Reel Chat with STEVE KENNEDY
– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Hello, FLW fishing fans. Welcome to FLW Live Reel Chat, the latest interactive feature on FLWOutdoors.com. Joining us today is Wal-Mart FLW Tour pro Steve Kennedy, winner of the 2006 FLW Tour event on Kentucky Lake this month. As a two-time FLW Tour title holder, Kennedy currently boasts over $475,000 in career earnings in FLW Outdoors-related events since 1995. Kennedy’s most recent accomplishment includes his $100,000 win at Kentucky Lake, which gives him two such FLW titles on the same body of water in a three-year span. In total, Kennedy has notched an amazing 25 top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors-related events – including five first-place finishes at Wal-Mart BFL events – in his career.
– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Throughout the next 30 minutes or so, Steve Kennedy is here to chat about the thrill of winning the 2006 FLW Tour Kentucky Lake event, life as a competitive bass angler and just about anything else you might want to ask him. So fire away, fishing fans. Steve is eagerly awaiting your questions.
Q: Great job at Kentucky! What are your go-to baits when the weather gets hot, and why? And how do you think barometric pressure affects fishing?
— Kenneth Shaw (Caledonia, Miss.)
A: In the summer I’m typically fishing a big crankbait or a Carolina rig – just started learning how to fish a football jig. I like the citrus-shad color – chartreuse with a blue back. Barometric pressure definitely affects the fish, but I don’t really follow it too closely. You can typically tell when it’s falling because the fish usually bite better. But in the summer, the fish are usually deeper and aren’t as affected by the barometric pressure.
Q: I know you won the Kentcky Lake event fishing the drops. What do you look for on your electronics to let you know a particular area will be good ?
— Vance McRoy (Philpot, Ky.)
A: You can’t pull up on a spot using just your electronics and guarantee that you’ll catch fish. For me, I’m looking for a hard drop into deeper water and a place that transitions to a flat. I really like to fish that type of structure. I’ll practice dragging a Carolina rig along the drop, drifting with the wind or by letting the current take you along. Any kinds of cuts in the ledge are key places because that’s where the fish will stack up.
Q: Do darker colored baits work better on clear days and when fishing in clear water, or do you want to employ lighter colored baits (like white and chartreuse) when fishing in these conditions?
— John Stebbins (San Diego, Calif.)
A: I think in clear water, I’d try to use natural colors – green-pumpkin, black and brown. If they’re feeding on baitfish, I might use a white fluke as well.
Q: I’m going fishing in Canada and will be around a lot of deep, clear glacier lakes. What type of structure should I look for to target bass? Also, what type of lures and baits would you recommend?
— Jon Pageler (Napa Valley, Calif.)
A: I would start out by looking for bigger rocks and rock piles. If there is grass available, I’d target that as well.
Q: Someday I’d love to fish on the FLW Tour. What is the best advice you can give me to achieve my goal. I’m a relatively novice angler at this point.
— Joe Druskin (Minneapolis, Minn.)
A: There’s no substitute for time on the water. Fish as much as you can and with as many different people as you can. I fished as a co-angler from 1992 to 2000, so I had plenty of practice before I went to the pro side. Experience is important.
Q: Mr. Kennedy, I am an avid Kentucky Lake angler, and I am wondering if there is something different about those ledges you fished here that makes them more appealing to larger bass. What is your ideal drop-off?
— Luke Anderson (Benton, Ky.)
A: The key to the places I’m fishing on Kentucky Lake – they’re places with a hard bottom and chunk rock. When you find it, there’s usually a bite there. The key is the hard bottom with typically no wood. The fish really like those jigs dragging along the bottom. Once you find that line on your GPS, I’ll catch five fish on five casts.
Q: I possibly will be fishing the Big O in Florida next year. I know the mats are possible patterns. Can you give advice on equipment, line, etc.?
— Chris (H.S., Ark.)
A: A 7 1/2-foot flipping stick with heavy action is the way I’d go for a rod. I’d also use a minimum of 65-pound braided line, although you could use monofilament line as well. You have to have at least a 1-ounce weight, if not a 1 3/4-ounce weight, to get through those mats. Typically, those fish like small baits – like a BB Cricket.
Q: Hello, Steve, and congratulations on your win. My question is, you had said that you were using a GP Hula grub, fishing ledges … where?
— Darrin (Woodlawn, Tenn.)
A: I had five or six spots out there – all between the dam and the bridge. I have a tournament coming up there in a few weeks, so I don’t want to get too specific. Some were at the mouths of major creeks, and some were out on ledge in pretty much the middle of the lake.
Q: How differently do you have to fish (techniques, baits, etc.) when targeting largemouth bass versus smallmouth bass? Or are they pretty similar fish as far as their habits and bait preferences go?
— Eric Holmes (New York , N.Y.)
A: They are definitely different fish. With smallmouth, you typically have to downsize. Most smallmouths are feeding on crayfish as well. I think of smallmouths as typically being deeper. And I usually target those fish with a tube or small-profile jig. Largemouth bass are typically more shallow and relate more to their cover. Crankbaits and Carolina rigs are some of my favorite ways to fish for largemouths.
Q: If you would give one suggestion to a new FLW boater competing against the pros for the first time, what would you recommend as far as handling the stress and pressure?
— Keith (Hendersonville, Tenn.)
A: Just go fishing. I remember going to the meetings and seeing all of the big names, and you definitely get starstruck to a certain extent. But you have to put that out of your mind and just go fishing. Have a good time and concentrate on your fishing. That will make it a lot easier.
Q: I went fishing today and didn’t get a bite. What’s best to throw when fish are in this mode? I threw several lures, and there was no current at all. This is a Tennessee river system.
— Paul (Signal Mountain, Tenn.)
A: If you go all day without a bite, you’re typically fishing too shallow. It’s hard to catch fish just going down the bank if they’re out in deeper water. Typically, I’d move out deeper and target points and cuts in ledges.
Q: I’ve noticed there are a bunch of different colors of fishing line on the market today. Also, I’ve seen plenty of different colored fish hooks – even red! Do these colors really make a huge difference in catching fish?
— Bill Petersen (Madison, Wis.)
A: I won’t say they make a huge difference, but color as a general rule does make a difference in fishing. When I’m out there practicing, I’m trying to determine what type of colors the fish want. Finding the right color is key. Occassionally, for example, I’ll throw a red hook on a crankbait.
Q: Do you have any tips for co-anglers when fishing during a tournament setting? What equipment should co-anglers bring, and how should they relate to their respective pro partner from a fishing-etiquette standpoint?
— Tim Halverson (Billings, Mont.)
A: The type of equipment depends a lot on the type of lake you’re fishing. But to me, the best co-anglers don’t typically try to catch the same fish as the pros. The better co-anglers are throwing out in different directions and using baits that are different from the pros. A lot of the co-anglers are as good as the pros out there, so there are plenty of pros who learn things from the co-anglers as well.
Q: Steve, congrats on the big win. I am a big fan of Kentucky and Barkley lakes. In my opinion, they are some of the best in the country. I was wondering what effect current played on you catching the fish. I assume you were on the north end of the lake, which naturally has a bit more current, but could you tell a difference in the bite when the current shut down? Thanks and best wishes for the rest of the season.
— Zach Kirby (Hinesville, Ga.)
A: Typically the Tennessee River has more current than most lakes we fish. You can pull up on those spots when there is current, and you can catch 100 fish in a day, almost on every cast. But you can come back to the same spot, and if there isn’t any current, you’d be lucky to catch fish at all. But during this last tournament on Kentucky Lake, I didn’t spend too much time worrying about the current. I was able to catch fish pretty much all day because I knew where they were holding.
Q: What is your favorite technique to catch bass?
— Bill Mague (New Orleans, La.)
A: I grew up fishing a crankbait and Carolina rig. The crankbait is one of my favorites, but it’s a lot of work. Trick worms and Kinami Flash – Senko-style baits – skipping it under docks or over hanging trees; that’s probably my favorite bait.
Q: What is your go-to lure in tough conditions?
— Steve (Lagrange, Ohio)
A: I probably would have to say a Kinami Flash. There’s just something about the way it falls. It triggers bites when a lot of other baits aren’t working. It’s the best bait I’ve ever seen for just catching fish.
Q: When it’s early in the season and the water is still cold, what are the best places, like structure or cover, to target bass?
— Wes Lofgren (Chicago, Ill.)
A: Typically, early in the spring, when the water is still cold, I’ll target the backs of the creeks because they warm the earliest. I’ll typically go to the back of creeks and throw a flat-sided crankbait. There will also be a pretty good jig bite up to about 58 degrees.
Q: You described fishing the drops as looking for a hard drop into deeper water and a place that transitions to a flat. What exactly is a hard drop? Is that a rocky bottom drop-off of a few feet, or is that a rapid depth change from a certain depth ( 6, 8, 10 feet) to very deep water? That is a very tough thing to figure out when an angler first attempts to get off the bank and learn deeper summer patterns.
— Steve G. (Lebanon, Tenn.)
A: It’s a rapid change of depth that I’m looking for. I’m looking for a 45-degree break or even flatter. The fish will move up over the flats to feed, but they’ll be suspending off the edge and will be in deeper water if they’re not feeding. Basically, when you’re fishing a ledge, you want deeper water nearby. If you’re fishing in 15 feet, you want a drop-off of 25 or 30 feet nearby.
– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have today. Steve wanted to thank the fans again for coming out and participating in his chat. He wishes everyone well and hopes to see you along the tour this year.
– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Tune in for the next FLW Live Reel Chat. You can bet we’ll have another compelling pro on deck to answer all of your questions.