Although the Bassmaster Elite Series ended back in September and we’re supposed to be in our offseason, hardly a day goes by when I’m not working on something relative to the job.
Most recently, I’ve been filming some videos for my sponsors, as well as a TV show with former Elite Series pro Dustin Wilks.
What sparked these projects was a casual trip with a friend to my home lake, here in north-central Florida. My friend Dave Tanner influenced my development as a professional angler, and it had been years since we last fished together. So I wanted to return the favor.
The conditions were ideal for what we thought would be a stellar topwater bite. It was balmy with overcast skies and a slight breeze from the south. We just knew we were going to wreck them. But once we got on the water, things went in a different direction.
After more than an hour of calling up a number of fish with various topwaters, only to watch them lose interest and disappear, I decided to try a speed-style worm.
That’s when things warmed up in a hurry!
Yamamoto to the rescue
The worm I chose was no ordinary speed worm. It was the new 7-inch Speed Senko by Yamamoto. And, man, did it ever pay off!
In just a few casts, our luck changed dramatically. Together, we put fish after fish in the boat — some exceeding 4 pounds, including an 8-pound tank. It was so easy. We just threw them out there and reeled them in, much like a spinnerbait.
Like the original Senko, the new Speed Senko consists of the same salt and silica makeup. If a fish tastes it, it’s not going to let go. But what impressed me even more was the lure’s overall profile and tail action. It’s the perfect length and its paddle tail thumps like a Colorado blade on a spinnerbait. Even better, the design is such that it can easily be converted into a ribbon-style swimming tail.
Both tail variations caught fish. But on this day, it was the paddle tail that produced the bigger bites. And color didn’t seem to matter. I tried several variations and all of them worked equally well. It was definitely the action they were after.
It was nice sharing such a productive day on the water with my old friend, Coach Tanner — the one who, ironically, was the first to take me there more than 40 years ago.
Seeing an opportunity
After finding so many fish, I wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity. So I called Tyler Post — a young YouTuber with his own production company — and asked him to meet me at the lake as soon as his schedule was clear.
A week later, we met and filmed a number of video tips — for both Yamamoto and Shimano. And though the fish had moved from the area I first found them in, it didn’t take long to relocate them with the Speed Senko. And that’s a huge aspect to the efficiency of speed worming. They’re such great search baits, they can eliminate massive amounts of water in a hurry.
To see the first of several videos we shot, watch here.
Not long after my day on the lake with Tyler, I received a call from Dustin. Because we share several sponsors, Dustin wanted to film an episode of his TV show together for next spring. His show is called Catching Bass with Dustin Wilks and it airs on the Sportsman Channel and WFN. Among our mutual backers are Caymas Boats, Power-Pole and Don’t Die lithium marine batteries.
By the time we got it together, two weeks had passed since I was on the lake. Although the weather remained warm and balmy throughout that time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After all, the fish had moved on me once already.
Accompanying us was Nathan Staron, President of Lithium Battery Company — makers of Don’t Die lithium marine batteries. Nathan wanted to spend some time with us on the water, watching how my equipment performed in challenging terrain. And he got that opportunity, as the lake is chock full of lily pads and thick hyrdilla.
By using a special app on his phone, Nathan was able to monitor not only my batteries, but the trolling motor and Power-Pole CHARGE system as well … with pinpoint accuracy. Not to be confused with Power-Pole’s C-Monster app, Nathan’s is geared more for techies. And the amount of info it revealed was impressive.
As the day progressed, it was clear many of the bass were still in the same areas. We caught fish after fish on speed worms, but no real quality. It was if the bigger ones left, or they just weren’t biting.
Right at sunset, we finally scored a couple of 4-pounders. Still, Dustin wanted more. So, the next morning, we gave it another shot. And this time, the topwater bite was on.
Dustin put on a clinic for the camera. Using a small Yozuri walking bait, he coaxed several quality bass to the surface. Following suit, I used a Shimano Current Sniper of the same approximate size. It was fun, and we were able to wrap things up early so that he could head back to North Carolina.
According to Dustin, the show will air on the Sportsman Channel in March, and later in the year on WFN. In the meantime, be sure to watch for the other video clips I did with Tyler Post.
