pbrussell

Just an update, my article rolled out for bass times in this months issue. It is on the Ned rig with Casey Scanlon. Check it out if you can!

Very glad to hear the bite is still on at melvern. My club has a tournament out there tomorrow. Curt, if you catch any 5 pounders, give me the gps cordinates.

I used to bash people for grammatical/spelling errors. That was until I married my wife who happens to be dyslexic and has trouble spelling the simplest of words and constructing the simplest of sentences. With that being said, she's also one of the more intelligent and creative people I know. You never know who's on the end of the screen. Keep in mind I'm an english major who happens to write for fishing publications as a part time gig.

Pics or this trip didnt happen

Looks like a good evening of fishing fellas. I was on table rock all last week. Fishing was pretty darn tough, especially considering I don't know how to drop shot and had no desire to learn. The topwater bite was decent early and late, with fish coming on both a sexy dawg junior and popper. Best areas for topwater were round points with mixed ledge rock/smaller rock. A few bites came near docks, but those fish were more reluctant to take the bait all the way and merely swiped at it most of the time. When the topwater bite was gone, fishing a football jig on points seemed to be the ticket. 20-35 fow, with 22-25 being the sweet spot was where fish were taken. Points with trees and stumps in this water depth were most productive. Perhaps the most fun day of fishing was the first day. On the back end, there is an island, with a large ridge type structure that sits at 12-14 fow next to the island, with the island itself acting as a point of sorts, with a slow tapering drop to 20 fow. The channel swings right across this area, where 20 fow immediately meets 80+. I caught fish on this structure all week long, but the first day a large school of spots were using it to ambush shad. For about 2 hours it was non stop action. When fish would surface, they could be caught on a spook. When they went back down, I was catching them on a rootbeer colored deep diving bomber that ran around 16-18 feet down. Once the school moved off the structure, I could still catch the occasional spot or smallie by dragging a jig at the 20 foot mark, adjacent to the channel swing drop. Two times, I thought I had absolute monsters but they were discovered to be different species. My first day, I was catching smallies on a point with the football jig when my line made a huge pop and the rod loaded up. For a good two minutes, I fought what I thought was a giant smallie which turned out to be a 10+ pound channel cat. Towards the end of the trip, I was fishing an area with the ned rig after the sun had come up. I had been catching smallies on topwater there, and once again the rod loaded up and immediately started taking drag. For 5 minutes, I fought what ended up being a 20+ pound carp. Largemouth were few and far between on the trip, with only 3 ending up in the boat. Here are some pics of some of the nicer fish I caught. (All of the spots that were schooling looked like this one, or bigger. Like I said, it was fun) This was the last fish of the trip, a nice smallie which absolutely demolished the sexy dawg.

Well I mean, if the story pans out, he caught a 13 lb state record bass there. That could be one reason why...

I'll let everyone know once the article rolls out. Like I said, don't want to put the cart before the horse at this time.

This has been a wild year for me, not necessarily on the water, but in the field of writing. I never imagined that my english degree and passion for fishing could be used in unison, but that is exactly what has been happening. As some of you know, this year I started writing for a few publications including Bass Quest and insideline.net. Keep in mind that I've only been doing this for roughly six months, so I feel very blessed and accomplished to say that it appears I will have an article rolling out for Bass (Bass times). I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but the editor has informed me that they're buying the article I gave them. Now, this isn't me saying I've "made it" in the fishing industry, but, to be a contributor to the most well known and renowned fishing magazine of perhaps all time is an extreme honor. To do it in just six months after pursuing this field? Well, it's unbelievable to me. I'm floating on cloud nine. At any rate, I will stop tooting my own horn, but it's hard for me to contain my excitement and there aren't too many outside of the fishing world that understand how large of an accomplishment this is. What does this have to do with you then? I'm not saying read my stuff, though that'd tickle me if you did. There is a point of application here; that being, if you set your mind to it, you can do it. You want to be a better fisherman? You want to go pro? You want to work with Berkeley and help them design new product? You want to write for bass? Go out and do it. It can be done. Thanks guys.

Was doing some pond hopping with a buddy one evening. I made a cast and he told me he broke off in that area a few days prior. When I had finished my retrieve, I noticed I had brought some line in with me. I started to bring in the line with my hands, when the other end of the line started swimming off. I brought in a fish that had my buddies jig in its mouth from when he broke off a few days ago.

La cygne wasn't very great to me either. 5 fish- 4 of em in the first 15 minutes on a chatterbait. One two hours later on a 3.5" craw.

He claims he didnt have a camera on him. Pity.

Ah, didn't realize that. well in any event...

Interesting factoid. There was a rumor floating around here that ned caught a giant smallmouth at shawnee in topeka not long ago. It wasn't a rumor. 6 lbs 10 oz.

We fished from 6-8:30 and caught 31 between the two of us. I had big fish of the night if you count quick releases, 2 1/2 pounds jumped off right at the boat. Best spot in my opinion was the hump with the two buoys and grass on it. Clayton, the shad you mentioned did end up getting chased on the edge of the hump by a big group of largemouth. It was quite the frenzy for about a minute, and quite fun to watch. We got a couple of bites swimming our rigs on the top of the water column when that was going on. Ned outfished me 2 to 1 it seemed, he definitely knows how to handle the midwest finesse rig as he calls it. He still doesn't like it much that it's named after him, but he's come to accept it.

It's looking like I actually will be able to make it to the meeting at johnny's thursday. If johnny's in, we should ask him to fish the event with us. He's quite the stick from what I hear.

I am fishing with the man, the myth, and the legend at gardner lake today, otherwise known as ned kehde. Some of you people here have apparently fished a particular rig a time or two that he revolutionized.

Doubtful I can make Johnny's, but I will try. October 11-12 works for me. If it's one of the "closer" lakes I could probably tow my boat both days.

I can't speak for bass, I was just in estes park last week though. A number of streams/rivers have good trout populations. Take your spinning rod, and half a zinker Z super glued to a 1/16th ounce jighead aka the ned rig(natural colors like green pumpkin work best). Have caught my fair share of trout with it up there.

Never mind... I think they're just introducing new colors to their "original mold" meaning nothing has changed. I hope I'm wrong and didn't misread it though

Saw that storm is using the "original" molds for wiggle warts this next year. Could this mean what I think it means?

Donkey, mule, toad, pig, horse, cow, walmart girl, etc. all terms apply.

I plan on being there.

I could probably swing a two day at perry. I wouldn't be able to stay out there, but I could likely pull my boat there both days. And you all know I've been joking (and dreading) doing a get together at perry. I think we should do it. Worse comes to worst and we can turn it into a drum tourney. I will absolutely smoke you guys if it comes to that.

Funds have been tight for me. Haven't been able to do most of my recent tourneys with my club, so I highly doubt I'll be able to do a 2 day. However, if a one day happens, or there's a 2 day going within reasonable distance I might be able to make it.

Please, please, please- take all the drum you want out of that lake. All of them.