Mid South Kayak Anglers Open

Dear Anglers,

You are invited to enter this kayak bass fishing tournament!  Mid South Kayak Anglers is the organization hosting this kayak fishing tournament from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 23, 2017.   All anglers must supply their own kayak and both fly fishing and bait fishing are allowed.  Door prizes will be given out and the winner of the the tournament gets a spot to fish in the Kayak Fishing National Championship on Kentucky Lake, the winner of which will receive 100k!!! Wow, that's certainly worth a shot!  

Tips: to fish this tourney, you will need to have a hog trough if you do not already have one.  They are about $25.00 and are available online.  These are the standard for measuring the fish you catch in tournaments and will certainly remain useful in the future.  All fish will be photographed on your trough in order to keep track of the number and size of your bass.  

For more on the entry fee and to check out the rules, see the Mid South Kayak Angler Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1792529607723740/ 

Get your kayaks, rods, fish finders or any other gadgets ready to roll for this exciting competition!  

Tight lines,

DSA

Where Did the Fish Go?

Spring has begun here in the Deep South and the fish are starting to move faster and more aggressively.  Even so, during this time of year there is often another wintry blast or two left in mother nature's repertoire.  

Cool weather strikes back, and we wonder where the fish have gone.  They're practically jumping in your net one day, but then the very next day it seems they've packed their bags and high-tailed it some warmer, far away waters.  

Good news: the fish are still there, they're just down deeper and more sluggish.  It's exactly times like this when you just might hook a personal record.  So when the fish have slowed down and seem to have stopped biting, fish the water all the more thoroughly.  While they may not be actively feeding, you can bet they will stand their ground in the instance of a threat, which leads us to the point of this post. 

It's little known that larger bass will often strike close to home as a territorial move rather than in pursuit of a meal. They're hunkered down under that boulder or log lying deep in the pool, keeping a low profile and conserving their energy until the warmth of spring returns.  

This is the time to fish most thoroughly.  Work that streamer as close as you can get it to home - a place where even the oldest and wisest bass ought to be relaxed and feel safe.  If you take him off guard with a large, deep-diving fly pattern, he may very well move into attack mode, seeking to crush any threat to his safe little secret spot.  

In a sense, there's a line the bass has drawn around its post, and, if you cross it, you may get a powerful take - one you won't forget.  Often the best fish are caught in the worst circumstances.  

Thanks for reading.

Tight lines,

Daniel

Looking Forward, Pointing Behind

The other day I was hiking down to the river on a little-known trail.  It was beautiful, covered in moss and rose high above the water and peaked on top of a cliff.  Then, it got steep. I was overwhelmed by the excitement and beauty of it all that I got careless on my way back down to the river.  The ground was slick, I was wearing my waders and holding my 9 foot 8 wt rod in hand.

I was talking/shouting across river at my friends who had taken the other path down to the spot we were going to fish, telling them what a gorgeous site they were missing.  And as I made my way down the steep path, I started to slide.  Then I tried to shuffle my feet to regain control but couldn't stop.  My friends watched in horror from the river below as I helplessly began to tumble down the path.  There were trees everywhere, and I was headed straight for one of them.  I braced myself as I knew I was about splinter a leg against the tree or worse.  Just a few feet away from the certain serious injury, I plopped down in the dirt with one final attempt to stop myself.  It all happened so fast, I can hardly explain it; but, somehow, this move shifted my course just to the left of the tree, barely missing it. 

After I skidded to a stop past the tree, I knew I was just fine, but was my rod?  I had been holding it by the cork grip the entire time, with the rod tip pointed back - just as I was taught to do.  Still, I thought surely my "big fish" rod was a goner, but it wasn't.  I glanced over to my right, my hand was still tightly clutching the grip, and the the rod ran uphill behind me, all in one piece! 

This is a real life example why you should always carry your rod by the grip with the tip pointing behind you.  If you do this, you don't even have to think about it - the rod just bounces off of everything.  Not only did it save my rod, but it also likely contributed to my ability to regain control during the fall.  And this allowed me to avoid serious injury.  So ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep that rod tip pointed behind you when on the walk or hike down to the water, not only is it good for the rod but it could save you a broken bone or two.