Lennon might be the Walrus...but I am the Lizard!

Every fisherman has a go-to lure in their arsenal that they use more than any other.  Some guys swear by spinner baits, others rely on Slug-o's, and others say crankbaits take care of a days work.  I am no different as I have had a 'go-to' for almost 20 years that has proven time and again to work.  For me, the four inch Zoom mini lizard is a hands down bass slay'n machine that has bagged more fish than I care to count.  Below is a quick over view of how I fish them,  maybe they'll become your new go-to buddy.

This bad boy was caught on a Watermelon Seed colored 4" mini-lizard.

The Zoom Bait Company is based out of Georgia and has been in the fishing business for over thirty years.  I first discovered them with a high school buddy back in the early 90's.  Back then you could only find them in small 'mom and pop' shops.  Now, you'll find Zoom soft plastic lures all over the U.S. from gas stations to large retailers like Bass Pro and Wallmart.  They also make a wide variety of other soft plastic worms and bait fish for fresh and salt water. 

Zoom lizards come in four sizes; 4" mini-lizard, 5" lizard, 6" lizard and the big-boy 8" magnum-lizard.  Although all of their products are good, in my opinion nothing has out-fished the four inch mini-lizard.  Most of their soft plastic baits are made with very durable plastics that prolong the life of the lure.  They are also impregnated with salt which add to the fish attraction.  It can be used in lakes, farm ponds and rivers with deadly results.  It also works with multiple fish species as I've caught large mouth bass, small mouth bass, crappie, panfish and even had a tiger muskie chomp at this thing.  I am no biologist but I do know that lizards typically eat fish eggs so fish have an inherent hatred for all types of lizards.  Its a natural instinct to strike at these guys, even more so during spawning season.  I have seen bass no bigger than the lizard attack these guys with relish and when fish hit these lures they hit them hard. 

I have fished them in numerous configurations from Texas rigs to Carolina rigs but I find having no weight on the lure gives the best results.  This can limit casting distance but with 6lb mono and a standard light action spinning rod and reel combo I seem to do just fine.  I always use off-set hooks so the lizard presentation is streamlined.  You can also tuck the hook point into the back of the lizard to make weedless (see below).

The right way to rig.  My brother swears by the red hook with this color type - makes it look like the lizard is wounded and bleeding.  

Be careful not to place the hook shank too close or too far from the body when rigging.  If so you'll bunch up the lure (see below).  This will adversely affect the swimming action of the lure and make an unnatural presentation which will spook fish.

What you want to avoid.

The colors I use mostly are Junebug, Chartreuse Pepper & Watermelon Seed (see below).  I use Watermelon Seed mostly in the early spring as well as really clear water.  Chartreuse Pepper is used during the summer months or when going deeper in the water column.  Junebug is used on really sunny days when fishing high in the water column.  When you cast them out, I tend to let it sink (count to ten) then retrieve a few feet and stop, give it a few seconds then start your retrieve and stop.  This makes the lure swim a bit and sink, swim and sink.  More often than not the fish strike when the lure is sinking back down in the water column.  

The colors I use most, aka "The Holy Trinity."  From L to R: Junebug, Chartreuse Pepper & Watermelon Seed.  The hooks to the right are the four I use most depending on water/ weed conditions.

Below are some pics from a recent day trip this spring at three different 'honey holes' in Northern VA.  Total I landed about twenty fish in five hours... at least another ten spit the hook out during the fight.  I also used a fish attractant spray to help "sweeten" the bait.  Usually a garlic flavored spray which can be purchased at any sporing goods store will help get picky fish to bite.

Early spring Virginia large mouth bass.

This guy is no bigger than the lure and he hit it HARD.

This guy was the smallest of the day but fought very hard.

Getting bigger!

Nice size black crappie.

Another crappie - I had these guys dead to rights with a Chartreuse Pepper lizard.

An old abandoned VA manor just off one of my local fishing holes.  Its rumored that Howard Hughes bought that place back in the 60's.

Local fishing buddy.  This guy was slamming the fish all day.

Spring time in Virginia.

Don't mess with Texas!!!

Last week my family and I flew out to Monohans, Texas to visit my grandfather.    Monohans lies in the West Texas pan handle in the middle of oil country USA.  At one time this area was the heart of petroleum and natural gas production for the country and was dotted with several small yet vibrant towns.   There was the Rattlesnake Bomber Base built during WWII that was a training facility for B17 and B29 air crews and even hosted the Enola Gay for a short time before its deployment to the Pacific theater.  This area of the country has a rich history with friendly and affable people but since the introduction of the Interstate highway system and the decline in domestic oil exploration over the last twenty years this area has fallen on hard times.

As for the climate its hot, dusty and smelly as all of the old natural gas wells still emit sulphur fumes. Its 90 degrees most of the year and can reach well over 110 during the summer - winters can can be cold but they are short lived.  Aside from being in 'tornado alley' there are dozens of poisonous snakes, venomous scorpions, tarantulas and several species of invasive 'fire ants.'  Even the lawn grass here is tough as they contain hundreds of sharp nettles that seem to find a way into your shoes and boots no matter how careful you are (forget about flip flops... HUGE mistake).

Despite all this West Texas boasts a natural beauty with a diverse and abundant wildlife.  Drive five minutes outside of any town and it feels like a Western movie.  The night sky is so clear you can see the Milky Way with your naked eye and even track satellites orbiting the Earth.  There is a diverse amount of wildlife (the non poisonous kind) that includes; mule deer, turkey, bobcat, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, pronghorn antelope, javelina (wild boar) and mountain goats.  With this in mind we determined to try and hike, explore and fish this area during some down time from visiting family. 

First stop: Sandhills State Park
Located just outside the town of Monohans in Ward County this park consists of over 3,840 acres of sand dunes, some reaching over 70 feet high.  The park is a draw for hikers, family picnics and the occasional camper.  There is an entrance fee of $3.00 per person but its worth a stop.  There is not a lot of blazed hiking trails here but there are a lot of dunes to explore.  Make sure to bring LOTS of water and sunscreen and watch our for snakes - lots of them in this area.

The Monohans Sandhills State Park

The hike up this 40 footer started nice then we crested the top and saw the rest of the park... all 3000+ acres of HOT sand. It was like walking on a mirror... not cool for two pale Yankees.

I ran up to the top of this one.  I am pretty sure I lost 10 lbs and permanently damaged my lungs.   

Shade is your friend.... sand is the enemy!

Next stop: Balmoreah, Texas
The town of Balmoreah sits on the edge of the Davis Mountains north of Big Bend State Park.  It resides over the San Solomon spring which has been providing fresh water to local inhabitants of this area for centuries including Apache Indians and Union Calvary troops.  The population is less than 700 and there is just one gas station/ restaurant/ bar in the area but the folks are nice and the local scenery is pretty.  The natural spring runs right through the middle of town and feeds one of the neater state parks in the state, the Balmoreah pool. 

A desert oasis... the pool consists of 100% natural spring water which does not require chlorine.  Because of this there are millions of little fish (and some large catfish) in it.  It is 'L' shaped with shallow and deep ends.  In the bend of the pool is a 30 foot deep, 300 foot diameter dive area where you can scuba dive.  They even hold classes and night dives.

Some Balmoreah residents (yes - they are wild).  The one on the far right is the alpha and has a huge beard and leg spurs. This is a rarity for birds like this - probably some local is feeding them.

Local eatery in downtown.  Is 'Snackateria' even a word?

The spring also feeds Lake Balmoreah which is the only bass fishing pond in the area.  After a quick stop at Walmart in Midland (the largest town in West Texas and former home to President George Bush) for rods and tackle my father, brother and I ventured out to give it a shot.    The lake is about 556 acres and is hallow and very clear.  It is stocked with large mouth bass and pan fish but also has a variety of cat fish, grass carp and stripped bass.  Since it is the only fishing spot for 800+ miles it gets heavy pressure and is also used by local cattle ranches so the banks are heavy with trash and cow pies.  Not the most picturesque lake but beggars can't be choosers!  Just be advised, the fishing is shoulder to shoulder and most of the locals cook what the catch so if your looking for calm and serene catch and release fishing this is not for you.

First stop - the pro shop to buy permits.  Lots of rules on this lake!

The 'Old Man' fishing in style.

My kid brother trying to be the man.  You can see the Davis Mountains in the background
and the smoke from several wild fires.

The bait... crawfish.  Some local caught a beast of a bas a few days before using these.

A small guy to be sure but at least I didn't get skunked (or fall into the water) like my brother.

Last stop:  Davis Mountains and Fort Davis
This is one of the more interesting stops and a big draw for this area.  The mountains are small compared to other ranges but the desert setting makes them absolutely beautiful and very unique.  A little bit of trivia, the movies "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will be Blood" where filmed in these mountains.  The drive to Fort Davis from Balmoreah is awesome - you totally feel like Billy the Kid will be around the next bend.  The Davis Mountains have A LOT of hiking areas and camp grounds including an Indian Lodge built in the 1930's by the CCC, the MacDonald observatory and Old Fort Davis.  The Fort is one of the last remaining frontier forts and is a great stop to stretch the legs and walk around.

How many rattlers do you think call that ridge home?

Its like a screen saver.

The Limpia Hotel in the town of Fort Davis.  I stayed here with the family about 15 years ago.

The parade ground at the fort.  This fort housed African American Cavalrymen which the Apache called 'buffalo soldiers.'

For Davis enlisted mens' barracks.  

The CO's house and the one tree in West Texas over 20 feet tall.

Some graffiti scratched in one of the abandoned officer's quarters. TW & Debbie signed their art in 1957.  There is one to the left from some lonely LT in 1868.

View from the MacDonald observatory. You can see the wild fires off in the distance.  Every 5 to 7 years this area gets a mean dry spell and suffers from wild fires.  This year's fires were pretty bad but the town and the observatory were spared.

Me playing a game of "no hair."  That is about an 80 foot drop off that ledge, then another 600 feet.

This one is for the shooters....

Caution... Shooters only!

Last Friday I was able to skip out of work early with the boss and head on over to Bull Run Shooting Center in Centerville, VA.  This shoting center is a state park run by Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) and is a great venue for trap, skeet and sporting clays.  The price per round (25 shots) is about $5.50 for trap, skeet and wobble trap.  Sporting clays are a bit more per round.  It is super close to Washington DC and about a 25 minute drive from the house.

The shooting center is very convenient to most of the Washington DC area (Photo courtesy of Google Maps).

On this particular day my boss and I decided to shoot wobble trap.  This is a relatively new offer at most ranges but is rapidly gaining popularity because it is a hell of a lot of fun (and challenging).  A wobble trap range consists of an elevated shooting platform with five stations, built sorta like a pyramid.  One to five shooters can play a round.  Essentially you get five shots at each station for a total of 25 shots which incorporates one round.  The first shot at each station is a single clay.  Then you get two doubles.  The clays shoot out in front of you and the clay shooter under the station oscillates (like a fan) so no two clay shots are similar.  This mimics what you would encounter when upland hunting and flushing birds.  There is an assigned shooter/ range safety officer so all you have to do is yell out "pull" when its your turn and the range officers engages the clay shooter via remote control.

Here is a side view of the wobble trap stand.  You can see the range safety officer in the top right.  The shooter is lined up on station one at the lower left.  After five shots he'll move to his right one spot to station two.

All in all the boss man and I had a great day. We shot a total of three rounds which took about 30 minutes (it goes by really fast when its just two of you).  He beat me all three rounds (beginners luck!).  If you decide to give it a try the park is open to everyone of every ability.  They are ADA compliant and have classes for people who have never seen or fired a firearm in their lives.  They also sell ammo and rent guns on site but if you want to save some money buy your ammo at a local sporting goods store.  You can use 7, 8 or 9 shot (most use 8).  Just make sure they are target loads - they should be labelled as such.  This will save your shoulder as there is less black powder in a target load.  Game loads need more killing power so there is twice as much punch.  If you have a shotgun any type is acceptable up to a point.  Pump, semi-auto, break action all work, the only stipulation is that it needs to be able to hold two rounds.  A single barrel break action won't work.  Also make sure you use either a 12 gauge, 20 gauge or 410 gauge.

It's not a bad idea to also bring some sort of shooting vest or belt.  You can prop the box of ammo on the ledge in front of you but believe me, there is a great chance of knocking it over in all the excitement which is a total party foul.  If this happens the range safety officer has to shutdown half of the range so you can walk in front and pick up your spilt shells.  I personally use an upland hunting vest from Cabelas which cost me about $50.00.  It has plenty of pockets for up to four boxes of shells and has a built in strap/ belt system that distributes the weight evenly on your shoulders and hips.  If that's not your thing head on over to Wallmart and get a hip bag - cost is around $10.00.

Here are some 8 shot target loads.  A game load would have much bigger brass where the gun powder is located.  The rest of the shell is wading and shot.  BOOYAH!

This is what a clay pigeon looks like.  It is made of a biodegradable clay material that dissolves very rapidly and breaks easily.  This is great for the environment but means that these bad boys can deteriorate quickly in humid weather which causes a lot of bad shots.

The boss eyeing up the field getting ready for clay pigeon slaughter.

Shooter 1 ready....."PULL!"

As you can see the field is covered in broken clay pigeons.  You can also see the spent shells around the station.  The center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays just so they can clean up the place (and recycle the spent shells).

Yours truly with his trusted Mossberg 550 shotgun, Cabelas shooting vest and a big sh*t eating grin!

Fishing with John John

In August my father and I had the pleasure to sneak out with some friends for some striper fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.  The event was actually a bachelor party for a good friend of the family and fellow Kachung adventurer.

Our party chartered a half day trip with the Hooked Up II docked out of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland.  All in all it was a great day in the sun.  We caught some fish, told a lot of dirty jokes and drank a few hundred beers.    For those in the DC area, fishing out of Chesapeake Beach is a must-do on the bucket list.  Its located about 45 minutes outside of the city and is a great way to see the Bay and enjoy some sport fishing for a wide variety of fish.  If you can find 6 friends a half day trip can be quite affordable.  The crew is top notch and very professional (shout out to the first mate John-John who has some of the best dirty jokes ever!).  All of the fishing tackle, bait and cooler ice is provided.  You just have to bring lunch, drinks & snacks and any medicine/ sun screen items.  Even if you plan on drinking minimal amounts of alcohol it pays to bring plenty of water and gatorade.  It gets really hot on the water and you in the sun all day - trust me, a little hydration goes a long way!  It also helps with motion sickness if you are prone to getting it.  Make sure not to bring a banana on board ANY fishing boat.  All mariners and fisherman are superstitious by nature and its widely believed that bananas are very bad juju on a boat.  Don't believe me just google it!

For our jaunt we spent the first few hours trying to "make bait."  This entails using very tiny spinning rods with multiple single barb hooks and cut bloodworms.  The goal is to stock up on small baitfish that you use later in the day to catch 'lunker' striped bass (aka "striper" or "rocks") or blue fish on a live-line rig.  Catching the small baitfish is in-itself more pretty fun and with several guys on a small fishing boat - you know some betting ensued.

After an hour and a half of making bait, we pulled up anchor and motored out to some hotspots in the middle of the bay to target migrating striper.  Once you locate a pod of fish you lay up on them quick, drop anchor and throw over your live bait which is hooked in the nose or the back via treble hook.  This allows the bait fish to swim freely and entice the big boys.  Unfortunately this part of the trip proved to be a wash for us.  Predicting where striper will migrate and feed in the bay is one part science and two parts blind luck.  If you're lucky enough to discover a feeding school of fish you'll be surrounded by a bunch of other boats all jockeying for position.  After a couple of instances of this our captain decided to motor further south and try trolling with artificials.

This decision proved to be the right move.  We used a 6 rod spread with two down rigger planes with a variety of colored spoons.  We caught a handful of nice striper and some lunker blue fish.  We didn't break any records due to the heat and time of year but we had a great time.  If you're interested in finding out more information on the Hooked Up II or other charters take a look at the Chesapeake Beach Marina and Spa.  Even if fishing is not your thing the town of Chesapeake Beach is worth a visit for the number of shops, spas, bars and restaurants.

Motoring out to the trolling grounds.  Nothing like a cold one at 9am!

Bait fish busting on the surface.  This means that there are Blues and Rockfish tearing up the bait ball underneath.

This is the type of Spoon we used.  Very effective - mimics a wounded bait fish when trolled behind the boat.

FISH ON!

Multiple hook ups.  Above is a view of one of the down-rigger plane boards used on the outer rods to get the spoons deeper in the water column.

Once we started trolling the action picked up and didn't let up all day.

My shirt says it all.

The Mad Texan reeling in a lunker off the starboard gunwale.

A break in the action.

Back in the fight.

The day is done - back to the marina.

Great day, great crew and great friends!