The Dream, Part II- Lake of the Ozarks & My Return

Started by D.W. Verts, November 25, 2018, 08:40:17 PM

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Wizard

Well done, Dale! Many anglers pay for seminars and don't receive the information given freely on Ultimate Bass. A few things brought up in this thread are worth noting.
1) For bass to use an area, there has to be forage for them to feed.
2) To find bass, you have to gather and process information from every cast.
3) Your brain is the most important tool in your boat.
4) There are usually multiple patterns working on a body of water.
5) Don't sore mouth bass you need in a tournament.
5) Where and how to catch bass during the Fall turnover.
I don't believe Dale is finished with this and I'll be waiting for the rest.

Wizard

D.W. Verts

I just want everyone to know that I'm not trying to be a show off here, or be a know it all. It's the exact opposite- I'm struggling with who I am in this modern world of bass fishing that has changed so much since I was here last.

My point in chronicling my ill fated journey this past week is to help folks, and not just tournament fisherman either. Finding bass is an art that everyone can use, on any body of water. I've had to work at it on a ONE ACRE POND, and that's no foolin'.

And there's not a much better feeling than getting on something that seems solid (and I say "seems" because there's not a one of us who hasn't had the rug pulled from beneath us on a "for sure" deal.) Just plain fact.

I have no ego. But I did get bruised this week by not completing the journey. I almost wished I hadn't started all of this-  it would have been so much better with a denouement. But as long as someone gets something out of it, then I reckon that's alright.

The wind's a-blowin' hard outside right now. It's cold and misting. But that also means the high pressure hasn't set in yet, and clear water fish LOVE these conditions. Man.

My final points have pretty much already been tallied up by Wizard. Keeping an open mind. Play to your strengths but be prepared to change up. Versatility is EVERYTHING. Having a set method in place (mine being to use adjacent creeks with a good variety of habitat, structure and depths and then running the differing areas in a strategic and ORDERLY fashion) and putting your method into place in an ORDERLY fashion so you don't run around haphazard hoping for the best, yet being able to MODIFY YOUR APPROACH as conditions dictate. Yes, I know I just said all of that twice. You're gettin' all this for free, remember...

And experience will help all of this, until you trip on all of your experience and have to start over. It happens. Understanding seasonal patterns and bass movements will aid considerably in knowing where to even start (and this may be the toughest time of year to get a fix on that).

Confidence is your best friend, and worst enemy when it turns to Cockiness.

Time management is the worst enemy for me, and these two days were a perfect example. I really blew it with the hustle, yet it worked out anyway.

Patience is a virtue. Like Wizard said, sore-mouthing bass will not help you come tourney day. Of course if you're fishing for fun, then you put the hurt on 'em. Leave no survivors. But in two days I just put a couple of keepers in the boat. And yet I feel like I was on a load of them (confidence) due to the quality of strikes and the fish that I actually saw bite.  My practice spinnerbait has a really small hook with the point bent down a little. The skirt is a full-length 5", something I NEVER do in a derby. No trailer hook, something I almost ALWAYS do in competition. My grub, if I would have stuck with it for more practice, would have had the hook folded down. That sticky little thing almost got me in trouble Thursday.

Being able to know when to move, when to change-up baits, etc. is an ongoing struggle for me too. It's a never-ending learning  experience that can change by the day or even by the hour. Staying loose, while staying focused, is the key.

And like the great Rickey Clunn, I believe you can listen, hear, smell and TASTE your environment when you're fishin' good. In the ZONE. Mother Nature has a lot to say, and when I've been in tune with all of my Karma stuff I've been the best fisherman (or human being for that manner) that I can be.

Peace.

Dale
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Bud Kennedy

DW, Compared to some of us you are still a Young Un.  You are not gonna get over this until you finally scratch that itch.  You don't need to explain yourself to any of us arm chair anglers.  You may not realize how much we have gained by your chronicles of this adventure and our excitement about continuing the story next March.

Reading your stuff about the practice days just further serves to remind us of the amount of knowledge that some have compared to our personal understanding of what it takes to be a successful tournament angler.  You have unwavering support here on Ultimate Bass and win, lose or draw you have our deepest respect for dusting off the gear and putting your knowledge back on the front lines.  I think I can speak for a lot of the membership and say thank you for making us a small part of your dream.

Wizard

Dale, I kid a little because I know how doggone good you are. I don't say were, I say are-----today, right now. Your knowledge is second to none in finding bass and establishing patterns, You've proved how good you are. You don't have to prove it again. When I watch a tourney on TV, I'm astounded to see many of today's anglers run blindly to a bank and start fishing. They don't get a bite and say, "that was a really good looking spot. I should have caught a bunch there". Then, they go to a spot just like it. Or, they say, "I don't see any bait fish but that doesn't mean anything. They could still be here".  My grandfather could beat them and he's been dead for 40 years.
If you will have a problem, it is this. You no longer know the water you fish. You need trips to Table Rock, Pomme, Stockton, etc. to reconnect with the lake. You had to learn the lakes when you started tourney fishing. Now, you have to relearn them.

Wizard

Oldfart9999

Quote from: Bud Kennedy on December 02, 2018, 01:37:42 PM
DW, Compared to some of us you are still a Young Un.  You are not gonna get over this until you finally scratch that itch.  You don't need to explain yourself to any of us arm chair anglers.  You may not realize how much we have gained by your chronicles of this adventure and our excitement about continuing the story next March.

Reading your stuff about the practice days just further serves to remind us of the amount of knowledge that some have compared to our personal understanding of what it takes to be a successful tournament angler.  You have unwavering support here on Ultimate Bass and win, lose or draw you have our deepest respect for dusting off the gear and putting your knowledge back on the front lines.  I think I can speak for a lot of the membership and say thank you for making us a small part of your dream.

Xs 2. Bud said it very well!
Rodney
Old Fishermen never die, their rods just go limp.

D.W. Verts

Quote from: Bud Kennedy on December 02, 2018, 01:37:42 PM
DW, Compared to some of us you are still a Young Un.  You are not gonna get over this until you finally scratch that itch.  You don't need to explain yourself to any of us arm chair anglers.  You may not realize how much we have gained by your chronicles of this adventure and our excitement about continuing the story next March.

Reading your stuff about the practice days just further serves to remind us of the amount of knowledge that some have compared to our personal understanding of what it takes to be a successful tournament angler.  You have unwavering support here on Ultimate Bass and win, lose or draw you have our deepest respect for dusting off the gear and putting your knowledge back on the front lines.  I think I can speak for a lot of the membership and say thank you for making us a small part of your dream.

Thank you Mr. Kennedy, Rodney, Wizard etc. It's nice to have the support.

Quote from: Wizard on December 02, 2018, 04:36:37 PM
Dale, I kid a little because I know how doggone good you are. I don't say were, I say are-----today, right now. Your knowledge is second to none in finding bass and establishing patterns, You've proved how good you are. You don't have to prove it again. When I watch a tourney on TV, I'm astounded to see many of today's anglers run blindly to a bank and start fishing. They don't get a bite and say, "that was a really good looking spot. I should have caught a bunch there". Then, they go to a spot just like it. Or, they say, "I don't see any bait fish but that doesn't mean anything. They could still be here".  My grandfather could beat them and he's been dead for 40 years.
If you will have a problem, it is this. You no longer know the water you fish. You need trips to Table Rock, Pomme, Stockton, etc. to reconnect with the lake. You had to learn the lakes when you started tourney fishing. Now, you have to relearn them.

Wizard

And you sir are a wise old Wizard- you hit the nail on the head and put your finger directly on what my deal is- I need time on the water!

I do think that my practice this week, and I always used to fish this way (when I was at my peak) was decent because I fished it like a lake that I didn't know. Being systematic in my approach, eliminating things, and then eliminating them again. I'll always wonder just how good a deal I really found.

Tuck won it, and he bagged a dandy 19+ pound bag today to do it. He's still a great fisherman. I hope to make him work at it some day against me.

It's gonna take a while to get my confidence where I need it, for sure.
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D.W. Verts

One more thought-

I'll have a hard time continuing to write how-to articles if I can't back it up. So far all I'm truly qualified for is pond fishin' stuff! I can catch 'em in barrels, er, ponds.
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Ice Cold Peanuts

2004 Ranger Camache, Yamaha 150. Guess who thinks he's pretty cool now?

D.W. Verts

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merc1997

i want to touch just a second of whether or not to stick a fish during practice.  i approached it differently.  i wanted to stick one to see what quality i was dealing with.  back in the days of when it took a 4 lb. average on table rock to have a chance to win, keepers did you no good.  many times a small fish will just knock the snot out a bait and if you never saw it would swear it was a big one.

i would stick one and move on.  of course, most of the time i was dealing with an entire school of bass, not just a onzy twozy pattern of fishing docks and other assorted shallow cover.  right now would be a great example.  i have a few areas that have a lot of shorts and a few keeper kentuckies.  they are fun areas to go to to just catch bass.  but, if i was going to fish a tournament, i have a few areas that have lots of quality bass.  there would be no way to no what is actually there without catching a couple to look at.

i would agree a bit when dealing with what i would consider scattered bites.

thanks so much with sharing, and if folks paid attention, they should have come away with a treasure chest.  sorry that things did not work out, and i have been there myself over the years.  work and family come first and somehow we survive the disappointment.

i hope the one point everyone needs to pick up on is the fact that whether you are dealing with a shallow bite or deep bite, there has to be a grocery store in the vicinity.  if not, keep looking.

bo
On Heaven's Lake

Stren_g

Thanks for sharing all this with us Dale, there's a good deal of information to be had here. Keep your head up and your bait wet!


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the_huber_show

Sorry to hear you didn't get to fish the tourny.  I will say this you def put in some work and have some patience.  Reading the way you practiced/fished areas is neat to me.

Head up and here's to Table Rock in March :)
Fishbrain: The_Huber_Show

D.W. Verts

Now is my next quandary- the next tournament with this circuit is March 2-3 at Table Rock Lake. But the FLW-BFL is on Lake of the Ozarks March 2... So I need to decide which tournament to possibly miss this time (he said tongue-in-cheek).
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Oldfart9999

Old Fishermen never die, their rods just go limp.

RDY2GO

Dale, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to put your thoughts down for us to read.  I have not only enjoyed reading these posts, I'm learning something too.  You are having a positive, if not a profound, impact on a lot of people in doing this, and win, lose or draw it doesn't matter.  The end results to many of us are the same.

Great effort, great reporting, thank you very much.  I look forward to reading more.
Bruce McCrary
Cotton Grove, NC

the_huber_show

Quote from: D.W. Verts on December 03, 2018, 10:13:00 PM
Now is my next quandary- the next tournament with this circuit is March 2-3 at Table Rock Lake. But the FLW-BFL is on Lake of the Ozarks March 2... So I need to decide which tournament to possibly miss this time (he said tongue-in-cheek).


I would say go for which ever one you feel more confident about.  The one you know better or will be able to get the most practice in to find those patterns.
Fishbrain: The_Huber_Show

D.W. Verts

Quote from: the_huber_show on December 04, 2018, 09:36:27 AM

I would say go for which ever one you feel more confident about.  The one you know better or will be able to get the most practice in to find those patterns.

Well... I think chasin' a derby because you think you can do well there is a mistake, and maybe a little bit below me (I mean my experience level). Table Rock was always my nemesis lake. I look forward to the challenge. But then the BFL would be a new start as far as points are concerned.

Oh well, lots of time to dwell on it.

Quote from: merc1997 on December 02, 2018, 08:15:34 PM
i want to touch just a second of whether or not to stick a fish during practice.  i approached it differently.  i wanted to stick one to see what quality i was dealing with.  back in the days of when it took a 4 lb. average on table rock to have a chance to win, keepers did you no good.  many times a small fish will just knock the snot out a bait and if you never saw it would swear it was a big one.

i would stick one and move on.  of course, most of the time i was dealing with an entire school of bass, not just a onzy twozy pattern of fishing docks and other assorted shallow cover.  right now would be a great example.  i have a few areas that have a lot of shorts and a few keeper kentuckies.  they are fun areas to go to to just catch bass.  but, if i was going to fish a tournament, i have a few areas that have lots of quality bass.  there would be no way to no what is actually there without catching a couple to look at.

i would agree a bit when dealing with what i would consider scattered bites.

thanks so much with sharing, and if folks paid attention, they should have come away with a treasure chest.  sorry that things did not work out, and i have been there myself over the years.  work and family come first and somehow we survive the disappointment.

i hope the one point everyone needs to pick up on is the fact that whether you are dealing with a shallow bite or deep bite, there has to be a grocery store in the vicinity.  if not, keep looking.

bo

Great stuff sir, and I agree. I stuck the four-pounder (oops, seven-INCHER, sorry Wizard) to check one. It's an art form in itself, for sure. And it takes a lot of fortitude to not yank on one.
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Wizard

I agree with you and bo to a point. When I started tourney fishing, the bass were less educated and far easier to catch. It didn't hurt to check the quality of the bass. Heck, many anglers would kill a bass and cut it open just to see what it was eating. Today, it is different, The number of anglers, tournaments, boats and docks have all increased and with it, the pressure on the bass.
In the 1970's, it wasn't unusual to catch 30 keepers in a tourney day. Today, you sometimes fish for 5-6 GOOD bites in a day. You can't afford to stick one in practice. However, we know every lake and every day is different as are the views of anglers on this subject.

Wizard

D.W. Verts

And that's also why I try to get a visual on a bass while practicing. Topwaters do this very well. And I've led fish into sight on a grub, jig and work without sticking them. You DEFINITELY have to manage your fish, both in practice and when fishing in multi-day events.

Quote from: RDY2GO on December 04, 2018, 07:43:00 AM
Dale, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to put your thoughts down for us to read.  I have not only enjoyed reading these posts, I'm learning something too.  You are having a positive, if not a profound, impact on a lot of people in doing this, and win, lose or draw it doesn't matter.  The end results to many of us are the same.

Great effort, great reporting, thank you very much.  I look forward to reading more.

Thank you sir. If enough folks feel this way then I'll make it a running report every time I'm working up a derby. I'm thinkin' that I may learn something, too.
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D.W. Verts

Press release from the tournament last weekend-

"Legendary Lake of the Ozarks angler Mark Tucker won the 2019 Webb Outdoors Elite Series kick off on December 1 & 2, 2018. Tucker fished the first day without practice and ran to the upper portion of the Grand Glaize, going to the very back of a creek to take advantage of fresh water coming in from rains the night before. Tucker managed a solid four pounder on a spinnerbait in the back of the creek early but the bite slowed and he began to work his way out picking up two more keeper largemouth before leaving the creek. He left the creek pattern and finished his limit on main river bluff walls with a jig picking up two big spotted bass. Day two Tucker returned to the Glaize, with no bites on the spinner bait Tucker switched to a black Journagan Jig with a blue Zoom chunk and caught a five pound largemouth off a rock in seven feet of water. His bite slowed so he ran from the Glaize to around the 6 mile marker and targeted isolate logs and rocks four to six feet deep in creeks culling through seven keepers through out the day. His two day total of 33.51 pounds earned him $4700 and first place in the tournament.

Second Place angler Matt Ells ran to the Osage on day one only to find out the areas he planned on fishing were muddy and full of leaves from the overnight rain. Ells abandoned the Osage and ran to the lower end of the lake and picked up a spinnerbait targeting fish suspended around boat docks to put together his limit. Day two Ells returned to the lower end catching a small limit on the spinnerbait early in the day. Knowing he needed better quality fish Ells switched to a jig and began targeting fish holding on concrete pillars around docks on secondary points. By the end of the day Ells had culled all of the smaller fish he caught early and put together a nice limit. His two day total of 29.45 pounds earned him second place and $3575 in cash for his efforts.

Third place angler Stanley green fished the lower end of the lake both days of the tournament. Green targeted fish on secondary points toward the back of creeks with a Wiggle Wart. Green's limits came from less than six feet of water but there had to be deeper water close by. Green's two day total of 28.45 pounds was good enough for third place and $1700.

Rapala Big Bass award went to Caleb Spinks, the 6.57 pound largemouth earned him $575."



Please (please?) note that the bass I found were at the 6-7 MM in 2' to 7' of water. I reckon that I still have the knack for being "this" close.

Now I'm done.
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Wizard

I never doubted your ability to find bass -- you did. Your confidence should be high. Now, go win the next derby and let them know you're back.

Wizard

D.W. Verts

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