BPS Yesterday

Took the kiddies over to BPS to buy my birthday present yesterday.

Short background story...

A week ago, one of the local guides was doing a demo in the tank, and exclaimed to the crowd....If you come see me after this demonstration, I'll show you one of the hottest baits being used right now. Being a "bait-lush" and all, I had to check it out. He goes on to pull out a Rapala DT-6 in Hot Mustard, and has attached some suspend strips to the belly which allows the bait to sink to whatever depth he wants....Sure enough, a few casts in the tank and a few of the fish have taken swipes at the bait and indeed inhaled it.

Now, not to get too far off track...I frequent BPS and I'm familiar with the fish in the tank, and their feeding schedules, and it just so happens that the fish were hungry and it was close to feeding time. So, don't put too much importance on the fact that the fish were going after the bait, other than to know that the bait is certainly a good bait, but like any of them, isn't the "miracle" bait.

Now back on track...What is important is that both my kids watched the demo, and they were convinced that this bait was definitely the "must have" bait of the year which prompted the response from my youngest...."I know what I'm going to get you for your birthday :mrgreen: " (which was last week)

So, this weekend my son asks me...."Dad, do you have any money?" and I say...."A little, why?" and he says...."Do you have enough to buy that lure?" and I say "Yes" and he says...."Good, because that's what I want to buy you for your birthday" :LOL2:

Folow up post coming with pics. My computer doesn't like typing this long of a story and starts acting funky.

so..... we get to Bass Pro, and they have their boat show going on which provides free hot dogs and drinks, a casting competition for the kids, and Woo Daves giving a seminar on worm fishing.

Woo


Woo did a good job, and had quite a few interesting tips about worm fishing. One in particular I remember had to do with "feeling the bite/setting the hook" and the different perspectives fisherman have on the timing of setting the hook. I've heard many of the same things like...."I count to three"...."I wait till the second tap"..."I keep tension on the line until I feel the fish pull"...etc, etc, etc.... Woo's philosophy is basically, when you encounter any resistance, set the hook. He then went on to say how many anglers get bit, but never hook the fish, because the fish has spit the bait by the time they set the hook and it's dismissed as bumping structure/cover. His point was made by asking anyone to put his texas rigged trick worm in their mouth while he applied steady pressure to the bait and see who would keep their mouth closed. :LOL2: Naturally, no one offered and Woo explained that the bass' reaction is the same, so when you feel the resistance, lower your rod tip, creating slack in the line, and SET THE HOOK. We pay so much for everything to put us on the water and to find fish....Hooksets are free!

In my kids minds....This is what Daddy's jon boat will look like after the mods are done




Thanks for reading....

Awesome story and belated Happy Birthday!

Thanks for posting it =D>

=D> =D> Great story and great advice on giving slick when feeling the bit, I always thought the "slack" was for a more powerful hookset!

Excellent story Brine, BTW, lets do some fishing soon...

Hook sets are free? I have been charging .10 each for any hook set on my boat.. how else could I afford all my tackle?
I have found that bass will hold a bait for a very long time. I have gotten them to the side of the bat without ever setting the hook with a slow very slow slight movement toward the boat before they spit the hook . I have meet Woo he is a nice guy and know how to fish a worm...

Happy Birthday!

I saw an episode of "the Bass Pros" (I think is was) with Woo fishing a light T-rig and he explained the slack in the hookset being important to drive the hook through the bait. He grabbed the tail of a rigged worm and applied pressure until it broke and it broke off clean where the hook point was but the point never penetrated the worm. Then he put one on and gave it a crisp snap, it ripped the whole worm off through the hook point, makes sense to me!

Thanks everyone....

BassAddict said:

=D> =D> Great story and great advice on giving slick when feeling the bit, I always thought the "slack" was for a more powerful hookset!

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and you're right....although IMHO there is value in not allowing the fish to feel the tension on the line. Bass aren't the only fish this applies to, as demonstrated by carp/cat/striper etc... fisherman who will loosen the drag on their reels to allow the fish to eat the bait and swim off without creating tension on the line prior to setting the hook.

However as Redbug noted, not all fish behave this way all the time, but anyone who has seen the movie BIGMOUTH, will remember watching a bass inhale a crankbait then spit it right back out before the angler even recognized a fish had hit it, and I'm fairly confident that this has happened to all of us (that have spent a significant amount of time fishing) as well. To me, eliminating the negative ques is important. That's why I use scent on almost everything I throw. It's not to attract fish, it's to eliminate the taste of hand soap, gasoline, nicotine, sunscreen etc....that MAY cause a fish to question what he has put in his mouth, and I feel the same about a bait that would be unnaturally pulling a fish in a certain directions once swallowed. I also reason that the bigger/older the fish, the more sensative it is to these types of negative ques.

Bugpac said:

Excellent story Brine, BTW, lets do some fishing soon...

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I'm ready when you are. Just lemme know.