Category: Z Man Baits

TOUGH DAY 2

This has been a tough blog to write. The day 2 at Kansas Bass Nation Youth Team Series on Wilson, is a day boys and I would like to forget. We got to our spot. The first pass through, we caught three small bass. While a couple of high school teams across from us were catching keepers. I kept trying to tell the boys to not worry about it. Finally, Kyle caught a 3 pound smallmouth. I told the boys were are ok. We just need 4 more keepers and everything would be good. Then the high school team pulled up to us, and told the boys they had 4 fish. I told the boys don’t worry about it, being two hours into the tournament only having 1 fish. It was getting to them. Then the next hour, we caught 5 small fish. The day before, we had all keepers and never caught a fish under 2 pounds. I decided to moved to another spot after a couple of the other teams moved out. Nick caught a good largemouth, so we had two keepers and everything was good. Then just before the break, Nick caught another keeper. On Friday, Nick caught the same fish. At break, I told the boys all we needed was two more keepers. Then, Nick hooked up right after break. Kyle was snagged, and I was trying to get him unhooked. I told Kyle to get the net. Just then the fish came off. Nick said it wasn’t a keeper, but it looked like one to me. One problem the boys have is they like to watch the other one fight the fish while I net it. They really need to learn to get the net fast. Then off a point which the wind was blowing really hard, Nick hooked up with a big fish. It started to swim out deep. I knew this was the biggest fish we have had all week. Just then it was gone. Nick didn’t get a good hookset. They were very upset. Next two hours, we didn’t get a bite. Driving to the ramp with 3 fish, we were all sick. We just need two more keepers. We had around 8 pounds, and we finished second place with 25 pounds plus. First place team did a great job. They were consistent having around 15 pounds both days. A lot of the teams that didn’t catch them the first day, caught them the second day.

I really feel bad for the twins. There a lot of things I should have done since being the coach. I really feel like the fish had used the spot we fished the first day for traveling to spawn. We caught them the first day moving to the back. We should have moved shallower. Also, should have gone out the night before after weigh-in to look for bedding fish like a couple of other teams did. Also, I told myself Wilson Lake you have to fish the condition. They change daily and hourly. Catching them so good the first day, I really felt they would really be there still. Two day tournaments are different then one day. Also, great job to all the youth teams and captains that fished all year together. We fished some tough events. It was great to see all the kids weigh fish in on Wilson.

We will learn from this and get better. I would like to tell the champs great job and good luck at Nationals in August on Carroll County Lake, Tennessee.

Kansas Bass Youth Team Series Part 2

Day 1 of the Kansas Bass Youth Team Series on Wilson Lake, we had already 2 fish in the livewell at our first stop. As we moved to the second stop, the wind and boat traffic made it very hard to fish. So I decided to drive all the way into the back of the pocket. We pulled up to a grass point and on the first cast, Nick caught our third keeper. It was just at 15 inches, so we need to creel him to have a chance. Fished a little more in the back as another boat joined us in the little pocket. Moving out along the bluff wall, there was a little cut that Kyle missed a fish. I figured it was a bedding fish. So we backed out, and Nick threw up there and dragged it into the spot. He stop moving it, and just then his line took off. I’m not sure he had a good hookset. If you watch the video, you will see. If you have the right rod and reel, all you have to do is lean into the fish. You don’t really want to set the hook too hard because you can pull or pop the hook out of its mouth. It was a good 3.12lb largemouth. I figured we had finally caught one we wouldn’t have to creel. With 4 fish in the livewell at 10am, it was a great start.

We moved just a little more down the back, watching another boat catch a good one in front of us. As they went around us, Kyle hooked up with number 5. The next hour, we caught fish after fish. We creeled 3 of the smaller fish in the next hour. All the fish in the livewell were between 3.04 to 3.12lbs. Just then Nick set the hook. I was like “Really? Again?” It jumped and shad guts flew everywhere. It was a big smallmouth. As Nick played it, Kyle was praying that we landed the fish. Nick got the fish in the net, and it was the biggest fish at a weight of 3.14lbs. We had around 17 pounds. After talking a little to another boat with a couple of guys that I know very well, they told us to stop fishing and save some fish for the next day. Boys didn’t want to stop fishing, but they did from 11:30 am to 1:45 pm. We protected the spot from other boats. Twins would cast out deeper and take breaks. Around 1pm, Kyle said “I’m casting to the spot.” I was like ok. Just as I said “Ok,” he set the hook. Not good, because it was another 3 pound smallmouth. The first half of the field weighed in, and only had 2fish or no fish. But one team had 14.90 lbs. As the scale stopped at 17.54 lbs, we had an almost 2 1/2 pound lead. All we have to do is bring in a limit on day 2 and the championship would be ours.

Kansas BASS Youth Team Series Championship on Wilson Lake

The Kansas BASS Youth Team Series held their State Championship on Wilson Lake in Western Kansas. Wilson Lake bass fishing of both Smallmouth and Largemouth are on fire right know. It is some of the best fishing in Kansas. So, I knew it was going to take around 15lbs a day. It was a two day event. There are a lot of 3 pound bass in the lake. We went the day before so that we could go out and prefish.

On our first spot, I noticed a lot of big largemouth swimming around shallow. I had one follow my frog to the boat. I told one of the boys to throw a stickbait on him. Kyle threw a Senko right next to him, and it exploded on it. I told him not to set the hook. It swam a little bit with his bait before Kyle pulled on him and he then let it go. After seeing a couple of more fish and catching a couple of small bass, we decided to move to a prime spot we had fished a couple of weeks before. Nick right away caught a 4 pound largemouth. I started to see more fish on beds both largemouth and smallmouth. I decided to leave them alone so we could start there first thing in the morning. We fished a couple of more hours, catching just small fish. I was a little nervous about our starting spot due to the Sunflower Team Series was fishing a tournament the first day. Those guys don’t miss much, so I figured they had spotted the fish bedding to. They also had 65 boats fishing.

The first day of the tournament, the boys and I were ready to go. While we were running to the spot, I was just hoping no one was on the spot. As we came around the corner, there was no one on the spot. I was so excited. I knew the twins could catch some fish here. After about 5 casts, we moved right into the spot were I saw a good smallmouth the day before on a bed. The best thing was we knew were it was bedding, so we could stay back away from it and cast around the spot. Nick’s second cast in the area, he hooked up. I knew right away it was a good fish. After fighting it for couple of seconds, which felt like 5 minutes, we landed the first keeper. It was around 3.5 pounds. A great start. Then a couple more casts in another area I had seen a couple of fish shallow, Kyle was able to catch another keeper smallmouth. It was just 15 inches, and didn’t weigh much. We have to creel this fish. But, we had two keepers in the first 30 minutes. After another hour, I decided to go to where we saw the bigger largemouth the day before. As we left the cove, I saw the wind direction. It would be very hard to fish the spot. I decided to move us to another spot that had been good to us the last couple of years. It would be a great decision, and one of the best days on the water that the boys and I will never forget. Next blog and video the boys catch their biggest limit in a tournament.

LITTLE FISHING COMPETITION

Had a little fishing competition last weekend on Melvern lake. Joining us was Z Man Pro Staff Thomas Heinen.

Thomas Heinen

Thomas is a very well seasoned fisherman already at a young age. He is fishing on the Washburn College team this year. He is a three time Non-boater Angler of the year winner in the Flint Hills Bass Club. Also, has represented Kansas multiple times on the Youth and High School side at the National level. When my boys joined Topeka Jr Hawgs, Thomas was a member. He has always been an awesome role model for my boys.

On Saturday, we decided to fish a Major League fishing format. Thomas and I versus the Twins, Nick & Kyle. The rules were every fish over 1 pound counted. Then if your fish touched the carpet, you would receive a 1 min penalty; which you couldn’t fish for 1 minute.

Thomas and Kyle with a couple of good bass.

The fishing was a little slow the fish half, but if you stayed at it you could catch fish. At halftime, the twins had a little over 2 pound lead. Anchored by 2.15lb smallmouth Kyle caught. Never had I ever fished when half the people in the boat cheered when you lost a fish. I hope you enjoy the first part of video.