TheBeardedTay

I've been checked once, when I was in Boy Scouts at an outing up at Bennett Spring State Park. I don't mind them doing their job and all, plus I'm sure they would rather be doing something else as well...(probably fishing). I haven't been checked in a long time, and I still purchase a new one each year. Maybe it's the beard...

Bass have phenomenal night vision because of the density of the rods in their eyes. The profile and all make all the difference in some fisheries. From experience, darker colors perform better.

I'm guessing Golden Pond? hahaha My buddy used to live there and would fish when he was bored at home during the days.

Very well said indeed. We're definitely headed in a dark direction. Surprisingly enough, people are still too lazy to research or look something up with the phone in their pocket. The phone that has more technology than the Apollo Astronauts that landed on the friggin moon! What happened to that America?

WEEKEND ANGLER: SLOW IT DOWN, MAN. It’s hard to believe that summer is quickly transitioning to fall. It seems like just last week I was reading an article about pre-spawn bass fishing, and now we’re winding down and looking forward to some relaxing fall fishing. If you’re like me, your daytime job prevents you from fishing as much as we’d love, and you have to become a magician of sorts to drop a line and reel ‘em in. Most rely on the weekends to find the one that got away, and that can easily lead to disaster if weather, bad luck, or other things get in your way. With fall comes less traffic out on the water, and you can use this to your advantage. One thing I’m constantly trying to remind myself of, is to slow down my bait presentation from the hot summer burn, and give the bass something to consider. My go to bass bait has been a 7-1/2” YUM ribbon tail worm, and I prefer texas-rigged. The Bass Pro Shops 10” Tournament Series ribbon tail worm is also a favorite. In various air and water temps, different cloud cover and time of day in different lunar phases, this bait has consistently paid out keepers. YUM infuses the bait with their F2 Ferocity attractant, and the action of their tail is outstanding. I’ve found these for a buck a bag, and three bucks a bag, but worth every penny. BPS ribbon tail uses 8up Scent, which they cook into the worm. This worm is always great for bigger bass, and optimistic little guys. BPS has a great selection of color and size, and for a reasonable price, usually a pack of 9 is around two and a half. In addition to slowing down, take time to enjoy the outdoors, and our beautiful landscape. We live in an incredibly special part of the country, and our fall colors are wondrous. Even if the fish aren’t biting, consider it a nice way to be out in fresh air, take in nature, and generally be happier. Fishing is great, but letting a bad day on the water ruin your day, or mood is silly. We can all take some time to cleanse, and immerse ourselves in nature without distractions of the material world. A bad day on the water beats a good day at work. Get out there and hunt those bass. Take time to enjoy nature. And be good to one another. The Bearded Tay September 10, 2014

The Valley Water Mill Pond is okay. It's not meant to be a trophy fish paradise, but allegedly there are fish there worth keeping. Most ponds are on private property in this area . You're better off fishing lakes, rivers, streams, or creeks around here. There are good spots everywhere you turn. That's really part of the fun for me, to explore new areas, drive down some backwoods roads and even the Ozark Mountains. You never know what you might catch!

Thanks for the feedback. I'd prefer to worry about fish biting and weather conditions than homeless camps and rogue handguns hanging around.

What's the story with McDaniel Lake? Has anyone here had any success with bass, or other species? I've not been to this lake, and from what I've read so far, it's extremely limited in fishing space, and parking. Everyone I've talked to about it has said to avoid it, but never said anything beyond that.

I've had better results at Lake Springfield, and I always do well when floating it and the James. I agree about the bank fishing though, the areas that are cleared are over-fished, and barren. I've tromped around on the Northern bank some, and had good luck the few times I've done it. It's always an uphill battle when bank fishing.

I've not seen anyone catch a bass, seen several bluegill, though. I've been several times and continually remind myself why I avoid it. I've thrown top-water frogs, shallow water cranks, plastics of all kinds including finesse, swim baits and creatures, and of course a spinner bait with no luck on bass. Throw a night crawler on, and I can't drop it past the annoying blue gill that appear to overpopulate the pond. VWM is a great place for families, especially younger kids. There's a bunch of educational items along the paths. The fishing platforms are a harbor for blue gill, and each has a line recycle bin and trash bin, which can help teach responsible conservation to our future generation. There's little risk of hang up, and normally you can find room for a good sized family to fish comfortably, and they don't have to worry about bothering other anglers, or vice versa.

I always try to match my bait to what the bass are feeding on. It's beginning to be a good ol' frog time as the grass growth is peaking. For now I've been throwing some sort of plastic, texas rigged, like the Yum 7" Ribbontail worm, my color preference is Tequila Sunrise. A good shallow crank in shad pattern can work wonders as well. I've been successful when casting direct into the disturbance, or if it's near a bank or a shallow area with a drop off, I cast slightly past and try and mimic an injured shad to provoke the strike. A friend advised the white bass were feasting on a spoon up at Stockton this past weekend. Said it was plentiful, but within a small window. Sticking with something the bass can react to, based on water ckarity/conditions will usually be your best bet.

The glove comes in handy for tricky hooks. It is what it is. But frustrating doesn't begin to describe my feeling, especially with the bite I was on. I agree with you Ham, boaters, especially on Fellows have the advantage, I always appreciate if someone asks, I think it's safe to say many would appreciate it and be more lenient with the area they fish. One day they'll learn.

Taylor, but I'm easily confused for a lumberjack. I'm a teddy bear in disguise, and I am The Bearded Tay. My main goal for this blog is to entertain, tell a story, and talk about my mediocre attempts at fishing. I've grown up in Springfield most of my life, and lived my early years just a stones throw from Bass Pro. I've fished for as long as I can remember, but not until a few years ago did I get really hooked. (hahaha) I'm slowly but surely trying to learn different techniques and rigs to optimize my outings and catch the biggest fish I can. I enjoy fishing with my brother, and being able to talk fishing and stories with him. I feel like I belong in a log cabin near a lake where I can fish all day, for the rest of my life. (Who doesn't?!?) I hope to get some positive feedback, and also input for conversation pieces or topics. Here's to the big one, and the one that got away! -Beard

Recently I decided to fish Fellows Lake on the North Western end near Gate 1. I was on shore in the first cove with the old boat ramp, and had spent approximately half an hour throwing various 7-1/2" Yum Ribbontail worms with no luck. I decided to start fan-casting around the cove on foot to try and locate some bass. As I got around the corner I began throwing a 3" Black/Silver shallow crank bait Shad. After two casts, boom, a 16-1/4" largemouth weighing a little over a pound. I cast out again, boom! Another large mouth, well over a pound and around 16" even. A few casts later, get another on the line when a boat starts approaching from the south end of the lake. It's slow at first, but then picks up speed. I'm slightly distracted by this, and the fish makes a good jump, coming unhooked. As I check my lure and line, the boat decides to pull into the cove. At this point, I'm easily spotted, have made eye contact and all with the occupants, but they decide to coast directly in front of me. I'm facing due west at this point in the cove, and they drop anchor at my 1 o'clock and begin casting into the area I've been successfully using. These kids were younger, seem to have no perception how their actions impact reality, and that is disappointing. Aside from casting near me, and blocking a good chunk of water I had just stirred up, one of them also had the nerve to make a phone call and talk loudly on their boat. After they loitered around for a solid 20-25 minutes, they decided to circle the cove twice, and then left. I know it's not a coincidence I didn't get another bite for the rest of the half hour I was there. Sorry for the rant, but why can't we all get along and respect each other's space and fishing areas? Yet another bad experience on Fellows. -Beard Bonus pic of a feisty piece of bass!