A Little Pre-Tournament Technique Practice Landed Me 15 Bass

[Hanover_Yakker]

In preparation for an upcoming tournament, I needed to get some much needed time on the water but couldn't venture too far from home due to a sick little one and needing to be close to home in case the wife needed me.  So I headed out to a local neighborhood pond to fish like it was a tourney day albeit not on the same type of water.  Sometimes, practicing the skills nets you some fish even if that was not your intention or goal for the day.  My goal was to limit myself to three presentations and work them.  Let me set the scene of this lake for you......

Size - maybe 35 acres total in the shape of a "Y" with the "Y" at the spillway - no boats with motors, electric and paddle only.
Depths - deepest spot is only 8' and that is at the spillway, rest of lake averages 4'
Surface temps - 83-84 degrees by mid-afternoon
Wind - always affects you regardless of which end you fish
Composition - man made neighborhood pond with sheer drop offs 12-18" from the bank that fall to 4' pretty quickly. Areas where it is shallow have a mucky bottom from detritis of old leaves, algae snot, old timber, etc.
Cover - loads of pads in every nook and cranny, a few laydowns and lots of overhanging brush at the water's edge.

Generalities - not the best lake to use open hooks on during the summer and fall (cranks, soft bodied swimjigs, etc). Loads of free floating algae and leaves that snag your hooks on every cast, but you can still use top waters and spinnerbaits or skirted jigs. The banks are loaded with algae snot and the pads are so thick, that casting deep into them is not the best approach either. The best approach is a topwater frog along the pad edges or open casting lanes in the pads and weedless presentations.

On this day, I opted for a spinnerbait, a skirted swim jig and a wacky rig. While the wind was blowing, I started with the spinnerbait and swim jig but got no love. Switched over to the wacky rig and it was game on. The best technique on this lake is commonly referred to as skipping.  I ended up landing 15 bass in total and really dialed in my skipping technique from distances up to 40' from shore.

Now if you have never done this, let me recommend a couple of things.....start with a spinning rod. It will make your time on the water a lot less frustrating. Second, a spinning rod with an extra fast tip really is helpful, because your casting motion is simplified to a simple clockwise (or counter clockwise if you are left handed) wrist turn and release of the line at the right moment to send your soft plastic skipping along the surface. After a few casts into open water, you can quickly learn and feel the right motion and timing of your line release.

Need more help than that? Then check out this video montage sample of some of the casts I made this past Friday at this very lake......
 

......oh wait, I almost got a warning flag. I can't post it here.  It has two non-BR sponsor images at the end.

 

In that case, if you are interested in the video, just send me a PM and I will send the url to you.

[hookset on 3]

That's Awesome! 15 bass days would surely put a big smile on my face.

Good luck in your tourney.

[AK-Jax86]

Yea man landing 15 bass is a nice practice hopefully you carry that over to your tourney... Best of luck hope you land some big ones and win and can show us some pics

[Bankbeater]

Wow, good job!  I can't remember the last time I caught 15 bass during one outing.

[lmbfisherman]

Wow, good job!  I can't remember the last time I caught 15 bass during one outing.

My highest this season 14 and still my highest "number day", never reached 15...I'm sure it was dang fun! 

[Hanover_Yakker]

Well, the tournament was a blast as always - good times, great food and some interesting weather.  Pretty much the usual for this tournament every year.  Everyone had to contend with gusting winds close to 30 knots in spots.  I teamed up with a couple friends and we fished at one of the Newport News reservoirs.  It was a tough bite with several lost fish.  Normally, you can work a jig-n-craw or Carolina rig around the trees but the hydrilla over growth combined with strong gusting winds negated those efforts.  I worked some pockets with a wacky rigged PTL Sick Stick and a spinnerbait all day and ended up with only two in the yak and two lost.  The best fish of the day was a 19" chain pickerel that was very fat, but the heartbreak of the day came with less than an hour to go before i had to leave to get back and check folks in.

 

I was working a large flat slow rolling a spinnerbait when I noticed a rather large bass roll on the surface chasing bait.  When it crested the water, there was at least18" of back showing alone!!!  I kept a watchful eye for the next signs of baitfish getting antsy before I fired off a cast.  When it happened, I made a quick cast only to be greeted by a nasty crosswind/swirl that caused a slight over rotation of the reel - not even a backlash, just a couple loops that loosened on the spool.  I pulled the overrun out with a couple quick tugs and reeled in the slack - the line came tight and a fish was on!!

 

A couple hard lunges and I knew it was a good one, and not a chain pickerel.  She pulled some major drag and was bulldogging me in to the matted hydrilla.  Once she was under the boat, she ended up wedging herself into the hydrilla.  As I eased her to the surface, I noticed the spinnerbait was no longer in the fished mouth, rather it was hooked into the hydrilla with the fish still buried nose first in it as well.  The fish unflared it's gills and slipped out of the mat as I was reaching to grab her - easily 22" and possibly over 23".

 

It wasn't until later that evening as the winning measurements were being announced I realized that I would have won at least second place.  The final placings were: 3rd place was 19 3/4", 2nd was 20" and the winning 1st place fish was 23".  The winner won the Wilderness Systems kayak of their choice and any color they wanted.  I am already stoked to give it a go next year and see if I can pull out the victory.

 

Here's a quick pic of the chunky pickerel that slammed my slow rolled spinnerbait.