| __________________________________________________ April 29, 2003 - Vol. 4 No. 17 __________________________________________________ FLORIDA STICKS, STUMPS, MARSHES, CHUGS, BUGS & SENKOS Last week, I worked Florida's fabled Stick Marsh four days with friends George and Scott Welcome, father and son. Many say the Stick Marsh is America's best trophy bass water. I'm certain George and Scott are the best guides on the Stick Marsh, having operated Imagination Bassin Guide Services there for 9 years, fishing 300 days apiece on the Stick Marsh each year. During four days, we released 240 bass to 7.5 lbs on Storm Chug Bugs and weightless Senkos. On the fifth day, friend TJ Fagan, owner of On Target Bassin Guide Services and I released 70 more on a nearby private marsh where leading bass pros film national TV shows. Three hundred ten black bass graced us over five days. We had plenty of 4 - 7 pound fish come to the boat. We didn't break the magic 10 pound weight but that was not because George or TJ didn't put us on these trophy fish. They did. Surface-shattering monsters that showed no mercy as they drowned our Chug Bugs in geysers of copper-colored marshwater at boatside without ever touching the hooks. Glimpses of jet black blacks of behemoths that murderously slugged and dragged Senkos down through the underwater catacombs beneath the labyrinth of hurricane-felled palm trunks, citrus and cypress stumps, never to be seen again except in my dreams. These are the ones I will remember most, and shall haunt me until I return to the headwaters of the St. John's River in springtime when the white citrus blossoms reek to fish again with friends. I'm telling you exactly how to do it Florida Style if you follow me inside... FLORIDA STICKS, STUMPS, MARSHES, CHUGS, BUGS & SENKOS http://www.insideline.net/articles/stickmarsh.htm __________________________________________________ SPECIALTY TOURS GAIN GROUND - RAY SCOTT'S LIGHT LINE EVENTS The Yamamoto Tour now crossing the country, where only Yamamoto soft baits may be used; Snag Proof events where only Snag Proof frogs may be used; they are not the only specialty tournaments coming to town. Ray Scott, founder of and most influential man in organized bass fishing, has debuted a light tackle specialty tournament event, where competitors use only light rods and light lines (IGFA-rated 4 lb test). "My team partner Donny McElvoy (host of the Outdoor Advantage TV Show on CSS) and I entered Ray's light line specialty event Sunday April 27th on Lake Guntersville, Alabama," says Hadley Coan. "Most competitors had tiny little lures to match the light rods and 4 lb line, but Donny and I, we reckoned we'd need weight if we were to win. Our first decision was to use big baits for big bass - five, six and seven inch Senkos on 4 lb test. The key was using super-sharp 2/0 Daiichi red bleeding bait hooks, which more easily penetrated without popping the 4 lb line. Our plan worked like a charm. We took first place with 17 1/2 pounds of 5 big bass on big Senkos on 4 lb test line." "Donny almost topped the 5 lb 12 oz Alabama state 4 lb line class record using a 6-inch 9L-10-222 Christmas tree color Senko, only to be eclipsed minutes later by a 6 lb 3 oz brick brought to the scales, which is the new Alabama state 4 lb line class record pending approval by the authorities," says Hadley. "This reminds me of the reigning world record spotted bass caught on only 8 lb line, a 2/0 hook and 6-inch 9L-10-187 Senko by Bryan Shishido," says fishing industry promoter Russ Bassdozer. Specialty tournaments challenge anglers to bat outside the box of their usual routine. Limiting competition to soft baits only or 4 lb. line puts novel challenges back into bass fishing, and a sense of fun and learning which traditional type tournaments seem to have lost. Even an experienced veteran can savor the unique fresh challenge, and it levels the playing field when all must fish alike, says Bassdozer. "The specialty event concept, it's fun for everyone. Some include a package of social activities with a banquet, sample product giveaways, special bonuses for using certain brands of hooks or lines for example, factory pro staffers give informal teaching seminars and answer any questions. Everybody gets to become good friends at these social gatherings," says Bassdozer, "Specialty events are special days on the water where everyone goes home feeling like a winner." For more information on the Yamamoto Tour or Snag Proof events, please visit: http://www.acopens.com For more information on Ray Scott's light line events, kindly visit: http://www.rayscott.net __________________________________________________ LAKE GUNTERSVILLE + SENKOS = SUCCESS! ON TV SUNDAY, MAY 4TH "I wanted to let you know of the great things that are happening in Alabama on Lake Guntersville with Senkos," says Hadley Coan. "Last year around this time at a BASS pro event, the Bassmaster pros really introduced the Senko to everybody around this part of the country, and we made jaw-droppin' catches on Guntersville with Senkos then. Well the fish have gone crazy over Senkos again..." Donny McElvoy's Outdoor Advantage TV show will be about fishing Senkos. It was shot last week on Guntersville. It will have ten bass being caught between 2 1/2 and 5 lbs on Senkos. The show will air in nine southeastern states from the Carolinas to Louisiana. The show is on TV this Sunday, May 4th on CSS, Comcast Cable Sports South, at 8:30 am central standard time / 9:30 eastern. "The selection in the stores around this area is running low on Senkos because the word is out. Tell your factory, "Send more Senkos south!" The five, six, and seven inch sizes are working best in black/blue flake, junebug, and all the green shades especially the 912 watermelon/green pumpkin laminate," says Hadley. __________________________________________________
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