Field Notes | Winter Bass Fishing

Search out Structure | Docks and Pilings

1) Cast parallel to the edge of submerged rocks, structure or docks

2) Let it sink to the bottom. Then slow crank it back to the boat bouncing it off the rocky structure

3) As the lure bumps the rocks bass are tracking it and waiting to ambush

4) If you do not feel the bottom structure reposition drift for best result.

TIP: The bass sometimes hit it on the drop other times they hit it five feet from the boat. Get into the mindset that they are always following it and be ready to strike.

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Experiments in the Lab | Hybrid Lures

Around any heavy structure or docks pitching this hybrid fly/grub is deadly. I made this lure a combination of curly tail grub with chartreuse buck-tail, chenille, flash and added a 20lb fluorocarbon leader as a weed guard. 

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Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

Seared in my psyche as a kid growing up skateboarding is the reality that everywhere I went to skate was illegal. It was either private property or public trespassing to one degree or another. It just became standard daily operations that you were going to get yelled at by security guards and chased out of each spot. Sometimes you could get a half hour other times just five minutes. I began taking closer notice to when a business closed and the best ways to get in and out without getting caught. 

Fast forward 30+ years and I am riding my bike downtown each day for Jury Duty and I began to notice all these signs posted everywhere. NO BIKING, NO SKATEBOARDING, NO FISHING, ETC. Then I cut east up Broadway Avenue to the courthouse and I begin to see all these plazas that are completely rendered un-skateable. Every inch of downtown has been "skate stopped" 1 

It got me thinking about the parallels between how I skate and fish. All my favorite spots to fish downtown are posted No Fishing Keep Back 75 Feet. When I structure fish downtown I try and get in quick under the radar. Usually Navy begins to patrol around 8am and tourist walking down along the piers call the cops on me if I stay too long in one spot. It definitely keeps you on your toes and adds a different level of excitement. Even if the fishing isn't great just getting away without getting caught is an accomplishment in itself. 

{ 1 Skate Stopper is the brand-name of a skate-deterrent device placed on urban terrain features such as benches and hand rails to discourage skating on the surface where they have been installed}

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Hunt | Gather | Cook

In this 21st Century most people don't look beyond the organic, grass-fed, seasonal, farmer markets to actually grow and fish for there own food. To be able to pinpoint the day and location where you meal is coming from is rare. From ocean to table for culinary adventurers.

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NEW!!! 2014 Tide Calendars in Stock

Tides and Times to Go...

If your life revolves around the flow of water then understanding the Moon Phases and how it affects the tides is crucial to catching the best waves and fish. Slack tides or a negative low tides can shut down a fish bite the same way it can swamp out a swell or close out a beach break. My day revolves around the tides and times to go.

It doesn't matter where you are at if you don't know the time.

Process : : Printing and Die Cut 

Below is a limited edition Two Color Screen Printed Tide Calendar. Printed on chip board with custom die cut calendar holder. Calendar shows the water movement at a glance along with regional negative and positive tides. Learn the Moon Phases and how it affects the ebb and flow of life.  

Size 7.5" by 14" {available in both west coast and east coast tide calendars}

Visit my Etsy Shop and pick one up before they are all gone. Only $10. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/174655433/tide-calendar-2014?ref=shop_home_active

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lost in paradise

I got lost for a period of time and didn't really have anything to say. I felt like if you don't have anything to say then its better not to say anything for awhile. 

I have taken a ton of photos the last few months but they all felt so random and disparate. I like to sit back for awhile and let the collection of images marinate until they are ready to tell the adventure by themselves. To delve deeper into the day as it unfolds moment by moment, image by image. Trying to lead the viewer out into the abyss with you until they can almost taste the salt air and feel the heat from the eternal sun on their face. Full speed ahead into the blinding salt spray chasing birds that you hope will lead you to the promise land. The sound of the light house and its droning fog horn as lulls you into a hypnotic trance. All the time anticipating that next bite, hit, strike or bump to bring you back into reality. A small glimpse into the subtle magic of a life adrift.

So back on land when people pass by and ask if I caught anything I always say no because they will never truly understand the full experience or why I go. 

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This is Only a Test Print...

"Cameras help me translate, interpret, and understand 
what I see..." Mickey Smith
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OLYMPUS Stylus TG-2 iHS {Tough Series}

LIFE Proof: Waterproof/50ft   -Shockproof 7ft    -Freezeproof 14°F

GPS & E. Compass: (Records location and landmark information)

Interchangeable Lens

-Fisheye    -Telephoto    -40.5mm (UV/CP/ND8 filters)

Here is my first test roll from the new Olympus Tough Camera. Experimented with settings and 
modes above and underwater. 

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