Southern WV Bassmasters Newsletter

Volume 1 Issue 2                                                                                                  April 2001

MEETING NOTES

January 4 Meeting:

1. Joe Hanson introduced Scott Rose as prospective member.
2. Joe Hanson made motion to vote to fish Mon. River this year.  Vote result was 12 for, 1 against.
3. Steve made motion to vote to fish Mon. River 2 days (Sat. & Sun.).  Club voted 12 for, 1 against.
4. Tournament Director made following notes regarding weigh-ins:

A.     All fish are to be weighed in a timely fashion

B.     Jeff Moore is to be ‘relieved’ of carrying weigh-in table

C.     Members may compare their keeper boards with keeper board on weigh-in table.  Keeper board on weigh-in table will be only one used in tournament competition.

D.    Steve Davis will try to place rail on table to keep bass from slipping off.

5. Randall Coleman donated weigh-in bags to club.
6. Club voted on membership of Scott Rose.  Unanimous vote for accepted membership.

February 1 Meeting:

1. Joe Hanson & Andrew Albert were to attend Federation meeting on 2/4
2. 2001 tournament schedule was presented to club and voted on as follows:

3/24  Burnsville              13 for  0 against

4/7    Stonewall              13 for  0 against

5/5    Sutton                   13 for  0 against

5/19  Kan.River Pt.Pleas.          12 for  1 against

6/23  Kan.River Glasgow 10 for  3 against

7/20  Summersville Night         12 for  1 against

8/3    Sutton Night                   13 for  0 against

8/18  Kan.River S.A.Night         10 for  1 against  2 abstain

9/22  Stonewall              12 for  1 against

10/6-10/7 Mon River       13 for  0 against

11/3  Kan.River S.A.       13 for  0 against

*4/21-4/22 Kerr Res. – voted and passed in previous meeting

3. Money tournament was discussed but date could not be settled on.  To discuss later in the year.
4. Joe Hanson reminded club that we must have attendance at a minimum of 2 federation meetings.  To ask for volunteers for March meeting.

March 1 Meeting:

1. Club discussed tournament rules including the following:

A.     Members who bring a short fish to scales will be penalized

B.     Members should observe all laws and safety rules at all times

C.     No fishing within 50 yards of a gas pump

D.    Being late for weigh-in will not be tolerated and penalty will be imposed

E.     All boaters should offer their non-boater the front of the boat for half the day regardless of whether they choose to accept to fish out of the front or not.  They must also allow them to choose waters to fish for half of the day.

2. Joe Hanson commended Steve Davis on club website creation.  Club gave ideas for website including message board and hit counter.
3. Club did draw for Burnsville tournament.
4. Membership agreed that no new non-boaters should be accepted until we get more boaters.

TOURNAMENT REPORT  by: Andrew Albert

 Burnsville Lake – March 24

    After having good tournaments in bad weather last year at Stonewall and Kerr, the forecast for the Burnsville tournament kept everyone optimistic.  Unfortunately, this was not one of our bad weather = good fishing tournaments.     

      The weather was certainly bad, bad enough that the Federation postponed their Buddy Trail tournament to be held at Sutton the next day.  The wind blew virtually all day long, it poured the rain most of the day, and the air temperatures might have reached the low 40’s at best.  Combine these conditions with a lake at winter pool that fished much smaller than we’re used to, and you have one of our traditional “tough” tournaments.

      One thing about our membership is we know how to catch fish in tough conditions.  Who would be the ones to bring them to the scales was the big question.  Artie Chestnut had the answer.  He managed to finesse a pair of bass into biting tube baits and won the tournament with a total of 3.59 lbs.  His big fish was a chunky 2.46 pounder.  Congratulations to Artie for his first win of the 2001 season.  Here’s how the others fared:

 2^nd Kelly Hanson        3.32 lbs     2 fish

3^rd Lorn Walker          2.54 lbs     1 fish

4^th Jeff Moore             1.36 lbs     1 fish

Stonewall Jackson Lake – April 7

     The weather forecast and conditions leading up to the Stonewall tournament had our mouths watering.  Water temperatures were warming and the bass should be biting, right?  We found out otherwise in what is usually one of our more productive tournaments. 

      With water temperatures ranging from 54 to around 59, the fish should have been in pre-spawn mode and ready to bite any spinnerbait or crankbait that was in the vicinity.  But in usual fashion, the bite was tough and we found out real quick that a slow methodical presentation was the way to go.

      I guess the gods were smiling on me on April 7, as I took a little bit of skill and a lot of luck and won my first tournament of the year.  I caught 2 of the biggest fish I’ve ever landed with one that was 21 5/8 inches and another that was 21 ¼ inches.  (I have pictures, I promise!!)  Another small keeper bass gave me 3 fish and a converted weight of 12.69lbs.  The two big ones came on a jig-n-craw and a craw worm, the smaller one hit a crankbait.  Some pattern, huh?  I give a special thanks to Terry Beard for staying in a positive mood while I was catching those lunkers and also for netting the biggest one that had me wrapped around a tree fifty times.  Here’s how the others did:

2^nd Joe Hanson        4.56 lbs  1 fish

3^rd Artie Chestnut    4.25 lbs  1 fish

4^th David Tyler         3.88 lbs  1 fish

5^th Mike Chestnut    3.25 lbs  1 fish

Next Tournament – Kerr Res., VA – April 21 & 2 2

POINTS STANDINGS  (through Stonewall tournament)

MEMBER PROFILES

Name:  Mike Chestnut         

Hometown:  Belle, WV (now resides in Nitro)

Occupation:  Sales Rep. For Motion Industries

Family:  Kathy (AKA Princess Bunny), 2 pom super pooches, Dusty & Candy

Club member for:  4 years

Hobbies:  Hunting

Awards & top finishes:  2000 qualifier 14^th place, 2000 state final 20^th place

Favorite body of water:  Kerr Reservoir, VA & Stonewall Jackson Lake

If you could fish anywhere in U.S.:  Florida

Top 3 baits:  Tube Bait, Crankbait, Lizard

Preferred fishing technique:  Fishing structure

Biggest bass:  8lbs in Florida (biggest in tournament - 5.65 at Kerr Res.)

Favorite Pro Angler:  Kevin Van Dam

Best fishing experience:  Kerr 2000 – first day weighed in 5 fish weighing a total of 20.42 lbs.  Big fish weighed 5.65 lbs.

Worst fishing experience:  Second day of state tournament 2000 – only needed 1 12in keeper to make state team and didn’t get a single bite.  That’s Summersville!!

Tournament fishing advice:  Never give up and continue to look for something that might work.

Bass Fishing Techniques by Andrew Albert

     In March of this year, I had the privilege to learn some bass fishing techniques from some tournament trail professionals and I wanted to share some of my experiences with our club.  Lorn, Mike, Eric and myself decided to attend Bassmaster University hosted by Marshall Graduate College in Huntington.  Truthfully, I was leery of the $99 price tag that the two-day seminar cost, but looking back, it was well worth the money.  Not only did we get to see and meet professional fishermen like Jimmy Houston and David Fritts, but we also received over twelve total hours jammed with information and tactics from these pros. 

      I took a note pad thinking I may pick up on some things I didn’t know about, but before I knew it, I had written down about 15 pages of detailed notes.  Some things taught were bass fishing general knowledge, but the majority of tips and tactics were things I’ve really been missing. 

      For instance, Woo Daves said he rarely uses larger than a 2/0 hook in his worm fishing.  He says that bass almost always bite the head of the bait and you will still get a good hookup.  Apparently bass that taste more hook (more metal) will spit the bait out quicker.  He also said he prefers 4” to 6” worms in his fishing.  This surprised me since the pros tend to fish waters where there are large bass.  After all, we read big baits equal big bass, right?  Woo has a different opinion.  It’s hard to ignore a man that just won the Bassmaster Classic.

      Then there was Jimmy Houston.  He’s definitely an entertainer.  Between his cut-ups and joking, he did preach some really valuable fishing tactics.  He said that you should use scent on all lures and try to touch your bait as little as possible.  Many people hold their jig or worm when they are pitching.  Jimmy says to learn to pitch without touching your bait because it leaves human scent on your bait.  Of course his specialty is spinnerbaits and he had a few pointers on using them as well.  A few of his personal spinnerbait preferences are to not use plastic trailers (makes casting less accurate), to always use a trailer hook – but rig it free swinging and not stiff,  to down-size blades in windy conditions, and –get this- he likes a bubble gum colored spinnerbait in clear water.  Don’t ask me…

      Randy Howell was also there.  He’s mastered fishing with a floating worm.  They made him talk about carolina-rig and texas-rig worming, but when it was time to talk about the floating worm, he really got down to business.  Contrary to what many pros use, he uses a spinning rod with 10lb test for his floating worms.  I can’t go into too much detail just yet on his techniques because you may or may not know that he used to guide on Lake Gaston and Buggs Island and floating worms are his specialty.  Let’s just say that I know what I’ll be throwing at Kerr next week.

      The most informative and intense session was given by David Fritts, the hands down king of crankbaits.  Fritts redefines the theory of specializing in one fishing technique.  He lives and dies by the crankbait and admitted that he’s probably lost some tournaments by sticking with his technique.  But he’s won a few too, and a lot of money along with the wins.  Fritts will actually change baits and colors until the bass are swallowing his crankbaits all the way inside their mouth.  He doesn’t want them to hit them with closed mouths or half-open mouths and get hooked on the outside of the mouth.  He claims that you can change a color and get them to hit more aggressively and really take it.  One of the most surprising things he told us is that he rarely uses heavier than 10lb test.  He sets his drag very loose and uses a flimsy fiberglass rod as well.  He says a stiff rod will pull the bait out of the mouth of a bass that is trying to suck a bait in.  I was really surprised at his next statement, “You need to learn to ‘feel’ your crankbait as you are reeling, which will help you ‘feel’ the lightest strike” says Fritts.  “Probably 60% of my fish come when a fish inhales a bait and not from a jarring strike like most are used to feeling on a crankbait.”  That’s a theory that many of us would do well to experiment with.  I really enjoyed the whole experience and I’ll be back the next time they make a visit to our state.