Need pointers? Here’s some tips, tricks for catching fish

Here’s a handful of fishing tips and tricks from “Tips from Famous Fishermen” by Greg Breining and Dick Sternberg that might prove useful for anglers who might be having trouble with the catching.

Let’s begin with breaking in buzzbaits by Penny Berryman: “Many bass anglers find that one buzzbait catches more than all their others — even those that seem identical. Chances are, the bait that works so well is old and beat up. The wear and tear on the prop pivot holes cause it to make more noise than a new lure, and that noise attracts bass. Here’s a simple way to break in your new buzzbaits so they make as much noise and catch as many fish as the old ones do. Remove the prop and drive the tip of a square masonry nail into the pivot holes to make them square. Reassemble the lure. The larger, square holes will make the blade rattle on the shaft.”

Another tip worth considering is don’t cross their eyes by Mark Sosin: “It’s widely believed that the best way to set the hook is to jerk the rod as hard as you can and “cross their eyes.” A solid hook set will catch more fish, but there’s a better way to sink the hooks than jerking wildly, especially if you’re using Jean Wilson mono line. If you have any slack in your line, a fast jerk of the rod will exert practically no force at the end of the line. If you find this hard to believe, try the following experiment. Tie a swivel to your line and have someone squeeze it between his fingers. With the rod in your hand, back off about 50 feet. Let out a little extra line and then jerk as hard as you can. Chances are you won’t pull the swivel from your partner’s fingers. Because of the slack and the stretch of monofilament, surprisingly little force is transmitted. Here’s a better way to get a powerful hook set. When you feel a bite, point your rod at the fish and immediately reel up slack until you feel weight. Then, set the hook with a quick snap of the wrists. Although this hook-setting method is much less spectacular, it transmits considerably more force for driving in the hooks.”

Fishing a worm beneath a bobber is one of the general purpose tips for anyone fishing with live bait that suggests, “If you’re fishing a nightcrawler with a slip-sinker, hook it once through the head so it trails behind the hook. But don’t hook it this way when you bobber-fish because the worm will dangle vertically. You’ll miss strikes, and fish will steal your bait. Here’s a better way to hook your worm when bobber fishing. Hook the worm twice through the middle when suspending it below a bobber. This way, you’re more likely to hook a fish that doesn’t suck in the entire worm.”

Keep crawlers lively is a good one that suggests worms need to be kept in something other than a thick Styrofoam container that allows them to get limp and lifeless on a warm day. If they get too hot, they’ll die. Here’s a way to keep worms lively even in the hottest weather. Put a few ice cubes in a small resealable plastic bag and bury it in the bedding. The worms will stay cool for hours. Without the bag, the melting ice cubes would make the bedding too soggy. This will be good to put to work when we are at the youth fishing clinic the end of April at Mittry Lake.

Another tip about worms that could come in real handy is bring the worms to you. To attract worms and keep them in a spot where they are easily gathered, make a worm bed. Place several inches of matted straw over dirt you have loosened and turned with a garden fork. Keep the straw moist to draw worms. This is worth doing in our Yuma climate especially in the summertime.

Fishing clubs

• Desert Bass Anglers “the fun way to fish”: 35 boats got into the competition at the latest tournament with a share of not-too-shabby results to show for the anglers efforts that began with Robbie Ballew, fishing by himself, taking the top spot with his 23.12 pound total weight of bass followed by the team of Keith Lute/Ricky Stewart taking second place with 21.44. Gary Key, fishing with Charles Stankovich weighed in 17.56 to take third place followed by Billy Skinner/Allen Blackman taking fourth place with 16.47. Enjoying big fish honors were number 1 Keith Lute/Ricky Stewart with a 7.55-pound largemouth with the number 2 spot enjoyed by Gary Key/Charles Stankovich with a 7.23 pounder. The junk fish option was taken by Carl Beach/Greg Johnson with a 1.44 striper. Get in on the next tournament April 1 at Mittry Lake. For details, call Mac or Bobbi McDermott at 726-1984.

• ABA American Bass — Yuma division: I’ll report results from Saturday’s Mittry Madness at Mittry Lake as soon as I get them. If you haven’t fished the Yuma area ABA tournaments, it’s not too late, call Jeff Woods at (952) 824-0553 for information on becoming member and get signed up.

• Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club: Hope you got to enjoy Saturday’s open bass derby, with a 5-fish limit, held by the club. Clint Fraser 580-3231, who, along with Danny Woods 448-8476, co-chairmen of the club fishing events, reports there were a total of 115 fish weighed in during the competition with Joe Mayerchik and Jack Cotten capturing first place with 17.42 followed by Dustin Covey/Brandon Phipps taking second place with 17.19 with the team of Tyler Shaddy/Steven Laurel in third place with 16.33. Big fish honors was enjoyed by the team of Bob La Londe/Anthony Jackson with their 7.0 pound bass. The 2-pound pot was won by the team of Logen Walker/Bryce Drake with 2.06 pounds. Call Clint at 580-3231 or Danny at 448-8476 with questions. Attend the April 5 club meeting, open to anyone interested in hunting, fishing or wildlife conservation, at American Legion Post 19, 2575 S. Virginia Drive, at 7 p.m. to hear about other fishing events, including the April 8 IRS bass derby on the Colorado River and the April 29 youth fishing clinic at Mittry Lake as well as ongoing waterhole projects, latest hunter safety education reports and news of hunting events to name a few. A reasonably priced dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. prior to the business meeting. Be sure to check out the club table at the Yuma County Fair between April 4-9 — watch for details next week or call Doug Beach at 446-1122.

• Yuma Draw-Series/Pro-Am Bass Club: Call Manuel Garcia at 210-0043 to learn what they have to offer.

• Yuma’s High School Bass Fishing Club: A great way for any youngster to learn all about fishing for bass. Members of both the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club and Desert Bass Anglers assist the kids in providing boats and equipment as well as guide the youngsters, both guys and gals, in gaining a good share of fishing know-hows. Call Terry Hurt, school sponsor, at 580-6567 or visit StudentAnglerFoundation.com to get started. Any interested high school student can be a part of the next generation of anglers at Fisher’s Landing/Martinez Lake.

Shooting sports

• Yuma 4-H Shooting Sports: If you have a youngster who is either a member of 4-H or interested in being a part of a 4-H club in order to get into their shooting sports program beginning again in September, call the 4-H office in Yuma at 726-3904 or Stanley Gourley at 344-0740 to learn what they offer.

• Renegade Archers of Yuma: If your family might like to learn all about shooting archery from the beginning, call me at 247-4450 or Kevin Wilson at 726-0953 so we can get together at the Foothills Archery range for shooting fun and great practice. The practice range is also open daylight hours all week for your much-needed practice and enjoy- ment. There will be a 3D javelina trail set-up to shoot 9 a.m. Sundays, open to one and all. Shoot fees are $3 adult with youngsters of all ages free. Call the Wilsons for directions to the range or answers to questions.

• Yuma Trap and Skeet Club: Anyone interested in trap and skeet can shoot 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Adair Park. Call Bob Avila at 910-0622. Youngsters in school who might be interested in getting together with the scholastic clay target program with the Yuma Young Guns can call head coach H. McNutt at 580-0918. There will be SCPT practice at 6 p.m. today and March 28 at the range.

• Yuma Territorial Longrifles Club: Open black powder matches at the Adair Park range, 1st and 3rd Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. .22 matches held the 1st Tuesday as well. Call Roger Bickel at 726-7453.

• Cholla Gun Club: Offers a full schedule of shooting at the Adair Park metallic silhouette range, all open to the public with instructions available upon need. Call Rick Kelley at (928) 502-0736.

• High Power Rifle and Pistol Club of Yuma: The club will be busy hosting an NRA conventional pistol match on April 8, the across the course match April 9, and vintage service rifle matches April 15, all beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Adair Park big bore range. For details, call Joseph Murek at 627-4556, Paul Lerma at 580-7456 or Gerald Brooker at 349-1311. Visit the club website at hprifleyuma.com.

• Yuma Matchmasters: A variety of matches are offered at the Adair Park small bore range, all open to shooters with 7 a.m. sign-up, shooting at 7:30 a.m. that includes the steel challenge the 1st Saturday, multi-gun matches the 1st Sunday, IPSC combat matches the 2nd Sunday with the SASS cowboy matches the 4th Sunday. Call Larry Wiles at 920-2157 or Irene Snyder at (920) 613-4598 if you are interested.

• Southwest Bowhunters Archery Club: Archery is offered on Sundays with their practice range also open all week. Call Keith Parsels at 7821097.

Contact Jean Wilson at jeanrenegade@ gmail.com or call 247-4450.