Fred Raby
fraby@hook1.com
hook1.com
"FISHING WITH FRED"
Covering Tidal Waters And Impoundments
"Summertime Patterns"
Just when you think you have these illusive bass habits figured out, something changes...the fish!
I recently fished a tournament on Claiborne Lake. I had done my research, talked to fishermen who had won tournaments just one week prior to ours, talked with locals who fished the water on a regular basis and were known to catch fish. This is not unfamiliar water for me either.
I went to the tournament with reasonable expectations of making a decent showing. The word was crankbait, crankbait, and crankbait. Work the tree tops near deeper water and be ready to put your limit in the boat. Well come tournament day there was no crankbait action. My partner and I worked areas I knew, areas I had been told were producing fish and had nothing to show for our efforts at 12:00 PM. Cliff said I read when they are shut down you have to make 'em mad and tied on a junebug lizard. I had switched to a red shad worm and would alternate between that and the sure-fire crankbait everyone had told me about.
We moved to an inside bend in the river with good laydowns and on the next cast Cliff boated a solid 1 ½ pounder. I thought 'that's a fluke' and stayed with my baits of choice. Three casts later another fish, in the back of my boat..... I switched.
As we moved up the bank I finally managed to boat one keeper spot, but my partner had taught me a lesson. He had four nice fish in the boat and had lost another fine one next to the boat.
All on the junebug lizard.
I have to give him credit; he put a pattern together, stuck with it and made it work. The fish were tight on the structure and the slow fall of the lizard invading their territory was too much and they could not stand it. He finished second in the tournament.
Don't be afraid to try something different, something out of season sometimes will produce when the word put out quits.
Good fishing,
Fred
