FISH AND POKER

VERY GOOD OBSERVATION MATT !!!! As a matter of fact it was may 22. You are absolutely correct about it being tough for times for most....including myself. the purpose of my post was to just let it be known that Tom redington is a great teacher. When Tom and I left the dock that day, I had no clue on how to catch a Bass. I had never ever caught 1. Oh i have been fishing since I was 8 years old in texas lakes, ponds , rivers , behind dams and such....but I had never ever caught a LMB. lots of dsandies and cats on my resume ....but no LMB's until after my trip with Tom. as a matter of fact , I diod not catch 1 fish with Tom that day. I did not even get a bite that day. Tom did, and he caught about 6-7 ....1 in excess of 6 pounds and the others between 2-4 #'s. I told Tom I wasnt interested in catching LMB's that particular day , i justt wanted to learn how top use the lures properly and such. That is what he taught me all day long. Lures and bottom structure. when I left that day , I was not totally sure that what I had just spent my $$ on was worth it. Now 60 days later , I guarantee that every trip out now, that if thier are BASS present , I will catch them. I would not of had been able to do that with out the things that I learned from Tom that day. I am a bonified Bass angler now and I will get down with the boys in the upcoming Tournys on Grapevine. I did not catch anything last evening !!!!! Dam I gues there werent any present. HA!!!

Its been 60 days now since my trip with Tom and its time to make a few comments. First of all, I must say that after May 22, 2008 , I fish exclusively for LMB and nothing else. Before that day I fished for whatever would bite my line. It is truly amazing at how much i learned from Tom in 10 hours. I use to just dream about catching LMB's but now I catch them every outing all due to the basics that Tom instilled into my brain. I use to whine about 20 mph wind....now i smile and tell my guest to hang on and we are gonna fish DEEP!!!!! ( needless to say that the day that I spent w/ Tom on Fork was a 25 mph +windy daY..........and when I asked Tom , " at what point does the wind make you turn away." he says, " it hasnt yet, the wind turns 'em on!!!......he went on all day about weather conditions. As a matter of fact, i believe that Tom pretty much likes any and all conditions except for electricity . Tom says every thing turns 'em on. i love that attitude and I am a firm believer in that philosophy now. I would have to say the DROPSHOT may be my favorite technique as of today. I dont really care to much for topwater action right now. I have been fishing deep waters of 20ft or more last 60 days. I use several crank baits ( I love the DD22) I use the drop shot and lots of jigs. Tom taught me how to use these things all day and they FREAKIN WORK!!!!! CONSTANTLY!!!! I fish Grapevine 3 -7 times a week and although this lake is known for sandies.....i no longer alow the sand bass on my line. There are decnt Bass in grapevine and i know how to find them all thanks to TOM. I spent 3 weeks searching the lake and finding all kinds of drop offs and hidden / buried treasure spots that i would normally never see any anglers fish. (rule #1)just because no one fishes that spot does not mean anything ...( i personally think that most anglers want the easy shallow stuff) Dont be scared to go deep!!!! they are down there and they will bite a dropshot !!! I gaurantee it!!!! Rule #2 dont waste a lot of $$$ on expensive fishing equipment!!!! It is not necasary. ANYTHING will work, its all in your patience and imagination and willing to explore more terratory. BY THE WAY I USE A HUMINBIRD 535 As far as the $ 350 fee that Tom charges........ that is way way to to cheap for the valuable knowledge that I learned from Tom. considering the whole day and at least $50 bucks in gas. Tom is not trying to gauge people and in my mind is way more than fair. i have saved 10 time sthat in gas and i come home a happy angler every trip now. 1 more note. I pulled 9 LMB's out of grapevine in excess of 2 pounds (1 over 3 #'s) in the last 2 days. that is awsome for grapevine!!!! well.....its awsome for me anyways. out of those 9 fish....no sandies were caught!!!!. I caught them all in the same 50 yard radius in less than 4 feet of water. I read Toms latest fishing article and WOW!!!!! this dude is a fishing GOD!!!!!. I simply used the things that Tom told me and a little imagination and WHACK!!! WHACK!!! WHACK!!!!! I am hooked for life and IM LOVIN IT!!!!!!! 8-) now I have a question for TOM I have noticed that the fish im catching are in awsome shape and health. no scratches or scars like a lot of pics I see on the forums and like the monstors that tom pulled out of Fork. They all seem to have abrasions or scars on them like theu been in a battle or something. everything that i am catching in this area is perfect and beautiful. why would you think that is so ? did I forget to mention that 90% of fish caught are within 6 seconds from cast and oh yes.......OH YES!!!!! old docks and old boat houses are definitely worth your time. they may be ugly on top but they are just covering these beautiful fish that i have been catching all month long . I could never tell you how appreciative that I am to you Tom Redington!!!! YOU ARE THE MAN!!!! almost forgot...... I only use artificial and everything is catch and release. that is the way that I was taught from TOM and that is the way I roll from now on!!!! THANK YOU TOM!!!!!! IM DOING IT BABY!!!! I CANT WAIT TILL MY NEXT TRIP WITH YOU!!!! BUCK