WEBVTT
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Alright, welcome to Sears Sanger Podcast, everyone.
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As always, I'm your host, Bailey Igret, and we are in Racine, Wisconsin this week.
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Uh, I shouldn't say this week, today, because this week we are in Wisconsin.
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That is actually happening.
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We are here for the Bass Mr.
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Kay series event on the Wolf and Fox River.
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And for folks that are listening, you hear the audio difference, or folks that are obviously watching on YouTube, we are not in the studio today.
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We are in the great state of Wisconsin trying to catch some bass.
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Uh, but we have a little deal today in Racine, and then we are headed back north to the Wolf and Fox River.
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And uh, I had fully intended on getting this intro shot in the studio, uh, but literally, my house has been utter chaos.
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Um, it's been just nuts with a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes uh and stuff you guys will see later on.
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But we're trying to prep and plan and basically make happen now.
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Um, but there's a lot of a lot of craziness happening in the household.
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But today, awesome show.
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We have Mr.
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Matthew Brandon who's a boat hammer, a kayak hammer, uh pretty much a hammer all over the country.
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He's very well traveled, he's from all over the place, from Santa Cooper, from uh Louisiana, from California, from Alaska, all over the place, and he just straight up just catches them everywhere.
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Uh he kicked our tails at Clear Lake, uh, caught a freaking monster bag.
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Uh he's straight up just catching gigantic 30, 40 pound bags over on Clear Lake in California.
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And Mr.
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Matthew Brennan will be joining us here on the show, and I'm excited to get this guy on because he's an awesome dude, uh, a great person for the kayak uh and really just the fishing community in general, but also has a pretty cool and unique uh gig over at the Coast Guard, which is something to do with marine electronics.
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So very interesting conversation.
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Hopefully, you guys enjoy without further ado, Mr.
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Matthew Brandon.
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Well, folks, we are with one of the uh the freaking hammers of the West Coast, and I say the West Coast, but Matt, you are originally from the East Coast, correct?
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Yep.
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I uh I grew up in South Carolina.
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My dad was Navy, so he's retired, and that's where he retired was right there on Santi Cooper in Monts Corner.
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Um, so that's what I call home.
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But I mean, even before that, we lived in Chicago, we lived in San Diego, um, did a stint overseas in Italy.
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So, I mean, I've I've been all over, and then of course, with me being active duty Coast Guard, I've done New Orleans, Jacksonville, Florida, Charleston, South Carolina, here, Alaska.
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So I've gotten to fish everywhere.
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If you could choose one of the locations that you've been at to like retire and stay, what what what tops the list for you?
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Man, I want to retire at Gunnersville.
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Um, but everybody else.
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But it's not it's not because of Gunnersville.
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I mean, I love Gunnersville.
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I I duck hunted there all through high school.
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Um, I fished there a bunch of times.
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Fishing wise, Clear Lake's where I'd want to be.
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But that's just not, you know, I want to I'm I'm basically gonna do what you do, you know.
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I'm gonna run around and chase the Bassmaster Trail.
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And to do that, Gunnersville makes more sense because of its central location.
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God, I'm I'm gonna have to keep doing this thing until you do that because then everybody's screwed.
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I've been telling people, bro.
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I have been telling people I was like, guys, the day that you, Damien, and Joey Silva come out east and do this thing full time, we are all fishing for fourth.
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Like we are Blake Abbey always jokes about that too.
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He said he's done when I retire.
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I mean, there's a reason why every time Damien's come east, he's always top five, dude.
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That's like that's one thing I'm already going.
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You'll learn real quick on this show.
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We call it rabbit holes uh for a reason, is because we can never stay on track of what we want to talk about.
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But uh dude, your guys' community was so awesome when I was out there for that Clear Lake event.
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Like granted, yes, we only had what was a 78 or something before the event at awards, registration, everyone I met on the water at the ramp.
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It was all super kind, super easy to talk to.
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Where out east, like I'm not saying people aren't like that, majority are, but you got a lot of people you run into that are head down, don't care to talk to you.
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Like, you say hello, and a guy looks up at you on the boat and he just keeps going.
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Well, like there's none of that that I experienced out west.
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A lot of the guys that have been in this for a while out west, anyway.
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Um, James Snyder and I started Yakabass in like 2000, I think it was 2015.
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When I moved out here in 2012, there was no kayak bass fishing.
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Um, that was KBF had just got started in 2011.
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And I moved that next year out here.
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So bass fishing from kayaks competitively was in its infancy anyway.
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Right.
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Um, and there was just nothing here.
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So James and I actually I put together a series and never got it off the ground.
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I never even tried.
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Another guy had done it at the same time, and he was like, hey man, instead of splitting up the few people out here, would you just come fish mine?
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And I did.
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And that guy was a crook, took all our money, all that stuff.
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But that's where I met James Snyder.
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And I told him, I said, Man, next year, let's just do our own thing.
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I said, I already know how to do it, I've already done the groundwork, and we got we got Yakabas off the ground.
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So when it first started, it was not about tournaments.
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Um, I got outvoted on that one.
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It was a sense of community.
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So we held gatherings where we got people together, like one of the members or one of us would would teach a new technique to the crowd.
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We would fish for the day and then come back and do a cookout afterwards, and everybody would get to talk about their experience on the water and whether the technique worked for them.
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And so, like, like Damien, I've fished against Damien.
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I think he was just out of high school when I started fishing against him out here.
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And so, a lot of those guys have that sense of community more than I mean, obviously we're competitive, but you know, it's also about you know, you run into some guy on the water and it's like, hey man, you broke off your last whatever, you know, here.
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I got you, man.
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And you should give them one.
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Yeah, so that was really cool.
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Everyone was was super awesome out there, and I I was already telling my wife, literally, when I was still out there, like I was staying at my buddy Chad's house, who had a house in the lake.
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And I had it, I had I had amazing people that literally like put me up in the penthouse when I was visiting, so it was perfect.
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I was living lavish, but I was like, we need to come out here, not live out here, but like visit frequently because one of the fishing's incredible.
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The the views, oh my gosh, dude.
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We just don't get anything close to the views out there when it comes to whether you're driving or fishing.
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Um, but just love, love, and that was the bigger reason why we uh we started the seriously western segment on this show is just because the west does not get enough love that it deserves, uh, when it kind of especially comes to the media side.
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Yeah.
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Well, in the boat side, you know, there's there's a lot of hard feelings when when bass pulled out of here uh years ago, you know, and so we had we had local stuff, the wild west bass trail kicked off, and then we had one bass, you know, and those kind of took the place, and it was it was very much localized, like the west coast kept to the west coast and nobody went back east.
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And yeah, it's nice to see like Bassmaster coming out there now for the kayak series and hopefully something for the boats in the future, you know, to try and get that inclusion again because we do.
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I mean, look at the look at the pros that come out of here.
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Cody Meyer, Brent Ayler.
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I mean, there's a pile of ish.
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Yeah, Chris Zaldain, you know.
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I mean, it's always been a place that that really farmed top-level anglers.
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Yeah.
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I don't know a West Coast guy that's come east that uh didn't do well, right?
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Uh whether Kayak or Bo.
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I mean, Justin Lucas just won again on Lake Erie, basically across the country from from where he originated.
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Uh but dude, I mean, people that that may not know you, because it's not like you have a big vocal social media presence, things like that.
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You're you're you're you're steady taking trophies under the radar, is what I like to call it.
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But you you do so on the kayak side, but also the boat side.
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And a fish boat.
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Was the boat side first for you?
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Was the kayak side first for you?
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How did that how did that all come to fruition?
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My dad was kind of a regional pro back in the day.
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Um, he started a few bass clubs, uh, he started Stargazers down in San Diego back in the I guess the early 70s.
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Um, so me growing up, it wasn't going fishing with grandpa for bluegill off the dock.
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It was if you want to go fishing, you're gonna drag a plastic worm behind a boat.
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So I actually started fishing tournaments with my dad when I was probably nine, and I stayed in the boat world um until 2009.
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Um, I had moved to Alaska and sold my boat before I went up there.
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When I came back, I was married with kids, and instead of getting into another boat, I ended up getting a kayak, and that was the first year of the pro angler, and that was my first kayak.
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And you I'm assuming you've been in the pro angler since.
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I've never fished from anything else.
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Yeah.
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I'm in the same same boat in regards to well, literally and figuratively.
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Uh but dude, it it's cool to see the guys that that cross over in both worlds.
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Yeah, I guess now if you had to choose, is there one or the other you would stay in?
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If it was strictly tournament fishing, it would be kayak.
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Is that women or ROI?
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Uh a little of both.
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I mean for the boat stuff, I don't travel for the boat stuff.
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My boat's small, I got a little 17-foot ranger.
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Um, so I don't I don't, like I said, I don't travel with it, but the kayak stuff, I really I don't know.
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I like the I like the kayak tournament community, I think, more than I like the boat tournament community.
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You know, there there's a lot of friends in the kayak side where like even across the country, like Christine and G, you know, that's who I stay with when I travel back east for tournaments.
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I stay with them and Scotch, Matthew Scotch, um, Russ Snyder, you know, so I've I've made friends and and those friendships remain across the country.
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Whereas in the boat guys, most of the guys that I fished back east with in boat tournaments, I mean, we still chat every once in a while, but it's not that close, almost family feel that you get in the kayak community when you make those long-term, lifelong friends.
00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.080
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Now back to the show.
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Yeah, I I would agree on that.
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And then talk about another West Coast to East Coast transplant that takes everyone's money in less.
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Uh the list just keeps going on.
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I'm sure we'll have more as we keep going down this thing.
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But uh dude, so coming from the Santee area, which is not an easy place to catch them either.
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Have you found anything that's really helped you now on the West Coast coming from the East Coast?
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Absolutely.
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Um well, the moving around is where I think I get my diversity and my ability to compete regardless of what waters I go to.
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Um, you know, Santi Cooper's a shallow power fishing was a grass lake when I was growing up.
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It's not so much now, but um, I remember miles of topped-out matted hydrilla and punching and frog and all that stuff when I was little.
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Um so it was funny when I moved here, the first tournament I fished was a belly boat tournament.
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They let me use my kayak.
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Um, and I went to the lake.
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It's Lake Sonoma, it's a clear highland reservoir.
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I showed up with all my bait casters, 18 to 20 pound test on everything.
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And the guys are like, nah, bro, that's not that doesn't fly here.
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You know, it's it's all spinning rod, it's all finesse techniques.
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And I had just moved here.
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I think I've been in California for like a week.
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It was a night tournament, and I launched, those guys were telling me it's all finesse stuff, blah, blah, blah.
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I didn't get to pre-fish.
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Um, so we take off and we come to weigh in the next morning.
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This was a live weigh-in.
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So you had to have a cooler with live well on it and all that stuff or aerator.
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So we show up and I'm watching the weigh-in, and I waited till last, and it was like 11 and a half pounds was leading.
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And the guys are like, Hey man, did you did you catch anything?
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Do you want to go ahead and weigh?
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Are you good?
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And I said, What's leading?
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They're like 11.
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I said, Oh, yeah, I'm weighing.
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And I had 18 and a half pounds.
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Um just laid it out on them.
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I threw a three-quarter ounce spinnerbait and a Roman Bay negotiator swim bait all night long and smashed them.
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And that doesn't suck, you know, and it was like I hadn't, I don't, I think I owned two spinning rods at the time, and I never carried them bass fishing.
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They were from saltwater days.
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Um, and you know, so I had the power stuff down, but then moving here, I've had to learn the finesse stuff to be able to compete on some of our lakes out here.
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You get the the mother load that's got all spotted bass or majority spotted bass, you know, and you're and you're fishing for 80 inches, so it's a lot of drop shot, a lot of uh wacky rig senko.
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So I've had to learn the finesse techniques out here.
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But like when I lived in New Orleans, you know, we get big rains out here and things get muddied up and the anglers all freak out because the water's muddy.
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Well, I lived in New Orleans for four years and I didn't fish anything that didn't look like Hershey's chocolate milk.
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Yeah, so I'm very comfortable fishing, you know, dark water or dirty water.
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So that ability has made me a uh, I guess just a more versified angler that I can travel and fish and do okay in in tournaments.
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Yeah, you're more prepared for whatever kind of environment you're gonna be presented with.
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That that's cool, dude.
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Uh I I just love the fact too that they're they tried a little doggy too, and you're just like, no, here you go.
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Here's 18 pounds.
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Yeah.
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Well, they ended up they ended up not letting me fish those tournaments anymore.
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What?
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Because of the kayak or just because you just figured something?
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They s well it was because I won, but they said it was too big of an advantage, so they changed the rules and they they quit allowing kayaks after that.
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Or too big of an advantage.
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Yeah.
00:13:52.960 --> 00:14:01.759
Uh but it was funny because when at launch everybody came and looked at the kayak because nobody had seen a pro-angler, and they were like, Oh, that's cool, but I'd rather have my kickboat, you know, it's more versatile.
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I was like, Okay, sweet.
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And then it ended up being the reason that I wasn't allowed to fish with him anymore.
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Go figure.
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Yeah.
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Uh that's funny.
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Uh well, dude.
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So one of the things we were talking about offline, and I I I didn't want to my goldfish memory.
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I was trying to make sure we we I keep reminding myself that way we talk about it, is so your gig in the Coast Guard now is really sounds like you specialize a lot on the marine electronics side of things.
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Yep, I am a marine electronics technician, so been doing it for 24 years.
00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:34.720
So we uh what is what is that?
00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:39.279
I guess if you can summarize that, what does that entail mostly?
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We install, troubleshoot, and repair any kind of marine electronics equipment, whether it's uh communication stuff, radios, that type, radars, depth finders, uh weapons control systems for things like the C Wiz, the close-in weapon system on our big ships.
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Um, but yeah, anything electronics-wise, we are responsible for the installation, maintenance, and repair of.
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You haven't thought about putting uh the sea whiz on the pro angler if somebody gets too close.
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All those the pesky boaters that like to pull in on us.
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You're a little too close.
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Uh dude, okay, because somebody's gonna comment and ask, so I'm I'm gonna go ahead and ask it, but are these boats running any sort of forward-facing sonar or the like?
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Um, not forward-facing.
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Uh, when I was on the ship in Alaska, it was a buoy tender, so we did uh offshore buoys, uh navigational buoys and aids navigation.
00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:49.840
We had a side scan sonar capability, and it was funny because on the kayak I had, let's see, when I came back, so the same year that I came back to the lower 48 and got my first kayak, Humminbird already had side scan technology.
00:15:50.159 --> 00:16:00.879
The boat that I was on up there had side scan, but you had to lower this thing off the back of the ship on a tether and it looked like a torpedo, and that did the side scan for you.
00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:02.480
And I'm thinking, why are we doing this?
00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:06.399
Like for$500, I can get you a Humminbird that'll do the same thing, you know.
00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:08.240
But but that's it.
00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:19.519
I mean, there's no there's no real practical use for forward-facing sonar in the Coast Guard, really, and I wasn't thinking the military, but we use side scan on that ship to find buoys that had sank.
00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:20.799
Oh, okay.
00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:22.000
That's that's cool.
00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:38.879
So you're I know obviously now since you completely kicked our tail with with scope and uh all that on clear lake, but uh how much of that do you think helps you when it comes to the fishing side, just being in touch with all the electronics and all that stuff?
00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:42.480
The day-to-day fishing, not that much.
00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:51.759
Um, but like I am known for stopping what I'm doing in a tournament on the water, whatever, to help people that are broke, you know, have electronics issues.
00:16:51.919 --> 00:17:04.799
Um, at the ABA championship on Havasu a couple years back, I actually spent on day two, I was second place going into day two, and on day two, I spent the first probably 30 or 45 minutes rewiring a guy's troll motor on his autopilot.
00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:09.200
Um I stopped a tournament, it was on Barriessa.
00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:12.480
Um, I think it was a no limit, native no limit.
00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:16.160
Um, there was two guys fishing together and both of their depth finders died.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:19.200
One of them ended up being the depth finder itself, so there was nothing I could do.
00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:21.680
The other guy, his charger didn't work overnight.
00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:31.119
So I actually rewired my kayak to run off one battery instead of two, how I normally do, and gave him my second battery so that he had a depth finder during the tournament.
00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:33.599
Um, so I mean I do that to help out.
00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:52.000
Um I would say the only place it really comes in handy is the understanding of the marine electronics stuff, like uh like a forward-facing sonar transducer, understanding that it's a crystal piezos that outputs that signal that gets the return back, and that's a radio frequency signal.
00:17:52.079 --> 00:18:02.240
And um, so there's things that happen on my boat, like when I have an issue with my own electronics, you know, and I go, okay, so I have one one of my arrays is going out, so I can adjust my transducer.
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:09.519
I mean, it's not the perfect world fix, but you know, it'll get me through a uh a tournament anyway, or a day on the water.
00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:11.440
So that's that's cool.
00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:20.559
And I was gonna say, not that you need it, but I feel like if you're gonna be part angler competing and part service trailer, you should be at least granted a few couple inches.
00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:23.039
Well, that's cool, man.
00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:38.079
I mean that's that's that's a major respect thing, but also it's I imagine too, and so you see somebody coming to you, they're like, okay, they're at least gonna one, they're trying to dot me, or two, they they know I'm gonna I'm gonna have to fix somebody's somebody's deal here in a second.
00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:40.240
But that goes back to that whole community thing, you know.
00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:44.960
I mean, yeah, I am a super competitive person, but at the end of the day, I also want everybody to have fun.
00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:52.720
So I mean, I'm not gonna leave somebody stranded with their autopilot on the ramp who could be fishing when I know that I've got everything in my truck to get them back up and running.
00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:54.480
Yeah, that's awesome, dude.
00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:55.119
Yeah.
00:18:55.359 --> 00:19:18.720
Uh well man, being have having traveled all over from the South Carolina area to New Orleans, now being on the West Coast, and it's basically seeing all facets of of bass fishing without I mean I'm not asking to give up any juice here, but like what's kind of been the mainstays for you when it comes to just bites that or or techniques that just get bit everywhere.
00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:20.799
Chatterbait, 100%.
00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:26.559
Um so I tell this story at some of the seminars I've done.
00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:32.240
You know, when I was little, I got the Bass Pro Shops catalog before my birthday and before Christmas, and I marked everything I wanted in there.
00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:40.079
And if it was a worm, you know, I wanted green pumpkin, green pumpkin red flake, green pumpkin blue flake, and thought I had all those shades or needed all those shades.
00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:41.920
And I've really pared it down now.
00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:48.720
So, like a green pumpkin shad or a green pumpkin chatterbait works all over the country, so that's something I always carry as a staple.
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:56.799
Um, a 4.3 or 4.8 Kai tech on an owner flashy swimmer murders them everywhere in the country.
00:19:57.039 --> 00:20:06.799
Um I would say those two probably primarily like if I had to pick two things that I could throw on any body of water around the country, it would probably be those two.
00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:07.920
I know you like the crank.
00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:09.519
I am not a crankbait guy at all.
00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:11.759
Like I rarely ever even touch one.
00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:24.480
Um, I know that that's that is one of my weaknesses in fishing that I should probably do something about, but I just I've done so well on other things this whole time, it's hard to break that chain.
00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:33.279
Um but if I had to pick one like that, yes, a square bill or like a a smaller medium diving crankbait, a lipless.
00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:42.960
Um, whether you're an East Coast guy that throws the Bill Lewis rattle trap or if you're a West Coast guy that throws the Lucky Craft LV 500, um, liplesses have smashed.
00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:44.240
I've done really well.
00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:48.400
Uh Gunnersville, I took third in a Hobie down there on a on a lipless.
00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:53.440
Took second at a Hobie in Wisconsin on a lipless.
00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.720
You know, they work regardless of the the body of water.
00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:00.000
Um that'd probably be my top three.
00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.759
A lipless chatterbait and a flashy swimmer with a kayak.
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:15.119
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00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:32.720
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00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:36.960
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00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:38.079
Now back to the show.
00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:44.400
And what I notice, and I think pairs up with everything you've been saying so far, all still power fishing.
00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:46.640
No spinning rods needed.
00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.200
So I have changed that in the past couple years.
00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:55.359
Uh, Dominic Done, double digit angler, he had a podcast for a while.
00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:58.640
He uh he's fished against me a few times and he fussed at me one time.
00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:07.039
He's like, you know, if you would just Get over that whole spinning rod thing and learn to to finesse fish with a spinning rod, he goes, you'd be so much more dangerous.
00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:08.960
And I kind of took that to heart.
00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:16.720
And I have uh I think I own eight or nine now, and they make regular appearances.
00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:18.000
Heck yeah, dude.
00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:18.720
Yeah.
00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:19.119
Yeah.
00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:21.359
Matter of fact, go ahead.
00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:22.400
No, you go ahead.
00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:34.160
I was gonna say, matter of fact, the uh Chamber of Commerce tournament on Clear Lake that I won this year, I set my personal best five fish limit and two-day limit and caught a double digit, and that was all on a mina with a spinning rod.
00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:36.799
God, you got them on the train.
00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.359
Dominic had to just go and ruin it for everybody.
00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:40.240
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:49.039
I had uh the the wife and I put up 40 and a half pounds on day one and 36 and a half pounds on day two and won it by over a six-pound margin.
00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:50.240
That doesn't suck.
00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:50.880
Not at all.
00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:52.960
It was pretty fantastic.
00:22:53.119 --> 00:23:01.359
Yeah, because it seems like anytime I open social and you guys have made some sort of post or like I talk to you over DMs, it's like, oh yeah, we had 30 something this day, 30 something that day.
00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:06.319
I don't think I think you're allergic to catching anything under 30 at this rate on Clear Lake.
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:10.720
Well, this year on Clear Lake for sure, the uh our average size has been climbing.
00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:19.279
We had a uh a fish kill in 2018, and the lake is on an upswing right now.
00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:26.319
So, like last year, if you were in a boat tournament, you had to hit 32 pounds if you even wanted a shot.
00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:31.759
Um, this year those fish are gone up to the next class, and this year it took 40 pounds.
00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:34.640
Like you had to hit 40 pounds if you wanted a shot.
00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:38.079
So those we had we had a tournament this year.
00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:39.920
Well, it's it's spring, yeah.
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:43.039
But we had a tournament this year that was one with 45 pounds.
00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:53.759
I looking at was it the the one bass in January, or was that the pro am in January, or maybe both, it might have been or over 40.
00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:55.839
Yeah, all over 40.
00:23:55.920 --> 00:24:01.519
Um, Chris Perez and Kent Simpson had the 45-pound bag in a BBT tournament this year.
00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:03.599
That is just it's pretty wild.
00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:05.680
Disgusting is what it is.
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:17.680
But the the thing with Clear Lake is like, you know, you get those massive bags in the springtime or in the winter on a lot of lakes around the country, but then when the summertime rolls around and those dog days, you know, that it dies quick.
00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:24.559
And Clear Lake this year, it has stayed like 30 to 35 pounds is what you need in the tournament right now.
00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:29.279
It it's impressive, is what it really comes down to.
00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:31.440
And especially looking at like the Skeet Reese tournament.
00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:37.920
And yeah, I have to keep giving him a shout-out just because I like to half rub it in, but also still just impressive.
00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:43.200
But Chad losing big bass by one like a tenth of an ounce or something ridiculous.
00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:44.079
Yeah, yeah.
00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:46.480
One one one hundredth of an ounce, I think is what it was.
00:24:46.640 --> 00:24:49.759
It was a nine a drop of water difference, yeah, for sure.
00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:52.960
You know, he caught a 12 and a half like three weeks ago, two weeks ago.
00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:55.839
Yeah, yeah, and posted on his story like it's nothing.
00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:57.440
Yeah, I'm like, dude, is this a PB?
00:24:57.839 --> 00:24:58.240
Nah.
00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:02.000
I'm like, you West Coast guys, get on my nerves a little bit.
00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:14.960
That weekend there was there was a 12 and a half and two at 11 and a half caught up there, and one of the 11 and a half was caught by a friend of mine who had uh 40 41.2 pounds for his best solo bag ever.
00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:16.400
And that's in the summer.
00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:19.359
Yeah, that was two two or three weeks ago.
00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:21.680
That is unbelievable.
00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:40.400
Yeah, uh do when it comes to fisheries like that where you know it's gonna take that much weight, and obviously it's it's not even just like every single fish out there is swimming around is eight plus pounds, because I mean anybody that obviously has fished out there, there's a very healthy population of two to three pounders.
00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:40.960
Oh, yeah.
00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:46.400
How does one how one how do you approach a tournament like that knowing it needs that weight?
00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:56.160
And then to add on that, what do you think is the biggest mistake people make going into a tournament like that when the caliber of fish is you know it's gonna take over 30.
00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:56.799
Yeah.
00:25:57.119 --> 00:25:57.519
All right.
00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:00.559
So we have the West Coast Championship coming up next weekend.
00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:02.799
So that's a this is a good lead-in for that.
00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:08.000
Um, it's uh you got guys that come from all over.
00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:10.960
We got guys from like six different states that show up for this tournament.
00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:23.920
As far as the biggest mistake, I think a lot of guys go out and they are looking for a key spot that holds the fish they need in one spot, and that's just not how it works most of the time.
00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:35.519
Um, so you get guys, they'll they'll run down a bank and they'll they'll hit a rock wall and they'll be cranking it with a you know DT10 or something, and they'll catch one big fish and they'll go, sweet, that's my spot.
00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:41.759
And then that's all they fish in the tournament, and that's just you got to cover water, um, especially in the summertime.
00:26:41.839 --> 00:26:44.240
In the wintertime when they do school up, yeah, sure.
00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:51.039
My 76 and a half pounds in that chamber tournament came from one spot two days in a row, and that's all I fished.
00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:55.119
Um, but that's not how it works in the rest of the year.
00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:58.480
You you have to cover water, you have to have backup locations.
00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:08.000
If it's a multi-day tournament, you better have backup ramps because generally I can take you right now to a spot that's gonna have, and and I'd almost put a paycheck on it.
00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:14.079
I could take you right now to one spot on Clear Lake and it's gonna have a group of fish that's probably 40 fish.
00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:15.519
Um, and that's great.
00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:19.039
And it sounds great when you only need five a day for a two-day tournament.
00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:26.480
But I know from having beat on those fish before that I'm gonna catch anywhere from two to about six, and that school's done.
00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:28.559
Like it's it's close, it's shut down.
00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:32.319
Yeah, it may fire back up the next day, it may not.
00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:35.599
So you need more than one of those spots to be able to run to.
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:38.480
Um, I think that's what got Simon and the Bassmaster.
00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:40.720
I think Simon fished the same spot both days.
00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:45.519
So day two, he had a rougher time because he'd already burned those fish the first day.
00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:51.599
Um, whereas I fished two different, completely different ends of the lake in that tournament on day one and day two.
00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:55.119
So that's yeah, that's one of the big keys.
00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:57.440
Um, another one is people fish history.
00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:05.039
Um last year for the West Coast Championship, a bunch of the guys found a lot of success in one little spot on Clear Lake.
00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:08.079
Several of those guys are YouTubers and put up videos.
00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:12.480
I'll guarantee you next week there's probably 30 people in that area.
00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:18.240
Might work great, might not, but you can't you can't bet on that history.
00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:18.880
Yeah.
00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:28.640
Um, and I say that I do some YouTube stuff, and I haven't done anything this summer because of what I've been doing lately is so so unique.
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:29.359
Yeah.
00:28:29.599 --> 00:28:40.960
Um, so I have not put up any videos because I know people do watch my stuff to see where I'm at and they'll go there, whether it's a place that still is on and producing or not, you know, people will show up there.
00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:41.359
Yeah.
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.519
And so I just I haven't put anything out.
00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:47.119
But I have so much time on Clear Lake.
00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:53.839
I was uh Dominic again, he was gonna come up the other day to fish, and he's like, if you send me waypoints, I'll come up and fish.
00:28:54.000 --> 00:29:01.680
And I said, honestly, I said, I said, you could tell me right now, you could pick the ramp, and I will stay within two miles of that ramp and I'll still put 30 pounds in the boat.
00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:04.160
Doesn't matter what part of the lake you send me to.
00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:09.119
But it's because of how much water I'm willing to cover.
00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:09.920
Right.
00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:13.279
I mean, that's that is a huge thing that I do.
00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:20.240
I run a torqued, I run multiple batteries in my torquedo, and I will I will burn bank like you would not believe.
00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:22.960
People that fish with me are like, dang, I can't, I can't fish that fast.
00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:24.319
Like, you need to slow down.
00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:29.680
Even on the boat, you know, I'm on I'm on like speed seven on the troll motor, just ripping down the bank.
00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:30.160
Yeah.
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.119
And and it's because I know, you know, it's yeah, I could stop.
00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:37.200
There might be one spot that's got multiple fish, and I could stop and maybe pick them apart.
00:29:37.680 --> 00:29:43.279
But to me, in my opinion, I am better off moving and putting my bait in front of a fresh fish.
00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:49.039
And the more of those fresh fish I can get by bait in front of, the the better chance I have of putting more fish in the boat.
00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:51.200
So I that's why I power fish.
00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:54.480
Even with finesse techniques, I power fish.
00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:54.960
Yeah.
00:29:55.200 --> 00:30:01.359
Trial by numbers versus trying to find the sneakiest of the sneaky and yep, hope that you can get more.
00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:09.279
I don't I don't want to grind and slow down and and soak a Ned rig on the bottom or something like that to try and get a fish that that might eat.
00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:13.200
I want to I want to get in front of an actively feeding fish as much as possible.
00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:14.480
I I love that.
00:30:14.720 --> 00:30:20.480
And to your point too, on the the YouTube side, I never thought that.
00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:26.640
And because granted, I think I was a little bit jaded in when I do the YouTube stuff.
00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:37.599
A lot of people in our community here in New York, I think are just either one, they don't think to go where I've because I'll I'll show everything, you know, and still have successful tournaments and then have spots year after year to myself.
00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:45.599
But I think it was also a respect thing, too, that they like didn't think you know, like, oh that Bailey's fishing there, he's gonna be there, let's not go there.
00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:55.759
Type of I don't think it was as much that as much as I would like to think, but it was funny when I talked to Chad where I was like, Oh, hey, how's like the like fishing?
00:30:55.920 --> 00:30:58.400
Like after I, you know, we fished that event and went home.
00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:02.720
And he's like, dude, I've never seen so many people fish that spot you're at.
00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:07.839
I was like, I'm like, dude, there's no way it's because the videos he goes 100% because of your videos.
00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:12.000
He's like, because I asked somebody, and I'm like, well, that's just one that's crazy.
00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:16.000
But to your point, I think more people look at YouTube for that reason.
00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:20.079
Um, not that it's any discredit to them, because I look at YouTube for the same reason too.
00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:24.720
Like, there's a reason I watch the Bassmaster reruns before I go to Santee Cooper, it's for that exact reason.
00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:33.119
Uh well and I mean, not even like that somebody wants to burn your spot or anything, but like like one of the guides at Clear Lake, he's a friend of mine.
00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:34.960
Um, I posted a clip.
00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:36.240
I had Amanda out.
00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:38.160
I was teaching her how to fish a quickie.
00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:38.640
Yep.
00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:43.279
And it's a super recognizable spot.
00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:45.839
She caught several fish there.
00:31:45.920 --> 00:31:49.200
I mean, nothing giant, but I mean she had like some fours, a five.
00:31:49.440 --> 00:32:00.559
Um, and it was funny because the next day, my buddy that's a guide had his boat sitting there, and it's a set of poles, and he had his boat sitting beside the poles, and there was an earthquake.
00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:09.359
And so you see the poles shaking in the water, and that's seen that video, it went viral crazy, you know, and and it was funny because I hit up Zach and I said something to him, and he's like, Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:17.279
I was there, and I was like, and I'm thinking, you know, did he go there because my clip the day before was of Amanda catching fish on the poles?
00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:24.880
I mean, it's a community whole, you know, everybody fishes it, but you know, it's that thought, it's like, man, who's watching and what are they doing with that information?
00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:25.839
Yeah.
00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:42.880
Uh it's it's been a couple run-ins now, especially at home, even just fun fishing, or I'll see people on stuff that I've recently been to, or somebody will they'll be on something because usually my videos are like almost a month ahead, and so I'll get a DM and they're like, Man, I tried to hit that spot that you were at recently.
00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:44.960
And I'm like, Well, man, because that's a month ago, bro.
00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:46.000
They're gone now.
00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:49.200
But it's it's just it's funny to see that correlation.
00:32:49.440 --> 00:33:03.759
But uh man, back back to the the conversation when it comes to uh an area like that where that somebody runs into and they find one fish, say say in your in your case, you catch a big one and it might look like a spot on a spot.
00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:09.119
How much longer are you giving it after that fact to see can I get two off of it?
00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:12.079
Or like are you just saying I got one and keep going?
00:33:12.480 --> 00:33:16.559
At Sirius Angler, we're a half-ton truck crew and we're towing boats all the time.
00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:17.839
You already know the deal.
00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:26.079
You load up the bed, you hook up the trailer, now you've got squat, sway, and that moment when the wind hits or a semi-passes you, and you tighten up on the wheel.
00:33:26.160 --> 00:33:30.799
After looking at a bunch of options, road active suspension was the solution that made the most sense for us.
00:33:31.039 --> 00:33:34.960
It's built to help your truck feel more level and more controlled when you're towing or hauling.
00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:41.039
If you want a calmer, more confident drive to the ramp, check them out and use code Sirius10 for 10% off.
00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:43.519
It depends on what I see on the screen.
00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:56.240
And and that's and it's scoping, but whether I mean whether it's I'm scoping with a technique like a minnow or whether it's I'm scoping just to see structure and lining up casts on grass lines or rock piles.
00:33:56.400 --> 00:34:00.720
Um, if I see active fish, I mean I'm I'm gonna definitely make more than one cast.
00:34:00.799 --> 00:34:11.199
Yeah, but I won't I won't screw around and spin, you know, let's say I see six fish and they're just huddled down a foot off the bottom, you know, and I'm throwing a bait to them and there's no reaction, I'm leaving.
00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:25.760
I'm not gonna sit there and and roll through six or seven baits and techniques and soaking a bait to see if they'll hit it dead sticked or drop into a a wacky rig Senko and you know 18 feet of water where you gotta sit there and eat a sandwich in between casts to make sure it gets to the bottom.
00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:27.440
You know, I'm not I just I'm not gonna do that.
00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:28.480
I'm gonna I'm gonna move.
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:29.360
You're playing the end.
00:34:29.519 --> 00:34:33.280
And and and Clear Lake is such a good lake all over.
00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:39.760
I can bet that you know within within 200 yards, I'm gonna find something else.
00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:41.920
Yeah, love that.
00:34:42.239 --> 00:34:50.480
Dude, I mean that the area that I fish, granted, there were definitely big fish there because I dumped like a seven or an eight the first day.
00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:57.440
I really wish like I there was someone around me that had scope where I can just be like, hey, dude, can you just I'm just curious, can you just pan?
00:34:57.679 --> 00:34:58.400
I just want to look.
00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:03.440
I just want to see well, uh I can tell you that skeet reese tournament.
00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:05.599
There was two nines caught right there off that little point.
00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:07.119
Oh god, don't tell me that.
00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:08.000
Yeah, 100%.
00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:10.800
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:16.880
Uh Chad had told me something similar after the the tournament was all said and done because of course we went out finally.
00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:19.360
Like, you know, I go get to go see my and stay with my buddy.
00:35:19.519 --> 00:35:21.360
We can't talk about clear like the whole week.
00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:25.280
We finally got to fish together, you know, on his dock after the fact.
00:35:25.360 --> 00:35:27.760
And he was telling me all about how it's just like, oh yeah.
00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:30.719
I mean, he goes, he goes, it's a good thing I had a ramp right here at the house.
00:35:30.800 --> 00:35:32.480
It's literally two docks from that spot.
00:35:32.639 --> 00:35:36.239
Because he's like, he goes, that's a major player in a lot of these these events.
00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:38.079
And he's like, You wouldn't believe how many big fish are there?
00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:41.199
I'm like, don't tell me that because I'm sitting there envisioning it.
00:35:41.280 --> 00:35:45.840
And I'm like, I bet you it was a freaking 10-pounder right now, staring at me in the face, laughing at me.
00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:47.440
He goes, A DT, you joker?
00:35:47.599 --> 00:35:49.360
You're not gonna eat that thing.
00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:52.000
Uh it is a really good spot.
00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:54.239
Such a great fishery.
00:35:54.480 --> 00:36:06.400
Um and it's do you feel like that is well I want to preface this question with this is the people, it's just like Lake Fork, because I've been there a couple of times now.
00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:15.679
It gets all this glory because people see all the highlights and the best of the best posting up from there and the results, things like that.
00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:23.039
But you go to these lakes, and they're don't get me wrong, they're amazing, but they are a lot harder than people give them credit for.
00:36:23.599 --> 00:36:33.920
Do you think that with a place like Clear Lake and how it sets up and how difficult it actually is to catch fish and big fish often, that's why it's churning out so many good anglers from the West?
00:36:35.840 --> 00:36:40.320
I don't know that it contributes to that, but but you're right about any of the lakes.
00:36:40.639 --> 00:36:51.199
I mean, look at OH Ivy, you know, OH Ivy, Josh Jones goes down there and smashes Sherlunkers left and right, and then you have a tournament there, like a like a local club tournament there, and it takes 13 pounds to win.
00:36:51.360 --> 00:36:52.880
Um that's how Clear Lake is.
00:36:52.960 --> 00:37:05.119
Uh, if you look at any of the tournaments at Clear Lake, including the Bassbuster kayak series, yeah, I had uh I had over 200 inches to win that tournament, but you get halfway down in the standings, and man, people weren't even putting up limits on two days in a row.
00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:05.519
Yeah.
00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:07.039
Um, fork's the same way.
00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:10.480
My first two trips to Fork, this was boats back in the day.
00:37:10.559 --> 00:37:20.000
Um, I lived in New Orleans, I fished there a couple times a year, but uh my first two trips to Fork, I think we only caught a handful of decent bass in two trips.
00:37:20.239 --> 00:37:23.679
Now, once we figured it out, it was piece of cake.
00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:27.760
But that's that's how ClearLake is day in and day out, year round.
00:37:28.000 --> 00:37:34.800
You look at tournament standings in the top 10 guys, their their limits are like wow factor, and then it just dies.
00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:37.920
And it's like our evening tournaments.
00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:40.559
We do a Wednesday nighter up there, three fish limit.
00:37:40.639 --> 00:37:42.639
It's been taken 20.
00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:49.920
We had one that was one with 24, but anywhere from like 19 to 21 pounds is generally what wins for three fish.
00:37:50.159 --> 00:37:53.679
There's only 14 boats pretty much on average.
00:37:53.920 --> 00:37:59.920
The the bottom third, they won't have a limit, maybe won't maybe not even catch a fish.
00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:09.679
Yeah, it's it's like you said, you know, it it it shows out for those that know the lake, but if you don't know it and you're not on them, it's it's a brutal grind.
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:11.840
Yeah, it it's it's so true.
00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:17.360
Because like coming out of that clear lake event, our buddies back home were like, Wait, you got eighth?
00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:20.719
And I'm like, Yeah, and they're like, You didn't even touch 90 either day, and I'm like, No.
00:38:20.800 --> 00:38:23.840
And they're like, I thought clear lake was good, and I'm like, Y'all just don't get it.
00:38:23.920 --> 00:38:32.159
Like, the only lake that holds up to the the I guess the rapport of it in the south, especially, or any popular lake is Gunnarsville.
00:38:32.320 --> 00:38:36.000
Gunnersville, you can catch a pile of them everywhere doing whatever you want.
00:38:36.559 --> 00:38:40.079
Beyond that, it's like the north because you're dealing with dumb fish.
00:38:40.400 --> 00:38:42.079
Otherwise, you're exactly right.
00:38:42.159 --> 00:38:55.119
Like, I mean, dude, I think there was a seven or eight inch difference between me and seventh, and it's like it was a very, very steep drop off, and it's almost one where I just don't even like looking at the standings again because of just how bad you waxed the floor with us.
00:38:55.679 --> 00:38:57.599
Um, but it it's it's cool.
00:38:57.760 --> 00:39:10.000
I I it's when you look at it, it can be intimidating, but I look at it as uh it makes me almost respect the fishery and especially the anglers that know it even more because it's it's an admiration thing, too.
00:39:10.079 --> 00:39:16.239
It's like that's time, especially when you got up on stage and you were like, Yeah, I fish this place like three, four times a week.
00:39:16.400 --> 00:39:17.199
Like, this is home.
00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:19.519
I'm like, I looked at Blanchard, who was sitting next to me.
00:39:19.599 --> 00:39:21.280
I'm like, I didn't stand a chance.
00:39:21.360 --> 00:39:28.559
I you know, I I've tried to get Greg to fish with me so many times, and there's always something going on, and he's never made it not once.
00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:32.960
And that's every time we have a tournament where I went up there, he's like, Man, I should fish with you.
00:39:33.039 --> 00:39:34.639
I was like, I try.
00:39:35.119 --> 00:39:40.239
You gotta get on that dude, is one of the most stubborn, stuck in his ways angles I've ever met.
00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:41.440
Holy smokes.
00:39:41.679 --> 00:40:04.400
Then again, with Clear Lake, you can go behind anglers and still like me, I go behind anglers all the time and still feel comfortable catching fish, even though I fished behind Chad for probably an hour in the Skeet Reese tournament, going down a line at just this one area, and I probably caught seven or eight fish behind him.
00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:07.199
And he was he was less than a hundred yards in front of me.
00:40:07.360 --> 00:40:07.599
Yeah.
00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:12.800
Um, I fished a tournament the other day, or not a tournament, the last day before off limits for this West Coast Championship.
00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:20.639
I was up there and there was a tournament going, and this this two old guys in a boat were in front of me, and I pulled up and started fishing right behind him.
00:40:20.719 --> 00:40:23.039
And the guy turned around and he goes, You don't care about fishing behind us?
00:40:23.119 --> 00:40:24.639
I was like, brother, we ain't fishing for the same fish.
00:40:24.719 --> 00:40:25.519
And he's like, What do you mean?
00:40:25.679 --> 00:40:29.440
And I stuck one like seven pounds, and I was like, that's what I mean.
00:40:29.679 --> 00:40:34.400
Like, I'm looking at what you're doing, and I'm looking at what I'm doing, and we are not competing for the same fish.
00:40:34.639 --> 00:40:35.760
Yeah, that is amazing.
00:40:35.920 --> 00:40:39.440
That's such a dude, that's such a hard mindset to uh acquire there.
00:40:39.599 --> 00:40:40.400
That's tough.
00:40:41.119 --> 00:40:42.159
I don't always do it.
00:40:42.239 --> 00:40:47.119
If if I was on Caddo Lake, um, you know, I went down and fished the Bassmaster there here recently.
00:40:47.280 --> 00:40:50.639
Um, you know, if I'm on Caddo Lake, I'm probably not gonna fish behind somebody.
00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:55.360
You know, it's uh shallow grass fishery, power fishing.
00:40:55.440 --> 00:41:00.000
If the guy in front of me is throwing a chatterbait, I'm probably not gonna feel real comfortable going behind him with a chatterbait.
00:41:00.159 --> 00:41:02.800
Yeah on Clear Lake, I don't know.
00:41:02.880 --> 00:41:03.920
It's just it's different.
00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:08.079
You know, there's so many people like you, you know, like we just said, uh I know you like to throw cranks.
00:41:08.159 --> 00:41:09.440
I've seen you on the video cranking.
00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:12.159
I know you've fished the crank and the the bass master here.
00:41:12.400 --> 00:41:15.519
I would fish behind you in a heartbeat because I know I'm not gonna throw a crank.
00:41:15.599 --> 00:41:17.039
Well, yeah, yeah, this scrub, yeah.
00:41:17.119 --> 00:41:18.960
We're gonna catch all the fish behind this guy.
00:41:22.719 --> 00:41:24.639
It's just yeah, it's it's a different technique, you know.
00:41:24.719 --> 00:41:26.320
I yeah, I'm not gonna do that.
00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:28.800
I might be dragging a football jig behind you.
00:41:29.039 --> 00:41:37.519
Yeah, and that's just that's uh that is a a killer's mindset and a level of confidence that I think takes a lot to to get to.
00:41:37.599 --> 00:41:41.840
I don't think you're gonna have somebody off the rip that goes and does that knowingly anyway.
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:47.760
Um it's a learned thing because Clear Lake, as you saw, is always slammed with boats.
00:41:47.920 --> 00:41:48.400
Oh, yeah.
00:41:48.639 --> 00:41:51.119
You are always going to be behind somebody else.
00:41:51.360 --> 00:41:53.039
Yep, absolutely.
00:41:53.360 --> 00:41:55.039
Uh love that, dude.
00:41:55.199 --> 00:41:57.760
And there's so much more I could we could dig into here.
00:41:57.840 --> 00:42:00.719
We're gonna have to get you back on the show, but I want to be respectful of cognizant.
00:42:00.800 --> 00:42:03.039
I told you 30 minutes, we're already going up on 40.
00:42:03.199 --> 00:42:08.639
Uh, folks, this guy has a real, real important job, and I'm sitting here at my desk working from home for the day.
00:42:08.880 --> 00:42:11.599
Uh but dude, seriously, one, I appreciate the time.
00:42:11.679 --> 00:42:13.440
This was sick getting you on here, man.
00:42:13.599 --> 00:42:19.280
And more people need to know about you because like I said, respect needs to be be given where it's due.
00:42:19.519 --> 00:42:36.320
Um but dude, it's your first time on the pod, and the way we like to cap these shows off, we always like to ask this question to their their first first time on here is if you got to sit down with three different people, they could be alive a thousand years ago, live today, it doesn't have to be fishing.
00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:40.639
What three individuals would you invite to sit down, have a steak, and a beer, and pick their brain?
00:42:42.800 --> 00:42:43.760
Oh man.
00:42:45.039 --> 00:42:49.920
Doug Hannon could probably be one of the top bass professor.
00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:57.840
Um probably old Phil the duck commander, because I'm an avid duck hunter.
00:42:58.079 --> 00:42:58.880
Heck yeah.
00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:02.400
Um I've actually shared a blind with his son, but never him.
00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:03.199
Which one?
00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:04.800
Um Chase.
00:43:05.199 --> 00:43:05.519
Okay.
00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:08.960
Uh number three.
00:43:12.480 --> 00:43:13.280
Golly.
00:43:14.559 --> 00:43:15.840
I love these questions.
00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:18.480
Let's go with Brandon Polinek.
00:43:18.880 --> 00:43:20.000
Heck yeah, dude.
00:43:20.239 --> 00:43:27.519
I chatted with him at iCast and had a good time BSing over at the Yamaha booth, and uh, I think I would like to share a boat with that dude.
00:43:28.239 --> 00:43:33.920
Yeah, I mean, talk about technically another West Coast guy if you want to be you know specific here.
00:43:34.159 --> 00:43:42.880
Uh but I think of our time, one of the greatest from a mindset and strategy standpoint anglers that we've we've ever seen so far.
00:43:43.119 --> 00:43:46.480
Yeah, I tried to talk him into coming to Clear Lake, we'll see if it happens.
00:43:46.880 --> 00:43:50.719
He'd be dumb as for as much as he likes the big bait game and all that stuff.
00:43:50.960 --> 00:43:53.039
He'd be I feel like he'd fit in quite well.
00:43:53.119 --> 00:44:01.840
Uh we we have a tournament, we have a tournament coming up this next February that is during the offseason for a lot of those guys, and it was done that way on purpose.
00:44:02.079 --> 00:44:04.079
Um, I know Steve Kennedy's gonna be there.
00:44:04.159 --> 00:44:05.440
We'll see who else shows up.
00:44:05.679 --> 00:44:06.719
Oh, heck yeah, dude.
00:44:07.280 --> 00:44:10.480
It's another it's another big bass event, kind of like the Skeet Reese one.
00:44:10.639 --> 00:44:11.280
Heck yeah.
00:44:11.360 --> 00:44:15.119
So it's gonna be put on by uh Garrett and G-Rat Bates, they're running it up there.
00:44:15.280 --> 00:44:16.320
Okay, awesome.
00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:21.519
So, yeah, well, dude, that is the first time we've ever had the bass professor mentioned in it.
00:44:21.840 --> 00:44:22.559
Doug Hannon.
00:44:22.719 --> 00:44:26.239
And the first time, surprisingly, that ever anyone's ever said Phil.
00:44:26.559 --> 00:44:28.639
Ah, no, Phil Robertson.
00:44:28.719 --> 00:44:33.519
That's uh he'd be something to hear his stories, yeah.
00:44:33.920 --> 00:44:35.360
Yeah, for sure.
00:44:35.679 --> 00:44:39.119
Dude, that is one wise table you chose, that's for sure.
00:44:39.440 --> 00:44:40.000
Yeah.
00:44:40.239 --> 00:44:42.239
Uh but man, seriously, appreciate the time.
00:44:42.320 --> 00:44:42.880
This was awesome.
00:44:42.960 --> 00:44:48.159
And again, uh, we'll love to get you back on here and dive deeper into some more of the mindset and strategy and all that stuff.
00:44:48.239 --> 00:44:50.400
But uh we'll be keeping up with you, man.
00:44:50.480 --> 00:44:52.639
And uh good luck in the derbs coming up.
00:44:52.719 --> 00:44:54.159
I feel bad for everybody else.
00:44:54.239 --> 00:44:56.719
And uh just keep being you, man.
00:44:56.880 --> 00:44:57.360
Appreciate the time.
00:44:57.920 --> 00:44:59.039
I appreciate it, Bailey.
00:44:59.199 --> 00:45:00.960
All right, and that's gonna do it for today's show, guys.
00:45:01.119 --> 00:45:02.000
Uh, quick one.
00:45:02.159 --> 00:45:04.320
Uh, thank you to Matthew Brandon for joining us, guys.
00:45:04.400 --> 00:45:10.000
We are in Wisconsin, and uh, but that being said, we do have more shows coming for you guys.
00:45:10.159 --> 00:45:12.880
Don't worry, just because I'm out doesn't mean you're gonna miss next week.
00:45:13.039 --> 00:45:14.079
We have uh Mr.
00:45:14.159 --> 00:45:15.519
John Murray coming on the show.
00:45:15.599 --> 00:45:28.320
We have a real biology episode going next week, and I will be connecting to Starlink uh because actually my pal Jake Angeles and I, who are who are traveling together for this event this week, uh both have Starlink, so we'll be putting Starlink on the houseboat.
00:45:28.480 --> 00:45:38.079
And uh the house boat we're literally staying on the Wolf River, which is sick uh that we actually have like a houseboat on the river, and that's pretty snazzy, pretty cool.
00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:41.280
But I'm probably gonna start going down a rabbit hole, so I'm gonna stop myself here.
00:45:41.360 --> 00:45:42.639
Hopefully, you guys enjoyed today's episode.
00:45:42.719 --> 00:45:48.719
Please like, subscribe if you're watching on YouTube, leave a rating review if you're on podcasts, and we'll see y'all on Monday.
00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.479
Alright, welcome to Sears Sanger Podcast, everyone.
00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:07.200
As always, I'm your host, Bailey Igret, and we are in Racine, Wisconsin this week.
00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:10.560
Uh, I shouldn't say this week, today, because this week we are in Wisconsin.
00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:11.599
That is actually happening.
00:00:11.759 --> 00:00:12.800
We are here for the Bass Mr.
00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:15.519
Kay series event on the Wolf and Fox River.
00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:21.679
And for folks that are listening, you hear the audio difference, or folks that are obviously watching on YouTube, we are not in the studio today.
00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:25.440
We are in the great state of Wisconsin trying to catch some bass.
00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:30.879
Uh, but we have a little deal today in Racine, and then we are headed back north to the Wolf and Fox River.
00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:38.640
And uh, I had fully intended on getting this intro shot in the studio, uh, but literally, my house has been utter chaos.
00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:44.560
Um, it's been just nuts with a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes uh and stuff you guys will see later on.
00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:48.000
But we're trying to prep and plan and basically make happen now.
00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:52.000
Um, but there's a lot of a lot of craziness happening in the household.
00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:53.520
But today, awesome show.
00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:54.000
We have Mr.
00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:58.799
Matthew Brandon who's a boat hammer, a kayak hammer, uh pretty much a hammer all over the country.
00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:10.640
He's very well traveled, he's from all over the place, from Santa Cooper, from uh Louisiana, from California, from Alaska, all over the place, and he just straight up just catches them everywhere.
00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:15.280
Uh he kicked our tails at Clear Lake, uh, caught a freaking monster bag.
00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:21.280
Uh he's straight up just catching gigantic 30, 40 pound bags over on Clear Lake in California.
00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:21.840
And Mr.
00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:37.519
Matthew Brennan will be joining us here on the show, and I'm excited to get this guy on because he's an awesome dude, uh, a great person for the kayak uh and really just the fishing community in general, but also has a pretty cool and unique uh gig over at the Coast Guard, which is something to do with marine electronics.
00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:39.200
So very interesting conversation.
00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:42.319
Hopefully, you guys enjoy without further ado, Mr.
00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:43.040
Matthew Brandon.
00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:52.560
Well, folks, we are with one of the uh the freaking hammers of the West Coast, and I say the West Coast, but Matt, you are originally from the East Coast, correct?
00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:52.799
Yep.
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I uh I grew up in South Carolina.
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My dad was Navy, so he's retired, and that's where he retired was right there on Santi Cooper in Monts Corner.
00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:00.879
Um, so that's what I call home.
00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:07.599
But I mean, even before that, we lived in Chicago, we lived in San Diego, um, did a stint overseas in Italy.
00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:17.599
So, I mean, I've I've been all over, and then of course, with me being active duty Coast Guard, I've done New Orleans, Jacksonville, Florida, Charleston, South Carolina, here, Alaska.
00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:20.000
So I've gotten to fish everywhere.
00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:27.680
If you could choose one of the locations that you've been at to like retire and stay, what what what tops the list for you?
00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:30.879
Man, I want to retire at Gunnersville.
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Um, but everybody else.
00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:35.919
But it's not it's not because of Gunnersville.
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I mean, I love Gunnersville.
00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:38.960
I I duck hunted there all through high school.
00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:41.199
Um, I fished there a bunch of times.
00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:44.639
Fishing wise, Clear Lake's where I'd want to be.
00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:48.879
But that's just not, you know, I want to I'm I'm basically gonna do what you do, you know.
00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:50.879
I'm gonna run around and chase the Bassmaster Trail.
00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:54.960
And to do that, Gunnersville makes more sense because of its central location.
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God, I'm I'm gonna have to keep doing this thing until you do that because then everybody's screwed.
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I've been telling people, bro.
00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:13.759
I have been telling people I was like, guys, the day that you, Damien, and Joey Silva come out east and do this thing full time, we are all fishing for fourth.
00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.960
Like we are Blake Abbey always jokes about that too.
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He said he's done when I retire.
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I mean, there's a reason why every time Damien's come east, he's always top five, dude.
00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:27.919
That's like that's one thing I'm already going.
00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:29.680
You'll learn real quick on this show.
00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:34.960
We call it rabbit holes uh for a reason, is because we can never stay on track of what we want to talk about.
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But uh dude, your guys' community was so awesome when I was out there for that Clear Lake event.
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Like granted, yes, we only had what was a 78 or something before the event at awards, registration, everyone I met on the water at the ramp.
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It was all super kind, super easy to talk to.
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Where out east, like I'm not saying people aren't like that, majority are, but you got a lot of people you run into that are head down, don't care to talk to you.
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Like, you say hello, and a guy looks up at you on the boat and he just keeps going.
00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.439
Well, like there's none of that that I experienced out west.
00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:10.719
A lot of the guys that have been in this for a while out west, anyway.
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Um, James Snyder and I started Yakabass in like 2000, I think it was 2015.
00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:20.639
When I moved out here in 2012, there was no kayak bass fishing.
00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:25.839
Um, that was KBF had just got started in 2011.
00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.040
And I moved that next year out here.
00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:33.600
So bass fishing from kayaks competitively was in its infancy anyway.
00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:33.920
Right.
00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:35.439
Um, and there was just nothing here.
00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:40.079
So James and I actually I put together a series and never got it off the ground.
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I never even tried.
00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:47.120
Another guy had done it at the same time, and he was like, hey man, instead of splitting up the few people out here, would you just come fish mine?
00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.000
And I did.
00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:52.000
And that guy was a crook, took all our money, all that stuff.
00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:53.759
But that's where I met James Snyder.
00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:56.000
And I told him, I said, Man, next year, let's just do our own thing.
00:04:56.079 --> 00:05:01.199
I said, I already know how to do it, I've already done the groundwork, and we got we got Yakabas off the ground.
00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:04.800
So when it first started, it was not about tournaments.
00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:06.959
Um, I got outvoted on that one.
00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:08.240
It was a sense of community.
00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:16.480
So we held gatherings where we got people together, like one of the members or one of us would would teach a new technique to the crowd.
00:05:16.639 --> 00:05:23.839
We would fish for the day and then come back and do a cookout afterwards, and everybody would get to talk about their experience on the water and whether the technique worked for them.
00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:26.720
And so, like, like Damien, I've fished against Damien.
00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:30.240
I think he was just out of high school when I started fishing against him out here.
00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:42.399
And so, a lot of those guys have that sense of community more than I mean, obviously we're competitive, but you know, it's also about you know, you run into some guy on the water and it's like, hey man, you broke off your last whatever, you know, here.
00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:43.040
I got you, man.
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And you should give them one.
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Yeah, so that was really cool.
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Everyone was was super awesome out there, and I I was already telling my wife, literally, when I was still out there, like I was staying at my buddy Chad's house, who had a house in the lake.
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And I had it, I had I had amazing people that literally like put me up in the penthouse when I was visiting, so it was perfect.
00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:10.000
I was living lavish, but I was like, we need to come out here, not live out here, but like visit frequently because one of the fishing's incredible.
00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:12.639
The the views, oh my gosh, dude.
00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:17.839
We just don't get anything close to the views out there when it comes to whether you're driving or fishing.
00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:30.720
Um, but just love, love, and that was the bigger reason why we uh we started the seriously western segment on this show is just because the west does not get enough love that it deserves, uh, when it kind of especially comes to the media side.
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Yeah.
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Well, in the boat side, you know, there's there's a lot of hard feelings when when bass pulled out of here uh years ago, you know, and so we had we had local stuff, the wild west bass trail kicked off, and then we had one bass, you know, and those kind of took the place, and it was it was very much localized, like the west coast kept to the west coast and nobody went back east.
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And yeah, it's nice to see like Bassmaster coming out there now for the kayak series and hopefully something for the boats in the future, you know, to try and get that inclusion again because we do.
00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:03.759
I mean, look at the look at the pros that come out of here.
00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:05.839
Cody Meyer, Brent Ayler.
00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:07.680
I mean, there's a pile of ish.
00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:09.519
Yeah, Chris Zaldain, you know.
00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:15.519
I mean, it's always been a place that that really farmed top-level anglers.
00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:16.240
Yeah.
00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:23.279
I don't know a West Coast guy that's come east that uh didn't do well, right?
00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:24.800
Uh whether Kayak or Bo.
00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:31.519
I mean, Justin Lucas just won again on Lake Erie, basically across the country from from where he originated.
00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:39.199
Uh but dude, I mean, people that that may not know you, because it's not like you have a big vocal social media presence, things like that.
00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:44.399
You're you're you're you're steady taking trophies under the radar, is what I like to call it.
00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:48.800
But you you do so on the kayak side, but also the boat side.
00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:50.319
And a fish boat.
00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:52.560
Was the boat side first for you?
00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:54.240
Was the kayak side first for you?
00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.240
How did that how did that all come to fruition?
00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:59.360
My dad was kind of a regional pro back in the day.
00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:07.279
Um, he started a few bass clubs, uh, he started Stargazers down in San Diego back in the I guess the early 70s.
00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:11.839
Um, so me growing up, it wasn't going fishing with grandpa for bluegill off the dock.
00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.879
It was if you want to go fishing, you're gonna drag a plastic worm behind a boat.
00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:24.399
So I actually started fishing tournaments with my dad when I was probably nine, and I stayed in the boat world um until 2009.
00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:28.000
Um, I had moved to Alaska and sold my boat before I went up there.
00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:37.919
When I came back, I was married with kids, and instead of getting into another boat, I ended up getting a kayak, and that was the first year of the pro angler, and that was my first kayak.
00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.039
And you I'm assuming you've been in the pro angler since.
00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:43.200
I've never fished from anything else.
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Yeah.
00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:49.519
I'm in the same same boat in regards to well, literally and figuratively.
00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:55.120
Uh but dude, it it's cool to see the guys that that cross over in both worlds.
00:08:55.200 --> 00:08:59.440
Yeah, I guess now if you had to choose, is there one or the other you would stay in?
00:09:00.159 --> 00:09:04.320
If it was strictly tournament fishing, it would be kayak.
00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:07.519
Is that women or ROI?
00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:09.840
Uh a little of both.
00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:13.120
I mean for the boat stuff, I don't travel for the boat stuff.
00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:15.919
My boat's small, I got a little 17-foot ranger.
00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:21.759
Um, so I don't I don't, like I said, I don't travel with it, but the kayak stuff, I really I don't know.
00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:31.120
I like the I like the kayak tournament community, I think, more than I like the boat tournament community.
00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:40.000
You know, there there's a lot of friends in the kayak side where like even across the country, like Christine and G, you know, that's who I stay with when I travel back east for tournaments.
00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:47.840
I stay with them and Scotch, Matthew Scotch, um, Russ Snyder, you know, so I've I've made friends and and those friendships remain across the country.
00:09:47.919 --> 00:10:00.799
Whereas in the boat guys, most of the guys that I fished back east with in boat tournaments, I mean, we still chat every once in a while, but it's not that close, almost family feel that you get in the kayak community when you make those long-term, lifelong friends.
00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.080
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00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:21.840
Now back to the show.
00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:24.000
Yeah, I I would agree on that.
00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:30.080
And then talk about another West Coast to East Coast transplant that takes everyone's money in less.
00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:33.200
Uh the list just keeps going on.
00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:36.080
I'm sure we'll have more as we keep going down this thing.
00:10:36.240 --> 00:10:45.120
But uh dude, so coming from the Santee area, which is not an easy place to catch them either.
00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:50.480
Have you found anything that's really helped you now on the West Coast coming from the East Coast?
00:10:50.799 --> 00:10:51.679
Absolutely.
00:10:51.919 --> 00:11:01.440
Um well, the moving around is where I think I get my diversity and my ability to compete regardless of what waters I go to.
00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:06.639
Um, you know, Santi Cooper's a shallow power fishing was a grass lake when I was growing up.
00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:14.480
It's not so much now, but um, I remember miles of topped-out matted hydrilla and punching and frog and all that stuff when I was little.
00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:20.240
Um so it was funny when I moved here, the first tournament I fished was a belly boat tournament.
00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:21.679
They let me use my kayak.
00:11:21.759 --> 00:11:22.879
Um, and I went to the lake.
00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:25.679
It's Lake Sonoma, it's a clear highland reservoir.
00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:29.840
I showed up with all my bait casters, 18 to 20 pound test on everything.
00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:33.039
And the guys are like, nah, bro, that's not that doesn't fly here.
00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:36.159
You know, it's it's all spinning rod, it's all finesse techniques.
00:11:36.399 --> 00:11:38.000
And I had just moved here.
00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:40.399
I think I've been in California for like a week.
00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:46.960
It was a night tournament, and I launched, those guys were telling me it's all finesse stuff, blah, blah, blah.
00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:48.240
I didn't get to pre-fish.
00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:51.440
Um, so we take off and we come to weigh in the next morning.
00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:52.559
This was a live weigh-in.
00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:56.080
So you had to have a cooler with live well on it and all that stuff or aerator.
00:11:56.559 --> 00:12:02.879
So we show up and I'm watching the weigh-in, and I waited till last, and it was like 11 and a half pounds was leading.
00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:05.279
And the guys are like, Hey man, did you did you catch anything?
00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:06.399
Do you want to go ahead and weigh?
00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:06.799
Are you good?
00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:07.759
And I said, What's leading?
00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:08.399
They're like 11.
00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:09.600
I said, Oh, yeah, I'm weighing.
00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:11.440
And I had 18 and a half pounds.
00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.080
Um just laid it out on them.
00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:21.039
I threw a three-quarter ounce spinnerbait and a Roman Bay negotiator swim bait all night long and smashed them.
00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:28.960
And that doesn't suck, you know, and it was like I hadn't, I don't, I think I owned two spinning rods at the time, and I never carried them bass fishing.
00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:30.639
They were from saltwater days.
00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:39.759
Um, and you know, so I had the power stuff down, but then moving here, I've had to learn the finesse stuff to be able to compete on some of our lakes out here.
00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:50.000
You get the the mother load that's got all spotted bass or majority spotted bass, you know, and you're and you're fishing for 80 inches, so it's a lot of drop shot, a lot of uh wacky rig senko.
00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:54.000
So I've had to learn the finesse techniques out here.
00:12:54.639 --> 00:13:01.440
But like when I lived in New Orleans, you know, we get big rains out here and things get muddied up and the anglers all freak out because the water's muddy.
00:13:01.519 --> 00:13:06.399
Well, I lived in New Orleans for four years and I didn't fish anything that didn't look like Hershey's chocolate milk.
00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:11.279
Yeah, so I'm very comfortable fishing, you know, dark water or dirty water.
00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:20.240
So that ability has made me a uh, I guess just a more versified angler that I can travel and fish and do okay in in tournaments.
00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:24.639
Yeah, you're more prepared for whatever kind of environment you're gonna be presented with.
00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:26.799
That that's cool, dude.
00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:33.120
Uh I I just love the fact too that they're they tried a little doggy too, and you're just like, no, here you go.
00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:34.240
Here's 18 pounds.
00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:34.639
Yeah.
00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:37.840
Well, they ended up they ended up not letting me fish those tournaments anymore.
00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:38.159
What?
00:13:38.799 --> 00:13:41.519
Because of the kayak or just because you just figured something?
00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:50.159
They s well it was because I won, but they said it was too big of an advantage, so they changed the rules and they they quit allowing kayaks after that.
00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:52.240
Or too big of an advantage.
00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:52.799
Yeah.
00:13:52.960 --> 00:14:01.759
Uh but it was funny because when at launch everybody came and looked at the kayak because nobody had seen a pro-angler, and they were like, Oh, that's cool, but I'd rather have my kickboat, you know, it's more versatile.
00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:03.200
I was like, Okay, sweet.
00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:06.799
And then it ended up being the reason that I wasn't allowed to fish with him anymore.
00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:08.320
Go figure.
00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:08.639
Yeah.
00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:10.159
Uh that's funny.
00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:11.440
Uh well, dude.
00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:16.559
So one of the things we were talking about offline, and I I I didn't want to my goldfish memory.
00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:27.200
I was trying to make sure we we I keep reminding myself that way we talk about it, is so your gig in the Coast Guard now is really sounds like you specialize a lot on the marine electronics side of things.
00:14:27.519 --> 00:14:32.000
Yep, I am a marine electronics technician, so been doing it for 24 years.
00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:34.720
So we uh what is what is that?
00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:39.279
I guess if you can summarize that, what does that entail mostly?
00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:55.679
We install, troubleshoot, and repair any kind of marine electronics equipment, whether it's uh communication stuff, radios, that type, radars, depth finders, uh weapons control systems for things like the C Wiz, the close-in weapon system on our big ships.
00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:02.240
Um, but yeah, anything electronics-wise, we are responsible for the installation, maintenance, and repair of.
00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:07.120
You haven't thought about putting uh the sea whiz on the pro angler if somebody gets too close.
00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.720
All those the pesky boaters that like to pull in on us.
00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:12.480
You're a little too close.
00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:22.799
Uh dude, okay, because somebody's gonna comment and ask, so I'm I'm gonna go ahead and ask it, but are these boats running any sort of forward-facing sonar or the like?
00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:25.200
Um, not forward-facing.
00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:32.559
Uh, when I was on the ship in Alaska, it was a buoy tender, so we did uh offshore buoys, uh navigational buoys and aids navigation.
00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:49.840
We had a side scan sonar capability, and it was funny because on the kayak I had, let's see, when I came back, so the same year that I came back to the lower 48 and got my first kayak, Humminbird already had side scan technology.
00:15:50.159 --> 00:16:00.879
The boat that I was on up there had side scan, but you had to lower this thing off the back of the ship on a tether and it looked like a torpedo, and that did the side scan for you.
00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:02.480
And I'm thinking, why are we doing this?
00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:06.399
Like for$500, I can get you a Humminbird that'll do the same thing, you know.
00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:08.240
But but that's it.
00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:19.519
I mean, there's no there's no real practical use for forward-facing sonar in the Coast Guard, really, and I wasn't thinking the military, but we use side scan on that ship to find buoys that had sank.
00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:20.799
Oh, okay.
00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:22.000
That's that's cool.
00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:38.879
So you're I know obviously now since you completely kicked our tail with with scope and uh all that on clear lake, but uh how much of that do you think helps you when it comes to the fishing side, just being in touch with all the electronics and all that stuff?
00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:42.480
The day-to-day fishing, not that much.
00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:51.759
Um, but like I am known for stopping what I'm doing in a tournament on the water, whatever, to help people that are broke, you know, have electronics issues.
00:16:51.919 --> 00:17:04.799
Um, at the ABA championship on Havasu a couple years back, I actually spent on day two, I was second place going into day two, and on day two, I spent the first probably 30 or 45 minutes rewiring a guy's troll motor on his autopilot.
00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:09.200
Um I stopped a tournament, it was on Barriessa.
00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:12.480
Um, I think it was a no limit, native no limit.
00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:16.160
Um, there was two guys fishing together and both of their depth finders died.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:19.200
One of them ended up being the depth finder itself, so there was nothing I could do.
00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:21.680
The other guy, his charger didn't work overnight.
00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:31.119
So I actually rewired my kayak to run off one battery instead of two, how I normally do, and gave him my second battery so that he had a depth finder during the tournament.
00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:33.599
Um, so I mean I do that to help out.
00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:52.000
Um I would say the only place it really comes in handy is the understanding of the marine electronics stuff, like uh like a forward-facing sonar transducer, understanding that it's a crystal piezos that outputs that signal that gets the return back, and that's a radio frequency signal.
00:17:52.079 --> 00:18:02.240
And um, so there's things that happen on my boat, like when I have an issue with my own electronics, you know, and I go, okay, so I have one one of my arrays is going out, so I can adjust my transducer.
00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:09.519
I mean, it's not the perfect world fix, but you know, it'll get me through a uh a tournament anyway, or a day on the water.
00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:11.440
So that's that's cool.
00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:20.559
And I was gonna say, not that you need it, but I feel like if you're gonna be part angler competing and part service trailer, you should be at least granted a few couple inches.
00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:23.039
Well, that's cool, man.
00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:38.079
I mean that's that's that's a major respect thing, but also it's I imagine too, and so you see somebody coming to you, they're like, okay, they're at least gonna one, they're trying to dot me, or two, they they know I'm gonna I'm gonna have to fix somebody's somebody's deal here in a second.
00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:40.240
But that goes back to that whole community thing, you know.
00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:44.960
I mean, yeah, I am a super competitive person, but at the end of the day, I also want everybody to have fun.
00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:52.720
So I mean, I'm not gonna leave somebody stranded with their autopilot on the ramp who could be fishing when I know that I've got everything in my truck to get them back up and running.
00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:54.480
Yeah, that's awesome, dude.
00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:55.119
Yeah.
00:18:55.359 --> 00:19:18.720
Uh well man, being have having traveled all over from the South Carolina area to New Orleans, now being on the West Coast, and it's basically seeing all facets of of bass fishing without I mean I'm not asking to give up any juice here, but like what's kind of been the mainstays for you when it comes to just bites that or or techniques that just get bit everywhere.
00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:20.799
Chatterbait, 100%.
00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:26.559
Um so I tell this story at some of the seminars I've done.
00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:32.240
You know, when I was little, I got the Bass Pro Shops catalog before my birthday and before Christmas, and I marked everything I wanted in there.
00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:40.079
And if it was a worm, you know, I wanted green pumpkin, green pumpkin red flake, green pumpkin blue flake, and thought I had all those shades or needed all those shades.
00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:41.920
And I've really pared it down now.
00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:48.720
So, like a green pumpkin shad or a green pumpkin chatterbait works all over the country, so that's something I always carry as a staple.
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:56.799
Um, a 4.3 or 4.8 Kai tech on an owner flashy swimmer murders them everywhere in the country.
00:19:57.039 --> 00:20:06.799
Um I would say those two probably primarily like if I had to pick two things that I could throw on any body of water around the country, it would probably be those two.
00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:07.920
I know you like the crank.
00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:09.519
I am not a crankbait guy at all.
00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:11.759
Like I rarely ever even touch one.
00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:24.480
Um, I know that that's that is one of my weaknesses in fishing that I should probably do something about, but I just I've done so well on other things this whole time, it's hard to break that chain.
00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:33.279
Um but if I had to pick one like that, yes, a square bill or like a a smaller medium diving crankbait, a lipless.
00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:42.960
Um, whether you're an East Coast guy that throws the Bill Lewis rattle trap or if you're a West Coast guy that throws the Lucky Craft LV 500, um, liplesses have smashed.
00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:44.240
I've done really well.
00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:48.400
Uh Gunnersville, I took third in a Hobie down there on a on a lipless.
00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:53.440
Took second at a Hobie in Wisconsin on a lipless.
00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.720
You know, they work regardless of the the body of water.
00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:00.000
Um that'd probably be my top three.
00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.759
A lipless chatterbait and a flashy swimmer with a kayak.
00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:15.119
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00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:38.079
Now back to the show.
00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:44.400
And what I notice, and I think pairs up with everything you've been saying so far, all still power fishing.
00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:46.640
No spinning rods needed.
00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.200
So I have changed that in the past couple years.
00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:55.359
Uh, Dominic Done, double digit angler, he had a podcast for a while.
00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:58.640
He uh he's fished against me a few times and he fussed at me one time.
00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:07.039
He's like, you know, if you would just Get over that whole spinning rod thing and learn to to finesse fish with a spinning rod, he goes, you'd be so much more dangerous.
00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:08.960
And I kind of took that to heart.
00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:16.720
And I have uh I think I own eight or nine now, and they make regular appearances.
00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:18.000
Heck yeah, dude.
00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:18.720
Yeah.
00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:19.119
Yeah.
00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:21.359
Matter of fact, go ahead.
00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:22.400
No, you go ahead.
00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:34.160
I was gonna say, matter of fact, the uh Chamber of Commerce tournament on Clear Lake that I won this year, I set my personal best five fish limit and two-day limit and caught a double digit, and that was all on a mina with a spinning rod.
00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:36.799
God, you got them on the train.
00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.359
Dominic had to just go and ruin it for everybody.
00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:40.240
Yeah, yeah.
00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:49.039
I had uh the the wife and I put up 40 and a half pounds on day one and 36 and a half pounds on day two and won it by over a six-pound margin.
00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:50.240
That doesn't suck.
00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:50.880
Not at all.
00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:52.960
It was pretty fantastic.
00:22:53.119 --> 00:23:01.359
Yeah, because it seems like anytime I open social and you guys have made some sort of post or like I talk to you over DMs, it's like, oh yeah, we had 30 something this day, 30 something that day.
00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:06.319
I don't think I think you're allergic to catching anything under 30 at this rate on Clear Lake.
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:10.720
Well, this year on Clear Lake for sure, the uh our average size has been climbing.
00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:19.279
We had a uh a fish kill in 2018, and the lake is on an upswing right now.
00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:26.319
So, like last year, if you were in a boat tournament, you had to hit 32 pounds if you even wanted a shot.
00:23:26.559 --> 00:23:31.759
Um, this year those fish are gone up to the next class, and this year it took 40 pounds.
00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:34.640
Like you had to hit 40 pounds if you wanted a shot.
00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:38.079
So those we had we had a tournament this year.
00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:39.920
Well, it's it's spring, yeah.
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:43.039
But we had a tournament this year that was one with 45 pounds.
00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:53.759
I looking at was it the the one bass in January, or was that the pro am in January, or maybe both, it might have been or over 40.
00:23:54.160 --> 00:23:55.839
Yeah, all over 40.
00:23:55.920 --> 00:24:01.519
Um, Chris Perez and Kent Simpson had the 45-pound bag in a BBT tournament this year.
00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:03.599
That is just it's pretty wild.
00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:05.680
Disgusting is what it is.
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:17.680
But the the thing with Clear Lake is like, you know, you get those massive bags in the springtime or in the winter on a lot of lakes around the country, but then when the summertime rolls around and those dog days, you know, that it dies quick.
00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:24.559
And Clear Lake this year, it has stayed like 30 to 35 pounds is what you need in the tournament right now.
00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:29.279
It it's impressive, is what it really comes down to.
00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:31.440
And especially looking at like the Skeet Reese tournament.
00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:37.920
And yeah, I have to keep giving him a shout-out just because I like to half rub it in, but also still just impressive.
00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:43.200
But Chad losing big bass by one like a tenth of an ounce or something ridiculous.
00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:44.079
Yeah, yeah.
00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:46.480
One one one hundredth of an ounce, I think is what it was.
00:24:46.640 --> 00:24:49.759
It was a nine a drop of water difference, yeah, for sure.
00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:52.960
You know, he caught a 12 and a half like three weeks ago, two weeks ago.
00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:55.839
Yeah, yeah, and posted on his story like it's nothing.
00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:57.440
Yeah, I'm like, dude, is this a PB?
00:24:57.839 --> 00:24:58.240
Nah.
00:24:58.319 --> 00:25:02.000
I'm like, you West Coast guys, get on my nerves a little bit.
00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:14.960
That weekend there was there was a 12 and a half and two at 11 and a half caught up there, and one of the 11 and a half was caught by a friend of mine who had uh 40 41.2 pounds for his best solo bag ever.
00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:16.400
And that's in the summer.
00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:19.359
Yeah, that was two two or three weeks ago.
00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:21.680
That is unbelievable.
00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:40.400
Yeah, uh do when it comes to fisheries like that where you know it's gonna take that much weight, and obviously it's it's not even just like every single fish out there is swimming around is eight plus pounds, because I mean anybody that obviously has fished out there, there's a very healthy population of two to three pounders.
00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:40.960
Oh, yeah.
00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:46.400
How does one how one how do you approach a tournament like that knowing it needs that weight?
00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:56.160
And then to add on that, what do you think is the biggest mistake people make going into a tournament like that when the caliber of fish is you know it's gonna take over 30.
00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:56.799
Yeah.
00:25:57.119 --> 00:25:57.519
All right.
00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:00.559
So we have the West Coast Championship coming up next weekend.
00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:02.799
So that's a this is a good lead-in for that.
00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:08.000
Um, it's uh you got guys that come from all over.
00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:10.960
We got guys from like six different states that show up for this tournament.
00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:23.920
As far as the biggest mistake, I think a lot of guys go out and they are looking for a key spot that holds the fish they need in one spot, and that's just not how it works most of the time.
00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:35.519
Um, so you get guys, they'll they'll run down a bank and they'll they'll hit a rock wall and they'll be cranking it with a you know DT10 or something, and they'll catch one big fish and they'll go, sweet, that's my spot.
00:26:35.680 --> 00:26:41.759
And then that's all they fish in the tournament, and that's just you got to cover water, um, especially in the summertime.
00:26:41.839 --> 00:26:44.240
In the wintertime when they do school up, yeah, sure.
00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:51.039
My 76 and a half pounds in that chamber tournament came from one spot two days in a row, and that's all I fished.
00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:55.119
Um, but that's not how it works in the rest of the year.
00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:58.480
You you have to cover water, you have to have backup locations.
00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:08.000
If it's a multi-day tournament, you better have backup ramps because generally I can take you right now to a spot that's gonna have, and and I'd almost put a paycheck on it.
00:27:08.160 --> 00:27:14.079
I could take you right now to one spot on Clear Lake and it's gonna have a group of fish that's probably 40 fish.
00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:15.519
Um, and that's great.
00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:19.039
And it sounds great when you only need five a day for a two-day tournament.
00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:26.480
But I know from having beat on those fish before that I'm gonna catch anywhere from two to about six, and that school's done.
00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:28.559
Like it's it's close, it's shut down.
00:27:28.720 --> 00:27:32.319
Yeah, it may fire back up the next day, it may not.
00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:35.599
So you need more than one of those spots to be able to run to.
00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:38.480
Um, I think that's what got Simon and the Bassmaster.
00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:40.720
I think Simon fished the same spot both days.
00:27:40.880 --> 00:27:45.519
So day two, he had a rougher time because he'd already burned those fish the first day.
00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:51.599
Um, whereas I fished two different, completely different ends of the lake in that tournament on day one and day two.
00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:55.119
So that's yeah, that's one of the big keys.
00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:57.440
Um, another one is people fish history.
00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:05.039
Um last year for the West Coast Championship, a bunch of the guys found a lot of success in one little spot on Clear Lake.
00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:08.079
Several of those guys are YouTubers and put up videos.
00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:12.480
I'll guarantee you next week there's probably 30 people in that area.
00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:18.240
Might work great, might not, but you can't you can't bet on that history.
00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:18.880
Yeah.
00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:28.640
Um, and I say that I do some YouTube stuff, and I haven't done anything this summer because of what I've been doing lately is so so unique.
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:29.359
Yeah.
00:28:29.599 --> 00:28:40.960
Um, so I have not put up any videos because I know people do watch my stuff to see where I'm at and they'll go there, whether it's a place that still is on and producing or not, you know, people will show up there.
00:28:41.119 --> 00:28:41.359
Yeah.
00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.519
And so I just I haven't put anything out.
00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:47.119
But I have so much time on Clear Lake.
00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:53.839
I was uh Dominic again, he was gonna come up the other day to fish, and he's like, if you send me waypoints, I'll come up and fish.
00:28:54.000 --> 00:29:01.680
And I said, honestly, I said, I said, you could tell me right now, you could pick the ramp, and I will stay within two miles of that ramp and I'll still put 30 pounds in the boat.
00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:04.160
Doesn't matter what part of the lake you send me to.
00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:09.119
But it's because of how much water I'm willing to cover.
00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:09.920
Right.
00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:13.279
I mean, that's that is a huge thing that I do.
00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:20.240
I run a torqued, I run multiple batteries in my torquedo, and I will I will burn bank like you would not believe.
00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:22.960
People that fish with me are like, dang, I can't, I can't fish that fast.
00:29:23.119 --> 00:29:24.319
Like, you need to slow down.
00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:29.680
Even on the boat, you know, I'm on I'm on like speed seven on the troll motor, just ripping down the bank.
00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:30.160
Yeah.
00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.119
And and it's because I know, you know, it's yeah, I could stop.
00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:37.200
There might be one spot that's got multiple fish, and I could stop and maybe pick them apart.
00:29:37.680 --> 00:29:43.279
But to me, in my opinion, I am better off moving and putting my bait in front of a fresh fish.
00:29:43.519 --> 00:29:49.039
And the more of those fresh fish I can get by bait in front of, the the better chance I have of putting more fish in the boat.
00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:51.200
So I that's why I power fish.
00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:54.480
Even with finesse techniques, I power fish.
00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:54.960
Yeah.
00:29:55.200 --> 00:30:01.359
Trial by numbers versus trying to find the sneakiest of the sneaky and yep, hope that you can get more.
00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:09.279
I don't I don't want to grind and slow down and and soak a Ned rig on the bottom or something like that to try and get a fish that that might eat.
00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:13.200
I want to I want to get in front of an actively feeding fish as much as possible.
00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:14.480
I I love that.
00:30:14.720 --> 00:30:20.480
And to your point too, on the the YouTube side, I never thought that.
00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:26.640
And because granted, I think I was a little bit jaded in when I do the YouTube stuff.
00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:37.599
A lot of people in our community here in New York, I think are just either one, they don't think to go where I've because I'll I'll show everything, you know, and still have successful tournaments and then have spots year after year to myself.
00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:45.599
But I think it was also a respect thing, too, that they like didn't think you know, like, oh that Bailey's fishing there, he's gonna be there, let's not go there.
00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:55.759
Type of I don't think it was as much that as much as I would like to think, but it was funny when I talked to Chad where I was like, Oh, hey, how's like the like fishing?
00:30:55.920 --> 00:30:58.400
Like after I, you know, we fished that event and went home.
00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:02.720
And he's like, dude, I've never seen so many people fish that spot you're at.
00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:07.839
I was like, I'm like, dude, there's no way it's because the videos he goes 100% because of your videos.
00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:12.000
He's like, because I asked somebody, and I'm like, well, that's just one that's crazy.
00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:16.000
But to your point, I think more people look at YouTube for that reason.
00:31:16.480 --> 00:31:20.079
Um, not that it's any discredit to them, because I look at YouTube for the same reason too.
00:31:20.160 --> 00:31:24.720
Like, there's a reason I watch the Bassmaster reruns before I go to Santee Cooper, it's for that exact reason.
00:31:24.880 --> 00:31:33.119
Uh well and I mean, not even like that somebody wants to burn your spot or anything, but like like one of the guides at Clear Lake, he's a friend of mine.
00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:34.960
Um, I posted a clip.
00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:36.240
I had Amanda out.
00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:38.160
I was teaching her how to fish a quickie.
00:31:38.240 --> 00:31:38.640
Yep.
00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:43.279
And it's a super recognizable spot.
00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:45.839
She caught several fish there.
00:31:45.920 --> 00:31:49.200
I mean, nothing giant, but I mean she had like some fours, a five.
00:31:49.440 --> 00:32:00.559
Um, and it was funny because the next day, my buddy that's a guide had his boat sitting there, and it's a set of poles, and he had his boat sitting beside the poles, and there was an earthquake.
00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:09.359
And so you see the poles shaking in the water, and that's seen that video, it went viral crazy, you know, and and it was funny because I hit up Zach and I said something to him, and he's like, Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:32:09.440 --> 00:32:17.279
I was there, and I was like, and I'm thinking, you know, did he go there because my clip the day before was of Amanda catching fish on the poles?
00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:24.880
I mean, it's a community whole, you know, everybody fishes it, but you know, it's that thought, it's like, man, who's watching and what are they doing with that information?
00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:25.839
Yeah.
00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:42.880
Uh it's it's been a couple run-ins now, especially at home, even just fun fishing, or I'll see people on stuff that I've recently been to, or somebody will they'll be on something because usually my videos are like almost a month ahead, and so I'll get a DM and they're like, Man, I tried to hit that spot that you were at recently.
00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:44.960
And I'm like, Well, man, because that's a month ago, bro.
00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:46.000
They're gone now.
00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:49.200
But it's it's just it's funny to see that correlation.
00:32:49.440 --> 00:33:03.759
But uh man, back back to the the conversation when it comes to uh an area like that where that somebody runs into and they find one fish, say say in your in your case, you catch a big one and it might look like a spot on a spot.
00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:09.119
How much longer are you giving it after that fact to see can I get two off of it?
00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:12.079
Or like are you just saying I got one and keep going?
00:33:12.480 --> 00:33:16.559
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00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:17.839
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00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:26.079
You load up the bed, you hook up the trailer, now you've got squat, sway, and that moment when the wind hits or a semi-passes you, and you tighten up on the wheel.
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00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:43.519
It depends on what I see on the screen.
00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:56.240
And and that's and it's scoping, but whether I mean whether it's I'm scoping with a technique like a minnow or whether it's I'm scoping just to see structure and lining up casts on grass lines or rock piles.
00:33:56.400 --> 00:34:00.720
Um, if I see active fish, I mean I'm I'm gonna definitely make more than one cast.
00:34:00.799 --> 00:34:11.199
Yeah, but I won't I won't screw around and spin, you know, let's say I see six fish and they're just huddled down a foot off the bottom, you know, and I'm throwing a bait to them and there's no reaction, I'm leaving.
00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:25.760
I'm not gonna sit there and and roll through six or seven baits and techniques and soaking a bait to see if they'll hit it dead sticked or drop into a a wacky rig Senko and you know 18 feet of water where you gotta sit there and eat a sandwich in between casts to make sure it gets to the bottom.
00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:27.440
You know, I'm not I just I'm not gonna do that.
00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:28.480
I'm gonna I'm gonna move.
00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:29.360
You're playing the end.
00:34:29.519 --> 00:34:33.280
And and and Clear Lake is such a good lake all over.
00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:39.760
I can bet that you know within within 200 yards, I'm gonna find something else.
00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:41.920
Yeah, love that.
00:34:42.239 --> 00:34:50.480
Dude, I mean that the area that I fish, granted, there were definitely big fish there because I dumped like a seven or an eight the first day.
00:34:50.800 --> 00:34:57.440
I really wish like I there was someone around me that had scope where I can just be like, hey, dude, can you just I'm just curious, can you just pan?
00:34:57.679 --> 00:34:58.400
I just want to look.
00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:03.440
I just want to see well, uh I can tell you that skeet reese tournament.
00:35:03.519 --> 00:35:05.599
There was two nines caught right there off that little point.
00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:07.119
Oh god, don't tell me that.
00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:08.000
Yeah, 100%.
00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:10.800
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:16.880
Uh Chad had told me something similar after the the tournament was all said and done because of course we went out finally.
00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:19.360
Like, you know, I go get to go see my and stay with my buddy.
00:35:19.519 --> 00:35:21.360
We can't talk about clear like the whole week.
00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:25.280
We finally got to fish together, you know, on his dock after the fact.
00:35:25.360 --> 00:35:27.760
And he was telling me all about how it's just like, oh yeah.
00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:30.719
I mean, he goes, he goes, it's a good thing I had a ramp right here at the house.
00:35:30.800 --> 00:35:32.480
It's literally two docks from that spot.
00:35:32.639 --> 00:35:36.239
Because he's like, he goes, that's a major player in a lot of these these events.
00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:38.079
And he's like, You wouldn't believe how many big fish are there?
00:35:38.159 --> 00:35:41.199
I'm like, don't tell me that because I'm sitting there envisioning it.
00:35:41.280 --> 00:35:45.840
And I'm like, I bet you it was a freaking 10-pounder right now, staring at me in the face, laughing at me.
00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:47.440
He goes, A DT, you joker?
00:35:47.599 --> 00:35:49.360
You're not gonna eat that thing.
00:35:49.760 --> 00:35:52.000
Uh it is a really good spot.
00:35:52.880 --> 00:35:54.239
Such a great fishery.
00:35:54.480 --> 00:36:06.400
Um and it's do you feel like that is well I want to preface this question with this is the people, it's just like Lake Fork, because I've been there a couple of times now.
00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:15.679
It gets all this glory because people see all the highlights and the best of the best posting up from there and the results, things like that.
00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:23.039
But you go to these lakes, and they're don't get me wrong, they're amazing, but they are a lot harder than people give them credit for.
00:36:23.599 --> 00:36:33.920
Do you think that with a place like Clear Lake and how it sets up and how difficult it actually is to catch fish and big fish often, that's why it's churning out so many good anglers from the West?
00:36:35.840 --> 00:36:40.320
I don't know that it contributes to that, but but you're right about any of the lakes.
00:36:40.639 --> 00:36:51.199
I mean, look at OH Ivy, you know, OH Ivy, Josh Jones goes down there and smashes Sherlunkers left and right, and then you have a tournament there, like a like a local club tournament there, and it takes 13 pounds to win.
00:36:51.360 --> 00:36:52.880
Um that's how Clear Lake is.
00:36:52.960 --> 00:37:05.119
Uh, if you look at any of the tournaments at Clear Lake, including the Bassbuster kayak series, yeah, I had uh I had over 200 inches to win that tournament, but you get halfway down in the standings, and man, people weren't even putting up limits on two days in a row.
00:37:05.280 --> 00:37:05.519
Yeah.
00:37:05.679 --> 00:37:07.039
Um, fork's the same way.
00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:10.480
My first two trips to Fork, this was boats back in the day.
00:37:10.559 --> 00:37:20.000
Um, I lived in New Orleans, I fished there a couple times a year, but uh my first two trips to Fork, I think we only caught a handful of decent bass in two trips.
00:37:20.239 --> 00:37:23.679
Now, once we figured it out, it was piece of cake.
00:37:23.920 --> 00:37:27.760
But that's that's how ClearLake is day in and day out, year round.
00:37:28.000 --> 00:37:34.800
You look at tournament standings in the top 10 guys, their their limits are like wow factor, and then it just dies.
00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:37.920
And it's like our evening tournaments.
00:37:38.000 --> 00:37:40.559
We do a Wednesday nighter up there, three fish limit.
00:37:40.639 --> 00:37:42.639
It's been taken 20.
00:37:43.039 --> 00:37:49.920
We had one that was one with 24, but anywhere from like 19 to 21 pounds is generally what wins for three fish.
00:37:50.159 --> 00:37:53.679
There's only 14 boats pretty much on average.
00:37:53.920 --> 00:37:59.920
The the bottom third, they won't have a limit, maybe won't maybe not even catch a fish.
00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:09.679
Yeah, it's it's like you said, you know, it it it shows out for those that know the lake, but if you don't know it and you're not on them, it's it's a brutal grind.
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:11.840
Yeah, it it's it's so true.
00:38:12.000 --> 00:38:17.360
Because like coming out of that clear lake event, our buddies back home were like, Wait, you got eighth?
00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:20.719
And I'm like, Yeah, and they're like, You didn't even touch 90 either day, and I'm like, No.
00:38:20.800 --> 00:38:23.840
And they're like, I thought clear lake was good, and I'm like, Y'all just don't get it.
00:38:23.920 --> 00:38:32.159
Like, the only lake that holds up to the the I guess the rapport of it in the south, especially, or any popular lake is Gunnarsville.
00:38:32.320 --> 00:38:36.000
Gunnersville, you can catch a pile of them everywhere doing whatever you want.
00:38:36.559 --> 00:38:40.079
Beyond that, it's like the north because you're dealing with dumb fish.
00:38:40.400 --> 00:38:42.079
Otherwise, you're exactly right.
00:38:42.159 --> 00:38:55.119
Like, I mean, dude, I think there was a seven or eight inch difference between me and seventh, and it's like it was a very, very steep drop off, and it's almost one where I just don't even like looking at the standings again because of just how bad you waxed the floor with us.
00:38:55.679 --> 00:38:57.599
Um, but it it's it's cool.
00:38:57.760 --> 00:39:10.000
I I it's when you look at it, it can be intimidating, but I look at it as uh it makes me almost respect the fishery and especially the anglers that know it even more because it's it's an admiration thing, too.
00:39:10.079 --> 00:39:16.239
It's like that's time, especially when you got up on stage and you were like, Yeah, I fish this place like three, four times a week.
00:39:16.400 --> 00:39:17.199
Like, this is home.
00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:19.519
I'm like, I looked at Blanchard, who was sitting next to me.
00:39:19.599 --> 00:39:21.280
I'm like, I didn't stand a chance.
00:39:21.360 --> 00:39:28.559
I you know, I I've tried to get Greg to fish with me so many times, and there's always something going on, and he's never made it not once.
00:39:28.719 --> 00:39:32.960
And that's every time we have a tournament where I went up there, he's like, Man, I should fish with you.
00:39:33.039 --> 00:39:34.639
I was like, I try.
00:39:35.119 --> 00:39:40.239
You gotta get on that dude, is one of the most stubborn, stuck in his ways angles I've ever met.
00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:41.440
Holy smokes.
00:39:41.679 --> 00:40:04.400
Then again, with Clear Lake, you can go behind anglers and still like me, I go behind anglers all the time and still feel comfortable catching fish, even though I fished behind Chad for probably an hour in the Skeet Reese tournament, going down a line at just this one area, and I probably caught seven or eight fish behind him.
00:40:04.480 --> 00:40:07.199
And he was he was less than a hundred yards in front of me.
00:40:07.360 --> 00:40:07.599
Yeah.
00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:12.800
Um, I fished a tournament the other day, or not a tournament, the last day before off limits for this West Coast Championship.
00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:20.639
I was up there and there was a tournament going, and this this two old guys in a boat were in front of me, and I pulled up and started fishing right behind him.
00:40:20.719 --> 00:40:23.039
And the guy turned around and he goes, You don't care about fishing behind us?
00:40:23.119 --> 00:40:24.639
I was like, brother, we ain't fishing for the same fish.
00:40:24.719 --> 00:40:25.519
And he's like, What do you mean?
00:40:25.679 --> 00:40:29.440
And I stuck one like seven pounds, and I was like, that's what I mean.
00:40:29.679 --> 00:40:34.400
Like, I'm looking at what you're doing, and I'm looking at what I'm doing, and we are not competing for the same fish.
00:40:34.639 --> 00:40:35.760
Yeah, that is amazing.
00:40:35.920 --> 00:40:39.440
That's such a dude, that's such a hard mindset to uh acquire there.
00:40:39.599 --> 00:40:40.400
That's tough.
00:40:41.119 --> 00:40:42.159
I don't always do it.
00:40:42.239 --> 00:40:47.119
If if I was on Caddo Lake, um, you know, I went down and fished the Bassmaster there here recently.
00:40:47.280 --> 00:40:50.639
Um, you know, if I'm on Caddo Lake, I'm probably not gonna fish behind somebody.
00:40:50.880 --> 00:40:55.360
You know, it's uh shallow grass fishery, power fishing.
00:40:55.440 --> 00:41:00.000
If the guy in front of me is throwing a chatterbait, I'm probably not gonna feel real comfortable going behind him with a chatterbait.
00:41:00.159 --> 00:41:02.800
Yeah on Clear Lake, I don't know.
00:41:02.880 --> 00:41:03.920
It's just it's different.
00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:08.079
You know, there's so many people like you, you know, like we just said, uh I know you like to throw cranks.
00:41:08.159 --> 00:41:09.440
I've seen you on the video cranking.
00:41:09.519 --> 00:41:12.159
I know you've fished the crank and the the bass master here.
00:41:12.400 --> 00:41:15.519
I would fish behind you in a heartbeat because I know I'm not gonna throw a crank.
00:41:15.599 --> 00:41:17.039
Well, yeah, yeah, this scrub, yeah.
00:41:17.119 --> 00:41:18.960
We're gonna catch all the fish behind this guy.
00:41:22.719 --> 00:41:24.639
It's just yeah, it's it's a different technique, you know.
00:41:24.719 --> 00:41:26.320
I yeah, I'm not gonna do that.
00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:28.800
I might be dragging a football jig behind you.
00:41:29.039 --> 00:41:37.519
Yeah, and that's just that's uh that is a a killer's mindset and a level of confidence that I think takes a lot to to get to.
00:41:37.599 --> 00:41:41.840
I don't think you're gonna have somebody off the rip that goes and does that knowingly anyway.
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:47.760
Um it's a learned thing because Clear Lake, as you saw, is always slammed with boats.
00:41:47.920 --> 00:41:48.400
Oh, yeah.
00:41:48.639 --> 00:41:51.119
You are always going to be behind somebody else.
00:41:51.360 --> 00:41:53.039
Yep, absolutely.
00:41:53.360 --> 00:41:55.039
Uh love that, dude.
00:41:55.199 --> 00:41:57.760
And there's so much more I could we could dig into here.
00:41:57.840 --> 00:42:00.719
We're gonna have to get you back on the show, but I want to be respectful of cognizant.
00:42:00.800 --> 00:42:03.039
I told you 30 minutes, we're already going up on 40.
00:42:03.199 --> 00:42:08.639
Uh, folks, this guy has a real, real important job, and I'm sitting here at my desk working from home for the day.
00:42:08.880 --> 00:42:11.599
Uh but dude, seriously, one, I appreciate the time.
00:42:11.679 --> 00:42:13.440
This was sick getting you on here, man.
00:42:13.599 --> 00:42:19.280
And more people need to know about you because like I said, respect needs to be be given where it's due.
00:42:19.519 --> 00:42:36.320
Um but dude, it's your first time on the pod, and the way we like to cap these shows off, we always like to ask this question to their their first first time on here is if you got to sit down with three different people, they could be alive a thousand years ago, live today, it doesn't have to be fishing.
00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:40.639
What three individuals would you invite to sit down, have a steak, and a beer, and pick their brain?
00:42:42.800 --> 00:42:43.760
Oh man.
00:42:45.039 --> 00:42:49.920
Doug Hannon could probably be one of the top bass professor.
00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:57.840
Um probably old Phil the duck commander, because I'm an avid duck hunter.
00:42:58.079 --> 00:42:58.880
Heck yeah.
00:42:59.199 --> 00:43:02.400
Um I've actually shared a blind with his son, but never him.
00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:03.199
Which one?
00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:04.800
Um Chase.
00:43:05.199 --> 00:43:05.519
Okay.
00:43:06.559 --> 00:43:08.960
Uh number three.
00:43:12.480 --> 00:43:13.280
Golly.
00:43:14.559 --> 00:43:15.840
I love these questions.
00:43:16.239 --> 00:43:18.480
Let's go with Brandon Polinek.
00:43:18.880 --> 00:43:20.000
Heck yeah, dude.
00:43:20.239 --> 00:43:27.519
I chatted with him at iCast and had a good time BSing over at the Yamaha booth, and uh, I think I would like to share a boat with that dude.
00:43:28.239 --> 00:43:33.920
Yeah, I mean, talk about technically another West Coast guy if you want to be you know specific here.
00:43:34.159 --> 00:43:42.880
Uh but I think of our time, one of the greatest from a mindset and strategy standpoint anglers that we've we've ever seen so far.
00:43:43.119 --> 00:43:46.480
Yeah, I tried to talk him into coming to Clear Lake, we'll see if it happens.
00:43:46.880 --> 00:43:50.719
He'd be dumb as for as much as he likes the big bait game and all that stuff.
00:43:50.960 --> 00:43:53.039
He'd be I feel like he'd fit in quite well.
00:43:53.119 --> 00:44:01.840
Uh we we have a tournament, we have a tournament coming up this next February that is during the offseason for a lot of those guys, and it was done that way on purpose.
00:44:02.079 --> 00:44:04.079
Um, I know Steve Kennedy's gonna be there.
00:44:04.159 --> 00:44:05.440
We'll see who else shows up.
00:44:05.679 --> 00:44:06.719
Oh, heck yeah, dude.
00:44:07.280 --> 00:44:10.480
It's another it's another big bass event, kind of like the Skeet Reese one.
00:44:10.639 --> 00:44:11.280
Heck yeah.
00:44:11.360 --> 00:44:15.119
So it's gonna be put on by uh Garrett and G-Rat Bates, they're running it up there.
00:44:15.280 --> 00:44:16.320
Okay, awesome.
00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:21.519
So, yeah, well, dude, that is the first time we've ever had the bass professor mentioned in it.
00:44:21.840 --> 00:44:22.559
Doug Hannon.
00:44:22.719 --> 00:44:26.239
And the first time, surprisingly, that ever anyone's ever said Phil.
00:44:26.559 --> 00:44:28.639
Ah, no, Phil Robertson.
00:44:28.719 --> 00:44:33.519
That's uh he'd be something to hear his stories, yeah.
00:44:33.920 --> 00:44:35.360
Yeah, for sure.
00:44:35.679 --> 00:44:39.119
Dude, that is one wise table you chose, that's for sure.
00:44:39.440 --> 00:44:40.000
Yeah.
00:44:40.239 --> 00:44:42.239
Uh but man, seriously, appreciate the time.
00:44:42.320 --> 00:44:42.880
This was awesome.
00:44:42.960 --> 00:44:48.159
And again, uh, we'll love to get you back on here and dive deeper into some more of the mindset and strategy and all that stuff.
00:44:48.239 --> 00:44:50.400
But uh we'll be keeping up with you, man.
00:44:50.480 --> 00:44:52.639
And uh good luck in the derbs coming up.
00:44:52.719 --> 00:44:54.159
I feel bad for everybody else.
00:44:54.239 --> 00:44:56.719
And uh just keep being you, man.
00:44:56.880 --> 00:44:57.360
Appreciate the time.
00:44:57.920 --> 00:44:59.039
I appreciate it, Bailey.
00:44:59.199 --> 00:45:00.960
All right, and that's gonna do it for today's show, guys.
00:45:01.119 --> 00:45:02.000
Uh, quick one.
00:45:02.159 --> 00:45:04.320
Uh, thank you to Matthew Brandon for joining us, guys.
00:45:04.400 --> 00:45:10.000
We are in Wisconsin, and uh, but that being said, we do have more shows coming for you guys.
00:45:10.159 --> 00:45:12.880
Don't worry, just because I'm out doesn't mean you're gonna miss next week.
00:45:13.039 --> 00:45:14.079
We have uh Mr.
00:45:14.159 --> 00:45:15.519
John Murray coming on the show.
00:45:15.599 --> 00:45:28.320
We have a real biology episode going next week, and I will be connecting to Starlink uh because actually my pal Jake Angeles and I, who are who are traveling together for this event this week, uh both have Starlink, so we'll be putting Starlink on the houseboat.
00:45:28.480 --> 00:45:38.079
And uh the house boat we're literally staying on the Wolf River, which is sick uh that we actually have like a houseboat on the river, and that's pretty snazzy, pretty cool.
00:45:38.239 --> 00:45:41.280
But I'm probably gonna start going down a rabbit hole, so I'm gonna stop myself here.
00:45:41.360 --> 00:45:42.639
Hopefully, you guys enjoyed today's episode.
00:45:42.719 --> 00:45:48.719
Please like, subscribe if you're watching on YouTube, leave a rating review if you're on podcasts, and we'll see y'all on Monday.
