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Today’s Top 3

Testing out this 3-day a week schedule for the hunting season. Let me know how you like it, good or bad.

1. Your next gig? HS bassin’ coach.

Would you do a triple- or quadruple-take if you saw this in the employment section: “High school bass fishing coach wanted. Paid position.” Dang!

> The Trigg County (KY) School High School will have a bass fishing coach to go along with their fishing team….

> Trigg County School Superintendent Travis Hamby said the coach will get a $1,500 stipend…the stipend may be split if there ends up being more than one person with coaching duties.

2. Back when I started on the circuit, gas was 30 cents a gallon, you could stay in a motel for $20 a night, eat a good meal for $4 and entry fee to one of the big tournaments was $400.

– The one and only David Fritts. Also said:

> “It takes so much more to fish professionally now. I would advise anybody, if that’s their passion, to give it a shot, but it’s not going to be easy. If you’re not 500% committed, it’s just too much of a challenge.”

> “I remember when I started, I had saved up $40,000 because I wanted to do it so badly. In 1989, all my money was gone, I’d fished all year and hadn’t earned a cent. I made up my mind to quit but decided to give it one more shot. All of a sudden,” he said, “I won two tournaments in a row and from then on, I’ve been going full speed.”

3. Asian carp solution: the herp?!

Uh, yeah…. The carps, they frisky:

> Hundreds or thousands of fish died in Brookville Lake (IN) this fall as a result of koi herpes virus, or KHV, Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday.

> Purdue University’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory tested carp found in the lake and discovered the virus. The virus affects common carp and koi.

Did they get it from this nut-job?

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Tip of the Day

George Cochran: Fishing for bay bass.

> At this time of year, many people think the water’s too cold to fish topwater lures and minnow baits. When the water temperature is 47-48 degrees, I still can catch plenty of bass in the middle of the day on the Strike King Spit-N-King.

> My favorite bait is the Strike King Wild Shiner in white or shad. This lure can be deadly effective in the middle of bays and above creek channels. I make long casts, rip the Wild Shiner down, twitch it, stop it and let it sit still. Then I’ll rip it about 5 more feet, stop it, twitch it and allow it to sit still.

> Most people don’t understand that during December the Wild Shiner can be a search bait. This is my go-to bait when the bass are holding in the middles of bays.

> When the bass are feeding in the middles of bays during December, and they don’t want baits with continuous wobbles like a crankbait or a bait with a lot of flash and movement like a spinnerbait, the Wild Shiner is the bait of choice.

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Quote of the Day

I still use a lot of my old electronics. I have Hummingbird and Lorance flashers I still use.

– Fritts, from the above interview. Bet he could still whip us all in a derby….

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Shot of the Day

Yep, I’m a bassin’ dork. Lovin’ it. iPhone 4 cover from the cool folks at FishingForward. Firetiger baby!

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