Let's go fish:
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00:04
thank you thank you let’s all give Steve
00:09
a big hand for this catfish conference
00:10
how often is that he’s a man I
00:15
appreciate all you guys showing up this
00:17
is awesome to see this you know I wasn’t
00:20
sure if I was gonna be able to make it
00:22
and Captain Jackson was gonna step in
00:24
and do the seminar for me and had some
00:27
stuff turned pretty good so I was able
00:29
to make it and and he was gracious
00:31
enough to let me come up and we’re gonna
00:33
tag-team this thing so it might be a
00:35
little awkward at times but we’re here
00:37
we’re gonna probably give you guys a lot
00:39
of good bad information you probably
00:41
have to weed through most of it but you
00:43
might come out with something at the end
00:44
I’m Katherine Ryan Casey I run show me
00:47
cat fishing trophy guide service in st.
00:49
Louis Missouri I guide on the
00:50
Mississippi and Missouri River for
00:52
Trophy blue cats and this is captain
00:54
Jason Jack’s and I’ll let him into
00:56
pieces
00:56
I’m captain Jason Jackson I guide he’s
00:58
st. Louis Missouri
00:59
I own two rivers guide service I got in
01:02
Missouri and Mississippi Rivers as well
01:04
but boat from 50 miles with each other
01:07
so we fished a lot together we fished a
01:09
lot of tournaments back in the day which
01:10
is actually one of my first tournament
01:12
partners and he’s a good fisherman and
01:15
between us both you get past the 5x we
01:18
get one or two piece of the good
01:20
information but he presented he put
01:22
together a heck of a PowerPoint
01:25
presentation and we’re gonna go over
01:26
tips techniques tactics on catching
01:30
these big blue cats in river situations
01:32
in current and that’s what we specialize
01:34
in we catch flat heads and channels as
01:36
well but we specialize in the blue cats
01:38
and if you want to go ahead and flip
01:41
that and see what our first talking
01:42
point is here all topics topics go ahead
01:46
and flip through it a couple times so
01:48
we’re gonna talk about patterns and city
01:50
change water levels fishing to rise in
01:52
the fall go ahead structure what are we
01:56
looking at what we’re looking forward
01:58
current fast slow breaks slow current
02:02
Eddie’s types of bait quality of bait
02:07
catching bait storm bait everything to
02:10
do with bait and techniques anchor fish
02:14
we’re talking about some drift fishing
02:15
some bumping
02:16
to spend drifting let’s talk about
02:19
patterns and seasonal chan conservation
02:22
so let’s talk about is that what our
02:24
first one is no I have no idea
02:25
powerpoint works guys I’m just simple
02:27
fishermen so there’s no seasonal
02:32
patterns like right now we’re dealing
02:34
with really cold water our water
02:36
temperature on the Mississippi River is
02:38
34 degrees and the Missouri River is 35
02:41
right now so the cat fish are really
02:43
slow they’re sluggish and they’re
02:45
they’re typically winter dup there’s a
02:47
lot of misconceptions in cat fishing and
02:49
they’re not misconceptions per se but
02:53
but a lot of people that we got to find
02:55
the deepest water this time of year and
02:56
that’s not always necessarily true a lot
02:59
of times these catfish they will be
03:01
around some of your deeper holes but I
03:03
find a lot of times catfish this time of
03:05
year in 25 foot or less water in the
03:08
morning time I will start off in if any
03:10
of you are familiar with the Missouri
03:12
River we have a lot of trail dikes and
03:13
dikes and these fish will stage up in
03:16
the slower water that’s what I’m looking
03:17
for I’m looking for the right amount of
03:19
current whether it be a back Eddy or
03:21
slack water actually in these fish they
03:25
may be kind of schooled up in the
03:27
slacker deeper water in the mornings and
03:30
then they will actually get out and move
03:31
a little bit especially if it’s a nice
03:34
sunny day and they’ll get up and they’ll
03:35
be in the flats and those are your more
03:37
active fish so patterns this time of
03:40
year with the blue cats I’m looking more
03:43
for current speed than I am depth a lot
03:45
of times and you’re gonna find you’re
03:47
gonna have to hunt a lot of these
03:48
different dikes until you find the one
03:49
that’s actually holding your schools of
03:51
fish and and on the Missouri River you
03:54
know one of the biggest questions I get
03:56
is Ryan how can you tell what’s a
03:58
catfish from all these Asian carp and
04:00
everything else in there and that that
04:02
takes time that’s that’s tricky because
04:04
there if you’ve been out there they’ll
04:06
black out a fish finder a lot of times
04:08
so what I’m looking for a lot of times
04:10
when I’m in those holes in that slack
04:12
water and you’ve got fish everywhere as
04:13
I’m looking for it’s kind of an educated
04:16
guess I’m looking for those three fish
04:18
that are facing and there’s always a
04:19
little bit of current I don’t care
04:21
there’s a back Eddy or something coming
04:22
through there I’m looking for those fish
04:23
that are facing into the car
04:24
and I’m looking for those fish that are
04:27
usually a smaller tighter group now
04:29
don’t be afraid to fish the big balls of
04:32
Asian carp and fish underneath them
04:33
because those catfish will be laying
04:35
underneath those a lot of times that
04:36
sometimes you’re going to spot and
04:38
there’s a lot of life you know anchor up
04:39
and try it out and you’re gonna have to
04:41
sit a little bit that’s another thing
04:43
that’s seasonal pattern this time of
04:44
year is you’re gonna want to sit on
04:45
those fish a little bit longer because
04:47
those fish are a little more lethargic
04:49
it’s gonna take them a little bit that
04:51
they get the smell and they’re gonna get
04:52
up and get active enough to come and
04:54
invite that and you’re gonna have to be
04:55
a little more patient with the bike
04:56
because it’s not as aggressive so I mean
04:59
you know you’re really gonna have to let
05:00
them kind of take it it’s frustrating
05:01
but you know that that’s one of the
05:04
biggest things this time of year is
05:06
finding those fish on the fish finder
05:08
and deciphering what’s catfish and
05:11
what’s Asian carp or guardroom or
05:12
Buffalo and and I looked for fish that
05:15
are kind of you know you’ll have three
05:17
or four or five of them they’re all
05:19
facing one direction you know Asian carp
05:21
you’ll see them you’ll have echoes you
05:24
know facing every which way you know and
05:26
they dove in different depths yeah and I
05:28
mean it can be frustrating to find but
05:31
you start to and you know something
05:34
you’d run hummingbird Laurent’s Garmin
05:35
they’re all great units
05:37
you know catfish you know it’s more of
05:39
an educated guess but you can see what
05:41
color patterns and know hey you know
05:43
this is what a catfish looks like when
05:44
I’m drifting and I see them come up and
05:46
they hit the bait and you know that’s
05:47
what a catfish looks like most of the
05:49
time and you know you can kind of
05:51
decipher on each unit what what that
05:53
mark looks like but it gets a little
05:55
overwhelming when you’re in those
05:56
pockets with all those Asian carp that’s
05:59
that’s one of mine and then we go into
06:01
spring and what’s the bike the bike in
06:03
the winter time is usually not as
06:05
aggressive they have an offer softer tip
06:08
on our rods because the fish are would
06:10
mouthing the baits they can feel the
06:11
pressure on your rods and I don’t use
06:13
this action of rod year-round I use a
06:15
lot of a softer action rod in the winter
06:17
time because that fish isn’t it
06:19
absolutely biting that bait they’re more
06:20
focused on in the bait put it in their
06:22
mouth and they can feel that rod
06:23
pressure and a lot of times they’ll drop
06:25
that bait I ever actually we actually
06:27
have a rod up here if another but uh
06:32
they’re they’re kidman crowd that wants
06:35
to help us
06:36
right there already someone’s the holder
06:39
on how about that all right do you still
06:41
know if you got it
06:42
so all these I have a medium action rod
06:45
here the tip – on a kid is a lot smaller
06:48
a lot less than what some of the medium
06:51
heavies and heavy rods have a lot of
06:53
guys not talked to run the same rod same
06:55
action same years that’s it that’s what
06:57
they like and that’s great but when
06:59
these fish lighten the slope a term like
07:01
this especially in the winter months
07:03
they’re gonna feel that pressure on a
07:04
hard tip Ross if you have medium heavy
07:06
or a heavy rod and as soon as they feel
07:08
that pressure most of the time they’re
07:10
gonna drop that bait anybody channel
07:11
catfish in here what your channel Pat do
07:14
when they feel pressure they drop the
07:16
bait that’s why channel cat rods have
07:17
such a soft tip on them so using a
07:20
different action rod seasonal and even
07:23
in the summertime when you have a slow
07:24
bite go on to a medium action rod or
07:26
even the medium light rod is not a bad
07:27
idea it’s just something else to put in
07:29
your arsenal whenever you’re chasing
07:30
your slow bitin fish yeah absolutely and
07:32
another thing you can do is if even with
07:35
a light light tip rod you know I used
07:37
the TWC whisker whoops and Jackson uses
07:40
the big cap fever’s they’re all great
07:42
rods it’s awesome to see all these you
07:44
know companies supporting catfishing but
07:45
even with a light rod a lot of times
07:47
these blues will pick it up and they’ll
07:49
drop it and what you can do is put your
07:51
rod in a zero Degree position and turn
07:53
the clicker on in the bail open and let
07:55
them just take it in any I have very
07:58
little patience that’s why I fish from a
08:00
blue cat and I know that’s crazy here
08:01
from a guy who fishes for a living but
08:03
that’s why I chase blue cats they’re
08:05
aggressive usually but when they’re not
08:07
letting them you know opening that bail
08:09
up and using a soft chip rod these
08:11
things will put more fish in the boat
08:13
for you especially in the winter time
08:15
and there’s times when they’re finicky
08:16
in the fall and everything else but the
08:20
trouble is still the best most I’ve ever
08:24
seen on a kid spring you know moving
08:31
forward in the spring you know I I
08:33
always use kind of 38 – you know 4045
08:37
degrees those fish really start getting
08:39
out of the holes that they’ve been
08:41
wintering in and they start moving
08:43
around
08:44
getting up around the dykes and they’re
08:46
up in the rocks and there and they’re
08:47
just moving they’re not schooled up as
08:49
much anymore and you know I transitioned
08:52
a lot of times to flat and fishing above
08:55
the dikes as well and and still in the
08:59
mornings a lot of times I’m I’m pushed
09:01
up you know into the edges of the deeper
09:04
holes and things like that but then I’m
09:06
definitely moving out into a little more
09:08
current even on the outsides of the
09:09
trail dikes and on the on the bottom
09:11
sides of the trail dikes if you guys
09:13
know what a trail dike is there’s the
09:16
Corps of Engineers puts these rock
09:18
structures into the river and what that
09:20
does is it forces water into the middle
09:22
of the river to keep that the middle of
09:23
that river clear of sediment and debris
09:25
and so these rock structures are great
09:28
fish habitat and so a trail dike is a
09:32
dike that comes out towards the middle
09:34
of the river and then runs like an L
09:36
downstream alright and so the outside of
09:39
that trail dike and the bottom side of
09:41
it in the in the spring is a great place
09:44
whether a special start coming the rocks
09:46
warm up a little faster there’s bait
09:48
fish in there and crustaceans and
09:50
they’re they’re in there and they’re
09:51
actively feeding and that’s that’s a
09:53
great area to target fish moving in
09:55
towards the spring it a little more
09:56
current you’re still not in in that fast
09:59
water but you’re in the the secondary
10:01
scene there’s there’s a current rolling
10:03
off the end of that dike that actually
10:04
kicks out about ten foot 15 foot from
10:07
from where that dike comes downstream
10:09
and thats lower water in there there’s a
10:11
pocket of slower water and those fish
10:13
will collect in there a lot of times
10:14
it’s a great place to look in the spring
10:16
when the water temperature is 40 to 45
10:18
48 degrees you know when it starts
10:20
getting 50 that’s when we start moving
10:22
in more towards our drifting and back
10:24
bouncing bumping whatever you guys want
10:26
to call it got a rod in the hand and
10:29
we’re out there you know searching for
10:30
those fish that are really starting to
10:32
move because these fish will travel you
10:34
know they’ll come up the river long
10:35
distances and feel like I’m hogging this
10:38
so yeah we tagged well they actually
10:45
caught one down in Memphis and caught it
10:47
in Kansas City so I mean these fish will
10:49
travel large distances you can follow on
10:52
Facebook that’s one of the things such a
10:54
neat tool when Facebook came out was all
10:56
your friends through
10:57
the country and you can start watching
10:59
them catching fish down in Memphis or or
11:01
what have you and they’re coming up and
11:03
they’re following the bait up you know
11:04
towards Alton in the spring you know on
11:07
our bites that he picks up you know
11:08
throughout the river so you can kind of
11:10
follow that and then in the fall when
11:12
our water temperature starts dropping
11:13
out you could follow it back downstream
11:15
not all fish travel they’ve done you
11:17
know some tagging studies and things
11:18
like that but a good population of the
11:20
Blues are very nomadic and they travel
11:22
so springtime you know you got to be a
11:25
little more versatile you you you don’t
11:27
have to you don’t have to look as much
11:29
for that special Dyke that’s holding
11:31
those fish because they’re gonna be
11:31
scattered out a little more but you know
11:35
really really targeting and putting the
11:38
pattern together if I had to say one
11:40
thing about blue cats is is you can go
11:42
out there in a day and the pattern will
11:43
change but finding that depth of water
11:45
that current speed you know if they’re
11:48
on wood or rock or if they’re on sand or
11:50
mud those are things you kind of got to
11:52
put those pieces together while you’re
11:53
out there and you know they’re they’re
11:55
really versatile fish they’re a
11:56
challenging fish most of you fish for
11:58
them know those suckers that know don’t
12:01
make you scratch your head on your best
12:03
day and you’re working you know so
12:05
that’s a you know springtime and then
12:08
and then anybody have any questions on
12:10
spring or winter I mean I know I’m
12:12
flying trying to fly through this and
12:13
all that but yes sir so he’s asking
12:21
about the trail dikes they come out into
12:23
the into the middle of the river if you
12:25
can imagine the river coming downstream
12:27
this way they come out towards the
12:29
middle of the river and then they come
12:31
downstream and that’s an El Dyke it
12:35
often with the current hits the front of
12:37
it and it rolls off the side because
12:39
it’s hitting with such force and it
12:40
rolls out about 15 foot usually and
12:43
there’s a little bit of slower and back
12:45
water right in there and that follows
12:47
all the way down behind it to do exactly
12:51
so you can anchor above it or you can
12:55
anchor right inside of it or you know a
12:57
lot of times push your boat right up in
12:59
the rocks and kind of put the anchor on
13:00
the upstream side you know or if there’s
13:02
a back Eddy
13:03
the opposite way and fish the back
13:05
current you know towards the front of
13:07
the dike there’s a lot of different
13:09
currents and
13:10
that come into play there but you know
13:13
however you do it you just put you find
13:15
where the fish are sitting on there with
13:16
your electronics and you set up
13:18
accordingly you always want to be on the
13:19
upstream side of them cast them back to
13:21
them and always cast you want to be
13:24
short of the fish you know always be
13:27
careful your Pat Missouri River will eat
13:29
a lower unit absolutely but you know
13:33
spring times one of my favorites you
13:35
know once we start once we start moving
13:37
baits and moving the boat you know
13:39
drifting is an extremely extremely
13:42
effective way to catch fish because
13:44
you’re covering more water you’re
13:47
putting that bait in front of more fish
13:48
you know if you’re anchored up on a spot
13:50
you know you’re fishing back to those
13:52
fish or any fish that might possibly be
13:54
moving when you’re when you’re drifting
13:55
you’re taking it to a whole group of
13:57
fish down a whole you know Bank or our
14:00
seam or ledge so you’re covering a lot
14:03
more water you’re getting them in front
14:04
of a lot more fish and there’s there’s a
14:08
lot of different kind of variations on
14:10
how to drift but one of the main things
14:12
I can’t stress enough is boat control
14:14
you know I see a lot of guys out there
14:16
when you’re drifting their boat their
14:19
boat is rocking you know back and forth
14:21
like this you know and when what’s
14:25
happening is is those baits are moving
14:28
as well side to side in the current now
14:30
a fish down there in 40 foot of water
14:32
and the Mississippi River he can’t see
14:34
you’re going and a good rule of thumb is
14:37
about half the speed of the current in
14:39
the spring when it’s colder you want to
14:41
be even slower than that and why that’s
14:43
effective is as you’re slowing it down
14:45
to where that baits scent is going back
14:48
to that fish and he might be sitting in
14:51
a little depression or a hump and he can
14:53
smell that bait coming he can’t see it
14:55
but he’s he’s moving like a shark and
14:57
he’s looking for that scent and it goes
14:59
out in a cone alright and he’s in that
15:01
cone trying to narrow down where that
15:03
bait is and if your boats going side to
15:05
side there’s a better chance that he’s
15:07
going to miss that bait and he’s
15:08
probably not going to chase it
15:09
downstream especially in cold water
15:11
because they’re not that active so boat
15:14
control is key and I’m going to slow
15:16
that bait down and get that scent in
15:18
front that fish and they’re gonna feed
15:20
up so a lot of times I’m using the
15:22
stacker rig or you can call it
15:24
Kentucky rig or whatever you like it’s a
15:27
super easy rig to tie it takes me no
15:29
time and I’ll show anybody at the end of
15:31
this how to tie this rig but basically
15:33
what you have is a weight on the bottom
15:36
and I use loop nuts so I can change my
15:39
weight out just that fast and then I’ve
15:41
got two hooks up above it alright and
15:45
then I use the double action team
15:46
catfish a taut hooks and I’ve used them
15:49
for a long time they’re great hooks
15:50
Jackson uses dyi cheese very similar
15:53
look but that rig right there you drop
15:57
that down alright and I use a lot of
15:59
times my ten-foot whisker with xl’s
16:01
and and I’m taking the bottom and
16:03
sometimes I’ve got it just a little off
16:05
the bottom but the weight is very
16:08
important on this presentation because
16:11
you don’t want it way back behind the
16:13
boat you want it pretty much straight up
16:15
and down as you can get it and you want
16:17
it down there taking bottom and you want
16:18
to pay attention to your fish finder to
16:20
where those fish are in relation to the
16:22
bottom because sometimes they’re hugging
16:23
the bottom in the mud and sometimes
16:25
they’re 3 4 foot up off the bottom but a
16:27
blue cat will almost always feed up
16:29
alright and so you know I always put one
16:33
start off usually about you know 10 11
16:36
inches up from the from the weight and
16:38
then my next one I’ve usually got it
16:40
pretty close and as the day goes on the
16:42
fish usually tend to come up a little
16:44
more and I might have it 3 to 4 foot and
16:45
this one might be 12 inches to 2 foot up
16:48
off the bottom and and I bury that and I
16:50
also vary my weight that people always
16:52
ask me on my live feeds how much weight
16:54
are you using and I hardly ever tell
16:55
them because that’s a it’s important you
16:58
know that that’s one little trick you
17:00
got to kind of figure out on your own is
17:02
how much weight to use to keep the
17:03
presentation correct it’s just like if
17:05
you’re in a river and your fly fishing
17:07
for trout all right and you’re you know
17:10
I’m getting kind of but you you want to
17:12
have a natural float you don’t want drag
17:15
on your float because if you got that
17:16
drag it’s not a natural presentation
17:17
same thing you’re using your boat as the
17:19
float you want to make sure that your
17:21
you know you’re going slower than the
17:23
current you don’t want that bait
17:24
fluttering in back there you want it
17:27
straight up and down and presented kind
17:28
of natural and rolling on the bottom you
17:30
got anything to add to that Jackson but
17:34
this rig right here it will catch you a
17:36
lot of fish you got two baits in the
17:37
wall
17:38
and and one thing I can’t stress enough
17:40
that most people overlook is one of the
17:43
little things is how you cut your bait
17:44
all right
17:45
most people have you know they just they
17:48
cut their bait and they don’t think
17:49
twice about it how you cut it and how
17:52
you cook it is very important like let’s
17:54
say I’m cutting off a fillet all right a
17:56
lot of people are just taking hook that
17:58
old fillet on and they’ve got you know
18:00
they’re hooking at two inches back
18:02
well that flap in front of that that
18:04
that bait that you’ve got now is it’s
18:06
got a flap folded over everybody with me
18:08
on that that flaps gonna sit there and
18:10
make that bait go like this that’s not
18:12
natural there’s nothing down there
18:13
helicoptering you know and it’s also
18:15
going to twist your line up that’s not a
18:17
natural presentation so I mean I’m
18:19
hooking it just on the edge of that flap
18:21
and that’ll give you that nice you know
18:23
it’s going downstream fluttering and
18:25
looking good you know it’s gonna look
18:27
good to the fish you know a lot of
18:28
people hook their heads and they’ll hook
18:30
them through the nostrils and the mouth
18:32
open and that mouths open and it’s
18:34
spinning now I don’t mind a slow wobble
18:37
I’ll put almost every bait I got I’ll
18:39
put it down in the water and see how
18:40
it’s getting if it’s sitting there doing
18:41
that I’m gonna wreck it because you’re
18:43
not you’re not fishing the way you
18:44
should be and that’s that’s just one of
18:46
those little things that’s going to help
18:48
you put a lot more fish in the bow and I
18:49
always always check for that scale on
18:51
the end of that hook if you’re not your
18:54
gosh we’ve all done it I mean all of us
18:56
have done it but that’s one of the
18:58
things that just drives me crazy if I
19:00
lose a big fish and there’s a dang scale
19:02
on the end of that hook I want to break
19:04
something because that’s something that
19:06
could easily be overdone but how you
19:08
hook your bait and how you cut it
19:09
you know skipjack I almost always take
19:11
one fillet off the side and then I’ll
19:13
chunk it up or I might take the gut
19:15
pocket out and use the gut pocket hook
19:17
it in the V on the bottom where it’s
19:18
real rigid you know and you know if
19:21
you’re using big baits put that sting or
19:23
hook back there because man there’s
19:25
nothing worse than coming back with half
19:26
your skip deck mangled up and your
19:28
hooking you can get the fish that goes
19:32
with anchor into if you’re anchoring in
19:34
high current with your mouth open you’re
19:36
not gonna get your bait on the bottom
19:37
there’s constantly gonna be flow going
19:39
on that fish’s mouth or if you have a
19:40
fillet out there it’s totally spinning
19:42
so it’s totally catching friction every
19:43
time it’s on the buck hey it’s never
19:45
gonna hopefully set on the bottom until
19:47
you may be ready the whole spool out so
19:49
if you’re back there your lines in the
19:51
body
19:51
your odds doing this half the time
19:53
you’re Bates came unhooked your mouths
19:55
open on your bait or your baits catching
19:57
the current from somewhere so I don’t
19:58
think that bait cuttings I don’t have an
20:00
anchor our drift fishing bustle anchor
20:01
fishing yeah and you know another
20:04
technique when the water starts to warm
20:06
up is you know we’re anchor fish in the
20:09
water temperatures getting in 50 degrees
20:10
or so and blue cats like a moving bait
20:14
especially if they’re gonna get active
20:15
you know and and when that water starts
20:17
warming up a little bit those fish will
20:18
get active and from an anchor position
20:21
you can start walking baits you know you
20:23
you know use what you want to do and and
20:25
the weight is what’s key here and in the
20:27
size of the bait you want to get your
20:29
presentation just so to where you’re
20:31
picking it up and you can walk it back
20:32
you know 3 to 5 foot let it sit there
20:35
for a minute
20:35
sometimes I even put it in the holder
20:37
and walk it back and I use lion counter
20:39
reels you know so I put a waypoint
20:42
usually where my fish are structure is
20:44
and I want to walk baits to that
20:46
structure put it in the holder start
20:48
walking another bait back to it and get
20:51
it I want to get enough weight to where
20:52
I get it back to let’s say I’m 130 foot
20:55
above the structure I want to be able to
20:57
walk it back to 130 foot and sit it in
20:59
the holder and have that weight on the
21:00
bottom and not floating up off the
21:02
bottom and I want to having the right
21:04
amount of weight to be able to walk it
21:06
back to 130 foot so finding out what
21:08
weight you need is something you got to
21:10
play with it’s nice to have these
21:11
blueprints you can change it out walk it
21:13
back you know you getting up you walk it
21:15
back to 130 foot right in front of that
21:17
structure put it in the holder walk
21:19
another one back these gentlemen were
21:20
out with me we were walking baits last
21:22
year and it’s a lot of fun and the guys
21:25
yeah yeah I mean it’s you know you pick
21:28
it up a lot of times just to move it and
21:30
that fish will hit it right there you’re
21:31
holding the rod and it’s a lot of fun
21:34
but this fish like a little bit of
21:36
movement in there bait when that water
21:38
temperature starts warming up and that’s
21:39
one of my favorite tactics in the fall
21:41
as well I mean it really you can really
21:43
pick apart a piece of structure that
21:45
when you’re drifting
21:47
you know let’s say you’ve got I’ll
21:48
usually do it if there’s three or four
21:50
more big fish sitting on a piece of
21:51
structure or a whole pile of fish you
21:53
know you can anchor up and really pick
21:55
those fish apart instead of drifting
21:56
past them and not cut you know covering
21:59
those fish like you need to
22:02
it also helps whenever you’re fishing
22:04
heavy cover I
22:05
spot you go my couldn’t drift get an
22:07
anchor on block those baits through it
22:08
there’s a lot of ledges rock piles stuff
22:11
like that that you’re not going to drift
22:12
or lose every hook in your boat
22:14
so anchor and on them getting the slice
22:16
where they are and walking that one bait
22:18
down into that hole in front of that
22:19
tree and behind that Boulder
22:21
it’s another tactic to be able to get on
22:23
them fish accurately without getting
22:25
hung up every seconds you’re still gonna
22:28
hang some up but you know off anchor I
22:33
feel more confident and catching bigger
22:34
fish a lot of times than I do drifting
22:37
because you’re those fish live there
22:39
you’re you’re you know that’s that’s
22:41
what I do when I’m fishing that heavy
22:42
structure and even in the summertime you
22:45
know you’re anchoring it up above that
22:46
structure and moving baits and and you
22:48
can really pick something apart where
22:50
those big fish live a little more than
22:52
you can just drift and right through it
22:54
so you know everybody wants to know
22:57
about back bounce and bumping and all
23:00
that and that’s kind of the next stage
23:01
when the water warms up and you’ve got
23:03
the rod in your hand and you know that’s
23:06
something that’s really hard to teach
23:08
someone in a day because it’s so much of
23:11
a feel situation and and what you want
23:14
is you want a good light you know rod
23:16
that’s sensitive you know graphite or
23:18
carbon or some kind of composite in that
23:20
area and you want something that feels
23:22
good in your hand that you can hold all
23:23
day one of the most important things
23:26
about bumping your back bouncing is the
23:28
amount of weight that you use it’s the
23:30
same thing you know you really you boat
23:33
control and the amount of weight to keep
23:35
your presentation natural the way I like
23:37
to describe it these fish are used to
23:39
stuff coming down the river and feeding
23:41
it’s at a moving bait and they’re
23:43
usually sitting in behind a drop and a
23:45
lot of times in our rivers you know
23:48
there’s their sand there’s mud and
23:50
there’s you know silt in those bottoms
23:52
if you ever cook bacon on one of them
23:54
things in the microwave where it kind of
23:56
comes up drops off comes up drops off
23:59
that’s a lot of what our River is out
24:02
there the bottom and a lot of flats and
24:04
in areas like that and these fish will
24:07
sit the more active ones I found are
24:09
usually right at the top their rise
24:11
right at the top of that fall all right
24:13
that’s that’s where a lot of our active
24:14
fish they’re waiting for something to
24:15
come right there but then once you get
24:17
down into that hole
24:19
you have a lot of fish stacked up in
24:20
there mostly and sometimes those fish
24:22
are actually facing downstream because
24:24
what happens with that current is it
24:26
flows over that hump and comes back and
24:29
hits this next hump and boils back like
24:31
this and then shoots up and you see
24:32
those boils in the river all right
24:34
everybody know what I’m talking about if
24:36
you don’t I mean it you go out to the
24:38
river and you’ll see these boils like
24:39
slick spots so a lot of times you’ll
24:42
have a lot of fish sitting down there
24:43
and they’re actually facing downstream
24:44
and when your boat goes over it boat
24:47
control is so key here because you you
24:50
know a lot of times you’re gonna pick
24:51
these more active fish off right away
24:53
and then you’re gonna start dealing on
24:54
your second trip with these fish in the
24:56
pockets and stuff like that so when you
24:58
go over that and you hit this that that
25:00
rise come up your boats going to speed
25:02
up the hydrodynamics of it is shallower
25:04
water same current speed same amount of
25:07
pressure on your trolling motor that
25:09
shallower water your boat will actually
25:10
speed up and then when you hit that drop
25:12
you’re gonna hit that slick spot and
25:14
your boats going to slow way down so
25:15
your presentations gonna be long
25:17
I’m on the trolling motor constantly and
25:19
that’s one reason I’m gonna pick up more
25:21
fish than you know guys how did you how
25:24
made you catch and I’ll tell them and
25:25
they’ll be like oh man
25:26
we fishes right next to you all day and
25:28
in its boat control it’s such a big key
25:31
aspect of what I do you you don’t want
25:34
that thing walking besides you can look
25:35
back and see somebody who’s starting to
25:37
do it in their boats sideways half the
25:38
time you know and there’s times where
25:41
that’s gonna catch you some fish but if
25:42
you keep those baits straight and in
25:44
line with those fish where they can
25:45
smell and have that chance and then also
25:47
with the right speed and you’re not
25:49
speeding up slowing down speeding up
25:51
slowing down where it doesn’t look
25:52
natural and keeping that bait going you
25:54
know off of those drops and and you know
25:56
bringing it in front in front of those
25:58
fish that are there might be sitting
26:00
backwards you’re gonna pick a lot more
26:01
of those fish off on every drift so boat
26:04
control and keeping the bait where it
26:07
needs to be in a presentation that the
26:09
fish like that’s key in in in drifting
26:13
and then when you’re walking baits as
26:15
well I mean you you have to feel that
26:17
bottom and and in way I do it is a lot
26:20
of guys will jig and that’s effective I
26:22
found for me in the fall a lot of times
26:24
when those fish are little they’re
26:28
wearing almost I don’t know if they’ve
26:29
been beat up enough or what but they
26:31
want it’s almost a reaction
26:32
by type situation and I found that
26:34
jigging at that time of year is a little
26:36
better but in the you know in the summer
26:38
early summer spring I want I want to
26:40
just be able to drop it down and feel it
26:42
hit the bottom and I’m just gonna lift
26:43
it up a little bit now sometimes I’m
26:45
lifting it up three foot you know off
26:47
the bottom and because they’re up a
26:49
little bit and sometimes they’re laying
26:50
right in the mud and I’m just lifting it
26:51
up that much and you want to be able to
26:53
feel that rock so you can lift it up
26:55
over it you know taking line up you’re
26:57
constantly working that rod I have so
26:59
many people that just want to set it out
27:01
there and next thing you know the things
27:02
up here it don’t get frustrated you’re
27:04
gonna get hung up you’re gonna have some
27:06
of that it’s all about feel you just
27:08
want to get to where you can pick it up
27:10
and feather it on that bottom and when
27:12
you feel that bite that’s a whole other
27:14
animal getting that fish getting the
27:16
hooks in it because so many people want
27:19
a jerk and that is that is the wrong
27:21
thing to do because your hook you’re
27:22
setting the hook on slack most of the
27:24
time these fish it it’s so hard there
27:25
you’re still going at them and so
27:27
they’re just they’re just picking
27:28
something up and sitting right there you
27:31
know they’re there’s a lot of slack in
27:32
between them so a lot of times if you
27:34
just hold it they’ll start pulling off
27:36
with it and you go down with them and
27:38
you just sweep back on them start
27:39
reeling you know your hook set because I
27:41
use the double actions that way as well
27:43
on that technique now the other option
27:45
is is you just reel down using your
27:47
octopus or J hooks and cross some eyes
27:50
right out it’s whatever you like and and
27:53
that technique is a lot of fun because I
27:57
mean you get to set something that might
27:59
set the hook back on you I’ve almost
28:00
been you ain’t out of the boat a couple
28:02
times I’m not very nine oh I’m real big
28:04
guy and everything but I’ve actually
28:05
been sprawled out across the motor
28:07
holding off for Gila yeah but also
28:14
talked about the drifting weights a lot
28:16
of us use cannonball waves if it knows a
28:18
cannonball weight it’s round we use
28:20
cannonball weights because the surface
28:21
area on the bottom of it gives us more
28:22
feel a bate sinker these there’s not
28:29
much there so that’s weights hitting the
28:31
bottom just that little bit in the
28:33
bottom and when here’s the cannonball
28:35
the whole bottom of its hitting that
28:36
water we’re hitting that sorry bottom
28:38
hidden structure hit and rock and it’s
28:40
not only giving you a better feel but
28:41
it’s saving you from getting hung up
28:43
save me from knowing where your
28:44
you know rocks or you’re on a Ledge or
28:47
you’re in a tree it’s cannonball but
28:48
it’s got a bigger bottle and it helps
28:50
you a lot of it with all my weights is a
28:53
lot of guys are scared to use a small
28:56
weight because they got going out of
28:59
there real and I think some of the
29:00
bigger fish that we catch bump in our
29:02
lines fifty three hundred foot behind
29:04
the boat because it gives it that more
29:06
pressure free presentation back there
29:08
you don’t have a eight ounce weight
29:10
right below the boat you’re basically
29:12
perfectly jigging if you’re using the
29:13
heavy weight wrap behind the boat and if
29:15
you’re doing vertical jigging you almost
29:16
we’re a dead stick a bumpin technique
29:19
back there we’re back there we have no
29:21
pressure on our line and the baits a
29:23
natural flow flowing through the water
29:25
column more or less than a jigging
29:27
motion what’s got a lot of pressure
29:29
built upon it that’s true but at the
29:32
same token in that then that’s right
29:33
once you get back there but there are
29:34
times where that bait straight down with
29:37
the heavier weight I’ve been I took a
29:40
guy out and you know I’m like uh you
29:43
know a lot of people have a little
29:44
trouble with this and I would I’ll be
29:46
darned if he didn’t start kicking my
29:47
butt in the first fish is like 65 pounds
29:49
but I always almost always start someone
29:52
off with a heavier weight it’s going to
29:53
give you more feel you’re gonna be a
29:55
little less frustrated when you know
29:57
you’re you start this out if you if you
29:59
use a heavier weight you’re gonna get
30:01
more contact with the bottom and you’re
30:02
gonna pick up the feel and then you can
30:04
start gradually you know going with
30:06
lighter weights and getting a little
30:07
farther back behind the boat if you
30:09
start off with that 2 or 3 ounce weight
30:11
and you’re three 400 foot back you’re
30:13
not you don’t have the feel yet trust me
30:16
I’ve gotten a chance to fish with some
30:18
really good fishermen and it’s something
30:20
that just takes a little time be patient
30:22
and don’t you know try not to run before
30:24
you walk you know use a little heavier
30:26
weight get the feel for it
30:28
progress yourself back with it and
30:30
you’re gonna enjoy it because it’s a lot
30:32
of fun it’s one of the funnest ways to
30:34
catch these things I promise you in a
30:36
river situation a quality rod too though
30:38
good quality rod number we saw the worth
30:41
yeah we started with surge elites and
30:43
really her no to surgery week radha’s
30:45
and you know when Ryan first started
30:48
bump and he figured this out and he goes
30:50
I got to show you something so he he
30:52
comes over and we go fishing and he
30:54
hands me his surgeon my surgery elite he
30:56
goes here we’re gonna go bumpin
30:57
okay yeah we’re out here with these
30:59
eight-foot medium heavy anchor rods and
31:02
we’re just bumping down the river and
31:04
he’s catching a couple of fish time
31:06
going man I’m getting bit all the time
31:08
but I think they taking the bait he’s
31:10
like oh I didn’t tell you if you reel
31:11
down on those and set the hook you’ll
31:13
catch a fish they’re actually got in
31:14
their mouth yeah and so about 30 minutes
31:17
later I got this I got hit and I reeled
31:19
out that the hook and I caught the fish
31:21
but thing is was we couldn’t feel
31:23
anything no I mean you didn’t want to
31:25
arm Restless after those rods were heavy
31:29
and you’re holding them all day I
31:30
promise you it was it worried out but I
31:33
mean you don’t have to have the best
31:34
equipment I mean that’s the great thing
31:36
about catfish you can go out there and a
31:37
17 foot boat you know it’s really it’s
31:40
amazing how far we’ve come with the
31:42
equipment technology that we have at our
31:45
disposal now I mean we all want that 26
31:47
foot boat I know I do I got to footitis
31:50
every year but um you know this sport is
31:54
amazing because I mean I’ve gotten my
31:55
butt kicked in a tournament by a guy in
31:57
a 16-foot boat you know it you don’t
31:59
have to have the base and best but they
32:01
quit it does help to have a really
32:03
sensitive rod you know and nice rods
32:07
you know suited for what you’re doing
32:09
it’s gonna increase your catch rate you
32:11
know so it’s not mandatory but it’s
32:14
something that is gonna help you if you
32:16
want to take it to the next level and
32:17
fish tournaments or our start guiding
32:19
and in that kind of thing so you know it
32:23
what else what’s our next topic I think
32:25
I think we jump through the whole
32:27
PowerPoint and we’re off the PowerPoint
32:29
we’re hey we got some patient this this
32:33
they’re right here I’m going to tell you
32:34
this is side-scan this is back when
32:37
hummingbird first came out with the
32:40
other thing went 1197 here that’s a love
32:41
another so 1197 and we were up on Wilson
32:45
Lake and this is a picture of a school
32:48
of blue cat this I still think about at
32:50
night sometimes we we were pre fishing
32:54
we had already found our fish and we
32:56
found these fish and I don’t know if you
32:57
can see that but that there’s some very
32:59
large fish in there and we’re in 20 foot
33:02
of water we’re actually in a feeder
33:03
Creek and this is another you know thing
33:05
we’ve kind of skipped over is is where
33:06
to find these fish and what we look for
33:08
a lot of times in the spring which is
33:11
what we were
33:11
here water was coming out of this Creek
33:14
and that has a lot of nutrients bait
33:16
fish you know crawdads everything else
33:18
that these fish like to eat these fish
33:20
moved up in there in a big school and we
33:22
anchored up above them
33:23
we’re like Alice let’s make sure that’s
33:25
what they all are fish member one says
33:26
we’re going to catch more than one fish
33:28
and leave and we we got our fourth ride
33:30
out and all four rods were down at the
33:32
same time and Jackson wrote kids off
33:35
because he’s he’s a hook selling oh man
33:37
he’s big he’d make bill dance proud but
33:41
there were all over 40 pounds and I mean
33:44
side-scan is amazing because I mean when
33:47
you’re going in there area you don’t
33:48
know I mean it’s it’s it’s a great tool
33:51
to find those ledges and pieces of
33:52
structure you can alright we’re gonna
33:54
have a little hula hoop for Winnie let’s
33:57
get it up yeah let’s go I’m sorry give
34:03
yeah we got some t-shirts to give away
34:06
here who Luke champion but you know
34:10
electronics these days you know with the
34:13
side scan and down scan and all that the
34:15
you’re down scan is gonna give you a lot
34:17
more separate I like to use them all
34:18
everybody asked me which one you’d like
34:19
to use I use my side scan to find those
34:22
pieces of structure off and then I’ll go
34:23
over them with my down imaging and my 2d
34:26
and the down imaging you know the 2d
34:28
really gives you kind of a feel what
34:29
kind of fish it is for me and then I get
34:31
separation with that down imaging to you
34:34
know pull it up out of the structure see
34:36
how far it is sitting off the bottom and
34:38
that kind of thing but once you locate
34:40
you can use your maps to actually dial
34:43
it in right that’s one of the biggest
34:45
tools on my boat is is my map I mean
34:48
yeah I can everybody can find the tree
34:49
or something on a side scan but getting
34:51
that boat positioned right on that tree
34:53
or that ledge or those scoop of fish the
34:56
maps these days have came they’re like
34:58
three foot radius
34:59
yeah I think I mean they’re down to
35:01
where you’re almost you can put that
35:03
boat if you want so there’s almost no
35:05
excuse why you can’t get on top of those
35:07
fish and and that’s a great point and I
35:09
mean it’s almost to the point where you
35:11
have to look at where your fish finder
35:13
are your GPS I don’t even think we’re
35:14
using pucks anymore but some of them do
35:17
have the external pucks you got to look
35:19
where that is on your boat if you’re in
35:20
a 24 foot boat and take that into
35:22
consideration because I’m using a lion
35:23
counter real
35:24
using the Shimano Dakota five and six
35:26
hundred line counters and you want to
35:28
keep a full spool that’s going to give
35:30
you more accuracy if you have you know
35:32
half a spool or something you’re not
35:33
going to be as accurate with that but
35:35
I’m able to anchor up let’s say in front
35:38
of that structure I’m a hundred and
35:39
thirty foot above and I’m in forty foot
35:41
of water all right and I know that my
35:44
baits not going back and at a ninety
35:46
degree angle down to those fish it’s
35:47
going at a forty-five degree angle down
35:49
to those fish so I can take that forty
35:51
foot of water cut it in half the 20 foot
35:52
you all with me we don’t have anybody
35:54
taking their shoes off or anything so I
35:56
think you’re all are with me so I met a
35:59
hundred and fifty foot back to that
36:01
structure weird 130 foot forty foot of
36:03
water 45-degree angle 20 foot so I’m
36:06
gonna I always want to be on the short
36:08
side of that so I can have that current
36:09
taking that that that’s sent that back
36:11
to my fish in the structure right so I
36:13
might be at a hundred and thirty or
36:15
what-have-you and I’m very accurate to
36:17
what I’m doing now that’s pinpoint
36:19
anchoring all right that’s gonna catch
36:21
you a lot of fish that’s a little trick
36:22
these all these electronics will do it
36:24
nowadays you you know you go over your
36:26
you put a waypoint and that fish finder
36:29
will tell you how far you are from that
36:31
Waypoint alright and that’s that’s one
36:33
of the biggest tools especially this
36:36
time of year in the spring at night when
36:38
you’re anchoring on flats and things
36:39
like that and then also when you’re
36:41
drifting what you want to do is a lot of
36:44
times these fish are really tight to the
36:45
ledges they’re into that structure so
36:48
you want to go down let’s say you want
36:49
to get in the tournament fishing one of
36:50
the thing I can give you advice on is
36:52
everybody’s looking at the same thing
36:54
what do you look for when you go you
36:56
know to a new body of water well I’m
36:57
looking on Google Earth I’m looking for
36:59
hard bends there’s different things I’m
37:01
looking for on each bin you know you
37:03
Bluffs and things like that are gonna
37:04
tell you that’s that’s deeper water you
37:07
know you’ve got you’ve got different
37:08
kinds of things to look for on
37:09
straightaways but without getting too
37:11
technical here you know you look at an
37:12
area like Osceola down there it’s got
37:15
these huge sweeping bends through the
37:17
river you there’s gonna be there’s gonna
37:19
be fish living somewhere in that area I
37:21
can you know I can that that area right
37:23
there is gonna have a lot of character
37:24
to it’s gonna have some really deep
37:26
water to have some fast water it’s gonna
37:28
have some a lot of breaks right so I’m
37:31
gonna go there and I’m gonna go down and
37:33
I’m going to start looking where the
37:34
fish are they might be out in the middle
37:35
of the river if the rivers falling fish
37:37
fall out right
37:38
the rivers coming up a lot of times it’s
37:40
going to put them right into the rocks
37:41
so if they’re into the rocks are on
37:44
those ledges I’m gonna go down and I’m
37:46
gonna mark that ledge while I’m pre
37:48
fishing all right I’m gonna mark the
37:49
whole thing I’m gonna put waypoints all
37:51
the way down especially where I’m seeing
37:53
fish and I’m gonna come back on that way
37:55
put those waypoints and I’m gonna I’m
37:56
gonna be following that thing tight and
37:58
and that right there you is gonna put
38:00
you in more productive water all day
38:02
instead of just we’re gonna set up here
38:05
and go down another thing you can look
38:07
for if you don’t have the fancy
38:08
electronics as a scene all right a lot
38:10
of times these fish are gonna be
38:11
relating on scenes you’ve got a foam
38:13
line in the river if y’all know a phone
38:15
line is the river especially like the
38:17
Mississippi and the Missouri River it’s
38:19
a very turbid water all right so you’re
38:21
gonna have foam on top and and it’s
38:23
sometimes little pieces of driftwood or
38:25
our dead fish or what have you and it’s
38:27
all gonna be flowing down one side or
38:29
you know it’ll be on both side there
38:31
might be a seam on the other side but
38:32
all that stuff kind of congregates in
38:34
one scene and those seams are basically
38:36
bead belts I mean they’re those fish
38:38
know to sit in them because everything
38:40
that’s coming down the river is coming
38:42
down those things it’s it’s a it’s a
38:43
spot where faster water meets slower
38:45
water all right and they might be just
38:47
inside the slower water just inside the
38:49
faster water and it’s bringing food
38:51
right tuned so they don’t have to waste
38:52
as much energy they can sit in a little
38:54
break right there and have the food come
38:56
to them so I look for those a lot that’s
38:58
that’s something if you don’t have you
38:59
know that’s always something you want to
39:01
look for and you know you know slower
39:03
water seems in Eddie’s and things like
39:06
that is is a you know that’s what you
39:09
want to really focus in on our blue cats
39:10
and the structure as well yeah let’s
39:13
talk about what and flip through a
39:15
little bit let’s talk about some river
39:16
gages go ahead keep going so right here
39:20
one of the biggest tools that I use
39:22
before I even leave my house is a river
39:24
gauge I know what boat ramp I’m gonna
39:26
use if my boat ramp still be too shallow
39:28
to deep no one wants to show up in a
39:30
boat ramp you can’t use it so I know
39:31
where I’m going I know what I’m doing at
39:33
the water is high I may not be able to
39:35
drift current maybe too much I may have
39:37
to get in the slack water the black
39:38
water
39:39
I may be anchored so this helps me
39:40
determine what I’m gonna do where I’m
39:42
gonna do it and how I’m gonna and so one
39:45
of the biggest tools that I use a lot is
39:47
a river gauge I probably look at it too
39:49
much because it stresses me out
39:51
but I look at it a lot and he can go
39:53
ahead and flip over one more keep more
39:57
anymore this is our gauge in Alton
40:00
Illinois this is my home water it tells
40:03
you the dates a forecast out it tells
40:06
you where the river is at where it’s
40:07
going where it’s predicted to be it
40:09
tells you a flood stage and on this this
40:11
gauge we’re taking her alone I know
40:13
every level of where I’m at I know where
40:16
I can use the certain ramps in the area
40:18
I know when the gates are probably gonna
40:19
be open at the dam they’re gonna be
40:21
running too much water or I know if it’s
40:24
dropping we’re gonna be fishing out or
40:26
rise I’m gonna be fishing in stuff like
40:29
that and this is one of the biggest
40:30
tools that I probably use that a lot of
40:32
people don’t think about because it’s
40:34
just something no one ever really talks
40:35
about in my opinion but this is one of
40:38
the things that we use a lot I mean me
40:40
and him are always talking about river
40:42
levels oh they’re always trying to get
40:43
us there are there get us right now but
40:46
you know on your life set on your fall
40:48
like you know if we’re in that blue part
40:50
right there a lot of times your fish are
40:52
gonna suck out you know they’re gonna
40:54
they’re gonna be moving out towards the
40:56
middle of the river a lot of times are
40:57
out off of the ledges and you know they
41:00
don’t want to their natural defenses
41:02
they don’t want to get stranded in some
41:04
backwater as the river falls out so
41:06
they’re gonna move into the river where
41:07
they feel safe because I mean that water
41:09
comes up those fish will get up into the
41:11
woods and fields you get to catch them
41:13
in your backyard if that’s free lift but
41:16
they don’t want to get stuck up there
41:17
once that water starts leaving they’re
41:19
gonna pull out because everything else
41:20
is pulling out and they might be in a
41:21
drop waiting for that stuff to come up
41:23
and ambush I mean they are apex
41:25
predators say the same thing that River
41:27
comes up you know you don’t start moving
41:29
up towards the banks and I mean I you
41:30
catch them five foot off the bank you’re
41:32
less you know as sometimes it’s
41:34
surprising you think you hear their
41:36
water surprise for Iran goes down yeah
41:37
so but yeah it’s very good point Jackson
41:41
that’s something we live and die by and
41:43
you know luckily we’ve got two of the
41:45
best rivers in the country we’ve got the
41:47
longest river in the country the
41:48
Missouri River we got the largest by
41:50
volume the Mississippi River and we’ve
41:52
got where they meet which makes our
41:53
waters up they’re extremely fertile
41:55
I’ve had two previous World Records I
41:58
don’t know what in the heck ker ker bugs
42:00
Islands doing with radioactivity or what
42:04
they’re producing some monsters out
42:05
there but yeah river levels are insanely
42:10
important what else we got I’ll keep
42:12
looking through they jump around so much
42:14
I forgot is there anything we haven’t
42:16
gone over that you all want to hear
42:17
about yes sir oh that was for today he’s
42:24
asking about the line down the middle of
42:26
the graph that’s where we’re at today
42:28
yes sir and is projected from there on
42:30
yes sir anybody else anything that we
42:32
haven’t discussed yet bait that’s on
42:35
there man I think it’s coming up oh man
42:38
was on top of it bait in the Mississippi
42:40
River
42:41
mostly I mean when the water temperature
42:43
is below 60 degrees I’m usually using
42:46
shed
42:48
sometimes moon eye and Asian carp you
42:51
know that’s a great bait that time of
42:53
year and the reason I believe that to be
42:55
so is because the shad go down deep
42:58
they’re usually in the holes with the
43:00
catfish you know in those areas and I
43:02
think they’re they’re lethargic and in
43:04
an easier prey for him and then in the
43:07
spring you know the shed going to spawn
43:09
they’re also an easy target they’re
43:10
schooled uptight and and then when we
43:14
start getting above 50 degrees we start
43:16
seeing the skipjack show up in our area
43:18
pretty heavy now you know right now you
43:20
can be down in Memphis and using
43:22
skipjack and catching fish but up in our
43:23
area it’s primarily shad Asian carp in
43:27
the occasional Moo now if we can find
43:29
them but you know and and what’s funny
43:33
about bait is also you need to pay
43:35
attention to what cut of bait these fish
43:38
are keying in on there’ll be a lot of
43:39
days I’ll start off and I almost always
43:41
have my two heads on cuz we’ve all
43:43
caught big fish on heads we got special
43:45
feelings about them but I’ll catch a few
43:48
fish in the morning and all of a sudden
43:50
I won’t get a bite on a head the rest of
43:51
the day then now when it’s really cold
43:54
one of my favorite cuts is a gut pocket
43:56
off of a big old gizzard you know I like
43:58
to cut that gut out hook it through
44:00
there and I’m gonna catch a lot of fish
44:01
on that or if they’re really finicky
44:03
fillets if they’re really not feeding a
44:05
big ol long fillet is a great cut and
44:09
then you know the rest of the time
44:10
chunks are almost always good but they
44:12
might not be biting on heads and I I
44:14
couldn’t tell you why I
44:16
and they just amazed me I mean you got
44:18
to think a shadow to shadow to shadow
44:19
and but there’s been a key I tell you so
44:24
you know the cut of the bait pay
44:26
attention you know don’t have all heads
44:28
out unless they’re really crushing heads
44:30
that day and some days I’ll have four
44:32
heads on out of six polls you know but
44:34
pay attention to what you’re doing put
44:37
that pattern together it’s all pieces of
44:38
the puzzle that you need to put together
44:40
to have that successful day and don’t be
44:43
surprised if it changes in 20 minutes
44:45
because they’ll do that to you too but
44:47
putting that puzzle together is is day
44:49
in and day out what’s going to help you
44:51
become a more successful fisherman and
44:53
these are all little pieces of it yes
44:54
sir
44:57
he’s asking if we scale the fish and and
45:00
no I don’t I have friends that really
45:02
believe in scaling the fish I personally
45:06
haven’t found out I like to filet him
45:08
because I get that backbone involved and
45:10
I think a lot of times you know that
45:12
makes them bleed a little more and a lot
45:13
of people think scoring them up puts a
45:15
little more scent in the water as well
45:16
and I can’t argue it I mean I my buddies
45:19
who do it they catch fish it’s not
45:21
something that I do cuz I don’t like to
45:22
see I’ve already got you you know weeks
45:25
after I’m done fishing for a little
45:26
while still find a scale on me so I you
45:29
know I try to avoid them you know but I
45:32
haven’t really noticed a big difference
45:34
in my personal fishing but my buddies
45:37
swear by it so sometimes they even like
45:39
to take a little slice off of that skin
45:41
and some of my buddies like to take and
45:44
beat one side of the fish up to get the
45:46
blood into the meat you know that’s one
45:49
thing that I have done with Asian carp
45:50
in it it makes that meat a little you
45:52
know a little more red it holds that
45:54
blood in so well it was also a lot of
45:56
comes the holding that blood in that’s
45:57
the quality yeah a lot of guys that
45:59
catch bait do not care of their bait I
46:02
can’t emphasize enough how important it
46:04
is to take care of your bait you lose so
46:07
much sense
46:07
too much blood all this stuff if your
46:10
mate starts getting soft it doesn’t stay
46:11
on the hook it’s real mushy I see so
46:14
many guys now at the dam catching
46:15
skipjack and then throw them in a
46:17
five-gallon bucket and they leave them
46:18
there for two hours and eighty degrees
46:20
those fish lose everything and they turn
46:22
to mush they bleed out they lose their
46:25
scent and
46:25
go back you see them and they wonder why
46:27
they don’t work one of the best things I
46:29
can say is that you catch your bait take
46:30
care of it there’s so many great bait
46:32
tanks on the market now there’s so many
46:34
here that are celibate tanks you can
46:36
keep shad alive I wish we keep skip
46:38
gentle I’ve winged got that far yet me
46:40
and I can keep your herring alive and
46:42
those are things that you almost can’t
46:44
freeze I mean the big gizzards we have
46:47
pretty good success with fries and lows
46:48
but your small shad your moon I they
46:51
turn to mush they lose a lot of their
46:53
scent it’s hard for us to use it we cut
46:55
them open your your baits not bleeding
46:56
you really you’re really cutting
46:58
yourself short because you’ve lost
46:59
everything that fish is looking for
47:01
exactly and so exact and one of the
47:03
biggest questions I get from a lot of
47:05
guys is hey Ryan how do you know your
47:07
skipjacks fresh you know you’re buying
47:09
bait right and I buy from TM bait
47:12
company and they take very good care
47:14
I’ve seen how they catch them I see how
47:16
they preserve them in ice immediately
47:17
they flash freeze them they vacuum seal
47:19
them and baits still gonna go bad if you
47:22
got it in a freezer for too long and one
47:24
of they’re like how do you tell if
47:25
you’ve got good or bad skipjack one
47:28
thing you would look for is the cheeks
47:29
start getting rosy and maroon if you can
47:32
put your finger through the gut pocket
47:34
and I’m there some times a year where
47:35
you can catch them put them on ice and
47:37
in a day you can put your finger through
47:38
the gut pot because they’re eating a lot
47:39
of shad and it just rot out if you are
47:42
catching skipjack and putting them away
47:44
and it’s that time of year where they’re
47:45
gorged on shad it’s not a bad policy
47:47
sometimes to cut that gut pocket out and
47:49
and throw it and then vacuum sear your
47:52
fish all right because that gut pocket
47:54
will rot that meat out another thing you
47:57
want to look for is when I cut my bait
47:58
open is it that dark maroon reddish pale
48:01
color you want that that blood to be
48:03
bright red all right you don’t want that
48:06
you don’t want to be able to smear that
48:07
meat around either all right you want
48:09
you want it to be firm and you know
48:12
skipjacks you to have a shine to them
48:14
you know I’m kind of iridescent colors
48:15
on it so you know there’s no perfect way
48:19
to do it sometimes you know especially
48:21
if you pack a freezer full you go down
48:23
to Kentucky and you catching a whole
48:24
bunch and pack a freezer full in the
48:26
middle it’s not gonna ever freeze and
48:28
it’s gonna be rotten my time so take
48:29
care of your bait you know kind of
48:31
there’s a lot of articles online about
48:33
how to do this and you know different
48:36
things it’s it’s expensive
48:39
it’s spent a lot of time to get it so
48:41
take care of it and fresh bait will
48:43
catch you more fish
48:45
any other yes sir this man’s asking
48:56
about Santee Cooper and rattles while
48:57
we’re drifting yes I’ve been playing
49:00
around with floats a little bit with
49:02
rattles and I’ve used rattles back to
49:03
the day with spinner blades and
49:05
everything else and I think it’s neat
49:08
that all these new products are on the
49:09
market and it definitely you know it’s
49:10
something else for for us to have in our
49:13
arsenal and I think there are times
49:15
where they do make a difference and
49:17
floats are one thing that I know make a
49:20
difference I mean getting that bait up
49:21
off the bottom is is something that will
49:25
catch you more fish because like I said
49:26
these fish will feed up and having an
49:29
option to walk baits back and keeping
49:31
them three to four foot off the bottom
49:33
in over some of the structure and to
49:35
those those uh
49:36
you know fish that are up off the bottom
49:38
yeah definitely it’s gonna work rattles
49:41
on the other hand I haven’t ever seen a
49:44
day where it’s made a difference in my
49:45
fishing but you know I I don’t use them
49:49
every day so I couldn’t tell you for
49:52
certain but I think it’s I think it’s a
49:53
nice object and people are catching them
49:55
with him so I don’t think it’s hurting
49:56
their fishing you know and and I’m all
49:59
for any product and catfish and they
50:01
grow the sport so you know I think
50:03
that’s a great question and oh give this
50:06
manna what sighs we got here extra large
50:09
give you a shirt for that one that’s
50:11
that’s one of them topics try to trip me
50:13
up on everybody’s fighting about I think
50:15
I handled that one what was that they
50:23
should track Vince on our bait no I
50:26
don’t personally use any fish
50:27
attractants I don’t know about you if
50:30
you’ve ever messed around I mean I’ve
50:32
had some bait that I’ve cut up
50:33
I actually I saw Phil King doing this
50:36
you might a little Phil King is we were
50:38
fishing a tournament on wheeler yes I
50:40
remember that
50:40
and the Haney Tim Haney Phil Parker was
50:43
sitting in the front and he I bet he cut
50:44
20 skipjack up and he put them all in
50:47
ziplock bags in the blood and everything
50:48
and I’m telling well what’s this guy
50:50
doing you know
50:51
King and I asked him he said that’s how
50:53
they do their bait and they soak their
50:55
bait in that blood all day they’re
50:56
pulling bait out of their bag that’s cut
50:58
all day I still haven’t tried it but I
51:01
don’t use no you know artificial or like
51:04
that a lot of people swear by a nice oil
51:07
which I think smells like black licorice
51:08
I don’t have a lot of faith in it
51:11
but yeah I’ve soaked old beta I mean if
51:14
you’re if you’re getting low and they’re
51:15
biting I’ve used dead red blood spray
51:18
and I’ve caught some nice fish on it but
51:20
I’m soaking you know I don’t think
51:22
there’s really any substitute for fresh
51:24
I just don’t I I think if you go into a
51:27
tournament with good fresh bait like
51:29
caught recently my expectations are that
51:33
much greater I mean fresh bait cannot
51:35
and where we fish yet it really doesn’t
51:36
last that long because we’re we’re
51:38
fishing 90% of the time we’re fishing
51:40
two to four mile an hour current so our
51:42
bait is getting hammered so it really
51:45
wouldn’t last that long and our river
51:46
system we fish on a lake you’d probably
51:48
get away and see better results whether
51:50
that’s a good point go out get here ha
51:55
Raider mono brain if you’re in a river
51:58
and you’re not fishing with braid in my
52:00
opinion you are missing the boat there’s
52:03
so many reasons for it
52:05
mono mono is more abrasion resistant if
52:07
you’re fishing around rocks you’ve got a
52:09
thicker diameter but that thicker
52:11
diameter has also got more drag in the
52:13
water like you said we’re fishing 2 to 6
52:15
mile an hour currents I mean six is
52:16
pretty tough but I’ve been in it I’ve
52:18
caught I’ve caught blue cats drift into
52:20
three point four miles an hour they will
52:22
bite but when you’ve got mono and you’ve
52:24
got let’s say you’re using forty pound
52:26
test mono you’ve got a forty pound test
52:28
diameter that is 30-foot down in the
52:31
water and you’ve got all that drag
52:32
you’ve got all that stretch so you’ve
52:34
got less sensitivity
52:36
you’ve got more drag which means you
52:38
have to use more weight and you’ve got
52:39
less feel or visual on your rod tip of
52:42
what’s actually going on down there all
52:44
right plus you got to break that stuff
52:46
off of the current stretching it 47 feet
52:48
but when you got braids you’ve got 80
52:51
pounds 18 pound braid I got a 16 pound
52:53
diameter so I’ve got a 16 pound diameter
52:55
I can use a third of the less weight and
52:59
I’m getting the job done I got more
53:01
sensitivity now if you’re in a lake
53:04
your flat head fish in your
53:05
structure there’s there’s places for
53:07
mono most definitely but if you’re in a
53:10
river situation and you’re not fishing
53:11
with braids you’re missing out
53:13
especially if you’re back bouncing don’t
53:14
ever take mono bag bouncing so we’ll
53:17
just trust me yes sir boat control on
53:29
the river water drifting yes sir oh well
53:31
boat control
53:33
I want my boat following you know the
53:37
line that I want to be on you know
53:40
whether that be inside or outside I’m
53:42
lining up on something and I want to
53:44
keep that nose pointed upstream if I’m
53:46
in the boat I’ve got my remote control
53:48
one hand even if I’m fishing I’ve got
53:50
I’ve got my rod in the other hand I am
53:53
constantly moving that thing my the
53:56
trolling motors got autopilot and in a
53:58
lot of people says good enough and I
54:00
haven’t gotten a new one with Bluetooth
54:01
so it might even help me even more but I
54:03
am constantly moving that moving the
54:05
speed up and down and I’m keeping my
54:07
boat straight I don’t want the back of
54:09
that boat walking you know here and
54:12
there I want it I want it straight and I
54:14
want to also be able to avoid barges and
54:16
everything else logs and trees coming at
54:18
me but boat control is key it is key out
54:22
there and I mean you can catch them you
54:24
know but it’s going to make a big
54:25
difference in your catch and keeping
54:27
that speed where you want it and that
54:28
that’s something you got to figure out
54:30
every day that’s speed sometimes they’re
54:32
gonna want it you know starting off like
54:33
I said in the in the colder water you
54:35
might be a point seven point eight and
54:37
then in the summertime you might be 2.2
54:39
2.4 you know you got to just kind of see
54:42
what they want
54:47
yes sir sometimes you got to ease asking
54:50
if the troll motor sometimes isn’t
54:51
enough and yes sometimes you got to bump
54:53
the motor in gear and what what I do is
54:55
I trim the motor up to the level I like
54:57
because if you bump it in gear a lot of
54:59
times it’s gonna you know you’re really
55:00
slowing down so I’ll trim it up to wear
55:02
it you know props just spin you can bump
55:04
it in gear and I use the trolling motor
55:06
to to turn the boat and that’ll really
55:08
slow you down you gauge the heavier
55:09
weight
55:24
it’s a good question so the question was
55:27
if we’re fishing Mississippi River and
55:29
50 foot or deeper water are we bringing
55:31
those fish up slower are we bringing
55:33
those fish up the same rate and usually
55:37
fish the Mississippi River you never
55:39
know what you’re gonna get if we’re in
55:40
slack water and we know that we can
55:42
control the fish we’ll try to do our
55:43
best but if we’re fishing in 50 foot of
55:46
water and we have even big fish on you
55:48
really can’t control anything and
55:50
bringing those fish up with that that
55:52
fast rate can really mess with our air
55:54
pocket and really affect the fish yeah
55:57
another thing you want to do is while
55:59
you’re drifting you get that big fish on
56:01
cut your trolling motor off alright I
56:03
know that sounds like a really simple
56:05
thing when you think about it but a lot
56:07
of people don’t cut your trolling motor
56:08
off and you’re not fighting the current
56:10
in the fish because if you’re fighting
56:11
the current a fish is gonna come up out
56:13
there if he’s a big fish he’s gonna he’s
56:14
gonna mouth bucket yeah you know where
56:16
they sit there and open their mouth up
56:17
it’s like a five-gallon bucket and
56:19
you’re gonna lose that fish a lot of
56:20
times cut your trolling motor off you
56:22
can fight him straight up and down and
56:23
bring him up slower and also what about
56:26
burping fish to me or brook the catfish
56:28
that’s a big thing that a lot of guys
56:30
don’t think about when fishing deep
56:31
water I saw a gentleman a couple years
56:34
of the sea guard tournament on wheeler
56:35
he had a live blog a 180 pound sack and
56:38
they were all on their backs and their
56:39
belly up and he was like stressing out
56:41
in the weigh-in line and I walked up to
56:43
him and I said man those fish look alive
56:45
but they look like they’re full of air
56:47
and their stomach was like a brick wall
56:49
another guy had a burping stick these
56:51
PVC tube about half inch he shove it
56:53
down their throat it doesn’t hurt them
56:55
release the air pocket and their stomach
56:57
all the fish turned right back up all
56:59
their bellies and we’re healthy as can
57:00
be so most of you guys have been putting
57:02
you fishing the live wall and they
57:04
immediately go belly up but fish usually
57:06
has air trapped in its stomach and you
57:07
got to release that air by PVC I’ve used
57:11
in a Barad whatever you can do is they
57:14
can down their joystick Ryan’s hand down
57:17
its throat you just shove it back you’ll
57:20
hear if you use PVC you’ll hear the air
57:22
come out out of the pipe actually but
57:24
you showed it a real softly and you’ll
57:26
hear it was like the hose and air hose
57:28
you’ll hear come out and this whole
57:29
stomach will decompress yeah and you’ll
57:31
know whatever you catch one their
57:32
stomach will actually be like a brick
57:34
wall you flick it and wanting to move
57:36
so yes sir oh yeah yeah this man’s Aston
57:53
we ever have problem find a shed and yes
57:55
it used to not be so but I think they
57:58
even car compete for the same food and I
57:59
think they swim around they might eat
58:01
the fry I don’t know but yeah our shad
58:04
populations have definitely taken some
58:06
hits we have good years and bad years
58:08
with them but yes there are times when
58:11
you cannot find shad is one of my
58:13
biggest headaches cuz I refuse to use
58:14
frozen shad on my guide trips I won’t do
58:16
it I don’t want to take your money and
58:18
take you out there with some janky bait
58:20
you know I’m not gonna do it so I hunt
58:22
fresh and I’ve got a I’ve got a pond
58:24
behind my house and I got a pen and I
58:26
got to go catch three four hundred of
58:27
them every week somewhere and I’m
58:29
usually driving two hours from my house
58:30
to go to one of the lakes in Illinois
58:32
stealing you got so that’s one of
58:35
my biggest headaches but shad Chad’s
58:37
tough man full of yeah you walk
58:48
across them you walk across them I I
58:51
mean that’s the only thing I kiss a lot
58:53
of problem is the Asian carpets are the
58:54
same habitat is shad slow-moving water
58:56
they both eat plankton and so when you
58:59
have a fish like the Asian carp that
59:01
spawns three times a year
59:03
there’s taking over the shad population
59:04
shad eggs shad are up in the Barack’s
59:08
layin eggs which is Harper eating them
59:10
we don’t get those big big gizzards
59:13
anymore because they just died they died
59:15
before they can get if we catch a little
59:16
fry I mean what was last time you had a
59:18
net full of monster gizzards on the
59:20
Mississippi a long time yeah I got lucky
59:23
it not too long ago yeah you don’t see
59:25
him very often I can’t lie it was the
59:28
other way I was like blown back cuz you
59:31
don’t you know it’s all good it no you
59:32
don’t back in the day I mean you could
59:34
go up to all and then if there was a
59:36
creek or anything I mean you you can
59:38
catch your shad and over and go fishing
59:39
that day I can’t rely on that anymore so
59:42
but but good fresh bait if you want to
59:45
see about serious about catfishing most
59:46
guys like ma’am I would use Oh
59:50
and livers and you know or we have that
59:52
shared from Walmart you know and and I’m
59:55
not knocking I’m sure you go catch some
59:56
fish on it but but I’m gonna you know
59:59
I’m gonna go with that fresh bait and
60:02
any more questions out there anybody
60:06
you’re a satisfied but we do we answer
60:09
everything uh what type of anchor um
60:13
I use a cat River in the monster anchors
60:17
I usually have two or three of them in
60:19
the boat at all times and I like the
60:21
ones that break away that are good for
60:23
mud and rock I do have a box anchor that
60:25
I use for lakes Jackson what kind you
60:28
use I use an upper snag anchor there’s
60:30
so many great companies out there and
60:32
they’re all gonna treat your I you know
60:33
but you know anchors I like something
60:37
that has a breakaway feature with the
60:38
chain that you can zip tie and most of
60:41
the time get your anchor back unless you
60:42
throw it somewhere really dumb like I’ve
60:44
done many times and if you’re gonna be
60:46
on the river I recommend if you’re
60:47
anchored on the river I’d really
60:48
recommend looking at a good anchor ball
60:50
we use them for their yacht buoys they
60:53
give you on they tie on the yachts about
60:55
24 inches around and what we do is it
60:58
ties on the end of our ropes so if we do
60:59
hook a big fish and you know fast-moving
61:01
current and it’s taking line and we
61:03
cannot stop the fish we can slowly open
61:05
that unhook it off in front of our boat
61:07
our anchor let the line out and we throw
61:09
the ball and the anchors still say set
61:12
but you know where the end of your rope
61:13
set so you’re not getting that caught in
61:14
your outboard and they’re going back I
61:16
don’t know how many times this has saved
61:17
us from losing a big fish because we
61:20
simply would have not got the fish in
61:21
the boat if we did not throw the anchor
61:23
and chase the fish actually down if
61:25
you’re in a tournament situation you
61:27
have to have one if your anchor fishing
61:28
in current and throw the ball on a
61:30
twenty pound fish you don’t want to be
61:32
the guy who’s like I can get him in and
61:34
you don’t listen they’re partners that
61:36
partner gets yelled at and he’s not he’s
61:39
not a good dude but another thing when
61:41
you got that anchor ball in that current
61:43
man-baby that line out don’t just throw
61:46
the ball and let her go alright because
61:48
that rope might have you know thirty
61:50
foot or something don’t just throw a
61:51
bunch of rope out that stuff will drift
61:53
downstream if that gets in your prop and
61:55
that anchor still hung it’s gonna turn
61:57
your boat around and it’ll go down
61:58
faster and you know what you can do with
62:00
it you I mean I know guys being captains
62:02
on the river
62:03
and tugboats that have done it and
62:04
that’s how most boats get something out
62:07
on the river is they get that that that
62:09
rope in that prop so a good anchor ball
62:11
and and feed that line out until you
62:14
throw the anchor ball physically that’s
62:15
a good partner a good partner doesn’t
62:17
sink your boat alright so I always do
62:21
that but that that is one great tool
62:22
while I’m out there fishing in the river
62:25
but it’s also very dangerous
62:26
also when you’re you can use it to pull
62:28
the anchor what you do is you tie that
62:30
you got the ball in the water you tie
62:32
the rope off to the cleat and you drive
62:34
out away from and that ball will slide
62:35
down towards the anchor and it’ll pull
62:36
the anchor up it’s a great tool of your
62:38
fish and fast water by yourself and you
62:40
I mean you can’t I mean there’s days you
62:42
can’t physically pull it because you’re
62:43
in three to four mile an hour current so
62:45
anchor ball put but it’s also if that
62:48
rope gets back and gets in your prop
62:49
you’re both going down always have your
62:51
lifejacket on always be safe when you’re
62:54
out there using your anchor ball that’s
62:56
that’s everybody I know sunken boat sunk
62:59
it that way except for Jackson hey we’re
63:05
gonna talk about that we won’t talk
63:06
about that that was in his misspent
63:10
youth though so but any other questions
63:13
yes sir what’s that planer boards he’s
63:19
asking how I feel planer boards are
63:20
great they’re something to spin around
63:22
for wall I’ve been using them for years
63:24
on the river I don’t use them a lot
63:26
because they’re they’re kind of a pain
63:28
in the butt you know to to take off and
63:30
but they catch fish when the fish are on
63:31
them there’s times in the Mississippi
63:33
River where we’ll be in 50 foot of water
63:34
and this usually happens in you know
63:37
late June some August a lot of times
63:40
these fish in the slower water in the
63:42
river they’ll come up guys catch them
63:44
chugging on the river all the time I’ve
63:45
been in 50 foot of water and caught him
63:47
six foot down on planer boards getting
63:49
them away from the boat it’s a great
63:51
tool in shallow water it’s just it’s a
63:54
it’s an awesome thing that you can put
63:55
in your arsenal that’ll let you get more
63:57
rods out and a wider spread if you’re in
64:00
shallow water sometimes those fish spook
64:01
from the boat and and you can actually
64:03
drive them towards the planer boards and
64:05
while you’re while you’re dragging
64:06
they’re a great tool yeah every week a
64:09
fisherman should have them if you’re
64:10
gonna if you’re gonna be on lakes and
64:12
sometimes rivers
64:13
you know I mean it’s it’s a it’s another
64:15
tool in your arsenal to catch you more
64:17
fish
64:18
at times now if Ohio River we fish
64:23
monsters on the Ohio and we were in an
64:25
area a lot of guys you know there was
64:27
enough current to drift it was it was
64:28
flowing it maybe 1 mile an hour we were
64:30
pulling our baits upriver at point seven
64:32
and you know it’s got to be a real real
64:35
Loker yeah situation to do because the
64:37
current will take your lines the
64:39
opposite way absolutely one more thing I
64:42
want to touch on guys where we get out
64:44
of here is conservation I don’t know how
64:47
many of you guys are aware of what’s
64:48
going on in the Ohio River right now but
64:50
it’s absolutely sickening what’s going
64:53
on out there
64:54
I fished the Ohio River pride 10-15
64:57
years now and I can barely get myself to
64:59
go back there the commercial fisherman
65:01
the PEI Lakes while these guys are
65:03
taking these fish out zone pay Lakes and
65:05
it’s really really really really hurting
65:07
what’s going on the Ohio River the
65:10
tournament results show it the guys that
65:12
live there their results show it it’s
65:14
really sad so everybody I beg you all to
65:17
please keep releasing these fish over 20
65:20
pounds
65:21
we are fighting this battle it’s a rough
65:23
battle it’s a lot of legal a lot of
65:25
money involved and we’re not doing very
65:27
well right now the more takes of you
65:29
guys to helping us out the better it’s
65:30
gonna be because I really don’t I for
65:32
what I’ve seen they’ve done to the Ohio
65:33
River in ten years the Mississippi River
65:36
they’re attacking the James River right
65:37
now wheeler lakes been hit it’s not it’s
65:41
not something that can replenish itself
65:43
at a rate they’re taking them out so I
65:45
beg you guys to preset to your friends
65:47
your co-workers even people you fished
65:49
with you know take a picture of that big
65:51
fish let it go let them big genetics get
65:54
back in that water
65:55
keep ten five calendars they’re not a
65:57
Baldy fish on a big blue it’s not that
66:00
much a fifty pound fish you may get ten
66:03
pounds of meat I think all the red meat
66:05
out of it some guys in any red meat
66:07
that’s up to you those ways you catch
66:09
multiple mostly merciful fish
66:13
smaller in size better tasty and the
66:15
genetics or not you know there’s big
66:18
fish every fish gets 50 pounds not every
66:20
big whitetail gets 200 inches there’s a
66:23
reason why we have 140 pound fish and
66:25
why there is records because those are
66:27
rare species that we have oh and I get
66:30
this question a lot I practice selective
66:32
harvest with my guide service anything
66:35
10-pound over ten pounds goes back and
66:37
he were like why I want to keep that big
66:39
fish and the reason king is I you want
66:42
to kept you want to catch that big fish
66:43
right well I can’t guarantee a lot of
66:45
things in this world I can’t guarantee
66:46
if we let him go anybody ever catch him
66:48
again if he’ll even live but I’ve caught
66:51
enough of them they’ve been caught
66:52
before to know that catch and release
66:53
does work but one thing I can guarantee
66:56
you is if you keep them nobody will
66:58
catch that fish again and these larger
67:00
fish they they build up more mercury and
67:03
see these chemicals in their soft
67:05
tissues that you’re ingesting that are
67:08
harmful and the smaller fish lived there
67:11
lived in that water shift to get less
67:13
time in a booked up less with toxins
67:15
there’s less place to eat killing a
67:17
small fish let the big ones go take a
67:19
picture that’s my you know I’m you guys
67:21
do what you want to do I just live here
67:23
I’m so reaching let the big ones
67:26
go you know keep the small ones and
67:28
there’ll be more big fish to catch
67:30
they’ll make more little ones and the
67:31
Kiki knows I love you but you all have
67:34
been a great yeah what some would say
67:35
one more yes sir we got you have a
67:37
question hot touch you’re either they’re
67:40
heading question but I can’t thank you
67:42
all enough for coming to watching us up
67:44
here talking been great and thank you
67:48
[Applause]
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