Boat docks… How do you fish them, what lures would you use, when do you fish them, and which ones will produce fish?

Fishing docks can be very a productive pattern all seasons as long. Sure, some weather, certain times of day and seasons of the year are better than others. And one day the fish will be there, while the next day they seem to have vanished or have lock-jaw. That’s a reality in fishing any lake, right? Every lake I fish has docks. No matter when and where I’m fishing, I generally give them a try.

Where: It’s been my experience that docks near or on points close to deeper water are going to be your best bet. Nearby grass, milfoil, brush, or other cover of some type will increase your odds of a bite. Healthy, green vegetation and other cover attract baitfish, which in turn attract game fish such as bass and crappie. Read the rest of this entry »

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As you move up and down Lake Guntersville you will see grass growing from ledge to ledge, and you just know that has to hold good bass. The problem is, not all grass lines are equal, and not all hold active fish. How can you know which grass edges hold fish you can catch? What makes one edge more productive than others? Let me give you some pointers so you will know what to look for.

First, look for baitfish activity. If you pull up to a grass line and after fishing a few minutes don’t see bait moving about, it’s time to move on. Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s been well documented that every summer as water warms the dissolved oxygen level drops and the bass spend more time suspending than they do feeding. The thing that most people don’t know is that bass actually feed more in the summer than at any other time of the year. The problem is the feeding is generally limited to early morning or late evening, so if you’re not on the water early then, more often that not you struggle to get a bite.

One thing that I’ve observed is that as the summer rolls on, bass move deeper into the grass where they find cooler, more oxygenated water. And contrary to what you might guess, the bass that have been suspending on deep points and ledges actually move up shallow, too. So finding fish in less than 10 feet of water becomes easier as the summer rolls around to July and August. Read the rest of this entry »

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Since the onset of the mixture of gasoline and ethanol there tons of problems have been popping up all over the country. Injector issues, motors running rough, gas breaking down and more have plagued the bass boat owner. The latest is motors blowing up from filters clogging in the 2-stroke motor. I thought I would share with you some of the real problems ethanol is causing with today’s boats.

There have been four major problems caused by E-10 ethanol fuel, the first being that the fuel tends to have debris in it. As the fuel ages it tends to gum rapidly in the fuel tank. Ethanol itself is a strong cleaner that will strip away this gumming of the fuel. The problem is it disperses it back into the filters and injectors or carburetors, robs the motor of performance and causes your motor to run and act differently than it did before the E-10 fuel was used. Read the rest of this entry »

Summer’s heat has kicked in, and the effect of 90-plus degree water temperatures is taking most anglers out to the deep water. Out there, some are successful and others are a flop. Why is that?

When you get on your deep-water spot and wonder why fish that were there yesterday appear to be gone today, the most important element to consider is current. Is water moving or not? Read the rest of this entry »

Knowing how to protect yourself while fishing in the heat of the day can pay big results. Dehydration and heat stroke are real possibilities; without warning you can pass out from the heat and fall into the water. There are, however, some things that you can do to prevent it.

First of all, wear light-colored clothing. It is cooler than dark colors as light colors reflect heat while dark colors absorb it.

Next, choose loose-fitting clothing. It is cooler than tight-fitting clothing. There’s an old trick that was practiced practiced by our troops trying to survive the heat in Vietnam. First was to remove all undergarments so that you have nothing tight-fitting on your body. This allows your body to breath while you sweat from all skin surfaces of your body. Read the rest of this entry »