Best Ways To Catch Bass Consistantly...

Now, I can hear you now, Here we go again! And that's right, here we go again! In this article I hope to give you some worth while tips to add to your arsenal. Not so much what kind of lures, But, how to locate and catch more bass. To me it is just common sense. To some it is as difficult as , jumping out of a helicopter naked! But it doesn't really have to be!

There are some important factors to consider when hit your favorite lake or even a new unfamiliar lake. Bass much like the weather can sometimes be very unpredictable. Down right contrary sometimes and even get a case of lock jaw in the process.

There are basically 3 things to focus on when you arrive at the lake.

Weather--Water--Food!
You have to be able to analyze the fishing conditions , so as to know where and how to catch the fish. And the last I heard , catching fish is why we go fishing. Enough said!

The present , and future, weather forecast will help you to determine somewhat how the fish will behave. Like I have said before, bass have very unpredictable behavior, and because of this behavior, be difficult to find and even harder to persuade to bite.

What is the water color? Is it clear, or is it dingy , or even stained. These conditions can determine the type of lures, such as color , size, or even noise. What is the water temperature?

And then food , what is the natural food chain in the lake. Knowing what the food chain is helps to determine what you want to imitate. Like shad, or crawdads, of crayfish, however you say it in your neck of the woods.
Now to locate and catch fish consistently!

Determine the depth, Determine location, and Presentation are the 3 keys to becoming more successful on your outings. You will find and catch more fish and these three keys will also help you to overcome new lake unfamiliar water syndrome.

If your on a new lake and/or your favorite lake try to catch some other fishermen at the marinas or coming in while your unloading. Find out more than anything , the DEPTH ! DEPTH , is probably the most important factor in fishing. If you fish without knowing , fish all levels and notice what depth you catch fish at when you catch at least 3 at that depth you have determined pretty well what lures to use that will come in at that depth.

Where you catch these fish is also important. Whether it is on a point, a ledge, , a flat, or a bluff , you are slowly determining a pattern. You have determined depth and location and THEN, you can determine the presentation. Meaning, the wiggle , vibration, noise , lack of noise, etc.. Give the bass different colors actions, slow or fast or in between.

You have learned in 3 fairly simple steps , now, on how to locate bass, and determine what lures to use, by the depth, location and presentation. It is very important to observe all of these things to become a more successful fisherman. If you give bass the preferred food at the preferred depth , and the preferred location , the rest is just history , More Fish, which is preferred in my boat, and I am sure it is the same in your boat!

Yes BASS are unpredictable in their behavior, but learning how a bass lives helps to determine with more accuracy, how to fish them and what to use to catch them , also where and at what depth to catch them. It will come to you the more you fish. But in the long run you will become more consistent and more successful. And this is a good thing.

So until next time, hope you enjoyed and learned something new here. Maybe next time you will have greater success locating and catching and determine where to fish and how to fish for them.

Keep your hooks wet, practices catch and release. Boat safely and enjoy "The Great Outdoors!"

On The Light Side For A Few !

Fish Hook Salesman

A young guy from Missouri moves to Florida and goes to a big "everything under the roof department store" looking for a job.
The manager says " Do you have any sales experience?"
The kid says " Yeah, I was a salesman back home in Missouri."
Well, the boss liked the kid so he gave him the job. "You start tomorrow. I"ll come down after we close and see how you did."

His first day on the job was rough but he got through it.
After the store was locked up, the boss came down. "How many sales did you make today?" he asked.

The kid says "One."

The boss says, "Just one?!! Our sales people average 20 to 30 sales a day! How much was the sale for?

The kid says, " $101,237.64"

The boss says, "$101,237.64? WHAT THE HECK DID YOU SELL?"

Kid says, " First I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fish hook. Then I sold him a larger fish hook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down at the coast, so I told him he was gonna need a boat. So we went down to the boat department and I sold him that twin engine Chris Craft.

Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4x4 Expedition."

The boss said, " A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a BOAT AND A TRUCK??"

The kid says, " No, he came in here to buy a box of tampons for his wife and I said, 'Well, your weekend's shot, you might as well go fishing!!!' "

Venison Goulash: Excellent Campfire Cooking

Here is another good campfire cooking recipe, can be varied according to taste. I add carrots and potatoes! With deer season around the corner, Try this recipe, You will like it!

2 T Oil
1 1/2 lb Venison,from neck, flank,
-Shanks, cut into cubes
3 md Onions,very thinly sliced
2 T Paprika
1 t Salt
1 md Green Bell pepper,thinly
Sliced,seeds & pith removed
1/2 c Water


In a Dutch Oven, heat oil and brown venison, stirring often. Add the
onions, sprinkle with paprika and salt while stirring, saute over med
heat until onions are soft. Put in the green pepper and water, cover
the Dutch Oven but do not put coals on top. Cook 1 to 1 1/2 hours,
until the venison is fork tender. Traditionally Goulash is served with
broad noodles.

Until next time , see ya out there! Try to stay dry and warm! Also
try some of these outdoor cooking recipes, You may be surprised!
And you may be in for a real treat. Outdoor fun also includes good
cooking and good food!

Fall and Winter Boat Maintenance: For Your Boat

Here we are now entering or getting ready to enter October, to me the best time to be on the area lakes here in Missouri! Nights are cool and good for camping, the day time temperatures in the 70s. The days are getting shorter and the fish notice these changes and begin their fall feeding frenzy , as winter approaches. Winter, that time of the year that people are getting ready to either put their boats in storage , or getting ready for some of the best fishing of the year, FALL!

Either way there are some precautions to consider before winter gets here. If you want to keep your rig running tip top shape, then a few extra steps is certain!

My routine is as follows. Since I fish through the winter months a simple tune up , plugs, and servicing the lower unit. I check my water pump out 2 times a year, spring, and fall. If you run your rig long enough throughout the year, keeping your water pump changed keeps you from breaking down and costly repairs. If you don't fish as often, then I would consider changing water pumps every other year.

For those of you , who plan on storing your boat, consider the following tips as a helpful guideline to insure your boat is stored and in the right condition to be ready for use in the spring. If you don"t have a garage or storage, then make sure the boat is covered! You don't want the elements (ice and/or snow} , leaves and rain to get into the boat.

If your not going to use your boat for 2 months or so , then it is best to drain the fuel that is remaining in the tank.There is a fuel additive that will winterize your fuel, called stabilizer. Also here in Missouri there is a lot of ethanol in our fuel and depending on the ability of your rig to use this fuel, if it can, mine can't. Most of the premium gas in our area is free of ethanol and that is what I use in my boat. Ethanol supposedly draws moisture so , it is better to drain it out of your tank, if your lucky enough to have a motor that can burn it.

If your going to get out in the weather , you need to remember to dress warm and take plenty more dry clothes along , just in case you get wet. I usually try to keep good rain gear in my boat because a good rain makes a miserable trip if you have no rain gear. Take a cell phone and an extra battery , because in the colder months the boat traffic is a lot less and the chances of getting help is also a lot less.

Make sure you communicate with someone regularly so your where a bouts is known in case of emergency. Watch for under water obstructions , such as rocks, logs.gravel bars, shallow flats , etc so as not to damage your lower unit and strand your boat. Always make sure someone is aware of your location, and future plans for the trip as to keep someone alerted, in case of emergency.

If you keep your head about you, and practise boat safety on the water, I think you will find that fall, and winter fishing can indeed be warm, dry, and safe. I hope you are very successful this fall and winter. Keep your boat winterized and safe. Hope you find this as useful to your outdoor endeavours. Try the cooler weather fishing and you might find out, that fall and winter can sometimes contribute to that trophy of a lifetime.

So until next time, keep boating safely, keep your hooks wet. Enjoy the "Great Outdoors" See ya out there!

REMEMBERING 9/11/2001

It's been 7 years since that dreadful day and I just wanted to take this time to dedicate a post in remembrance to that day. We have since picked up the pieces , but I pray we never forget!

GOD BLESS AMERICA AGAIN!

BEER BATTER FISH - DELICIOUS!

I have tried a lot of different types of batter for frying fish, but this particular recipe is awesome and Rates up there with the best. Like any other recipe, you might need to adjust ingredients for you own taste. Maybe add some hot sauce or something like cajun . Anyway I like this recipe and added a little of my own ingredients to suit my spicey hot taste buds. Try this batter recipe and get back with me on some feed back. I am going to start some outdoor recipe blog posts quite often as I have many of my own. Feel free to send any recipe you have for outdoor game, fish, elk deer, quail, pheasant whatever you have and we will post it right here on Kenny's Great Outdoors. Send all recipes to kenny54@wildblue.net for submission. Include your name and details with recipes! Thanks , Kenny


BEER BATTER FISH!


* oil for deep-frying fish
* 2 lbs. fillets, any type of firm white-fleshed fish, pike and pickerel work well
* 1 ½ cups flour
* 1 tbsp. DLS* OR 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper
* 12 oz. can beer
* 2 tsp. dill weed
* ½ tsp salt
* 1 egg

1. Heat the vegetable oil in your deep-fryer or a large Dutch oven to 375 degrees F. You should have about 3 inches of oil.
2. Cut the fillets into serving pieces
3. To make the batter, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients with a wire whisk until smooth.
4. Drop fish pieces into the batter and then into the hot oil. Fry until deep golden brown, on both sides, turning once. Drain for just a minute on a wire rack placed over a cooking sheet.

The Truly Incredible "SENKO"

Have you ever seen a lure, that in all respect, looks as though it was designed to catch fishermen instead of fish? Welcome to Kennys Great Outdoors! While your here , check out the archives, feel free to leave a comment , sign the guest book. If you have a fish story, tip, or photos you would like to share then send these items to me at
kenny54@wildblue.net and we will be sure to share them with all our readers. Now back to the question. Several years ago, well 2 or 3 tops. I discovered a lure, called "Senko" Wow a very weird looking lure, but to my discovery, not only catches fishermen, but also catches "FISH" The last I heard is the reason we go fishing! ;-))

Whenever I have a yearning to try out new types of baits, I generally buy a few different colors and throw them in the storage compartmen of my boat. When the fish aren't biting to well, I experiment around with some of the new additions to my arsenal, to determine whether or not its worth the investment. This is how I have discovered new lures that produce somewhat better than expected or at least as good as expected. Sometimes lures catch more fishermen than fish. ;-))

One such bait I picked up and threw few years ago, at the urging of a friend, was a manageable plastic bait by Gary Yamamoto. It's called a "Senko". It doesn't look like much. Certainly not a twin to any other softhearted plastic baits except that it is long like a worm. It has no distinct profile in it's length like a Slugo other than the taper from the middle out to both ends and a very fine, almost unnoticeable set of ribs. Kind of like a Centipede, but more of a round elongated shape. It's hard to explain what it looks like. You have to see it. And you definitely have to use it to believe its fish catching abilities. Seeing is Believing, RIGHT?

When my friend first showed the bait to me, my first reaction was, " yea right you catch fish on that contraption? " And I thought, here we go again, another lure to catch fishermen,and not fish. I being born in Missouri, the " Show Me " state have to see something with my own eyes to believe it. Especially when it comes to new fishing lures. However I learned two things a long time ago about fishing lures, don't believe everything you hear, and dont knock it until you try it. Try it at least once but fairly several times before you eliminate it from your boat.

Well, this was certainly going to be one of those lures that I had to see work, before I felt I needed to buy any for my tackle box. On an outing with my friend, he was using the Senko. While at first he wasn't having any successfulness, slowly he started catching fish. On the first one, I thought to myself that he innocently got lucky. Then later on another, then another. He only caught four fish on it that particular two day outing, but that was enough to convince me to give it a try.

I purchased several colors that he had been using and brought them on my next trip. No fish. Not to give up too easily, I tried some again on many occasions. No fish. But for some reason or another, call it gut feeling, I wasn't ready to give up on this lure. After all, I did see my fishing buddy catch fish on it. And because of my competitive nature, I certainly wasn't going to let him show me up again. I was bound and determined to give this "senko" every chance to prove itself to me , which of course eventually happened.

I got the opportunity to fish with this same fishing buddy again. I finally interested a fish on a Senko. Something must have clicked for me that day, now one of my favorite lures. I also have improvised a special box for the senkos and accessories required to fish them. That same fishing buddy , to this very day, asks me to show him my secrets, on the very lure he taught me to use. I just smile and say experiment and be patient. I also tell him its in the wrist action and it also depends on how you hold your mouth. ;-))

A few tips for fishing the Senko:

First and mostly, fish it slow. You can not fish this lure too slow! I fish a lot of clear water, Norfork lake in Arkansas and Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, so long casts seem to be key,for me. Make your cast long , keep giving the lure slack line, but keep in contact with the lure while it gracefully sinks. It takes practice, but this is when a large percentage of the strikes will be. You MUST have patience, seeing the lure sinks very slowly.

Another unique feature about this lure, which I think makes it successful is it perplexing ability to fall. The slightest movement of the rod tip or line, and the lure will tear side to side, flutter, and even dart some. Different movements with the rod makes this lure come alive. It has a action that bass can not resist. Hang on and get ready for some heavy action!

I rig mine Texas style with a TruTurn 1 / 0 to 4 / 0 Xpoint Xgap Pattern hook, depending on the size lure I'm fishing. I expose the hook through the top of the lure and " pinch " the point just under the surface of the figure. " Pinching " the hook aids in less hang - ups in the grass, and allows quick hook - up when a fish takes the senko and runs with it. Xpoint hooks have a sharp point making hooksetting almost a snap with a quick snap of the rod tip.

The style and weight of the lure makes it heavy enough not to need any weight in most cases. If fishing very deep water, a weight might be desirable to get down faster. Almost always in this case I personally recommend a split shot type weight or whatever works best for you. A pin shaped weight Placed slightly forward in the senko so as not to impede the horizontal buoyancy of the lure, works extremely well. Just enough weight to make it sink faster but not to change the action of the senko.

Typically when a fish takes a Senko, It literally inhales it rather than hitting it and running with it. So the strike is almost undetectable, so be on guard! Set the hook on the first slight jump or movement of the line, or if the line feels taught when you pickup the lure. Unfortunately because of the slight, almost undetectable bite, this creates deep gutted hooksets. This makes it extremely difficult to get the hook out without hurting the fish. Be prepared to cut off the hook , rather than hurting or even killing the fish.

Sometimes I insert a rattle. I'll also insert a small weight, if the area I'm fishing only has patches of grass I'm fishing around and want to move from one patch to the other more quickly. Although I rarely use a weight , because it definitely reduces or kills the natural action that the senko has.Experiment and find what works best for you.

The Senko comes in sizes from the 4 " ( Baby Senko ) to 7 ". I'm not sure if size is important. But I seem to have better luck on the 6 inch senko. It also comes in a variety of colors. I've acquired quite an assortment, but my favorites are white, blue, black, red, and grape. Each seems to work equally well.

Give the Senko a try. You'll be glad you did. After you get use to the uniqueness of this lure, you'll discover it has great fish catching abilities. Be patient with it, and I think you'll catch more fish. " After all, they call it fishing, but the goal is catching. " The senko has proven itself time and time again in the pro ciruit and I know it will prove itself time and time again if you use it from time to time.

Remember this one tip in particular, cast out the senko and let it make its own action. It will take care of itself and just small twitches if anything, will make it irristable to Mr. Bass Hawg. Mr. Hawg will definitely inhale this senko and make a believer out of you or any other fisherman that consistently tries this remarkable production of an imitation lure. I fished this senko for 6 or 8 months( not 7/24) but almost every trip, before it made a believer out of me. Now it is A permanent fixture in my tackle box and A go to lure when the going gets rough. Don't be afraid to experiment with the retrieve of the senko. If you don't have this lure in YOUR arsenal, then make sure to add it to YOUR arsenal.

So remember keep boating safely. Practice catch and release. Enjoy the "Great Outdoors" Keep your hooks wet and hope to see ya out there!