Monster Hunt: Ledge Lunker BluesWritten by Originally published in Procats Online Magazine
Summertime angling for trophy-sized blue cats on huge reservoirs can be tough. Peer across an expansive lake and  sheer vastness will seemingly swallow you whole. Where do you start? Do you just go out and look around with a good locator and hope to see some arches and begin fishing? Based on past experiences you know two things. Sometimes you have to drift. Other times you’ll have to anchor. How do you know which to do first and what types of structure are you looking for that will hold big burly blue cats? Procat pro-staffer Jeff Williams ardently targets big blues on Truman Reservoir and Lake of Ozarks in Missouri. A lifetime of big-lake catfishing has taught him a thing or two about catfish behavior in reservoirs, and according to Jeff you can put more fish into boat if you learn a few keys to summertime blue cat location. Before we get into fishing part let’s look at two lakes Jeff fishes. Lake Ledges Many lakes around country have different bottom styles from sheer drops down into as much as 180 foot of water on canyon terrain reservoirs, to relatively shallow featureless bowls with subtle drops in depth. Not all lakes are built alike but trophy-sized blues behave in similar ways wherever they swim - especially when it comes to relating to same types of cover and depth according to season you are fishing. Ledge Blues While Jeff targets cats in a variety of situations during summer period, he reports that during warm-water post-spawn period, drift fishing is in his most productive pattern for most days on both lakes for numbers of fish. He looks for areas where bottom has subtle rises and drops going from just below and well above thermocline. “During hotter water period, thermocline is everything.” Jeff uses his locator to mark fish on gently sloping ledges with right depth before he deploys his baits and begins a drift. “You can find fish holding on steep ledges in summer but steep ledges are difficult to get right drift to stay in contact with numbers of fish. I prefer gentle rises and drops in a long diverse bottom contour area. Once you catch a few fish, make a note at what depth you’re catching them in. If you’re catchin’ fish in 16 foot of water around a 12 foot hump – you’d better find some more 16 foot of water to drift around in.” Why Drift During Summer Jeff anchor fishes ledges, flats, trenches, wood cover, and steep drops during most of year except during hot-water post-spawn period. Big blues will hold on specific cover part of time and roam around in tight areas looking for food before relocating during cooler months which allows him to set up on a good number of fish. He still has to look for fish with his finder during colder water periods but once he finds them, he can anchor up and fish a specific area. Jeff’s theory about blue cat metabolism may hold key to understanding why he does better while drift fishing during summer and opposite during cooler water period.
| | Beginner or Novice Golfers: Start with a "Pre-Owned" set of Golf Clubs Written by Ernie Horning
Beginner or Novice Golfers: Start with a "Pre-Owned" set of Golf Clubs As a beginner or novice golfer, you want to avoid expense of purchasing a "New" set of golf clubs, and concentrate your efforts on finding a good set of "Used" golf clubs (also know as "Pre-Owned".) Major golf club manufacturers introduce new lines of clubs almost every year. With yearly advances in golf club technology, many golfers regularly upgrade their existing golf sets in pursuit of improving their game and lowering their handicap. This leaves golf club market flooded with high quality, bargain sets of golf clubs. The trade-in market has become so huge, that a few major golf club manufacturers have launched their own sites to meet demand, like "Callaway Golf" (www.callawaygolfpreowned.com.) The question is where, and how, do you find best set of clubs for you? Online is a great place to start. You want to get a feel for market by comparing prices of "Pre-Owned" clubs offered by thousands of sites advertising sale of used clubs (Searching "Google" alone will bring up about 700,000 sites.) Surf a few sites and compare quality and prices of numerous club sets. While you are on internet, E-bay may also prove to be beneficial in searching for your set of used golf clubs. The selection and variety of clubs available changes daily, so you will have to keep a close watch to find best deal for your golf clubs. Also, you may want to look for a "Beginner" golf set, which usually consist of #3, #5, #7, and #9 irons. Beginner sets of clubs normally include a "Wood" or two, and a "Putter" as well. At this point in your golf career, you really don't need to purchase a "full" set of clubs. Mainly, because you may not be playing golf very long or very often. The best choice may even be a "Pre-Owned" beginner set of clubs. Don't confuse a set of "Beginner" golf clubs with "Kids" golf clubs, which come in smaller sizes and/or lengths for kids. If you feel like you are bending over too far to swing clubs, they are probably too short. You should be able to stand fairly straight, with your knees slightly bent, and your arms should hang freely as you grasp club.
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