, warmer and much calmer day. This should be ideal for early season bass fishing. We'll use our experience and abilities, and fish the current conditions.

Based on everything we had seen on our practice day (water level, color, temps, etc.), I developed a plan. I knew of a fairly large slough 2 pools over, that contained environment suitable for all phases of bass behavior, from winter to summer, plus, it has a long history of producing fish. It was definitely a gamble. The area was 2 locks and over 30 miles each way from our takeoff point, and I hadn't fished this slough since last year. Still, I was more confident in new water than I was in returning to our practice spots. We'll sleep on it and decide in the morning. As a backup plan, we'll stay in the pool where we're launching, and just go fishing. C'mon! It's the Mississippi River! We can catch them on the river.

We arrive at tournament registration to find that only ten boats are going to be fishing today. I'm no math whiz, but I quickly realize that the payout is going to be much smaller than if there were 25 teams, and therefore much less of a reason to gamble on a faraway spot. The reward didn't justify the risk. Typically, this sort of rationale is not my style. If I haven't made it clear, I REALLY love tournament fishing, and I REALLY want to do well in every tournament I fish (usually in a freakish, obsessive sort of way). But, we agreed on plan B pretty quickly. We'll stay right here and make it work. I put my game face on, and prepared for a short run.

Lesson 3. When in doubt, fish your strength. I didn't obsess about it during tournament hours, but I probably should have gone with my gut. (I hope I haven't given away the end of my story.)

Our first spot yielded two, keeper smallmouth. They were small-ish, but they were in the box! We WILL make this happen! Now, where else can we go and find an eddy in a secondary channel, with a 4-foot flat, covered with logs? No idea! We tried to expand on our success. We stayed open to other possibilities, periodically checking more "largemouth-y" looking water. We went 5 hours without another keeper. Having no prior knowledge of this water, no accurate maps available, and a slight feeling of desperation, we drove up the main river and just looked. A small marina flanked by rip-rapped points caught my eye. Obvious, perhaps, but there was no time left to be cool. Let's try this spot! Two casts with a trap, and I was on. Nice 2.5 lb. smallie. Not a giant, but better than the two we'd been escorting around since first thing that morning. Just over an hour to go - we can still do this! Less than 5 minutes later and there was another, bigger than the last. C'mon smallies! Now we're cooking! One more for our 5-fish limit! If we can...hey...what's that girl on shore doing? A lone girl, in her late teens had pulled up in her car, and was getting her bucket and fishing poles out of her trunk. I sat with my bass boat in between the 2 points, just out of the current, not moving. I was firing casts at one point while my teammate was working over the other. "She wouldn't, would she?", I asked Craig under my breath, as she walked toward us. Without saying a word, she placed her bucket/seat on the very tip of the point, literally 10 feet from my boat, and started baiting up. I certainly wouldn't want to discourage this young fisherwoman from wetting a line, but I still must require some level of common courtesy. There was barely room for her bobber between my boat and the shore. Most days, I would probably just move along and let her have the spot (But to be clear, not because I was in the wrong here-she had definitely crossed a line. I tend to take the high road in these situations). Unfortunately, the clock was ticking and this was all we had. I kept my boat right where it was and beat the spot to death. Awkward! I'm sure when she got back to the dorm, she had a great story about these a**holes in their fancy boat. OMG rude! About this time, the current in the main river slowed considerably, and the bite stopped.

Dejected, and nearly out of time, we decided to hit our starting spot one more time in hopes of filling our limit. The clock ticked down, we called "last cast," picked up the MinnKota and strapped our rods to the deck. The trip back to the marina went a bit quicker than anticipated, and we found ourselves within sight (practically within loud talking distance) of the check-in guy, with 5 minutes left on the clock. This marina had familiar rocky points at its' entrance, and I decided to give it one last shot. On my second cast, I connected with a good smallie. "No way," I said to Craig. "I'm on!" The check in guy watched the action as my partner jumped up with the net. What a rush! Even if we didn't win, this fish saved the day!
"Here he comes, Craig!"
"I'm ready," he assured me.
The 3lb. bass came to the surface as Craig reached with the net - two inches from the inevitable high-fives - the fish shook his head hard, and the lure tore free. My brother lunged, but it was over. My mouth hung open in disbelief. Actually, based on the way this weekend had gone, it was easy to believe. In mock homage to Mike Iaconelli, I half-heartedly raised one fist and told my equally dejected partner "sometimes, give up."

We idled through the marina towards the scale. I shook my head "no", as I replayed the last couple minutes in my mind. As we stepped towards the table to get a weigh-in bag, we noticed the big dry erase board where they posted the weights of the first teams that had already weighed in. 15 lbs., 18 lbs., 23 lbs. My mouth was hanging open again. We confirmed that this particular tournament would not count for any points toward this season's series, returned to our boat, and un-cerimoniously slipped our catch back into the water. Wow! That was a monumental beating!

Lesson 4. Pay closer attention to lessons 1-3.

As Craig pointed out to me, at least we finished in the top 10. We'll get 'em next time.

Kurt Mazurek -Keep Fishing Forward

Been a long time -by Kurt

Kurt — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 01:50:00 GMT

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but I've got a good excuse -no a great excuse! For the last several weeks, I've been knee deep in the process of video editing and creating animation. If you haven't already, please go take a look at our newest video creation. I promise it's not like any fishing video you've seen before! It's over on our video page. NEW! Slop Bass Video Then, don't forget to come back here and leave some feedback. I'm getting ready to start a second segment, so your comments will be very helpful.

I've started a new blog too, and I promise to get that up here soon. Thanks for your support!

Kurt Mazurek -Keep Fishing Forward

Ice Fishing Report 3/4/10 -by Craig

Kurt — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:58:00 GMT

Well, I can't deny that I am very excited to be entering the late ice stage. The days are getting longer, the sun is feeling warmer and it sure feels great to not be so bundled up in warm clothes while you fish. It's been a long winter, but open water is just around the corner. This period of ice fishing typically provides some of the best action of the season.

When I hit the ice in northern Wisconsin yesterday, the sky was blue and the temperature had climbed into the 40s. I was fishing a 15-foot-deep flat with scattered weeds. Some of the weeds stood as much as 4-feet tall. I was dropping a jig past the standing weeds and the bluegills came up from the bottom to intercept it. I used a consistent shaking motion, just making the rod quiver, while I move it up and down slowly, about 2 to 3 feet depending on the fish's reaction. Yesterday they were happy to see my jig and I got 10 bluegills over 8-1/2". The biggest of the day was 9-1/4". Now that's a bull gill!

As the afternoon went on, I jumped to another lake and got on a really good crappie bite. I found the the best concentration of fish in 18 to 20 feet on water, suspended off of a main lake bar. Once I found them, the action was hot and heavy. I literally took my limit of 10 crappies in less than 5 minutes. They weren't giants, but definitely nice ones. The biggest crappie for the day was 11". I was using a 1/8oz spoon and just continually shaking it as I lowered and raised it. As soon as they saw the spoon dropping down, they were all over it.

With late Ice season starting, I know the fishing is only going to get better. But even though that's true, I like to think the fish are as excited about the coming open water season as I am.

Craig Mazurek -Fishing Forward

Bust Those Fishing Myths -by Kurt

Kurt — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:07:00 GMT

Have you ever seen the Discovery Channel show, MythBusters? For those who haven't (and you really should), they use the scientific method to determine whether commonly believed stories are are true or myths. For example, I now know for certain that eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda will not make your stomach explode. Good to know. I must admit that many times they have proven my beliefs to be wrong. You too? But I really enjoy learning something new, based on facts. And for those of us who nodded off in sophomore science class, one of the most important parts of the scientific process, on which the show relies, is conducting an accurate, fair test with control of all the variables.

I was watching the show the other night and it dawned on me that they could easily devote an entire show to fishing. Think about it for a second - how many things do you know about fishing - things that you know for a fact to be true? For example: It's a fact that bass are most attracted to the scent of garlic...no, salt...no, coffee. Hmmm. Alright. Well how about, the idea that red hooks will always get more strikes because red is the color of blood, and predators can't help but capitalize on their prey's unfortunate injury. OK, at first glance, that may seem logical. But now let's take a closer look, "MythBuster" style. Wouldn't blood disperse into the water rather than cling to the body in a straight (shiny metallic) line? Wouldn't the blood be behind the moving prey rather than leading the prey as most hook placements would appear? Why wouldn't we paint all of our lures a big, bloody, red massacre? Please don't misinterpret this as an attack on red hooks. This is just one example to make a point. It is my speculation (not proven) that red hooks probably don't hurt your catch rate.

I know there are some of you reading this that will tell me they are certain they get more bites and more hookups when using a red hook on their favorite bait. While I will say that confidence is important to your fishing success, not keeping an open mind because of overconfidence in a specific method or presentation will hurt your results. I understand how perception and speculation can easily become "fact" in the human mind. It's in our nature to try to come up with answers for our questions. While it's virtually impossible to conduct a true, fair consistent experiment on the water (so many variables changing beyond our control), keep the scientific method in mind as you analyze your results. Put your own theories to the test. Next time you're just automatically tying on a black/blue flipping jig (one of my personal favorites, even though it is a scientific fact that a bass cannot see blue very well in most conditions), consider all of the variables and choose your presentation with an open, focused, scientific mind. Bust your fishing myths, and keep fishing forward!

-Kurt Mazurek

P.S. I plan to suggest an "all fishing" show on the MythBusters website. Maybe if enough people inquire, they'll consider it. Check your local listings!

Like Every Day Is a New Day - by Kurt

Kurt — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:18:00 GMT

A wise man (Rick Clunn to be exact) once said, "one of the best tournament strategies you can employ, is to fish each day as though you've never been on that body of water." Please note that this advice applies mainly to experienced anglers who have some level of tournament success and already understand fish behavior. For those who qualify, this is great advice!

Successful tournament fishing is primarily a mental game. Of course you need to be fit enough to endure a nine hour day, rolling across "cabin cruiser" boat wakes with one foot on the trolling motor pedal, while making the perfect pitch five times every minute. Above and beyond that, it doesn't matter if your tall or short, young or old, it comes down to what you've got between your ears. How quickly and accurately can you put together the pieces of the puzzle–what's the seasonal pattern, water temperature, structure, available cover, baitfish patterns, wind, sun, pressure, etc., etc., etc.? And even more than that–the answers may change several times throughout the day. Consistent, great tournament days aren't easy to come by. It's easy to rely on the things that worked yesterday, or last week, or last year. While there are times that the current conditions will align with the conditions you had the last time you were catchin'em, most times, something will have changed. Have you ever heard fellow competitors lamenting about the fish they caught on practice day that just disappeared on tournament day? Have you ever heard yourself saying it? Me too.

Let me give you a first hand example of "fishing like you've never been on this lake". Actually, let me start by saying, I'm not sharing this story to brag about my tournament prowess. I only bring it up because this happens to be a solid illustration of the point I'm trying to make. Now then - A friend and I made a last minute decision to fish a team open bass tournament. Even though this natural, northern WI lake was only an hour from home, neither one of us had ever been on it or even seen it before. Typically, I would prefer to have some practice, but this time we were going in cold. I cracked open my Sportsman's Connection map book, studied the basic contours and water data, checked out the weather forecast, and kept an open mind.

We arrived at the ramp for check-in and did a little chatting with the other fishermen. The bite is definitely off," we were told, "the team that can put together a limit will probably win."

But since we had never been there before, we had no preconceived notions. The bite was off compared to what? Rather than race to our "secret honey hole", we looked at the current conditions, and headed towards an area that looked promising on the map. Based on the time of year and type of lake, I was fairly confident that we were looking for deep weed edges just outside of shallow spawning bays. We arrived at our first "spot" and discovered that the weeds didn't grow quite as deep as we guessed they would. We made a few casts, and caught a few short fish, but it was easy to decide that we should move on. We weren't committed to this spot, so while it would have been sweet to catch a bunch of fish, we didn't feel badly when we didn't. Psychologically, we were still focused, and, in fact, encouraged because we had learned something from this spot that we could take to other parts of the lake. Fast forward to that afternoon, when we weighed in the winning limit, including big bass, eclipsing second place by over 3 lbs. (see photo) While in this case, we were "forced" to fish with an open mind, it really opened my eyes to this concept.

Accurately analyzing all of the current conditions isn't easy. Trying to re-live memories of good times, and telling yourself, "I don't understand it. They should be here. Stupid fish!", is relatively easy–even safe. This approach comes with a built-in excuse to cover your fear of failure. (Wow! That's pretty heavy.) Like I said, tournament success is primarily a mental exercise. Remember to keep an open mind. When you're waiting for takeoff, and most people are floating around worrying that someone will beat them to their "spot", look around, look at the water, look at the clouds, feel the wind and the temperature, and ask yourself, "what would I do if this was my first time on this water?"

Kurt Mazurek - Keep Fishing Forward

My partner, Dan, thinks fishing this tournament "cold" was a great idea!

2.13.10 Fishing Report -by Craig

Kurt — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:51:00 GMT

It's mid-February. You can finally start to see the light at the end of a long Montana winter. Me and my buddy have been shore fishing the river for the last several weeks. The fishing has been alright for browns and rainbows with pretty good numbers and descent size. Yesterday, Saturday, February 13th, was predicted to be around 40 degrees. I suggested that was warm enough that we should put the waders on and get to some spots we could not reach from shore. Now, obviously that's still a bit chilly, but boy did it pay off! We worked some of the same parts of the river we had been fishing for the past month, but with waders we could move out into the river (in some cases 30 - 40 feet further out) and present our baits to fish we were not reaching from shore. The fish were positioned on the same kind of current breaks and slack water edges as usual, but these fish weren't feeling the pressure of all of the "community holes" that are accessible from shore. We were both throwing jigs with soft-plastic minnows. The trout were feeding aggressively and were very excited to see our lures. We caught good numbers and found a bigger average size than we had been catching recently. In fact, I landed my personal best river rainbow. For me, the reward definitely justified the tingling toes, numb thighs and some amount of "shrinkage" (temporary shrinkage).

Craig Mazurek - Fishing Forward

Check out this beautiful, "hump-backed" river rainbow.

For some additional pictures, take a look at the PHOTO page of our website.

Tell Me a Story -by Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:53:00 GMT

While sorting through some old boxes in the basement, I uncovered a fun little bit of my own fishing history. I was 14, the fish was huge, and the event lit a fire in me that burns to this day. But maybe more interesting than the fact that I caught this trophy, are the details of the catch...the story. Finding the accompanying newspaper article and radio broadcast of the story got me thinking–almost everyone has or knows a fishing story. Even those who don't fish or haven't fished in years can add something to the conversation when the topic is fishing stories. In fact, I'd love to hear your best story. It doesn't have to teach a lesson, it doesn't have to be profound, and it doesn't even have to be your story. I just want to take some time to enjoy the "legends and lore" that make this such an interesting and addictive pursuit. Check out my story to get the ball rolling, and then comment back with your favorite story.

It was 1981. As was the family tradition, we were spending our week-long summer vacation in a cabin on Nelson Lake in Hayward, WI. I had been fishing all my life. Unfortunately, I wasn't especially good at it, so I would spend long hours, just hoping to catch something. Over the course of several days, I had discovered that if I sat patiently at the end of our dock, I could catch bullheads and "hammer handle" pike pretty consistently. I used a two pole method–one with a single splitshot about 10" above my hook baited with a night crawler (for the bullheads), and one with a bobber a couple feet above a minnow hooked through the lips (for small northern pike). I was fairly satisfied with this plan, because frankly, I was satisfied catching any fish at all.

My bobber started to dance a bit, and then plunged under the surface. This was exactly how every 16" northern I had caught this week had behaved. I started reeling fairly routinely, and everything seemed very normal...until my line neared the dock. A shadowy, fish shaped figure, larger than any fish I had ever seen, appeared briefly and then took off like a freight train, causing the drag of my tiny Zebco 202 reel to scream for mercy. I yelled to my brother, who was fishing on a nearby dock, to bring the net–the BIG net! (Fortunately, even though we had never caught anything that would require a net even close to this big, we always had it nearby. Crazy optimists!) The fish slowed it's charge and I gently started easing it back in my direction. It coasted by within sight of the dock just as my brother arrived. Now we were both yelling to our mom who was reading a book nearby. "It's huge! It's huge! Aaahhhhh!" The leviathan made several hard-charging runs, but each time I was able to guide him back to the dock.

"Hey, you've got a bite on your other rod," Craig noticed.

"Just push the button and I'll worry about it later!" Thinking back on it, that's kind of funny that I didn't just tell him to reel it in–but that was MY fish! I wanted to catch every possible fish.

The giant seemed to be tiring. Each time I reeled it in, it got a little closer to the dock, and to Craig with the big net poised and ready. Then suddenly–disaster! The line went slack. "NNNOOOOooooo!" I reeled in the limp, shredded line with no hook, and no giant fish. Crushed doesn't begin to describe the 14 year-old me. Ready to quit fishing forever (or at least for that evening), I picked up the consolation rod that my brother had left in free-spool. As I reeled, I noticed that this fish felt pretty heavy–heavier than any bullhead I had caught that week. And just as had happened several times in the last ten minutes, the giant shadow of my prized fished appeared under the dock, and again, took off for deeper water. Was this a joke? Was I really getting a second chance? Please fish. Please. Please! PLEASE! It neared the dock, and my brother lunged with the net. "WE GOT IT! WE GOT IT!" I grabbed the net, and ran, screaming, headed for land. I put the net on the grass, and I'm pretty sure I screamed again. People came from their cabins, and from across the bay to see what all the commotion was about. The giant northern dwarfed any fish I had ever seen. 43.25" long. 18 pounds, 2 ounces. And not only was it big, I actually caught it on two separate lines. True story.

Make sure you take a look at the newspaper clipping, but for a nostalgia induced chuckle, check out the radio coverage. This is classic 1981 local Hayward broadcasting at its finest. It almost sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Now it's your turn. Share your story. If you've got a picture, please send that too. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Kurt Mazurek -Keep Fishing Forward

1981 Hayward, WI radio broadcast