BASS FISHINGBass Fishing Sports Blog

The state of Iowa continues to ignore the fact that vision screenings in school can prevent many current and future problems for our children. Kids need to see to learn.

Considering that nearly

80 percent of what a child learns the first 12 years of life is through vision, good eyesight is an essential part of a child’s education. So, when a vision problem is overlooked, a child goes through life in a blurry fog, with poor grades and potential behavior issues.

It is disheartening to know that Iowa is one of only 10 states that does not require a vision screening or examination to ensure school-aged children are ready to learn.

Iowa spends thousands of dollars annually to educate each child in our school system, but we fail to ensure that they can see.

In addition to wasting state funding, we have disregarded the clear

connection between vision problems and learning disabilities along with behavior issues. Nearly

80 percent of children with learning disabilities and 70 percent of juvenile delinquents have an

undiagnosed vision problem.

The newly elected Iowa Legislature has the opportunity to ensure that every dime we invest in our children’s education is being place to good use by requiring vision screenings at every school during the first and third grades.

This legislation is supported by Prevent Blindness Iowa (PBI) and other organizations who know the importance of our children being visually prepared to learn. PBI, a voluntary health organization dedicated to the prevention of blindness and the preservation of sight, provides free vision screenings to nearly 20,000 Iowa children annually to detect common eye problems. once a vision problem is detected through a vision screening, these children are sent to an eye doctor for a comprehensive exam to ensure their vision is corrected.

Not only do these screenings help in learning, but they can also detect a vision problem that can cause permanent sight loss if left untreated. With one in four school-aged children experiencing a vision problem, we can’t afford to let these children slip through the cracks and suffer from vision problems that can have lifelong consequences.

Iowa has fallen behind other states on investing in our children’s vision health. The Iowa Legislature has the power to help ensure each child has the opportunity to excel in school and become successful adults through affordable, regular vision screenings.

Our children’s health and education must continue to be our no. 1 one priority.

Chris Schroeder is president of Prevent Blindness Iowa, preventblindness.org/Iowa/. Comments:

Posted Yesterday, 10:36 PM

as many of you may know 2011 was a rough year on the Missouri River. Releases from the dams were more than double what they had ever been before. there was a tremendous amount of property hurt and access to the river was very limited. I'm talking about the Missouri River from Sioux City up into South Dakota. I had last fished the river in May when it was coming up but starting late May most of the boat ramps were under water and the river was closed to boat traffic below Gavin's Point Dam. In about August I was starting to get a small jumpy and I needed a river smallmouth fix to settle my nerves. I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to navigate the river and get to the spots I wanted to hit. Prior to this year I had come up with a formula I use to locate smallmouth on a river. Others may agree, others may not, it's what I use and it has not failed me yet. I look for four things. Current, clear water or water cleaner than the rest of the river in general, vertical structure and rocks/riprap. if I find those four things I will find fish. with that in mind I did a map recon using Google Earth to locate new spots that the high water would make. I already had my old spots I knew would produce and I formulated a game plot. On my first trip I place in at the west end of a reservoir and headed upstream. The dams on the Missouri were still releasing 150,000 cubic feet per second and the river was absolutely raging on its narrow stretches. for me this was uncharted water and with the river being high all the sandbars were now underwater and I was pretty much running blind. I have some water reading skills but it was still tough. My target was 25+ miles upstream and fighting a 3 to 4 mph current ate up a ton of time, not to mention I did not run on plane very often. I hit some bluffs along the way briefly and picked up a few fish but nothing like I knew I could get into so I kept pressing on. after about three hours in the boat I finally came to my first target spot. Jackpot! In less than a half dozen casts my Dad and I each had a smallmouth hooked up and it went on like that until we chose to head back. Throughout the next month or so I continued this same pattern. all along I had been plotting the main channel on my GPS so after a couple trips I was able to run up on plane and not mess around. one thing I noticed was the average fish size was up. This is no scientific study by any stretch of the imagination, just my own observations. Prior to the 2011 flooding the average smallmouth would be about 12" to 14" and you would get a few 16" or so fish each trip. sure, you would catch larger fish from time to time but you could pretty much bank on a 16 to 16.5 inch smallie or two on every trip. now during the flood and from there on out the average fish was 14 to 16 inches and huge fish for the trip was 17 to 17.5 inches. all the fish were bloated on baitfish and shaped like footballs. The high water had flooded so much backwater area that the year class of baitfish and all other fish for that matter was huge. I took a few guys with me on my trips. they were well outside their comfort zones until we started catching fish, me, I was HOME, haha. one guy I took with me had never been on what i would call a "real" fishing trip. Every smallmouth he caught that day was over 16". I wish I had that kind of average. once the water started to go back down I found my hotspots growing cold, the current was less there and the vertical structure was limited, so I applied the same formula I have always relied on and got back on the fish. let me back up a small. Prior to the flooding there were endless cattail/reed islands in the river with channels going through them. I had picked off a few fish on them in the past but I always had the best luck fishing rocks/bluffs/cliffs. The flood had washed all those reed islands away. The back waters were draining and there was limited cover and structure for the fish to utilize (gamefish and baitfish). The fish were now stacked on key spots. a "perfect storm" condition had setup. all those fish that had previously hung out on the reeds prior to the flood or in the flooded timber during the flood now had to find new homes, they were concentrated. Sweet! a few notes on equipment and safety. with the strong current in the spots I was fishing I had to kill the trolling motor and let the boat run with the current to get a fish with any size to it in the net. a true cranking rod saved my rear on baits with treble hooks. My Dad must have grown tired of me kicking his butt so he place away his pool cue worm rod he was throwing cranks with and bought a glass rod for cranks (thanks Hooligan). The right rod helps keep the fish hooked. In a current the smallmouth's ability to throw hooks when it jumps out of the water and unloads a stiff rod is very excellent. after my first trip I came to the conclusion that if I went in the water in some spots I wasn't coming up. I wear a auto/manual vest all the time now. Make sure your boat partner can operate the boat. Carry a spare prop and the tools to change it. not only was the smallmouth fish excellent but other fish were more than happy to smash a crank, jig, plastic or spinnerbait. We caught smallmouth, largemouth, drum, sauger, walleye, pike, yellow perch, crappie, goldeye, channel cats, white bass and even a chinook salmon. I like anything that will smack a bait so for me it added to the fun. In summary if you find Mother Nature has dealt you a blow place in the work and use it to your advantage. Oddly enough despite the brilliant fishing I pretty much had the whole place to myself. I like that. when I see a cluster of boats I go the other way. I might be eating turkey jerky on a boat for Thanksgiving if I can find another crazy person to go with me.Shane's first ever smallmouth<a%20href=i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/Brad762/DSC_0110.jpg">a few more nice ones.<a%20href=i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/Brad762/DSC_0023.jpg"><a%20href=i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/Brad762/DSC00595.jpg"><a%20href=i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq19/Brad762/DSC_0076.jpg">

Halibut Hal reporting with this weeks fresh and saltwater fish reports for KHTS-1220AM, your Hometown Station….Here’s what’s biting in our local lakes:1)  Castaic Lake….The striped bass bite continues!  The stripers are boiling on the schools of shad;  these are mostly 2-4 pound fish, with an occasional 8 pounder. There is also a few largemouth bass mixed in with the striped bass.  Also, excellent bluegill and catfish action in the coves. 2)  Pyramid Lake….Excellent striped bass fishing  on or near the surface.  Try early AM or late afternoon for the best bites.  Fish the coves for the catfish and bluegill.  Decent largemouth bass fishing in 12 – 30 feet of water.3)  Lake Piru….Honest bass bite; try early AM in the coves for the best action.  Also, a very excellent crappie bite in the coves.  Bluegill and crappie fishing is honest to excellent.4)  Lake Cachuma….Honest to excellent catfish action in the bays.  Some of these whiskers are reaching 8 pounds.  Honest bass bite; try the early AM or late afternoon for the best action.  Still a pretty excellent bluegill bite.

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Saltwater Report:Landings from Long Beach to Marina Del Rey:  Limits of rockfish including a nice mix of red snapper and bocaccio. There’s also an assortment of ocean whitefish, sand dabs, bass and sheephead being caught. Lots of excellent lingcod fishing, as well.  The crab and lobster trips are still scoring on twilight trips.  Fall fishing is excellent….go for it.Oxnard/Ventura Landings:  The outer island trips are getting limits of lingcod (2 per angler).  In addition, limits of rockfish with lots of red snapper and chuckleheads in the mix along with near limits of ocean whitefish. The lings continue to move into the shallows.  The “Cobra” continues its hoopnet/fishing trips with lots of red rock crabs and rockfish as well.  The “Pacific Eagle”  out of Ventura Sportfishing caught a decent white seabass on Saturdays trip; in addition to limits of rockfish……….until next week, this is Halibut Hal reporting for KHTS-1220AM.

Posted October 06 2011 – 10:22 AM

So I am hooked on ultralight fishing. I purchased a trout magnet kit and crappie magnet kit at the beginning of summer, and have been using the crappie magnets since then. Recently I tried the trout magnets, but could not get any distance. Some details about my setup… Cheap 5' ultralight combo (shakespear ?), p-line cxx 4lb, and a trout magnet ( 1/64 oz jig with small rubber body). I have even tried with a small splitshot about 12" above the lure with no luck. I recently ordered a fenwick elite tech riverrunner, 6'8" ultralight. I have heard that a longer rod casts farther and is able to protect the line better than a shorter rod. So my question is, what can I do to maximize my casting distance with this setup. I have considered trying sufix 832 in 6# test ( 2lb dia) because smaller diameter line casts further right? I recently tied on the remaining 10lb test fireline i had (4lb dia) and I think that may have been part of my problem. it was a somewhat windy day, with ancient braid that was coiling up pretty bad, even after being sprayed with KVD conditioner. should i stay away from braid and stay with the p-line cxx? I have had good luck with it, but I dont want to rule out the braid being that the braid i tried was somewhat ancient. I fish for bass (like smallmouth fishing!), crappie, panfish, really anything that will bite. I fish on lake champlain in vermont, as well as the winooski river and lamoile river, both are good size. Smallmouth is mostly what I am after though, so if anyone has any general smallmouth on ultralight tackle suggestions too, I am all ears. Thanks.

i fish in the summer at the lake in a little cove off the bank. there is some structure around the area and it is about 30-60 feet deep. the air temperature is usually around mid-80s. what would be the best bait to catch bass

Historically, the best lure to catch Bass, (Smallmouth & Largemouth), is a simple plastic worm or tube lure.

Soft plastics rigged "weedless" tend to be your "best bet" when fishing along a bank, (because weedless lures can be fished in a variety of depths and in any environment). If you want to catch Bass I suggest using something simple and effective.

Here are some Soft Plastic suggestions and links to how to rig them:

1. Senko, (or any stick-bait plastic), rigged "Wacky style", (with or without a weight in watermelon or green pumpkin colors) – basspro.com/Yum-F2-Dinger-Wor…

– how to rig Wacky style- youtube.com/watch?v=ZActyKl3r…

2. Berkley 7" worm, (in black or camo colors) rigged Texas style on a 3/0 Gamakatsu Offset hook- basspro.com/Berkley-PowerBait…

-How to rig Texas style- youtube.com/watch?v=5h-GD2QP5…

3. 4.5" Coffee Tube rigged Texas style- basspro.com/Strike-King®-Coff…?

-How to rig a Tube weedless using a Gamakatsu Skip-gap hook- youtube.com/watch?v=aD23dJ4Bc…

That's about it!

Any ONE of these will catch numerous Bass, are cheap, and simple to work. Just make sure to juice your plastics with a excellent fish attractant.

Hope this helps ya!

try going more deeper

By Peter Ottesen August 24, 2011 12:00 AM

The wait continues for the fall striped bass run to materialize. Downstreamers do make the occasional showing at the Isleton bridge and other locations on the old Sacramento River. but stripers coming into the system from the salty bays seemed to have stalled near Antioch, where Tong Chang of the Outdoor Sportsman has claimed fish in the sub-legal to 3-pound bracket.

School-sized stripers are found at Broad Slough, the Antioch bridge, Chain Island and as far up as Decker Island, where shallow-running lures work best.

Largemouth bass are honestly numerous in the 1- to 2-pound bracket, but hooking a 5-pounder is a real feat. Flippin’ jigs and Senkos gets the most action. King salmon are passing through the Delta in excellent numbers, especially for this early in the spawning run. a few are hooked weekly, up to 18 pounds, near Vieira’s Resort on large spinners, reported guide Barry Canevaro of Isleton. The better bite for salmon is farther up the Sacramento River at Miller and Discovery parks. Warning: Salmon fishing is not permitted on the Mokelumne River.

Catfish and bluegill round out the fare. Sturgeon are zip.

Ocean – Wind permitting, angling for king salmon is excellent and improving for private craft and charters outside the Golden Gate. Kings in the 24- to 25-inch bracket, occasionally to 22 pounds, are south of the gate at Mussel Rock and Linda Mar. larger salmon, from the mid-teens to 34 pounds, are found in less quantity at Point Bonita, Duxbury, Muir Beach and Point Reyes. when the ocean permits, two-fish limits are the norm. The migratory push through the gate and into the Sacramento River system is on! The bite is lessening at Monterey Bay and off-and-on at Bodega Bay, where the wind has been a real problem. Rockfishing is excellent up and down the coast, but anglers are concentrating more on salmon.

Bays – Slower tides this week spark an otherwise mediocre halibut fishing season at Paradise, Angel Island and Crissy Field. King salmon fishing is at California City near Tiburon, but only at the top and change of the incoming tide. Kings to 35 pounds have been hooked this week. Striped bass fishing slows with the ides, but linesides are thick on the rock piles and along the Marin shoreline.

Slow trolling upriver at 1.2 miles per hour with a Kwikfish and sardine wrapper fools the occasional king salmon to 18 pounds between the mouth of the Yuba River and the Oroville Afterbay Outlet on the Feather River. Caution: Salmon fishing is not permitted within 1,000 feet of the outlet hole. Stockton guide Dave Mierkey is hooking up to a dozen kings per day on the Sacramento River, boon-doggling roe at Hamilton City. Lures and a spinner worked off three-way swivels produce from the mouth of the American River up to Chico. at Balls Ferry, guide bill Quinn of Shingletown is taking consistent catches of salmon on Kwikfish and roe. Most salmon weigh 7 to 20 pounds, with the larger fish sprinkled in. The run usually peaks in early October. The Trinity River “springer” season is over, but the fall king salmon run is just beginning at Douglas City. The season looks even more promising because the Hoopa tribe has outlawed commercial fishing, allowing more salmon to make it upriver to spawn.

The most consistent bite for large rainbows, 16 to 20 inches and up to 8 pounds, is Camanche, where trollers run 15 to 35 feet deep with wobblers, flies and night-crawlers. Some drift with Power Bait, about 60 pulls down, allowing the wind to push the boat. Spotted bass to 21/2 pounds seem willing. during midweek, Camanche is practically void of anglers. The second annual Derby Day, where anglers try for 10 tagged trout, including one worth $25,000, is set for Oct. 15. new Melones offers trout but mostly at night under submersible lights. Bob Hemphill scored a 71/2-pound largemouth on a Zoom worm. Kokanee are about done and require bouncing bottom with downrigger balls to hook. Don Pedro finds a mix of kokanee (their season runs longer at Don Pedro), reluctant king salmon and trout to 16 inches. Field scout William Heinselman said Hogan is slow with very small “boils” for feeding striped bass occurring early. Stripers run 3 pounds.

Frenchman, located near Chilcoot, yields 16- to 20-inch rainbows to bank anglers at Snallygaster and the dam, and for trollers pulling flies and garden hackle at Turkey Point. Davis Lake boasts rainbows in the 2- to 3-pound bracket for trollers who work 18 to 20 feet down with Dick Nite spoons and flies, with limits reported. Eagle Lake requires drifting nightcrawlers or trolling the deepest water areas at Shrimp Island and Eagle’s Nest for trout to 19 inches. Tahoe perked up this week with mackinaw, 2 to 12 pounds, on the north end. Kokanee dominated on the south end.

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i think i have some of them they are location, lure, persentation, and i dont know about the last one. the paper is for the newpaper so i would like to be right.

water conditions, temperature, structure and time of year. if you know nothing about these, your chances are slim. each or all dictates how and where you will fishand will dictate the lure and presentation.

there are several ways to catch bass
one is with artificial lures or worms. lures u need to use action by light tugs on the pole as you are reeling. worms just throw them out let them sink & slowley reel in. some worms are weedless which bass likes to lie under weeds, so just cast in the weeds & let sink.
real live minnows are good for bass these u just cast out & wait for a strike let the fish run with the for a few seconds then set the hook.

go to the library and get a book by Roland Martin and he will tell you
I will tell you that there are many factors to consider when fishing and their importance varies in different situations,weather,time of year what the bass are eating, are they spawning are they deep or shallow, clouds or sun on and on good luck from TEXAS the land of the 18.18 pound black bass

learn to spell before you turn in you paper—writing not righting
maybe a small punctuation

Fish + Location + Lure Selection + Presentation = Success

Read more from a fantastic "In-Fisherman" article here:
in-fisherman.com/magazine/art…

Weather, water temp, presentation, lure.

Lake (body of water) + Fishing pole+ Bait + Luck
I'd say you would have to have these 4 important things, but of course there are many other determining factors

If you are writing for a newspaper the most important thing for you might be learning how to spell or use spellchecker!

Conditions
Structure
Presentation
Lure

I would say the most important things are location, lure selection, practice and most of all patience.

I have a excellent lake near my house and spring and fall fishing are excellent on shore lines but i don't know how to fish for them in deeper water during the summer months. any things to look for? what baits to use? how to fish them? Anything!

Bruce has a very in-depth answer, (thumbs up!). Nice!

Here are a couple tips for finding them deep:

#1. When you are ABSOLUTELY sure they aren't shallow, try trolling the outside weed edge. Use 1/4-1/2 OZ diving plugs that match the clarity of the water. (IE- Muddy/stained water use "Firetiger" colors; for clear water use more "realistic" colors- and expect to change frequently until you find the Crank they want to strike)

By trolling you cover more ground quicker and get an thought of WHERE the fish might be congregating.

I have no thought where or what your lake looks like- (wether weedy or relatively clear)- but, typically, at the 10-12FT mark, weeds start to disappear and a 6-8FT diving Crank can be easily trolled.

Trolling is great way to "find" active, deeper water, fish. once you find their "general vicinity", you can change tactics and start Flippin jigs or soft plastic's. Pro's use this tactic (at times) to find the "sweet spot" on an extended deep-water weed-edge.

Here are a couple time proven Cranks perfect for "searching"-

1. Bomber, fat Free Shad- basspro.com/Bomber-Stout-Free-S…

2. Rapala, Original Floating Minnow- basspro.com/Rapala-Original-F…

#2. During the Summer, (esp HOT Summers) Bass will move further back under docks and woody structure and an "average" (outside) cast to these structures won't produce strikes and fish. Try "skipping" as far back underneath docks and structure as possible.

Hope these extra tips help ya?

largemouth bass? as the water warms look for largemouth bass in the shallow bays that border deeper water.During the day the bass will be seeking shady areas,such as weedbeds,especially lily pads.Try beds with clear water openings and passages through them are often excellent fish holding locations.they just like the cover small mouth bass will like deeper water like,deep points,shoals(rock beds)

I have seen alot of people fish from shore with a ballance beam system. How do all you guys feal about ballancing your pole to catch strippers. Ive tryed it but I have not seen my fish numbers improve. is there a place to buy these rod holders? Thanks in advance for all your help.

i am trying to catch all monster fish but i cant catch salmon, i have never seen one in the game.
could any one tell me ware in lake champion to catch salmon along with line size, lure, weather and salmon???
any help would be very help full
thank you.