Keep it Moving

By: Joe Sheaffer

Joe, what presentation do you prefer when you are fishing? That question comes up quite often when I’m talking to fellow anglers. Through the years, I have condensed my lure selections and presentations. I have found that keeping things simple can be an advantage when on the water. Preferring to power fish, covering water and making long casts, doesn’t really require multiple lures or drastically different presentations. My confidence with a jig and paddle tail or swimbait is very high. It is a very complimentary presentation while power fishing. The key to success is keeping the lure moving. I have found a steady retrieve after a long cast allows me to cover large areas with a lure that stays in the strike zone longer. Basically, after the cast simply lower the rod tip and start retrieving the lure so that it stays just above the bottom structure like grass. Obviously, conditions play a role in the presentation. Depending on depth, current, wind and structure choose a lure that will work best for each condition. The weight of the lure is usually the key. In light current, shallower water, hard structure and grass, lighter lures work best. Heavy current and deeper water require a heavier presentation. I have found a steady retrieve works very well with a spoon and steady retrieve and light twitches work very well with a weedless Jerk Shad. I use an occasional plug like a wake bait or suspending twitch bait and the steady presentation works very well. I think back to when I moved down here a few years ago catching redfish was a challenge. I couldn’t figure it out and was very frustrated. One day, sticking with a jig and paddle tail and a steady retrieve, I caught a couple. Since that day, I have had great confidence catching redfish, snook, trout and other species. There are times when fast erratic presentations are needed or slow deliberate action while working your lure on the bottom will be productive. If power fishing is your game, then using a simple presentation that allows you to cover water is very effective. Good luck and keep casting.

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Confessions of a Fishaholic, by Thatch Maguire, is a hilarious and irreverent look at one man’s quest to catch fish in spite of life’s annoying interferences. You’ll travel with this awkward adventurer as he risks home and health to pursue his passion for fishing...regardless of the consequences. Anglers of all expertise levels will immediately identify with why his addiction is incurable. This book defines the blurred line between passion and obsession.

20 Sacks Weighed Heavier than 30 Pounds at One Tourney

Catch a 30-pound ve- sh sack of bass, and you’re pretty much a lock to win whatever tournament you’re shing, right?

Imagine that glorious moment when you’ve been culling 5-pounders and pull into the docks to unload your livewell. With a grin on your face, you haul that huge bag of sh up to the scales…only to nd out your 30-pound sack barely put you in the top 20! at was the reality at a May 6 Roland Martin Marine Center Bass Series event on Lake Okeechobee. e shing was so good that anglers weighed 20 ve-bass limits that were heavier than 30 pounds. It took 36.82 pounds to win. We’re not sure who keeps track of such things, but that’s more 30-pound sacks in one tournament than we’ve ever heard of.

A father-son team of Preston and 11-year-old Tavyn Heisler won the 177-team tournament and a $6,500 big check.

“It was an amazing day,” Preston told a RMMCBS reporter a er the tournament. “I’m still shaking and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Tavyn said he was the net man early in the tournament, but he caught his own 8-pounder late in the day. His favorite lure was a black and blue charterbait.

To read a full report on the event, visit: rolandmartinmarinecenterseries.com.