First, to let you all know this will be a completely different write up than any previous "Day On The Water".
Make sure you read the entire write up, this is like one big puzzle, if you miss a piece you will be lost.On August 17th, Elite Series Pro Brian Clark to time out of his busy schedule to participate in "A Day On The Water".
Brain and I meet up at Lavonia ramp on Lake Lavon.
First thing I see running at me was his dog, what a great mannered animal.
He spends a few minutes bringing up the lake on his Lowrance Graph with a Navioncs chip. When he gets a game plan we launch he Skeeter.
He spends a few minutes telling me how he's going to attack the day. I always try to find something simple to start. Rocks are the best way, you don't want to run around a new lake before you can see he states.
He takes off towards the RailRoad tracks and on the way locates a deep water hump. The hump it in 32 feet of water and the top is in 21 feet. "See the bait fish he shows me" he takes and teaches me how to set the graph to show you the AIR BLADDER in a fisht o determine how big they are. " See that long bladder he points out, thats a Stripper or Sand Bass. Bass have fatter bladders. I will check this out later" we then head toward the RR Tracks.
Brains starts casting a Strike King Series 3 Sexy Shad crank bait over the rocks off the Tracks. I really don't like these rocks he tells me, I would like them to be bigger these small one don't see to hold fish as well. He gets around to the point of the rocks and catches a small 5 inch bass. He immediately pulls up his trolling motor telling me if that small fish is here the bigger one's aren't.
TIP FROM BRIAN:If you are catching are start catching smaller fish leave the area, the small fish will not be feeding most of the time if larger fish are there. The larger fish will be eating the smaller one's.He runs around the corner to a some isolated timber on a shallow ridge. The timber is in 4 feet of water the edges are in 8 feet of water. He starts picking apart the timber with a Coffee tube Green Pumpkin Texas Rigged with a 1/4 tungsten weight. He gets a bite and QUICKLY sets the hook. ( I have never seen someone have that fast and swift of a hook set) Perch he said, I ask him why the heck he would set the hook on a perch like that.
TIP FROM BRIAN:I have had many big fish that tap/tap like a perch, you hear all the time hook sets are free, so set the hook you never know when that one time it's a big bass. A lot of time people say, they feel the Tap/Tap and assume it's a perch. Well some time the first TAP is the bass sucking it in the second TAP is him spitting it out. He fishes the timber for a few minutes then starts to throw a Chat/White Spinnerbait at shallow grass burning it back to the boat. after about 2 minutes he says lets go, I will not be back to this branch today, theres no fish here. No birds and bait fish.
He moves out to a main lake point where he start to pick apart more isolated timber. he flips and pitches for a few minutes then picks up trolling motor to make a run.......25 yards????? I ask him why he did that.
TIP FROM BRIAN:I may have saved one minute there huh, he ask me. well what if I do this all day I may get 30-40 more minutes of fishing by not using the trolling to move around long distances.He fishes the timber for a little while then starts casting a frog along the top of shallow grass. Green Pumpkin Pearl is the color. With no luck he goes back to the Tube around isolated timber.
TIP FROM BRIAN:When fishing frogs you really only need Black/White/Natural Green. You don't need all those other crazy color's and the color on top of the frog HAS NO IMPACTED ON HOW YOU CATCH FISH. they don't care what color the back of the frog is. Just get the belly natural looking.He hasn't caught a good fish in awhile, but tells me
TIP FROM BRIAN:Even if your not catching fish, don't consider it a bad practice. You are still eliminating unproductive water. Learn from not catching.For the next hour Brian moves all around finding isolated timber with no luck. He tells me that pattern will be on sometime through out the day though.
He's running down the lake and spot some rocks and Rebar theres fish there. He starts throwing the series 3 crank and is telling me how if the water was up bigger fish would be there. He catches a few small ones of banging the crankbait off the rocks.
He's moving back up the lake again and stops at bare shallow main lake point, I ask him what in the world he had seen here to make him stop, to which he points at a bird and tells me I always stop and spend 5 minutes are so if I see birds feeding.
No luck on the point so he heads back to some isolated main lake timber on points. He starts moving down the lake when he crosses a good hump holding bait fish and bass in the middle of the lake. The top of the high spot is in 22.4 feet of water with the sides in 31.7 feet. He riggs up a drop shot with a 5/16 weight and robo worm. He spends about 10 minutes there and with no luck moves to around a ramp with rocks on both sides
He picks up the series 3 crankbait as the cast is in the air he tells me there will be a good fish here. 1st cast the fight is on as he is playing the fish he gives details on how to fight/play and land the fish. (see video) the bass weighed in at 3.14 pounds. Thats a SLIM FAST BASS he says, no belly at all.
TIP FROM BRIAN:When fishing areas with multiple structure try to get your lure to hit as much as both on one cast that will increase you catch rate.
After attacking the boat ramp for a little while longer Brian starts to move. He spends the next few hours move from Isolated timber to Boat ramps with no luck.
He moves to a Main Lake point with a few big isolated tree's in about 8 feet of water. He flips in the coffee tube and the fish hits it hard, with a FAST hook set all I hear is it's a big one. The fish makes a few dives and gets Brian hung up in some limbs. he does all he can but about 6 minutes later he has to break the fish off. ( I guarantee you all that fish would have beaten the "Day On The Water" record )
He sits down and reties to let the experience wear off, if this would have been a tourney that would have hurt. Oh well got to keep fishing.
He fishes around the timber for a little while longer and then picks up to move to a marina across the lake, he starts flipping tires and CRANKING INSIDE THE TIRES. There were some tires that had a inch or 2 between them. he would cast the crankbait and work it in and out of those cracks. Crazy is all I can use to describe this. He has no luck with the tires and moves to another boat ramp fishing the Series 3 crank bait.
He moves to some boat slips and shut the motor down way out in front and put the trolling motor on LOW. he creeps up to the rocks and docks and start to throw a shaky head.
TIP FROM BRIAN:When fishing Shallow water or Boat ramps be quite, If a bass can find a worm in the middle of the night, he can feel a 20 foot boat coming around. Don't put yours self in at a disadvantage before you can fish.He fishes rocks and timber till about 1 hour left in his "Day On The Water", he's heading down the lake and sees another Hump/high spot. He pulls the drop shot back out and attacks the deep water.
TIP FROM BRIAN:When fishing deep your graph is the most important piece to the puzzle, you need to know how to read and dissect what there and where. Get you Rod/reel/line and lure ready, fishing that deep it about proper hook setting and playing the fish.Theres 35 minute left and Brian heads to a Ramp he fished before, I'm now going to try to fish for a some big fish he says. He runs across the lake and arrives at the ramp. He quickly gets up and starts casting.....Here we go I hear as I see Brian's road loading up. If I would have stayed on this pattern all day I feel I could have caught these all day.
When he lands the fish it's a 3.10 lb bass.
He finishes the day next to Lavonia Boat Ramp and loads up.
Brian wanted me to say thanks to the Texas Fishing Forum for all there support, your support hasn't gone unnoticed or forgotten. He truly remembers why he's where he's at, hard work and support from his family. He doesn't post on here, but told me all day how great and supportive his family was, especially his wife. She's very understanding he said.
He would like to THANKS ALL HIS SPONSORS, with out them none of this would be possible.
In no particular order
Skeeter/Yamaha.......... www.skeeterboats.com
Moritz Chevrolet........ www.moritzchevrolet.com
Strike King Lures....... www.strikeking.com
Fun-N-Sun Boat Sales.... www.funnsunboats.com
Waterloo Rod Company.... www.waterloorods.com
Texas Fishing Forum.....
Longhorn Concrete.......
Red Dog Studios.........
Brian could have really racked up the weight today, but he said what good would that do the Texas Fishing Forum. He didn't want to stay in one spot all day, he treated this like a Elite series practice and really gave some great tips along the way.Brian's TOTAL WEIGHT:11.07 lbsTIP FROM BRIAN:When fishing Texas Rig DON'T reel down to feel if the fish is on there after a strike set the hook, when you reel down you put pressure on the WEIGHT and it puts pressure on the Bass's mouth. He will spit the lure as soon as he feels the weight More often than not.TIP FROM BRIAN:When your fishing and you hear that voice in your head telling you anything from, need to move to slow down/speed up, stop cranking and go to flipping.....LISTEN TO IT. He has had a lot of success learning to listen to that voice and reating off of it.Brian I had a blast, I learned more in 8 hours yesterday than more people will learn in a life time. Your a great guy and angler. GOOD LUCK NEXT year, I have a feeling you are going to be a major contender next season.Casey
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