I had to post this tip on here. I have seen tons and tons of articles on bleeding a fishes swim bladder with a needle. There is an extremely effective alternative that very few people seem to be aware of. I saw this on a tv show a long time ago on Roland Martin’s show, yet for the life of me I can’t understand why it is not more commonly known. I have used this method to release and save somewhere around 50 fish. This includes a healthy 12.90 lb which is my personal best. I also successfully depressurized a bass that won big bass in a tournament that weighed 7.87 lbs. I do not have a name for this method of bladder depressurization and I did not develop it.
First what causes this over expansion of the fish’s swim bladder? What happens is the fish comes up in the water column too quickly either being pulled or swimming upward during a fight. Air in the bass swim bladder compresses as it goes deeper in the water column due to pressure from the water. This means that the air will expand as the fish rises in the water column. Bass have air in the bladder and as they come to the surface that air expands. If the fish comes up too quickly the air does not get released and sticks the fishes swim bladder too full. If the fish is immediately released often it can return to depth quickly enough for the air pressure to be relieved naturally. However, with tournament fishing the fish is often held in a live well for extended periods of time. The longer the bladder is over expanded the harder it is for the fish to recover.
The solution is simple allow the water to naturally equalize the pressure. I have setup which I keep in my boat at all times just for this occasion. For a home made version take either an old reel with a heavy cord attached. I would recommend 100 lb test to be on the safe side. You don’t want to get into another fight with that trophy you just caught. So make sure you build it heavy. For my setup I use a Cuban hand reel, but really any kind of reel will work as long as it will hold enough heavy line to sink a fish as deep as the deepest fish you catch. For me that is only around 35 feet or so. For a release only rig take a small hook and tie about an 18 inch leader line to it. On the end of the leader add ample weight to sink the fish. I use about 8 to 12 oz’s of saltwater weights. Now Tie the line from the reel to the bend of the hook so that the hook will hang pointed down. Flatten the barbs on the hook also. If you wish to use it for tournaments and release, which I do, use a high quality saltwater snap clip. I would recommend the interlocking type to prevent accidental releases. Attach the clip to the hook eye and then the leader to the snap and down to the weight. This will allow you to use the hook for release or the clip for tournaments.
To use the rig is also very simple. First, you need some deep water. I usually look for water slightly deeper than the water I caught the fish in. For release take the hook and push it down into the hard part of the nose of the fish. You want it secure enough to get the fish down before it can flop off. If you are in a tournament use a clip or in my case I used two just in case one popped open. Now sink the fish down. If you are tournament fishing hold the fish there for a little bit then SLOWLY pull the fish up . I can’t emphasize this enough S L O W L Y. If you are releasing the fish just hold the line for a little bit and you will feel the fish kicking and stuff. When you feel it has had enough time to equalize simply snatch the line sharply enough to pop the hook out of the nose of the fish and leaving the fish at that depth. Hang around for a few if it failed it shouldn’t take long to see. I have had one fish I could not get down and stay down. This fish was a 3 lb bass blown up to the size of a six lber that somebody else caught and weighed in. I had no idea how deep the fish was caught or how early in the day it was caught. Other than that I have been extremely successful with this method.
This method should work for pretty well any species of fish. Please practice catch and release often and help protect our resources.
I feel it is important to make this post because it seems everyday more and more people don’t seem to respect fellow anglers on the water.
First off let’s cover launching a boat. When you are launching a boat it is courteous to only pull in front of the launch to back in when you ARE ready to actually back into the water. Do not block the pull up area while you are unstrapping your boat, putting in your plug, or loading tackle. That area is intended to be pulled into to line up on the ramp and back into the water. Also when you load your boat the same thing applies. Don’t sit there tying everything up while others may need to get their boat out as well. Pull forward out of the load area and tie things up out of other people’s way. Another thing if it is dark when you are loading or launching a boat turn your lights off when you are backing down the ramp or pulling up the ramp. Most ramps are designed for multiple boats to launch simultaneously. It is very difficult to line up on a ramp looking into the lights of a truck on the slope. When your truck is on the ramp it is angled up which puts the lights shining right into the eyes of anyone else trying to launch a boat. I think this covers the main issues I run into with people at the ramps.
Boat operations. One thing that I see a lot is people coming way too close to other people fishing while they are planed out. This can be a little grey sometimes. Typically it is courteous to stay up to 100 feet away while planed out. The exception to this is when people are fishing IN or directly near the boat lane or common running area. With this in mind remember if you fish in or close to the boat lanes do so understanding you should not expect people to shut down off plane in these areas because you chose to fish there. When you come into an area close to a fellow angler try to shut down far enough in advance to keep the swelling wakes from hitting the anglers boat. Another thing I see way too often is people running too close behind another boat planned out running down the lake. It takes a lot more distance to slow a boat down. There is no brake on a boat and it would not be good to land in somebody’s back seat.
Fishing Etiquette: Ok, here is the big subject. This is the topic that really burns a lot of people up and is the reason so many people behave so secretly about fishing holes. First, just because you see a boat fishing somewhere does not mean you should go fish around them. Yes they may be sitting there catching fish and you may not be but still don’t. You don’t know how much time and effort that person may have put in to catch fish in that spot. Many people sink brush piles to hold fish. It costs time and money to do that and for someone to come up and fish it because you are sitting there is just outright RUDE. The lakes are big enough that you could go fish somewhere else even better it just requires some WORK on your part. Ok, this doesn’t mean you should not fish community holes. For those who don’t know what a community hole is I’ll explain. A community hole is a fishing location known by most anglers on the lake. On the same note don’t get mad when somebody comes fishing by you IN a known community hole it comes with the territory. When fishing an area and you find you are sharing the area still avoid fishing within at least two cast lengths of a fellow angler aside from going around.
Hole Jumping: Ok this one is also classic and very important. Your buddy calls you up says “Hey man let’s go fishing I have been smashing fish in this spot”. You go out and go fishing in this spot your friend found. Now your friend does not “Own” this spot but he did find it and the ethical thing to do is respect your friends fishing spot. This means ask him if you intend to go fishing and want to go there. It means ask if he cares if you bring such and such friend with you. It means you don’t go out and catch fish there any old time you feel like it. You never know when he may go there for a tournament unknowing that his”buddy” smashed his go to hole. Also it means not showing the location to every tom dick and harry on the lake. Sure sometimes it was just timing and yall got lucky the fish were there, but sometimes that spot can pay off over and over again especially for a tournament angler. The same thing applies to going as a draw angler. Ok the point is to learn right, well learn. Analyze the fishing area and situation and go find your own location based on what made the spot you saw a good one. Don’t go to learn where other people fish. Tournament guys know that showing the wrong person where you fish will kill a good fishing hole. I have heard of some guys going out and catching a mess of fish to put in the freezer off somebody’s fishing hole that they were shown. That is total crap. A little curtesy and respect goes along way. I have a few friends with my total trust and I have theirs. I respect each one and I will not share one firends information with another friend without them knowing. If I think the fish are holding good in a friends location I will call and find out if he is fishing anything soon there and also if he minds if I fish the spot. If he does have a tourny or doesn’t want the spot hit for some other reason simple respect his wishes and find somewhere else to fish. Please help keep our sport respectful and honerable. There is a lot of competition out there but as with any competition poor morals and ethics will ruin a sport for the rest of us.
Recently there was a big bass tournament on Toledo Bend. It was the McDonald Big Bass Splash put on by Sealy Outdoors. I know a lot of people saw the Red Ranger with www.learntocatchbass.com on the side zipping around. I was the driver of that boat and managed to squeeze out 5 checks for a total winnings of 2,400.00 dollars. Now if you were in the tournament you know how tough the fishing was and you are probably very interested in how some people managed to pull several good fish out when there were so many people having trouble catching fish at all. I will dive in and hopefully give you some insite on Toledo Bend summertime fishing.
There were three main tactics that accounted for the majority of the quality fish being caught this weekend. First, the most notorious big bass bait,the jig, accounted for it’s share of big fish. Second, and the method that won overall was dragging a big worm. Third was a deep cranking pattern.
These three patterns all hinged primarily on one key factor deep water and submerged wood cover. Don’t get me wrong some good fish were caught in the grass but the majority came from wood cover. The bite in the grass seemed to be a bit tougher this year.
To catch solid fish early the quickest method for catching quality fish in the 4 to 8 lb range was the crankbait. Look for feeding areas close to deep water. Those fish pulled up to eat, bluegill, white perch and shad in the early morning hours. I personally drew all my check fishing a Custom painted DD 22 between 18 to 25 foot of water that had wood that came to within 15 feet of the surface. The crankbait was painted by Sixth Sense Lure Company out of Nacogdoches Texas. Most of my fish were feeding in the upper part of the tops I was fishing and when you hit them they were stacked up very well. The first morning I pulled a 6 lber a 5 lber 3 fish between 2.5 and 3 lbs and I lost another fish about 5 lbs and another fish about 4 lbs in less than 20 minutes. Those summer fish pull up and feed early in the morning then either bury down in the tops or suspend out over deep water the remainder of the day.
After a good morning bite things slowed down considerably. Once the heat picks up there were really only two options. One punch grass, which I really didn’t hear many reports of many good fish coming from the grass. The other option which panned out more strongly this year is to drag that big worm or big jig until you hit big momma in the head. You need to find a good hump, point or ridge that was fairly close to deep water preferably a river or creek channel. You could often fish the slow stuff in the same places as the cranks after the morning bite slowed. When you “think” you are fishing slow enough slow down more. Those big females don’t want to chase food a lot once the sun gets up. They sit around saving energy to feed up good at night when they have more of an ambush advantage. Those big fish are still opportunistic feeders and if they see a chance to grab an easy snack barely making it across bottom then they will. Patients is key when the bite is tough. You have to have confidence that what you are doing is right even when you don’t get a lot of feedback. Because the big bites are slow and far in between especially in the heat of the day. Unfortunately I never drug my bait across the right big gal this weekend. I managed some solid morning bites but no really big fish.
I know that for alot of people it seemed like there wasn’t a bass in the whole lake but I hope this helps you understand what you could have done differently. Those fish were grouped pretty good together in the mornings when they were feeding but after breakfast was over they spread out to their seperate hiding places. For full tournament results and information visit Sealy Outdoors.
Today there are thousands of choices for swimbaits out there. The trouble is knowing where to start. I have been fishing them for a short period of time but I have to admit I have thoroughly enjoyed it. From the information I could gather from Swimbait nation you get what you pay for when it comes to swimbaits. I also found this out first hand when I started out last year. I bought a Reaction Strike bass candy. When I got the bait it was scratched up bad on the side so I contacted Tackle Warehouse and they sent me a second one. Now I had two, one just scratched up. These baits had two different bait schemes and had different colored eyes which demonstrated inconsistency. They were supposedly the same scheme. In one outing with these two baits the tail fell off one of them and about mid way on the second one fell off. Basically both baits fell apart in one trip without so much as a fish caught on them. I am sure I could have sent them back but who really wants to send baits back over and over again. Those two baits were about 20 bucks each (although I received one free). This prompted me to spend the extra cash and get a more reputable brand. After some research I settled in on the triple trout.
My first triple trout was a six inch in a light trout pattern and cost me about 70 dollars. I live in Louisiana where there aren’t any rainbow trout and I am a stickler for matching the hatch. I did throw these baits for several trips and even caught a small fish on it without any signs it would fall apart. I contacted a good friend of mine who paints baits for a living and asked him if he would do me a favor and repaint the bait. He painted the bait in a really cool baby bass pattern. Since the repaint I have caught probably 15 fish on this bait and it barely has so much as hook rash. This bait has a fairly smooth s action and runs really good right out of the package. The only adjustment you have to keep up with on these baits is tweaking the tail from time to time. The tail acts as a keel and if it gets twisted it will run slanted. I have since bought several other triple trouts, had them painted, and had success with each and everyone of them. I have yet to have one fall apart or have one I could not get tuned to run straight. These baits are built with quality components and are intended to catch a lot of fish without failure. These baits also hold true running even with the addition of a quality repaint. One of my triple trouts came from another fisherman and he had caught somewhere around 40 fish on this bait. I had the bait repainted and it looks as good as new and runs just as good as a brand new one. I have already caught several fish on it and intend to catch a ton more once the season is in full swing. I personally have not had to deal with returning a bait that runs bad, but my understanding is they fully stand behind these baits and will promptly take care of the situation.
7.5 lb on a 7 inch custom painted triple trout
These baits can be ran with or without a clip or with or without a split ring. Each method offers a different action to the bait. Also the hook eyes are actually a barrel swivil and allow the hooks to spin freely and aid in keeping fish from throwing the bait. I can say I have landed roughly 30 fish including a 7 to 7.5 lber on them without losing a fish yet. Knock on wood of course but I feel very confident in keeping big fish hooked up with these baits. Be sure to upgrade to quality hooks and check them often to avoid heartbreaks on the water. Overall I would have to say that the 22nd Century Triple Trout is an outstanding bait and a good starter bait to get into swimbait fishing.
The Shimano Crucial rod series is an excellent buy and a top quality rod. I have had several so far and all have been outstanding. Also the customer service has been great. One is a 7′11″ medium cranking stick. This rod does extremely well for cranking those big lipped crankbaits at depth. I use mine for DD 22, Hot Lips, and the old big Mud bugs. It really makes cranking those big baits alot easier without sacrificing sensitivity. The rods are light and strong. I have had fish over eight lbs on my cranking stick and even straightened hooks out without any issue. I also have a 6′6″ medium heavy which I use for fishing weightless worms and light texas rigs. I have slammed this rod hard into countless fish including one 12lber and a 9 lber. I have had no issue with this rod either. I also have another rod which the rod tip broke off one day on the hookset. I contacted the store I bought the rod from and had no problem swapping the rod over the counter for a new one. I would definetly rate the Crucial series as one of my favorite rods. They have good strength, sensitivity, and a good return policy.
Choosing a boat insurance is hard these days. There are so many companies trying to pull your business. But how do you know who will take care of you and who will leave you on your own. I want to give you a story about one insurance company who apparently has wonderful service with auto insurance but they are lacking greatly on boat insurance. Let’s start at the beginning of this process. My motor dropped two cylinders while running on Sam Rayburn. I took my boat to an Certified Evinrude mechanic. Who is also a very reputable mechanic in this area. After a full inspection of my motor the mechanic determined the cause. He stated that a small peble was sucked into the water intake and held the thermostat open. During the warmer part of the year this wouldn’t have been such a problem but with cool temps it becomes a much bigger issue. Basically right from the beginning cool water was being pushed through the cylinders and never allowed the motor to warm up. The first two cylinders seized up. The mechanic said that the water is coolest coming through the first cylinders and warms the further along it gets through the block. That is why the first cylinders are the ones that seized. The mechanic fully tested out the oil pump which was virtually brand new. The oil pump test out perfectly fine. Furthermore, fuel was removed from the cylinders which definitively contained oil. Demonstrating that the cylinders did NOT run lean.
Now the dealings with progressive. First off I received a call from a claims rep in my state. But, because my boat shop was just over the state line she transferred the claim to a different rep. Once it was given to him I did not receive so much as a phone call to update me on the status for more than a week. I knew it had been looked at because I had been in touch with my mechanic and the rep had came by there. After a week I tried to track down someone who could help me with my claim. I made about 5 phone calls and got three messaging systems claiming whoever I was calling was going to be out for days. The claim rep was going to be gone for more than a week. His team leader gone for several days. Then their supervisor was apparently out also. Finally late that evening the supervisor returned my call. I explained to him that I needed to have this taken care of as quickly as possible because I had a major tournament the next weekend in which I had already registered. At this point an agent had already went and spoke to the mechanic and taken photos of the block.
Ok, here is where it really gets frustrating. The supervisor makes repeated claims that the block looks like it ran lean. Now for those of you who are mechanics out there the cylinders were black which from my understanding means they were definitely not deprived of oil. They were not burnt as if the water pump wasn’t working. They requested a fuel sample from the cylinder’s which my mechanic gave them and which obviously had fuel mixed with oil as it was supposed to be. I asked the supervisor “If my motor seized due to something being sucked into the intake would it be covered”. The supervisor said “yes”. Although the mechanic had already went through and determined what caused the motor to seize the supervisor still continued to dispute the findings. He continued to claim it looked like it ran lean despite multiple instances of proof that it in fact showed it did NOT run lean. I asked the supervisor could I get my mechanic to go ahead and start putting the block back together so I could hopefully get back on the water by the next weekend for my tournament. The supervisor told me they were going to get a marine engineer to come look at the motor so it would be some time the next week when they could come look at it and the motor needed to stay opened up until they could look at it.
Let’s recap. Blown motor, certified and reputable mechanic determines cause, and major tournament the next weekend. Determined that something sucked into the intake cause the malfunction. Now not only are they disputing my mechanic they are also making the process take even longer insuring that I would not make my tournament. Sounds just like the wonderful commercial on TV of a quick claims service right. I could understand possible disputing a mechanic who was not certified and worked out of his house or something. They either A assume the mechanic is a liar, or B assume he just doesn’t know what he is talking about. I would like to know what mechanic school these agents went to. I want to know what credentials they have to deem them capable of arguing with a certified mechanic that works on motors for a living. The final straw for me was when the supervisor wanted me to leave my motor laid open and wait for a marine engineer to come analyze my motor when it had already been analyzed by a certified mechanic and it would make certain I would not make my tournament. The repair was only going to cost around 1100 dollars of which 250 was my deductible anyhow. I called the supervisor and told him I did not appreciate the way my claim was being handled and would like to cancel this claim and cancel my account. I have to wonder if this is what they wanted to happen in the first place. If you frustrate a customer enough they will give up and cancel the claim.
Through this process I spoke to several other mechanics and seemed to get the similar responses from each in relation to Progressive insurance. Two mechanics said they would not do claim work for progressive. One mechanic said he was getting very close to not doing claim work for them. Another mechanics response about Progressive insurance was “Good Luck everything with them is mechanical failure”. I started asking questions to these mechanics to determine what insurance companies where good to deal with. I got the same responses from all the mechanics. The first choice is State Farm. Then second was Farm Bureau. So if you have the options I would reccommend skipping progressive for boat insurance and go right the the better choices of State Farm or Farm Bureau. I hope this review helps keep people from having the same experiences as I did.
This site is going through some changes and will be up and going before you know it. We look forward to the years to come as we help you learn more and more about bass fishing. Please check back with us in the upcoming months as we get things going. We have several new writers ready to help educate.