It does not matter what life throws at you, there’s always choices or decisions to be made. Some are easy and straightforward, and some are an educated guess while others are a calculated risk. Just like in the movie “Spiderman” we have a choice, but our choices or decisions have consequences. Some decisions we make are for selfish reasons but then some might be for the good of helping others. As an angler every day on the water is full of choices and decisions that lead us either to victory or just an average finish.
Today I’m going to walk you through what an angler goes through before and during a bass tournament. An angler’s choices or decisions are based on things like; time of year, the lake he’s on, watercolor, water temperature to moon phase. All these things can dictate bait selection. He bases his choices and makes his decisions off his pre-fishing time. Let’s start with maybe the most important element; what time of year is it?. For this article, let’s go with April. Here in the south, most of our waterways or lakes are warming up fast. Warm nights and warmer days really bring the water temps up into the lower to mid 60’s. In April we still have bass that have not spawned (laid eggs) yet. But if you look ahead for the next full moon, you’ll know when there will be another group of female bass ready to pull up shallow for the spawn. The general rule of thumb is that three days before and after the full moon is when fish are the most active but not all fish spawn at the same time.
Mother Nature is smart on how she replenishes our lakes and waterways. From February even into the month of May, there will be bass spawning during each of those months and it usually coincides with the full moon. Knowing this information allows you make an informed decision to either go shallow for spawning fish or find the first deep drop off leading into the shallow water where bass might be staging before pulling up for the spawn. Hence, we call these “staging fish”. Some anglers like myself are very comfortable in shallow water while others like to find fish in the deeper water near the drop off. If your decision is to go shallow, now let’s decide what baits to throw. My first choice is to pitch, flip or drag a lizard. Then I’ll pick up a spinnerbait or maybe a shallow running crankbait. Creature’s baits like the V&M Baby Swamp Hog or a beaver style bait are also great choices. But don’t forget to have a frog tied on as well. Nothing draws a bigger more aggressive strike than a frog sitting over a bass on bed.
If you decide to go for the bass in pre-spawn or staging mode in deeper water, you can tie on a Texas rigged worm, a Carolina rig worm or a deep diving crankbait. A slow rolled spinnerbait or a swim bait is also a great choice. The pre-spawn fish might be a little easier to catch for two reasons, they might not have had the fishing pressure and are not as skittish as the bass that have moved up to spawn. A bass on a bed can be a difficult fish to catch and you can waste a lot of precious time on tournament day trying to trigger a bed fish into biting.
People have asked me how much luck comes into play in fishing? The luck part is when you hook a fish and just as you flip the fish in the boat, the hook falls out while the fish lands in the boat rather than in the lake. That’s luck! Good anglers seem to have instincts rather than luck and it seems like they always make the right choices and decisions. This is why pre-fishing can be so useful and help an angler on tournament day to make the right choices. Maybe he caught a lot of two-pound fish in an area, but the luck part is that when he got there on tournament day, three and four pounders had moved in. But his decision to start an event in that particular area is calculated based on the results of what he caught while pre-fishing.
While watching Major League Fishing a short time ago, MLF Pro John Cox made a tournament clinching decision by stopping in a small pocket 10 minutes before weigh-in. The result was John catching a four-pound bass, sealing the win for him on Smith Lake. Now this does not always happen but it’s a great example of an angler making the right decision on tournament day.
So, whether you’re a tournament angler or a weekend warrior, the decisions or choices you make on the water, can be the difference in having a successful tournament or one that you would rather forget. Till next time, stay strong, keep the faith in your abilities and the choices you make. Good luck and don’t forget to set the hook!
For this reason, Melba has been selected to be featured in the inaugural “Forest Haven Staff Spotlight”. Melba has mentored numerous staff members over the years. She always takes time to instill into them the values of the facility that makes her the exceptional employee that she is. Melba enjoys attending church and spending time with her children and grandson, Cannon. Melba was selected as the “Certified Nursing Assistant of the Year” for the state of Louisiana at their annual convention in 2019. We are honored to have Melba as a part of our Rockstar Team at Forest Haven!
Anne Blythe (Ledbetter) Mollere, age 56, went to be with the Lord on Monday, April 12th, 2021. The 1982 Jonesboro-Hodge High School graduate was a resident of Kenner, LA and employed by the law firm of Chehardy, Sherman and Williams where she served in the capacity of a Paralegal. Anne was a devoted single parent and dog lover who was deeply involved with animal rescue concerns and adoption services.
Jerry Wayne Morris died Thursday, April 15 th , at home surrounded by his daughters and his loving wife after his fight with terminal cancer. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Frank and Lolie Harrison and Clyde and Sallie Morris, his father, Jimmy Ray Morris, his father-in-law, Huey Vern Gates, his dad, William Dan Bridges, his brother, Gary Lee Morris, and his best friend, Luis Rivera.
Mrs. Etna Annette Jordan, age 62 of Jonesboro, crossed from our world into Heaven on Monday, April 12, 2021. She was a member of Jonesboro Assembly of God. Mrs. Etna was a God fearing Christian lady, a devoted wife and a loving mother and grandmother. Those left to cherish her memory are her husband of 39 years, Cleve Jordan; daughters, Melissa Jordan, Carrie Jordan; stepdaughters, Kim Sills, Tracy Rhodes; grandchildren, Skylar Jordan, Devon Jordan, Hailey Jordan, Shaelynn Jordan, Katie Rhodes, M.J. Rhodes, Angella Norman, Taylor Dunn; great granddaughter, Madison Dunn; brother, Arevel Jones; a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Elmer and Odessa (Roberts) Jones; brother, Doug Jones.
“Coach Konkol approached me after practice and said he was impressed with the way I played hard and offered me a chance to walk on,” recalled Hartley. “It was what I had dreamed of and to be able to play at Tech made it even better.”
They were clutch shots too. The first gave Quitman a 2-0 lead and the second came with two outs and tied the game in the final frame that allowed Quitman to win in nine innings. How did they win? It came from the bat of an 8th grader, Karley Huckaby, who hit her second homerun of the season. Then there was another 8th grader Cali Deal, who struck out 12 in a yeoman like 165 pitch performance over nine innings to raise her record to 12-5 on the year, more wins individually than the rest of the softball teams in Jackson Parish have combined. Not to be forgotten was the stolen base and two runs scored by Freshman Madison Chaplin that put her in the rare 50-30 club with a nationally ranked 52 runs scored on the year and 31 stolen bases. At least she is in high school, although just barely. Sophomore Skylar Hall also contributed a double. The victory was the fourth straight over a team that was ranked in the top ten of their classification at the time all being from Class 2A and above and the 20th of the year against teams with a winning record. 
The lead a half an innings as Calvin parlayed three hit batters, two errors and two hits into a 12-10 lead. Back came Weston to score three when Madison Coody and McBride single. Both scored when Taylor Chatham’s ball up the middle was ruled an error. Tolar doubled and Hall knocked in the third of her four runs of the game with a single. It was then Calvin’s turn again to take the lead with two in the fourth and two in the fifth to go up 16-13 setting up the fateful last innning. Back to back to back doubles by McBride, who reached base in all five at bats and scored four runs, Chatham and Tolar who went 3/4 and 4/5 respectively brought Weston to the final one run deficit. Weston outhit Calvin 18-8 but hurt themselves with six errors compared to four for the Lady Cougars. The contest marked the first time all season Weston cracked three home runs in a game and also hit three doubles in a row. 
