Stan Fagerstrom
10-06-2001, 11:04 AM
Bass, Panfish & Products
By Stan Fagerstrom
It’s great to again have opportunity to be a columnist for Fishing the Coast.
If you’re a longtime reader of this part of the Internet, you will recall that my columns appeared here a couple of years ago. Though my columns haven’t been here for awhile, the Fishin’ Redhead who runs the show and I have stayed in touch. Jennie wanted me to come back and I welcomed the opportunity
My columns will be somewhat different this time around. I’ll still be dealing with the warm water fishes like bass, walleye and panfish, but my intent is to change copy more often and cover a wider variety of topics in the process.
I want to make one thing very clear in the beginning. If you think I’m someone who figures he has all the answers where bass and panfish are concerned---better look somewhere else. I don’t, you don’t and neither does the barefaced liar who says he does. I’ve been at this business of fishing and writing about it for a long, long time. I still manage to learn something new almost every time out.
If you have thoughts to share on warm water angling, let me hear from you. I may not have the answer, but perhaps we can come up with someone who does. Half the fun in any endeavor is in sharing. I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me with regard to bass and panfish angling.
I’m often asked a question that usually goes something like this: “How in the devil do you find so many things to write about where fishing is concerned?”
That’s never been a problem. One reason could be that it’s because I’m the luckiest son of a gun who ever picked a backlash out of a level wind reel. I’ve had the wondrous good fortune to fish over a sizeable chunk of the world. And when I haven’t been actually fishing, for the past half century I’ve been off somewhere talking or writing about it.
A couple of weeks ago, for example, I was smack in the middle of things at the 2001 Professional Walleye Trail National Championship Tournament staged on the Missouri River out of Bismarck, North Dakota. The experience provided opportunity to visit with some of the top walleye fishermen in the world. You’ll be reading more about that experience right here.
Before the month is out, and provided we haven’t managed to blow the world apart in the meantime, I’ll be heading for another bass fishing adventure in Mexico. Friends know I was down there earlier this year and got in on the best largemouth bass fishing I’ve ever experienced. I’ll be telling you how to do the same thing.
Last week I shared a boat with Rick Bozman, one of Oregon’s top bass anglers. Rick showed me some of his favorite spots on Tahkenitch Lake. Rick boated a dandy 6-pounder and we caught about eight others under a warm fall sun on one of the most beautiful lakes on the Oregon Coast. On down the line I’ll be sharing the thoughts of anglers like Rick.
Before this week is out, I’ll share a boat with one of my friends on Tenmile Lake. We’ll probably fish for bass early on, then go looking for crappie. Every one of the bass that comes into our boat will be released to grow and thrill someone else another day. The crappie won’t be as fortunate. Some of those good-eating little buggers will be invited to come along home to join us for dinner. Future columns will deal with both crappie catching and cooking.
Something else I’ll do this week is spool line onto a couple of my brand new Shimano Curado reels. While I’m no stranger to Shimano’s excellent products, I’ve not used these particular reels before. I’ve heard many good things about them from friends who have. I’m really looking forward to putting them to work. Over the years I’ve had the good fortune to use a wide variety of rods and reels for both fishing and demonstration purposes. In future columns I’ll be sharing thoughts with regard to tackle as well as tactics.
Do you begin to get the idea why I say I’m so fortunate? I’m one of those all too few richly blessed individuals who have been able to make a living doing something they really enjoy. I’ve always maintained, you see, that the next best thing to fishing is having a chance to write or talk about it. I’ve done more than my share of both.
And I thank God that I’m again having that opportunity here at Jennie Martin’s Fishing The Coast Web site.
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Short Casts---Are you into using those new small diameter but extremely strong braided lines? I’ve tried several different brands. Most I flat didn’t like for one reason or another. But there’s one I have had good luck with. It’s called Power Pro. More about that line later…Some readers may be familiar with the spinnerbait that carries my name. It’s called the Stan’s Spin and is marketed by Mack’s Lure, of Leavenworth, WA. I interviewed a guy the other day who recently won the 2001 “Angler of the Year” award for the 100 Per Cent Bass professional fishing organization. He is Bob Sweeney, of Tacoma. The final contest of the year for the 100 Per Cent Bass “Angler of the Year” competition was on the Columbia River. Sweeney won it using the Stan’s Spin and, as you might imagine, that tickles the bejabbers out of the guy who the lure is named for…I live in Florence. Like a lot of other bass fishermen hereabouts, I wonder what in the devil has happened to the once thriving warm water sports fishery at Siltcoos Lake. The bass fishing there is simply lousy and it has been that way now for several years. Nobody seems to have a ready answer. That lake also used to be loaded with good-sized yellow perch. It’s my understanding that even those usually abundant panfish are becoming hard to find. I’m not aware that Oregon fish officials have made an attempt to find out what’s going on at Siltcoos. I, like a heap of other bass and panfish anglers from all over Oregon, wish they would.
By Stan Fagerstrom
It’s great to again have opportunity to be a columnist for Fishing the Coast.
If you’re a longtime reader of this part of the Internet, you will recall that my columns appeared here a couple of years ago. Though my columns haven’t been here for awhile, the Fishin’ Redhead who runs the show and I have stayed in touch. Jennie wanted me to come back and I welcomed the opportunity
My columns will be somewhat different this time around. I’ll still be dealing with the warm water fishes like bass, walleye and panfish, but my intent is to change copy more often and cover a wider variety of topics in the process.
I want to make one thing very clear in the beginning. If you think I’m someone who figures he has all the answers where bass and panfish are concerned---better look somewhere else. I don’t, you don’t and neither does the barefaced liar who says he does. I’ve been at this business of fishing and writing about it for a long, long time. I still manage to learn something new almost every time out.
If you have thoughts to share on warm water angling, let me hear from you. I may not have the answer, but perhaps we can come up with someone who does. Half the fun in any endeavor is in sharing. I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me with regard to bass and panfish angling.
I’m often asked a question that usually goes something like this: “How in the devil do you find so many things to write about where fishing is concerned?”
That’s never been a problem. One reason could be that it’s because I’m the luckiest son of a gun who ever picked a backlash out of a level wind reel. I’ve had the wondrous good fortune to fish over a sizeable chunk of the world. And when I haven’t been actually fishing, for the past half century I’ve been off somewhere talking or writing about it.
A couple of weeks ago, for example, I was smack in the middle of things at the 2001 Professional Walleye Trail National Championship Tournament staged on the Missouri River out of Bismarck, North Dakota. The experience provided opportunity to visit with some of the top walleye fishermen in the world. You’ll be reading more about that experience right here.
Before the month is out, and provided we haven’t managed to blow the world apart in the meantime, I’ll be heading for another bass fishing adventure in Mexico. Friends know I was down there earlier this year and got in on the best largemouth bass fishing I’ve ever experienced. I’ll be telling you how to do the same thing.
Last week I shared a boat with Rick Bozman, one of Oregon’s top bass anglers. Rick showed me some of his favorite spots on Tahkenitch Lake. Rick boated a dandy 6-pounder and we caught about eight others under a warm fall sun on one of the most beautiful lakes on the Oregon Coast. On down the line I’ll be sharing the thoughts of anglers like Rick.
Before this week is out, I’ll share a boat with one of my friends on Tenmile Lake. We’ll probably fish for bass early on, then go looking for crappie. Every one of the bass that comes into our boat will be released to grow and thrill someone else another day. The crappie won’t be as fortunate. Some of those good-eating little buggers will be invited to come along home to join us for dinner. Future columns will deal with both crappie catching and cooking.
Something else I’ll do this week is spool line onto a couple of my brand new Shimano Curado reels. While I’m no stranger to Shimano’s excellent products, I’ve not used these particular reels before. I’ve heard many good things about them from friends who have. I’m really looking forward to putting them to work. Over the years I’ve had the good fortune to use a wide variety of rods and reels for both fishing and demonstration purposes. In future columns I’ll be sharing thoughts with regard to tackle as well as tactics.
Do you begin to get the idea why I say I’m so fortunate? I’m one of those all too few richly blessed individuals who have been able to make a living doing something they really enjoy. I’ve always maintained, you see, that the next best thing to fishing is having a chance to write or talk about it. I’ve done more than my share of both.
And I thank God that I’m again having that opportunity here at Jennie Martin’s Fishing The Coast Web site.
-----
Short Casts---Are you into using those new small diameter but extremely strong braided lines? I’ve tried several different brands. Most I flat didn’t like for one reason or another. But there’s one I have had good luck with. It’s called Power Pro. More about that line later…Some readers may be familiar with the spinnerbait that carries my name. It’s called the Stan’s Spin and is marketed by Mack’s Lure, of Leavenworth, WA. I interviewed a guy the other day who recently won the 2001 “Angler of the Year” award for the 100 Per Cent Bass professional fishing organization. He is Bob Sweeney, of Tacoma. The final contest of the year for the 100 Per Cent Bass “Angler of the Year” competition was on the Columbia River. Sweeney won it using the Stan’s Spin and, as you might imagine, that tickles the bejabbers out of the guy who the lure is named for…I live in Florence. Like a lot of other bass fishermen hereabouts, I wonder what in the devil has happened to the once thriving warm water sports fishery at Siltcoos Lake. The bass fishing there is simply lousy and it has been that way now for several years. Nobody seems to have a ready answer. That lake also used to be loaded with good-sized yellow perch. It’s my understanding that even those usually abundant panfish are becoming hard to find. I’m not aware that Oregon fish officials have made an attempt to find out what’s going on at Siltcoos. I, like a heap of other bass and panfish anglers from all over Oregon, wish they would.