6-2-13 lesson with John Bales

[brett]

Buck sez...A good Spoonplugger will reach the point where he can walk up to a strange body of water - be it a natural lake or a man-made reservoir - observe the terrain, note the water color, check the weedline, study the weather and come up with most of the answers BEFORE he ever wets a hook. AFTER he gets on the water, little time will be lost before he is doing the right things in the right places.

Buck goes on to say (page 1 of the Green book) the 10 things that make up what Spoonplugging means and what a Spoonplugger is. I could read them over and over. I recommend everyone re-read them next time you can.

I will get to my lesson in a minute but I have more to say about the Spoonplugger that Buck talks about. The Spoonplugger is the guy loading his stringer with walleye in a couple hours in Green Bay, the same guy that spends 7-10 days in Canada every year but it's the year-round Canadian guides asking HIM to take THEM fishing. The Spoonplugger is the guy editing our National Newsletter that could probably still out fish each and every one of us if we challenged him to. I know I sure as hell wouldn't. The Spoonplugger is the guy that can catch 1,000 largemouth bass in a summer on Chickamauga and has. The Spoonplugger is the guy that will stop and talk to a newbie that is lost and looking for answers at the boat launch as long as the newbie wants to listen. The Spoonplugger is the guy with 20 years on me whooping my ass and catching 100 smallies a day for two days straight because he DESIRED to, the same guy that once caught over 70 muskies in a week. They are the toughest sons of bitches on the water on any given day and the fish better watch the hell out if the Spoonplugger decides he wants to catch some fish. The Spoonplugger is awesome. I know some of them and I am honored. If you're not sure who they are you need to find out and watch and listen. That's the real lesson today, but I'll continue.

I spent Sunday on the water with John Bales. In case you live in a box, he is one of the above. It was a clear lake with a weedline to 15 feet. It was a nasty Day 1 Cold Front with a 15 degree drop in temp and heavy winds. It was post spawn for largies. The best part is that also, John had never been on the lake. I wanted to be there to watch (like Buck sez) as a Spoonplugger is supposed to spend little time before he is doing the right things in the right places. I was also very lucky because Mark Brown, who introduced me to Spoonplugging at a boat launch what seems now like a century ago, is going to fish alongside us in his own boat. I'm PARTICULARLY pleased at the nastiness of the day as we launch. I'm also pleased because I'm for once calm and patient, slowly drinking a hot cup of coffee while John is at the helm drifting away from the launch. He is beginning his work, ABOVE water - quiet but also occasionally out loud with his thoughts. I sit back, observing and enjoying. The pressure would be cooking right now if our roles in the boat were reversed and he was eyeballing me instead, but not on this day. I'm watching a true Spoonplugger at work and loving it.

It wasn't too long ago, before I knew what a Spoonplugger was, that I would be convinced that this would be a one or two dink fish day. Wind whipping, 15 degrees cooler than the day before, post spawn, blah blah blah. But the great Spoonpluggers get at 'em if they want to. Now I wasn't there to catch fish - I wanted to just watch and learn - but fish were caught. We didn't count but I figure over 30 largemouth for John and I. Who knows with Mark, I saw 2 at a time on occasion, 3 at a time once being caught out of his boat. These guys are animals! Tough Indiana fisherman that do not mess around on the water. I don't really know what else to say. I could talk in detail about the how and why and happy to at any time. It was basic Spoonplugging with a post-spawn twist of needing to get into the weeds to get them at the right depth with the right speed. Jigs were the tool of choice, necessary for the Spring weather and water conditions we faced. The remaining details are just time and effort that anyone could replicate with the right mindset and desire.

Get out on the water with good/great Spoonpluggers. They never fail to make me realize the possibilities are much greater than I thought before getting in the boat.

Brett

[TN Dave]

Brett,

An excellent report and a good lesson for new and old Spoonpluggers alike. Take the time to schedule the Spoonplugging class with one of the CSI. The time and money spent will shorten the learning curve dramatically. If there is a "Secret to Success", it is this.

We all know, or should know, that the study materials are important, what is also important is putting that knowledge to work on the water. Take a class with John Bales or any of the CSIs and learn how to Spoonplug the right way the first time. So much eaiser to learn all of the aspects of Spoonplugging correctly, rather than having to "unlearn" from not knowing what to do while on the water.

Those of us who grew up in the Dark Ages had to "unlearn" all of the fishing techniques that were written about in all of the outdoor type magazines. Most of the information, if not all, was incorrect or worthless until Buck Perry came a long with the true knowledge of fishing.

Take advantage of that true knowledge with one of the CSIs..you will glad you did for years to come.

TN Dave

[DouglasBush]

John Bales "don't play"......he knows how to bust those fish dead in the keester and stick 'em in that boat.
(even if he is ugly and not pretty like me)
LOL LOL LOL LOL.............

Drolet on Destiny's Horse.jpg (279.98 KiB) Viewed 2199 times

[beckman44]

Douglass, you look like a true stallion, One thing missing is you should have dug up the old hat from your profile picture and wore that instead. You would then be ready to go west young man. Bill.