BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

He has studied them, filmed them, caught them and devised different ways to catch them.

But very small of it has seemed like work to Lau, who lives in Marion County near Williston. So when he recently got word he was being inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, he was taken by surprise.

“I never thought it would happen,” said Lau. “the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame has people like Roland Martin and bill Dance, legendary tournament fishermen. I’d never thought they’d give me consideration. I was tremendously surprised and am looking forward to being inducted.”

The induction ceremony is set for Feb. 24, during the Bassmasters Classic fishing tournament in Shreveport, La.

The Hall of Fame is located in Hot Springs, Ark., and includes Ocala resident Homer Circle — who has written extensively on bass fishing and has a weekly column in the Star-Banner — as an inductee in 2001.

“he has more instinct about bass than any man I have ever fished with and I’m in my 90s,” Circle said of Lau. “you like the recognition, and you like to feel you really earned it. you place it on the wall and smile about it.”

Lau started his career as a fishing guide on Lake Erie, but it was his 1973 documentary “Bigmouth” that garnered him the most recognition from the fishing world.

The film, shot at Silver Springs near Ocala, was the first time the life cycle of the bass was documented. it showed how and why the fish strikes, and how and where they live. the film, which cost $2,000 to make, became an instant success and is still well loved among fishermen.

“When that film came out, the theaters would sometimes have to run the film every night for 30 days to allow everyone who wanted to see it,” Lau said. “it certainly changed how people fished.”

One of the things the film showed was a bass striking an artificial lure and spitting it out several times. the fisherman, above water, would feel only a slight nibble, but was unaware that the fish had taken the bait.

“Now, whenever a fisherman feels anything he tries to set the hook,” Lau said.

Circle is the fisherman in the documentary.

“the things he revealed about the bass, you couldn’t learn in a lifetime. When I saw that fish suck in the lure, it changed the way I fished and I had already been fishing for 50 years,” Circle said.

In addition to several films about bass, Lau has produced and directed hundreds of commercials and segments for outdoor shows, including “the American Sportsman,” “the Wild Wild World of Animals” and “Quest for Adventure.”

Lau, who owns Glen Lau Productions, is currently working on a commercial for a new lure that mimics a small turtle used to catch bass. he has documented on film a bass striking at a turtle.

“It’s a delicacy to them. they go after it,” he said.

Lau films his commercials in a 10,000-gallon fish tank he built on his property. the tank is stocked with several bass and mimics a natural habitat. the tank was a well loved item on the Bassmaster.com site, but the site was changed recently and the camera was not part of the redesign. His production company focuses on outdoor adventure and underwater productions.

Lau, 76, went to Marion County after filming “Bigmouth.”

“I looked around and I thought, ‘Boy, this is a great place to live,’ ” Lau said. “It’s warm, there’s great fishing. It’s a great place.”

Lau still fishes at least three days a week.

“(Tuesday) we went out and caught about 15 bass. nine were big and one was over 10 pounds,” he said. “That’s what I like to do.”

September 01, 2011

Dave Simser was a shellfisherman. He was a lot of things, actually. Professionally, he was an entomologist, a bug guy. He worked tirelessly to study and prevent the spread of Lyme disease. His basement was not a place for the faint of heart; it contained, at times, tens of thousands of bugs, alive and not. Wasps, crazy looking things.

Sometimes you’d be in his house, watching a movie, and he’d see some bug bouncing off the screen door and capture it, showing it around the room. “Look at the anterior microvillus,” or some such thing.

He went for oysters at Scudder Lane. Simser and his dog Ishmael. I remember going down there with some people after Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS, when the Yankees hung 19 runs on the Sox and went up three games to none. It was like a group therapy session. We’ll be OK, right?

We took some oysters back to his place in Marstons Mills, dubbed the Raspberry Hotel, or the Raz, which acted as a kind of open door crash pad and sobriety prevention center for a rolling cast of scientists, researchers, various WHOI types and some vagrant ice cream truck drivers.

Usually things were cool. but once Simser had to eject a guy, a commercial fisherman who stopped by, fresh off a trip, and proceeded to run amok. Reeling drunk, just before he tipped over the refrigerator, Simser asked the guy to take it someplace else.

Simser criss-crossed the globe, lived on boats in the Caribbean, played in glow-in-the-dark golf tournaments. Bands formed in his living room. He ran triathlons. Dozens of people still play in a weekly poker game that he started years ago. He was strong and fit and embraced the vigorous side of life.

Then he got sick. He got cancer and it didn’t take long. He turned pale and he died.

I went to see him at Cape Cod Hospital, but it looked like it could have his old dorm room at UMass, packed with people and laughter and piles of chicken wings. It was another Simser party, except there was one guy in the middle of the room who was prematurely struck down, just hanging on, pale and weak.

But I don’t think of him like that. I think of him in his red waders, raking up dinner at Scudder. I think of him at the Raz, serving baked stuffed quahogs, the fridge jammed full with small else but a wire basket full of shellfish, Polar Orange Dry and Budweiser. I think of him on the end of his couch, mirthful in his small “heh-heh-heh” laugh, drinking beer and watching the Red Sox. Namaste, Simser.

So while trying to reason with hurricane season, it’s time to ask …

What’s going on?

1. Buzzards Bay/Cape Cod Canal —The Canal has rebounded well from the storm. they were slamming bass on Monday at the Maritime. from about mid-Canal toward the east end has been most productive. Encouragingly, there has been a lot of bait in the Canal as well, with both mackerel and peanut bunker reported. Buzzards had some Spanish mackerel last week, but that bite has slowed down. bottom fish on the rock piles. bad Fish Outfitters reports Woods Hole has decent numbers of bass.

2. Islands — the Vineyard has seabass on the rock piles off Oak Bluffs. They’re getting blues around Menemsha and Lobsterville with bass out toward the Hooter. funny fish very slow. On Nantucket they’re getting blues at Fantastic Point and bass around Smith Point, very late at night.

3. Cape southside beaches and estuaries — One guy caught a 32-inch bass off Popponesset on Sunday night around midnight. It bit on a live eel during a ferocious storm. Courageous guy, hungry fish. the bays, from Waquoit to Cotuit and Poppy have had snapper blues going crazy. Danny at the Hook Up fished Bass River the other day and caught bluefish, scup, even fluke. “Fishing night crawlers, you never know what’ll bite,” said Danny.

4. Nantucket Sound — funny fish all but non-existent, but they’re slamming blues out here this week. Blues, true to their wild, aggressive nature, having been biting all over, concerned not a whit with the dirty, weed-filled water.

5. the Fantastic Backside Beach — Pretty slow for bass, but the tuna bite has been pretty excellent. They’re getting them, from around 85 to 185 pounds, off Peaked Hill Bar. They’ve been biting on spreader bars and live mackerel. Fishing live macks for tuna was described like this by one sharpie: “Bam, bam, 10 minutes and you’re on.”

6. Cape Cod Bay — Loads of blues biting. Scorton Ledge was one spot mentioned, but there are reports of huge, bruiser blues all over the Bay. Chapin was hot earlier this week.

Freshwater — “The drumbeat goes on,” was how one shop owner described freshwater this week. Bass biting. And trout at places like Peter’s Pond. Mystic Lake was another spot. an 80-year-ancient man stopped by Forestdale Bait & Tackle this week, proudly displaying photos of the 5-pound bass he’d taken at Shawme Pond in Sandwich. It was his first 5-pounder in 70 years of fishing.

Information for this column was assembled from a variety of liars, exaggerators, mis-informants, ne’er-do-wells and roustabouts. In other words, from fishermen.

Contributing writer Rob Conery can be contacted at .

Ads by Google

Investigative Fund reporter and sometime fisherman Tom Gogola has won the August Sidney Award, a monthly award inaugurated in 2009 for an outstanding piece of socially-conscious journalism. the foundation honors investigative work that fosters social and economic justice. Gogola won for his new York magazine piece, “Bycatch 22,” the first Investigative Fund collaboration with the publication.

From the press release:

Gogola reported that millions of pounds of edible fish are being tossed back into the sea due to dysfunctional federal regulations. Gologa witnessed the colossal waste first-hand while working on a fishing boat in the mid-2000s.

Commercial fishermen are forbidden from keeping any accidentally caught fish that are undersized or out-of-season. the rule is not without its logic: if fisherman were allowed to profit from out-of-season fish, they’d have an incentive to fish all year which would not be sustainable. Unfortunately, however, they can’t avoid catching these fish during the approved season. so perfectly excellent sea bass, flounder, and tuna get flung back into the sea, dying or already dead.

“We’re wasting fish in order to save it,” said Hillman judge Lindsay Beyerstein, “Gogola’s reporting highlights a serious but small-known problem and suggests new ways for fishermen and regulators to work together to feed more people, waste less fish, and preserve the resource for future generations.”

The award is accompanied by a $500 cash award. Read Gogola’s interview with the Hillman Foundation here. 

We are also pleased to announce that John Bowe has won a Clarion Award for his 2010 Mother Jones investigation, “Bound for America” in the magazine feature article category. the article, which exposed the indentured servitude that guest workers in the United States are often subject to, has already won a National Headliner Award and was a finalist for the prestigious Michael Kelly award. as a result of Bowe’s reporting, the head of Global Horizons, the firm that brings Thai workers to the United States under exploitative conditions and often abuses them, was indicted on federal human trafficking charges. 

Tags: bycatch, clarion award, fish conservation, global horizons, human trafficking, john bowe, lindsay beyerstein, mother jones, overfishing, sidney award, sidney hillman foundation, tom gogola

ALBANY — Governor Andrew Cuomo announed on Thursday that he signed a law to prohibit the taking of striped bass from the Hudson River for commercial purposes.

The law extends a ban that has existed since the 1970s.

It prohibits anyone from taking striped bass for commercial purposes from the Hudson River between the George Washington Bridge and the federal dam in Troy.

Striped bass fishing is well loved among anglers and the Hudson River is New York’s main spawning ground for striped bass, attracting many recreational fishermen each year.

Due to PCB contamination, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation currently bans consumption of fish from approximately 40 miles of the Hudson from Ft. Edward downstream to Troy and also bans most commercial fishing in the entire river.

The New York State Department of Health also advises children and women of childbearing age against eating any fish from the Hudson River. The law further ensures that striped bass with possible PCB contamination are not commercially sold, while also helping maintain the striped bass population in the Hudson River for recreational fishing.

“This law benefits both public health and the vibrant recreational fishing industry that is an important part of the local economies along the Hudson River,” said Cuomo.

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Bridgeway Senior Program will deliver the following meals the week of July 27-29:

• Wednesday: Hamburgers

• Thursday: Fiesta chicken

• Friday: Swiss steak

Jellyfish — The Blobs of Summer

Henderson Beach State Park is celebrating National Parks and Recreation Month with a special program on jellyfish from 10-11 a.m. July 28 at Henderson Beach State Park. Learn all about those blobs on the beach or floating in the water. call 837-7550.

Arbor Wealth Management, LLC will host a complimentary seminar, “At what Age should I take Social Security Benefits?” at 6 p.m. July 28 at the offices of Arbor Wealth Management, in the Tops’l Commercial Center on U.S. 98 in Miramar Beach. Snacks and soft drinks will be served.  call 608-6121.

Okaloosa Republican Club

The Okaloosa Republican Club will host a presentation by the Okaloosa County Health Department director, Dr. Karen Chapman, at 6 p.m. July 28 at the American Legion Hall, 105 Hollywood Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach. Reservations will be accepted through July 25 at 609-1179 or 651-5049. The price of the dinner is $10.

The Walton Area Chamber and the Destin Area Chamber will host Business After Hours from 5:30-7:30 p.m. July 28 at the Baytowne Marina Bar & Grill at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort.

Business Tax Receipt Renewal

Businesses must renew their business tax receipts by Sept. 30 to avoid late fees. To renew your local Business Tax Receipt by mail, send checks to the City of Destin, 4200 Indian Bayou Trail, Destin, FL, 32541, or you can renew in person at the Destin City Hall Annex, 4100 Indian Bayou Trail, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Visa and MasterCard are also accepted. Please contact the City’s Building Division at 654-1119 with any questions.

Florida Trail Association

• July 30: Bring your canoe or kayak for a float trip on Alaqua Creek near Freeport at 9 a.m.  call 830-9486.

• July 31: Wake up hike in Milton at 7 a.m. followed by breakfast. call 776-5147.

• July 31: Bring your canoe or kayak for a float trip on Juniper Creek in Santa Rosa County at 8:30 a.m.  call 484-9111.

• Aug 6: Simple hike at 8 a.m. on Bayou Marcus Wetland Boardwalk near Pensacola. call 714-552-0574.

• Aug. 13: One-mile hike at 9:00 am. on Eglin near DeFuniak Springs.  call 492-8258.

• Aug. 13: Volunteers needed at 8 a.m. for trail maintenance on Eglin near Navarre. call 736-7534. 

• Aug. 20: Bring your canoe or kayak at 9:30 a.m. for an approximate 7 mile paddle on one creek and two rivers near Crestview. Eglin permit required.  call 682-6098.

• Aug. 20:  Bring your canoe or kayak at 8:30 a.m. for a paddle on Huge Escambia Creek in Alabama.  call 484-9111.

• Aug. 21: Hike, swim and lunch at 8 a.m. at Juniper Creek in Santa Rosa County. call 982-4544.

• Aug. 23: Monthly meeting at 6 p.m. at Ed’s Hometown Seafood & Steaks in Niceville. Visitors welcome.  call 654-1172. 

• Aug 27-28: Bring your canoe or kayak for a paddle/overnight camping trip on Blackwater River near Baker.  call 736-7534.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach will hold the following tours. a $6 park entrance fee is required, except for Breakfast with a Ranger. Outside tours are canceled during severe weather. For information, call 267-8330.

• July 30: Hike and learn about the coastal dune systems and uncover the mysteries of the “Mountains of Florida” at 9:30 a.m.

 Pill take back

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has set up a program that allows the public to drop off unwanted, unused or expired prescription drugs during regular business hours Monday through Friday at the Destin substation on Stahlman Avenue.

The JobsPlus Mobile one stop will be at the Destin Community Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the third Thursday of each month. Services include unemployment compensation, job search assistance and employ Florida Marketplace registration.

Shelter House backpack drive

Shelter House will collect items for a backpack drive through July 30 to help children who have witnessed domestic violence in their homes get prepared to go back to school.

The following items are now being accepted: Backpacks, number 2 pencils, colored pencils, lined paper, glue sticks, erasers, crayons, construction paper, scissors, spiral-bound notebooks, 3-ring binders, white glue, divider tabs, blue/black pens, soft pencil cases, two-pocket folders with fasteners, markers, fabric markers, glitter, poster board (assorted colors), colored or pre-designed printer paper, acrylic paint, paint brushes, canvas, T-shirts (assorted colors and sizes) and iron-on transfers.

These items may be dropped off at Shelter House offices at 102 Buck Drive, Fort Walton Beach or 290 Martin Luther King Blvd., Crestview. call 243-1201.

Reviving America Rally

The Florida Panhandle Patriots and tea parties across the Panhandle will hold a “Reviving America Rally” from 2-5 p.m. July 30 at Liza Jackson Park, west pavilion, 318 Miracle Strip Parkway in Fort Walton Beach. Speakers will come from across the southeast with solutions for government to get out of the people’s way. Open mic time will be available. Music by “a Couple of honest Crookes.” Bring signs and chairs. Coolers allowed. Outdoor rally under the pavilion, rain or shine.

The United Way of Okaloosa & Walton Counties and their partner agencies will collect school supplies for local children for the upcoming school year. Look for the van in the parking lot of Walmart in Destin from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 30.

About Boating Safety will be held at 8:30 a.m. July 30 at Coast Guard Station Destin on U.S. 98 on Okaloosa Island. Registration begins at 8:15 a.m. Cost is $45 and includes text, lunch, tour of the station and the examination. Pre-register at 623-980-8782.

Bridgeway Senior Program will deliver the following meals the week of Aug. 1-5:

• Monday: Country fried steak

• Tuesday: Tuna salad

• Wednesday: Smoked sausage

• Thursday: Meatballs

• Friday: BBQ rib patty

The Small Business Development Center at the University of West Florida will present a start your own business workshop from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 4 at 922 Mar Walt Drive, Ste. 203 in Fort Walton Beach. Fee is $35. Register online at sbdc.uwf.edu or call 833-9400.

Seniors of Destin Program

Call the Destin Community Center at 654-5184 for more information on programs for seniors.  

• Beading Class: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at the Community Center Annex.  call 654-5184 for day, times and cost.

• Golf with Pat at Golf Garden. Clubs and balls free; $15 green fee includes cart. call 685-5310.

• Free golf lessons, 9 a.m. Tuesdays at Morgan Sport Complex.

• Acrylic painting classes, 1 p.m. Mondays. Two-hour class costs $20 and includes all materials with a 20 percent discount if five classes paid for at beginning.

Fall Hunting Classics

Bass Pro Shops will hold its annual Fall Hunting Classics Aug. 5-21 at 4301 Legendary Drive in Destin. all events are free. For complete listing of events and sweepstakes, visit basspro.com/classic.

The Third Annual Elks Choctawhatchee Bay Mullet Toss will be held from 4-6 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Fort Walton Elks Lodge on Okaloosa Island. The children’s fishing tournament will be held from 2-4 p.m., fishing from the dock with poles provided. a fish fry will take place from 3-6 p.m.

A 2-part Pine Needle Basketry class will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 6 and 20 at the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida in Valparaiso. The cost is $75 or $60 for Museum members and includes materials. Payment due at registration. a Pineapple Curl Basket class will be held Aug. 20. call 678-2615.

Rocky Bayou Christian School in Niceville welcomes parents interested in private education to attend a Community Open House from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 10 at the Grace Presbyterian Church chapel. Parents will have an opportunity to meet Superintendent Dr. Michael Mosley, learn about the RBCS student and family experience, tour the campus, meet the faculty, delight in coffee and doughnuts, and meet with the admissions director. Open House attendees will also receive $50 off the Enrollment Fee if they submit an application by Aug. 15 (only valid for new applications). For more information about the Open House or admissions, email or call 678-7358, ext. 330.

The sales tax exemption applies to clothing, footwear, and certain accessories selling for $75 or less and to school supply items selling for $15 or less Aug. 12-14.

Shelter House is teaming up with Kitchenique to offer a free Cooking on a Budget workshop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 13 at 36150 Emerald Coast Parkway in Destin. Vicki McCain will teach how to make a delicious meal while sticking to a budget. RSVP at 243-1201.

Zaxby’s fundraiser

Zaxby’s, 106 Eglin Parkway NE in Fort Walton Beach, will partner with Covenant Hospice to raise funds for the non-profit organization Aug. 14 and 15. Zaxby’s will donate 10 percent of order totals back to Covenant Hospice. To qualify for the donation, patrons must mention Covenant Hospice when placing their order. 

Democratic Women’s Club annual dinner

Loranne Ausley will be the keynote speaker at the Democratic Women’s Club’s 2011 Annual Dinner at 6 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Holiday Inn Resort on Okaloosa Island. The date is purposely chosen by the club to commemorate the ratification of the XIX Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote.  Tickets are $55 and are available at 864-3148 or 678-1561.

Guns and Hoses Fashion Revue

American Business Woman Association Emerald Coast Chapter will host a fundraiser from 2-6 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Emerald Coast Convention Center on Okaloosa Island. Cheer-on the firefighters and police officers as they model beach, casual, business and formal attire provided by local stores. The event is being held in recognition of the 10th year anniversary of the Sept. 11th tragedy. all proceeds will benefit the 9/11 Foundation and local Chapter’s ABWA women’s education fund. Tickets are $40/person or $450 for a table of 10.  Tickets can be bought at abwa-ecc.org or call 259-0995.

America’s Boating course will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Anchorage, 404 Green Acres Road in Fort Walton Beach. there is a $35 charge for materials. call 863-0874.

The Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida in Valparaiso will host its community Yard Sale Spectacular with the Niceville-Valparaiso Kiwanis from 7 a.m. to noon Aug. 27. Donations (no clothes) will be accepted during regular museum hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. Limited 10’ x 10’ spaces available for sellers for $10.  Visit the museum and reserve your spot. call 678-2615.

The fall Panhandle Job Honest will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 15 at St. Mary’s Parish Life Center, 165 Coral Drive in Fort Walton Beach. The check-in and registration for employer set-up is from 8-9:45 a.m. Register in advance at panhandlejobfair.com.

The following events are held regularly at the Destin Library. call 837-8572

• Tai Chi for Arthritis: At 7 a.m.  Wednesdays. Cost is $5/class.

• Cuddlers & Toddlers Storytime: From 3-3:45 p.m. Tuesdays and 9:30-10:15 a.m. Thursdays for ages 4 months to 4 years.

• Independent Film Series: Independent and foreign films shown at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month.

• Friends of the Destin Library: Monthly meeting held at 10 a.m. the second Friday of each month.

Destin Community Center

All activities are at the Destin Community Center, unless noted. call 654-5184 for information and to register. Persons with disabilities who require assistance are asked to say the center 48 hours in advance.

• Chair yoga: At 10 a.m. Thursdays. Cost: $3/class.

• Duplicate bridge: At 9:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays and 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Instruction classes are held at 10:15 a.m. Wednesdays. Entry fee: $6. No partner needed.

• Game room: Open to children 10 and older and under 10 accompanied by adult from 1-9 p.m. Monday-Friday.

• Intermediate party bridge: Mondays and Tuesdays at Buck Destin Park. call 837-1967.

• Jazzercise class: 6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

• Open gym: Check ahead for times and dates open.

• Table tennis: 9 a.m. to noon Thursdays and 3-5 p.m. Tuesdays.

• Volleyball: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays. call ahead.

I am a very petite Asian-American girl. I am feminine and like to do all the things girls normally do. I'm not a tomboy. I wear makeup, feminine clothes, and can dance all night in a sexy small skirt and high heels. however…

I LIKE to go fishing.

My ex-boyfriend took me a lot but we broke up. Now I sneak away sometimes and go by myself because I don't have anyone to go with.

I have real excellent luck catching large mouth bass and crappie in north Texas lakes. I fish along shore and don't have a boat.

I go to Lewisville Lake, Ray Roberts Lake, Lake Lavon, Ray Roberts Lake, Grapevine Lake, and sometimes I go to the Richland Chambers Reservoir.

While I can catch Bass and crappie easily, I cannot get any Catfish. I know these lakes have catfish. I see dead catfish along the shoreline sometimes and men talk about catching them a lot. There are Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, and some others. the Fishing Guides on the Internet that use these lakes mention trophy catfish a lot, although I don't want anything that huge.

I've tried everything. I researched how to catch them on the Internet and have done a lot of study. I've used tight-line fishing, slack-line fishing, and have fished with bobbers. I've used different baits too, including live shad, cut shad, minnows, commercial stink bait, chicken livers, and night crawlers (worms). I have tried several methods for hooking and presenting the bait.

I've looked for (and found) all the lake conditions that are recommended for catching catfish. I have gone at night, beginning around 7 PM and fished until 1 AM. I have fished during all daylight hours. I have even set my alarm very early, woke up, and started fishing at 4:00 AM and continued all day.
I've pushed every button and pulled every switch and still can't get a catfish.
Someone PLEASE help me!. Tell me what I'm doing wrong.

I don't want to hire a professional guide. I have a regular office job and not much money. Also, I want to do this myself.

.

try using cut bait and a boat usually helps a little id suggest getting a catfish pole

Not every nook and cranny in the lake will support catfish. sometime, suck it up and go question one of those stinky half drunk fishermen where they caught catfish.

Also, bait a piece of chicken liver on your hook and sink it to the bottom. let it sit for up to an hour. Catfish aren't like bass. they swim in circles to find food, as apposed to bass that just see something and try to eat it.

some times fishing is about luck, and in your case catfish are just not biting your baits. try using live baits instead of jiggings. Btw keep up the work I know your going to get the catfish you want. Excellent luck

"Also, I want to do this myself." – YOU CAN DO IT BABY!

EVERY spot is NOT going to hold Catfish. Catfish prefer warm-water backwaters in deep water around log jams. If you can find a log jam in deep water where there is NOT much fishing pressure, I'm sure cut shad or chicken liver will catch some nice Channel's & Blue's.

Remember to keep your bait in the water for a LONG time.

Yeah, i hear you. But honestly, when i went fishing for carp, i always got a catfish. But after i got soo much carp after i went my spot.

How to make my special doughbait? well, i would just give you the link. But i'll just type it out. (My website) in sources.

Requirments:

First, you need to buy normal white bread, peanut butter, and vanilla extract.

1. Remove the crust, this makes it better to make into a ball.
2. Cover the side with a little peanut butter. (If you forgot a knife, you can always use a stick) or just add a dab in the middle.
3. Add a dot of vanilla extract. IF YOU PLACE TOO MUCH IT WILL BE MUSHY!
4. buy treble hooks, and put the hook in the center of the bread.
5. Smush it all together into the hook forming a ball. make sure its stays. Smush it really hard.
6. Casting is a problem for some people. you have to cast, and hold the pole out. If you just cast normal the bread will shake and fall off.
7. buy a stand of some kind, or make one. Leave the fishing pole out there.
Carp or catfish takes 10mins – 1 hour to catch. Relax, don't reel in it or the bread goes bye bye. after 30 minutes nothing happens reel it in. the bread still on, or didn't even get a bite try few more times. you may need to change your spot. It's due because they use there noses and whiskers to find the bait.

It can’t be said that the winner of the 53rd 2011 Huge Rock Tournament on June 13-18 was a local angler, but it was close.

Travis Stephenson and his friend Eric Montross, both of whom played for the 1993 national men’s basketball champions at North Carolina, spend a lot of time hunting on Teena Koury’s property in Person County. they still do when not attending their business affairs.

Fishing with his crew aboard the Double-B, captained by Kenny Sexton of Manteo, Stephenson landed the 652.8-pound blue marlin early in the week, then sweat it out until the weekend before knowing the $524,375 first prize was theirs. the winner was taken on a large artificial lure.

Stephenson lives in Johnston County, though he’s back and forth to Washington, where he works.

– FREE FISHING FOR HOLIDAY: The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding the public that Monday is a “free fishing day” in North Carolina when everyone — residents and non-residents — can fish in all public waters, including coastal waters without purchasing a fishing license.

While everyone can fish in public waters without a license, all other fishing regulations, such as length and daily possession limits, as well as bait and tackle restrictions, apply.

– CITY LAKE CLEAN-UP: Ethan Brodnick called to thank us for helping place the word out for volunteers and to give the clean-up results. Here they are:

Ten workers collected 50-plus bags of trash along 2½ miles of shoreline along with two chairs, seven tires and a trolling motor. the collection filled one dump truck. Brodnick said, “so it was a success given the small force we place together.”

– FIRST FISH: Six-year-ancient Gracen Shoffner proudly displays his first fish, a largemouth bass. the novice angler pulled it from a pond in southern Alamance County while fishing with his uncle Keith Lloyd and cousin Hunter Lloyd. Shoffner lives with his parents, Wendy and Lanny Shoffner, and attends Alexander Wilson Elementary School.

– TRY, TRY AGAIN: The National Rifle Association and Safari Club International will go for reconsideration after being denied intervener status last week by the Montana Federal District Court in a new challenge to the wolf delisting contained in the continuing resolution for FY 2011 by the Alliance for the Rocky Mountains. that court choice was based on the notion that the federal government would adequately represent SCI and NRA’s interests in the litigation. the NRA and SCI contend they have a right and a responsibility to defend the interests of their members and the hunting community.

Anti-hunting groups filed two new court cases may 5 challenging the constitutionality of the recently passed law that directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist the wolves of Montana, Idaho and portions of Oregon, Utah and Washington state. the NRA pledged to continue to fight for the delisting and state-based management of gray wolves, whether in Congress or the courts.

– CAPTURE THE “INSECTOSAURUS:” It won’t be long before the old North State is renamed the old Bug State, thanks to rampant rainfall, soaring temperatures and high humidity. In addition to being called one of the worst mosquito seasons in decades, bed bug infestations are being reported at an alarming rate.

So this summer why not make the bug season pay off? Got a roach the size of a small dog, moth, spider or other pest on steroids? Black Flag, America’s leader in insect control since 1833, has launched a nationwide search for America’s biggest bug. Sixty insectophiles will be awarded with prizes and money. Check out blackflag.com

Be brave and go close enough to snap a photograph to claim the bug bounty. to enter the photo contest, visit blackflag.com for details, official rules, and entry form. the contest runs through Aug. 5.

– REEFS BUILT:  forty volunteers from PenderWatch & Conservancy, North Carolina Coastal Conservation Association and the School of Marine Sciences of UNC Wilmington built 198 feet of oyster reefs on an vital but terribly eroding island at the mouth of mill Creek  in Hampstead in Pender County on June 11. the reefs were built using 930 mesh bags of oyster shells that PenderWatch collected at its six shell drop-off/collection sites in Pender County during the past two years. 

The reefs will stabilize the island from erosion caused by boat wakes from the Intracoastal Waterway, filter polluted water from storm water runoff and jump start new, larger natural oyster reefs, which will rejuvenate the waters.

The reefs will attract not only oysters but also a variety of other marine life, will benefit recreational and commercial fishing and will help develop healthy fish resources in Pender County. PenderWatch volunteers who visited the reefs two days after they were built reported seeing many baby crabs and minnows already swimming around the new reefs.

Glenn Ayers is director of the Lansdowne Plantation Wildlife Habitat and outdoors columnist for the Times-News. Voice Mail (800) 488-0085, Ext. 3150. E-mail:

the commercial started off with 2 kids sitting on the edge of a dock ,and two guys fishing on a boat….and some people walking holding a canoe over their head. and it ends with a guy rock climbing.

a pound for sea bass, and $2.00 a pound for red snapper. Yesterday he caught 560 lb of fish worth $575. the red haddock and red snapper together are worth $320. how many pounds of each fish did he catch?