and my assumptions going into the event could not have been further from the end result. We started the day fishing an area known as the “rim ditch”, which is basically a huge canal and ditch system that surrounds the shallow, grassy lake. My thoughts of flipping and pitching all day were quickly replaced with thoughts of how well a drop-shot would do in the canal. My first thought was fishing the levee system of the California delta. The rim ditch is a series of rock walls, humps, and underwater points with tules (they call them reeds here) lining the levee banks that are meant to protect surrounding cities from flooding from the massive lake. i had heard that fishing had been pretty tough due to the low water levels, so i started fishing a drop-shot, since it is something that i had relied on for years. i think fishermen in the West take things for granted with the advanced information, style, innovation and versatility that the region is known for. My instincts proved to be right and the day went better than i could have imagined and finished with a limit of 15lbs and a Fifth Place finish. all of my fish were caught on a roboworm fished on a drop-shot and spinning rod with six pound test fluorocarbon.
Now three years later, I have come to realize that this was not an isolated incident. i can think of several tough tournaments where i was able to do well by fishing the techniques that are commonplace in the West and utilizing them on waters not traditionally associated with finesse fishing. i can recall events where a flick shake, split-shot, drop-shot and even a darter head accounted for the majority of fish when the rest of the field struggled to get bit.
Another example was at a tournament on Lake Seminole on the Florida/Georgia border. Coming into the event, i knew it would be a slow bite as the late fall conditions combined with a cold front presented many challenges. The talk before the tournament was that the field was struggling to even get bites, let alone fill out a tournament limit. i knew this situation
would be perfect for a drop-shot. i was paired with an angler who lived fairly close to the lake. We planned to fish the shallow hydrilla, flipping and punching with a heavy weight. i looked around at the scattered grass surrounding the mats and had an idea to use a drop- shot. He had a surprised and amused look, and even made a few comments about “California boys” when i started the day slowly dissecting the scattered grass with a drop-shot and robo worm. a few minutes later, i had a four pound fish in the boat and went on to catch two more. My partner slowly came around and became intrigued and even asked how to tie the rig. it is such a common technique and is nothing new for the West, but the lack of knowledge even this long after it became common surprised me. The tournament ended up as expected and was extremely tough. i was in the top-10 of a large regional event on the strength of three fish caught with finesse.
The FLW Tour’s Forrest Wood Cup serves as yet another example of how Western bass fisherman can do well with the techniques and strategies honed by fishing the West and applying them to waters in other areas of the country. luke Clausen, Brent ehrler and Kevin Hawk all showed that finesse fishing with a spinning rod during tough, summer conditions can mean the difference between a good finish and a huge payday at one of the sport’s biggest events.
The point of this article is not to describe how Western bass fishermen and their skills are superior to the rest of the country, but more to show the differences of fishing styles across the country. The innovation and versatility of bass fisherman in the Western United States is something that has been proven over the years as they make their way towards the southeast and to the epicenter of tournament bass fishing. it started with the origins of flippin’ and continued with the use of the tube bait, split-shot and of course the drop-shot. My only questions is “What’s next?”
Issue 4 October 2011
29