The Carolinas and Georgia are pretty well known for some phenomenal top water fishing, whether it’s an angry spotted bass lurking in a pile of cane, a bucketmouth up shallow, or a striper roaming open waterl, we all desire that sudden moment when the fish leaps out of the water grabbing hold of your lure. Well, the dog days are here, and they are hot, but the fish still have to eat. This time of year especially I put down, to an extent, the topwater walking bait and pick up the bait I have personally caught the most fish on, a fluke.

You can fish a fluke a number of ways making it one of the most versatile baits available and a must have on any of the Savannah River Chain of lakes, Lake Norman, Wylie, and Lanier(Duh). Keep it simple this time of year but be ready to move around. I start by targeting the longest points I can find, then as the sun gets hot I might run for rocky banks, humps, docks, and typical summer time structure.

Make long casts with the fluke; throwing it as far as you can past the structure and twitch it back. There is really no wrong way to work the bait but your goal is to have the fluke dancing back and forth about a foot below the surface. That said you don’t want the fluke to continuously break the surface; try and keep it where it is nearly out of sight below the surface. Vary your retrieve, work it fast, slow, and everything in between. Once you get into a rhythm its a piece of cake and you will see its the snap of the line that triggers the twitch. Try starting out by working the bait fast with a lot of twitches like a twitch twitch twitch pause pattern. Then if no success, slow it down, switch it once or twice and let the bait fall a few seconds, and repeat. Keep an eye on your bait as your work it back because you will often have fish following closely waiting for the prey to make a sudden evasive move. If you do have a follower, work it really fast. If that doesn’t trigger a bite let the bait fall as if it is dead.  

Pay attention to the setup as well. For me I throw the fluke on a spinning rod since the bait hardly as any weight to it; my reel has 30lb PowerPro Braid tied to a barrel swivel then a 2 feet fluorocarbon leader. The purpose of using a swivel is to help keep the bait down below the surface and allow the eradict action for which the bait is known. Fishing is about putting the puzzle together, a fluke is one of the quickest ways to do locate fish, then put numbers and quality in the boat.

Here is how I like to rig my fluke on the hook.

Thread the hook through the nose about 1/2″ and out the underside

Run the fluke up the shank of the hook so it nearly covers the eye

Thread the barb of the hook through the belly out of the back of the fluke.

Tuck the hook point into the back of the fluke. You can tuck it directly in the middle or towards the side of the fluke for more erratic action.

Sling at will

Get your Flukes here at the lowest price around!

As a bass fishing guide that predominantly fishes deep clear lakes, it is important to have a bait that can catch fish no matter who is throwing it on the other end. Over the last few years, a ultra-finesse setup birthed in Midwest, has gained momentum among recreational and tournament anglers alike. It wasn’t long ago when this setup was known only by those in Ned Kehde’s inner circle but today, you would be hard-pressed to find a serious bass angler who didn’t have some variation of the Ned Rig on-hand. Z-Man fishing products is the company that partnered with Ned to bring the finesse rig to main stream fishing. And thankful we are. If you want something your kids can catch their first fish on, a bait that entices even the most lethargic of fish to bite, yet has the same chance to boat a 5 pound largemouth, look no further than this simple straight forward setup. As with every popular bait in fishing, there are 10 different companies selling their own version that is better than the other. Let’s be real. Normally I would agree, the baits are all pretty much the same but not this time. Besides having the actual guy the setup is named for on your team, Z Man has something everyone else does not that in my mind is the key to the entire rig. ElaZtech.

The Ned rig, midwest rig, shroom jig, or whatever you want to call it that particular day is composed of two simple things; a light small wire jighead(1/10,1/15,1/20) and a stickbait(or half of one). In the past I would use a torn senko that was laying in the bottom of the boat as the worm for my ned rig but those days are done. After experimenting and letting one client use a Z-Man TRD worm while the other used half of a Yamamoto Senko, I will never throw a Ned Rig with anything other than the Z-Man ElaZtech. Let me be clear that Z Man is not giving me anything to write this nor will they probably have read it but their TRD worm is the key to the rig. I have no idea what they use in their ElaZtach but it is the most buoyant and durable soft plastic worm I have ever used. When that jig head is bouncing off rocks or slow rolling the bottom, the tail of the worm is sticking up 99% of the time which is exactly what we are looking for. No joke I have caught over 20 fish on one of these worms without having to switch it out. Give it a shot and see for yourself why this rig is the number one way users of Fatsack have caught fish this year.

Where to Throw

The spawn is over, the fish are going deep, and summertime patterns are here. The Ned rig can be fished just about anywhere, anytime but right now most of my success has come from humps with rock on them that are around 20’ deep. Similar to a jig or shakey head, I fish it slow, really trying to feel the bottom composition in search of rocks for my ElaZtech to dance on. Usually starting out more like a carolina rig, slowing dragging the jig head across the bottom but experimenting by shaking it in place when I feel rocks, or hopping it up and down like a jig.

This is what I tell my clients that are wanting to learn how and where to catch fish, especially on the Savannah River chain of lakes; pick up a Ned Rig and look for Docks, Rocks, and Points. When all else fails and you have no clue, pick up a worm and find the closest of these three structures. If you find all three in one spot, spend a little time there.

Color Selection

As for color, on lakes that have a fair population of spotted bass, I go with something that has chartreuse in it. For some reason it drives those spots wild. If you don’t want an entire pack with Chartreuse, try getting a chartreuse pen or dye so you can paint individual worms.

When I was 16, I hardly knew anything about Bass fishing but it already had a hold of me, I just didn’t realize it. I was at the lake with my family one summer afternoon when I grabbed an old rod in the garage and tied on really the only thing that we had, a Rebel Pop-R.

On my first cast i hurled the lure across the small cove beside a dock that had a gnarly lay down beside it. The ripples from the cast settled as I twitched the bait once, then twice, trying to imitate what I had seen Hank Parker do on TV earlier that morning, when all of a sudden what seemed like a cannonball splashed and my bait was sucked under. After somewhat of a hook set, or knee jerk reaction, I started to reel in my first top water fish and my life has never been the same.

Right now its summer and the water temp is in the 80’s but find the right pocket and you may stumble on a flat, full of bream beds, which is when the Pop-R really shines. Perhaps what I like most about the Pop-R is that it can be thrown ALL DAY; its not a top water lure that you feel like needs to be put away once the sun is high. In fact, some of my best trips with a Pop-R have come from 12-3pm when its 95 degrees. At that time I like to find a cove that has a feeder creek in the back, which produces a higher oxygen level, target the shady side of the bank and work the bait parallel back to the boat. Any sort of cover, docks, letdowns, submerged grass, rip rap, are all prime examples of places I like to target when throwing a Pop-R. As with every bait, vary your retrieve to see what the bass are after that particular day. With this type of bait, you want it chugging and spitting water as you twitch the line. If you have been working it fast with no luck, slow it down, twitch, twitch, long pause. Wait until the ripples disappear and do it again. There is hardly anything in fishing that has only one way to go about using it correctly. Experiment.

However one of the critical components of getting the Pop-R to move like we want it to is your line. It must float. Otherwise, the nose of the bait may sink below the surface and negate the splashing erratic behavior we are searching for. Use either monofilament or braided line when throwing your pop-r for the best results and hook ups. They can be thrown on a spinning rod or bait caster and is really up to your personal preference and depends on the size of your lure.

Color options can be pretty overwhelming so I keep it simple. These are my go to’s

• Clear,
• Chrome and Black
• Bream pattern

On clear lakes and sunny days the clear Pop-R is what I have tied on but if it’s overcast, rainy, or the water is a little stained, I go with the Black and Chrome. On the trips where I hone in on a specific bream bed pattern, I will use the bream color, but that usually happens after picking a few off with the clear color as I try and locate the fish. If you haven’t tried a Pop-R before, a highly recommend tying one on this summer as you head to the water.

Watch this video for some awesome blowups on a Pop-R

Time to change again! Slaloming the narrows of a creek I run as far into the back as I could go, somewhere the app showed I’ve had a lot of success previously. Starting with a finesse worm, then jig, crank bait, and ending up with the kitchen sink, I didn’t catch a cold. What have I not done? What did those earlier bites tell me?

It hit me. A reaction bite. I pick up my #8 Tackle Co. rod, paired with an Ardent Elite reel, that has my black and blue 1/2 ounce spinner bait on. First cast, BOOM, one slams it. Gaining confidence, I cruise down the bank, not getting more than 50 more yards and bam I get hit so hard, the fish knocks 5’ of slack in the line. Scrambling to catch up, I set the hook and the fight was on. Uttering a quick prayer I begged Jesus to let me get this bass in. One more excruciating run under the boat and the fish comes up just enough to slide the net under. My best fish by far, totaling just at 7 pounds. What a rush!

All in all it was a great tournament! These FatSack tournaments are always challenging especially when you have competitors like Baxley and South C. I want to say real quick, South C were praying for you man, hope everything is going well with you and your family and we can’t wait until you can get back on the water! FatSack outdoors is head and shoulders above every other app with these tournaments, I have never had so much fun on the water! So on to the next tournament, should be a blast as always!

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Final Standings

After second place in the last event Fatsack Outdoors hosted, Matthew was out to win. Before the tournament, he had been fishing a ledge with healthy staging fish, just the size he was looking for, 5-8lbs, and was able to coerce them to bite by slow rolling a Rat-L-Trap. More so like you would a worm, really slow on the bottom, sometimes even just shaking it, letting the Trap display its famed dance and sound. The first day Matthew navigated back to the same ledge but to his dismay, the fish had shrunk, or so he thought. For 3 days the Florida native pulled 40 Largemouth off the ledge, but no monsters like his home state is known. In fact, Matthew’s two longest fish were only 19″ but a fisherman must trust his gut and Matthew’s said those bigger females were still in that area, he just had to find them.

December in Florida can bring all sorts of weather patterns that ultimately dictate what these fish do. After a few hot days in a row Matthew decided to seek shallower water to see if the warm sun had lured these fish to the banks. Hours in he found a 3’ drop off, which can be a drastic enough depth change to hold a stubborn Florida Largemouth, especially if it has a cement drain, like this spot did. This time a pleasant surprise, those fish were chasing and eating large schools of shad, making the water look like it was a large black pot of boiling water. Re-positioning himself down the bank, Matt reared back and fired a white, half-ounce Strike King spinner bait directly across the small drop. It was as if you were watching Jordan Lee win the Bassmaster Classic on the final day; cast after cast he caught fish. Then it happened. An agitated, Florida Largemouth stopped the spinner bait as it began to drift off the ledge. Fighting for what felt like a lifetime, he grabbed hold of the six-pound stud, but as he reached to unhook her he notice something, the fish had completely snapped his spinner bait wire. That was when he knew he had stumbled onto something special. The way that fish bit the bait as it rolled off the ledge. Continuing the day I boated my other 4 keepers off the same area but none as big or telling as the monster that broke my spinner bait.

Big Fish

What’s the lesson here? If you have been on a school of staging Florida bass and have a change in the weather like a front or rain or a warming pattern, those fish haven’t gone too far, try going a little deeper or slightly shallower and SLOW DOWN. Regardless, let the fish will tell you what and how they want to feed on certain days, after all, it is fishing.[/vc_column_text]

IS PLEASED TO INTRODUCE THE

OFFICIAL 2016 Z-MAN ELAZTECH EXCLUSIVE

Entry is completely FREE and you can compete from any location.

All you need is the FREE Fatsack Outdoors app (available on Google Play and in the Apple Store) and any Z-Man ElaZtech product.

PLUS the first 18 people to sign up will receive a FREE ElaZtech bait package!

PRIZES:

1^st Place: $100 in Z-Man product and Fatsack gift card

2^nd Place: $50 in Z-Man product and Fatsack gift card

3^rd Place: $25 in in Z-Man product and Fatsack gift card

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Visit the TOURNAMENT page in the Fatsack Outdoors app
2. Under ALL CONTESTS, select Z-Man ElaZtech Exclusive
3. Select JOIN

That’s it! Your catches will now be automatically uploaded to the live Leaderboard while you’re logged into the app

HOW TO SUBMIT A CATCH:

1. Press the SACK IT button after catching a fish
2. Log the length of the catch
3. Under FISHING RIG, enter the Z Man ElaZtech product used
4. Add a photo of the catch on a measuring device, with nose and tail clearly visible
   (try to include the ElaZtech product used when possible)

RULES:

1. You MUST be logged into the Fatsack app.
2. Fish MUST be caught in a sporting manner using any Z Man ElaZtech product,
3. You MUST submit a photo of catch ON/BESIDE measuring device with the head, tail, and length clearly visible and make every effort to include the ElaZtech product

OFFICIAL 2016 DIGITAL RAT-L-TRAP OPEN

Entry is completely FREE and you can compete from any location.

All you need is the FREE Fatsack Outdoors app, available on Google Play and in the Apple Store, and any Rat-L-Trap product.

PLUS the first 18 people to sign up will receive a FREE Rat-L-Trap bait package!

PRIZES:

1^st Place: $100 gift card to the Fatsack Bait Shop AND a Rat-L-Trap bait package

2^nd Place: $50 gift card to the Fatsack Bait Shop AND a Rat-L-Trap bait package

3^rd Place: $25 gift card to the Fatsack Bait Shop AND a Rat-L-Trap bait package

PLUS…one lucky winner will receive $100 in cash and a bait package for logging the biggest catch using the ConnectScale Bluetooth scale

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Visit the TOURNAMENT page in the Fatsack Outdoors app
2. Under ALL CONTESTS, select RAT-L-TRAP OPEN
3. Select JOIN

That’s it! Your catches will now be automatically uploaded to the live Leaderboard while you’re logged into the app

HOW TO SUBMIT A CATCH:

1. Press the SACK IT button after catching a fish
2. Log the weight of the catch
3. Under FISHING RIG, enter the Rat-L-Trap product used
4. Add a photo of the catch on the scale, with weight clearly visible
   (try to include the Rat-L-Trap product when possible)

RULES:

1. You MUST be logged into the Fatsack app.
2. Fish MUST be caught in a sporting manner using any Rat-L-Trap/Bill Lewis Outdoor product, including the new StutterStep and Echo 1.75!
3. You MUST submit a photo of catch ON the scale with weight clearly visible and make every effort to include the Rat-L-Trap product