Swings are for Free

Field Test : : Island Plastics and WarBlade (3/4oz MB Secret LTD)

When bass fishing you can either swing hard for the fence when you first get bit or just keep reeling at a steady pace until the rod loads and you feel the weight of the fish on your line. Well when you swing big you tend to miss a lot of the times but when you do connect it's an instant fight.  These warblades are fun to fish, you can really swing on the bass because the fish is biting the hook when they hit it. There is nothing like winding on a lure and having your reel just stop dead from a hard hitting bass. 

I also got to test out a variety of 3 1/2" Island Plastics. They worked great, even had a Calico Bass chase the lure to the boat and bite the tail off. 

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Captive Audience

Sometimes I catch and release fish so fast that I don't spend enough time admiring their natural beauty. So today I netted a few bass and kept them swimming and healthy in the water while I took a closer look. I got to inspect all the unique characteristics of each bass from different spot configurations to subtle color changes. My captive audience was probably not as excited about me but at least they all got to swim off to fight another day.

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So Much Water so Close to Home

The vast  bodies of water in front of me and experiences in my life are in constant motion, always shifting and changing with the forces that be. I tried to recreate that great halibut fishing trip I had from last week, same drifts and same presentations but fish not biting, nothing doing anywhere.  Its like trying to orchestrate a fun night out on the town, you just can't force those things they have to occur naturally.

If I have learned anything from fishing its to keep on moving if nothings happening in one spot. So I switch gears and decide to target Calico and Spotted Bass. The wind is howling and drifts are so fast I have to move to more protected area. I get in tight along this headland and lock into some killer bass drifts. First drift I get surface bites every cast and land three bass. For the next hour its non stop action, 16 bass all catch photo release.

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quicksand

"falling into the quicksands of my thoughts…"  Fishing solo is a totally different experience, you almost go into a trance after a few hours of solitude and all your senses just focus on the immediate surroundings. Your mind just sinks into random thoughts all day and then your lure gets slammed and you break back into reality. 

Hooked into a handful of beautiful bass and one keeper halibut. After reeling the halibut up and successfully getting it into the boat I was physically shaking for a few minutes. I had to sit down and take it all in. I live for these days.

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