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Cleve Worthington- Vermont FROG fishing Updates for
2010
Team "SharkBait"
Email : Cleve Worthington
| Dear Captain Ken, The older I get, the more busy life seems to be? Correct me if
I`m wrong. I`ve been wanting to get back with you, but this has to be the busiest season
yet. I had a week taking 23 boys around doing Jiu-jitsu, climbing, shooting, basketball
etc.. for the High Adventure part of Scout Camp (blew my knee out on top of it all
playing). Plus each week has been cram packed with wall to wall work. The big jump Team
Shark Bait thought that they were going to have on the early season Bassing has come and
gone. Luckily though, it has not really been good fishing weather. We have had a strange
Spring, and start to Summer. In April, we had two weeks of hot summer like weather, just
after all the ice was completely melted, in the nineties. Great for early season spawning.
All of the tad poles started to come out, the leaves were out early, and then, bam, first
week of May we had two feet of snow. I think we lost some Frogs and other things that came
out too early. Less than ten days later we had another foot of snow, the last of the
seson. Since then, it has been mostly cooler, with lots of rain. An occassional sunny
afternoon. Not really the primest Bassing conditions. The best day in the last two weeks
was today, which we took full advantage of. We stopped fishing in order to come home
because I`m so pumped to share today`s story with you. Team Shark Bait has only been able
to get out on two occassions so far this season, but as you will see, experience and Bass
Frogs equal success!
VERMONT FROGMEN BASS FISHING CHRONICLES 2010 - TEAM SHARK
BAIT |
Vermont FROG Fishing Update 7/3/10
........High
Plains Drifter.
Today was the first really nice day in over two weeks (albeit a little windy), and our
first chance to get away since our last time out. It was my 5 year old daughters turn to
go Bassin` with Team Shark Bait. With not much time to spare, and Sephora in mind, we
decided to stay local and go to a place located high in the north central mountains snow
belt on one of the most scenic roads of Vermont; a small and beautiful heavily fished
place called Belvidere Pond. Rumours from years ago abound about lots of big LargeMouth
Bass. There are SmallMouths too, but the last Bass we saw was a 3 lb. LargeMouth Jed
caught almost 3 years ago. Too much fishing pressure, with inadequate catch & release
practises have allowed the Pickeral and Pike to take over mostly, with only the smartest
few trophy Bass remaining. We believe we missed a couple of these by chance last season.
Certainly we were going for the quick action of all the 1-5 lb. Pickerel & Pike.
As we put into the water, my daughter was so excited, but the wind gusts were blowing
so strong that it was hard to row. Oh well we thought, wind makes top-water Frog fishing
difficult, but not impossible. We spent the next two hours struggling to stay put as we
fished the pads and scrub in a back corner. It was very hard to connect with any fish on a
windy day like this, but Jed, Sephora, and I were having fun just the same. One amazing
high light was when Jed had cast Willy Wonka (w/a borrowed pair of pants) about a 100 feet
out near a small scrub bush in the middle of the water. Instantly a Pike smashes at him,
and Jed continues to retrieve Wonka, only the wind blows his line into the bush so as he
pulls his rod back, Willy comes up out of the water about six inches hanging there. This
is little deterrant to a viscious 3 lb. Northern, who instead thinks the dinner bell is
just ringing on the bush instead of in the water, and launches himself in the air trying
to grab the Frog. The wind is so strong though that he misses Willy Wonka, and is blown
crashing into the bush and back into the water with a huge splash! It was both exciting
and hilarious at the same time. Just when you thought you`d seen it all.
I was teaching Sephora how to Be the Frog. Casting my Red Eyed Jungle Tree Frog way
out, and allowing her to practice bringing it home through all the pads and grasses. She
thought this was simply amazing, laughing and giggling w/ the Frog the whole time. As I
was casting farther and farther each time with the wind, I realised that we could use this
to our advantage.
On the way home, we went out into the middle of this cove, leaving the anchor down so
as not to drift too fast, and started to cast with the wind in our favour. I was reaching
distances of about 150 - 200 feet. We were just about to call it quits. Jed had stirred
something big by a fallen tree, as we saw the wake it left. But it was a no show. It was a
little after noon, and the light was gorgeous and bright. I was telling Jed that there
were probably still some 'footballs' left in here. I cast as hard and far as I could ahead
of our drift into the thickest lily pads near a small outcropping. I figure I was close to
200 ft. out. The wind being behind me kept the slack line tight. I reeled my Frog in two
times, and then caboom! a huge top-water hit as my Frog completely disappears in the maw
of a monster! This High Plains Drifter had just met his destiny at a little past High
Noon! Let the battle begin. Can you imagine having that much line out on a monster in the
pads? I cranked on my rod with everything I had to set the hook. The first time we saw the
fish surface as he was ripping through the lily pads, Jed almost died. "Oh my gosh
Dad, it`s a huge Bass!" My daughter starts squealing in the front of the boat at the
top of her lungs, and Jed and I are going crazy. My rod is all over the place as I`m
trying to keep him off of the bottom. Finally, we get him into the net. Yeeaahh Baby!!
We`re screaming and high fivin` all across the pond, while some other people in a canoe
are looking for the mushroom clouds.
This LargeMouth Bass is definately a fat northern Vermont Trophy sized football! (See
Photos) At 6 pounds, we figured that with such a short growing season up here, he must be
a least 10-12 years old. He`s probably seen every lure there is over the years except the
very best there is....I was struggling to name my newest Frog, until now that is. My last
big Bass I caught wasn`t quite as big, and was landed in the dark with the help of a Sith
Lord by one of my other Frogs, Darth Bane. Since this Bass was bigger, was caught in the
bright noon day light with the help of a Jedi Master, this green Frogs name could only be,
"Master Yoda", or Yoda.
I attribute our succes on this one not only to Yoda, but also to the fact that because
the cast was so far out ahead of our concentric rings with the wind, this wise old Bass
had no idea we were anywhere nearby, and was confident in a tasty 'green' morsel for
lunch. Yoda showed him the true meaning of a Jedi Mind Trick. May the force be with
you...Be the Frog!! ....
Well Ken, I hope you`ve enjoyed these Frogmen Chronicles. As you can see, this is just
a taste of what the rest of the season will be like.
Your Friends,
Cleve & Team SharkBait |
| Vermont FROG Fishing Up-Date 6/11-6/12, 2010
...Of
Annacondas, Slow Retrievals, and Tasty Pants
Welcome to the 2010 Vermont Frog Bass Fishing Season. As the saying goes,
"Gentlemen, start your engines!"
Team Shark Bait got its first time out together on the water this past weekend. From
noon on Friday, until noon on Saturday, with a break to eat and sleep in between. We
started out our Team Shark Bait Tour De Force this year Frog Bassing in two different
ponds located in the mid-western quadrant of the state. Friday we fished in rare, calm,
beautiful sunny weather at Monkton Pond. Heavily vegetated, with thick swaths of lily
pads, it looked to be ideal. My son Zak would be Bassin` with Team Member 'Demon', a Deep
Jungle Tree Frog. Jed would be Bassin` with his new Custom Elite Ornate Designer Bass Frog
that Captain Ken made specially for him; a "Candy Bananna Tree Frog." I would be
using my own new Ornate Frog Capt. made for me; a Red Eyed Jungle Tree Frog.
As we arrived at the first lily pads on this perfect day, Jed couldn`t wait to cast
another second. As soon as his Frog hit the water, bam!, a strike, although he misses his
first connection. "I think that this is going to be a good Frog Dad." Little did
he know how prophetic those words would be. Within minutes as we glided silently along,
Jed`s Frog is completely hammered by a Northern Pike that comes completely out of the
water trying to grab his piece of 'Candy'. The Pike gets it, and Jed scores his first
catch of the season. (See Photo)
 
The day progressed with continued action by Northern Pike. Where were the Bass though?
Finally, at the end of the afternoon, Zak placed Demon on just the right spot, and landed
the first Large Mouth Bass.(See Photo) But something still didn`t seem right? As we
rounded the bend on one corner of the pond, we spotted something that made our hearts stop
ahead in the weeds. In about six feet of water, swimming back and forth, was an apparent
7-10 pound Bass. We had all we could do to keep quiet as we prepared our strategy to land
this monster. Visions of State records were swarming in our heads. Jed`s Frog was chosen
as the weapon. The first pass didn`t connect, nor the second, but on the third one when we
had lost all hope....Jed`s med/light 7` pole was instantly taken down to the gunnels as he
set the hook on this beast. "Dad I can`t reel in at all!" We could see the line
spinning around in circles in the weeds on the bottom. "Keep the pressure on him son,
you`ve got him hooked good", I said. Team Shark Bait went into action as we brought
the boat to the fish, and readied the net. It took all of Jed`s strength to get this thing
off of the bottom, and of course we`re just screaming our heads off we`re so pumped with
adrenalin. The weeds were so thick we were only getting glimpses of the fish, until we
finally landed him in the net. Wait a minute here, wait a minute...this thing is really
long...and has a mouth full of huge teeth? Oh my gosh, it`s a huge Snake Fish!!! or
Bowfin. (See Photo) A nine pounder! What the heck are these things doing in here? In the
water from a distance they can look similar to a Bass, especially if that`s what you`re
hunting for. No wonder there`s something up with the Bass here when you have these
Annacondas on the loose. The Bass are hiding for their lives. These things were originally
brought in to Lake Champlain years ago to help with the
Zebra Mussel problem, but unfortunately took off too well, and are notorious predators
on all species of game fish. A Snake Fish this size would rip apart a 1-4 pound Bass in
seconds. They are a terrible tasting species from somewhere over in the jungles of the
Orient. After we took some photos, as responsible fisherman, we disposed of it.
Luckily,for the love of our Designer BassFrogs, we had anticipated such an encounter(w/ a
great Northern Pike though we thought), and tied them in to our 20 lb. test Pro-Line with
a short 65 lb. test Pro-Line leader, and were therfore able to land this thing without
loosing it or the Frog.
 
We drifted into happy hour, understanding the dynamics of this pond much better.
Realising that the Bass were staying as hidden on the bottom as possible, we shifted our
technique to extemely slow retrievel, leaving the Frogs sit in one place for a while
before moving them again. This proved to be the magic as the Bass didn`t have to chase
their meal far from their 'fox holes', and through the evening we were able to hook up
with some nice 2-3 lb. average Vt. LargeMouth Bass! (See Photos)
 
On Saturday, the next morning in typical Vt. fashion, the weather changed, and it was
pouring rain in segments. Undeterred, Team Shark bait went to a place called Bristol Pond,
another LargeMouth haven with a mix of Northerns and some heavy fishing pressure. Even
with rain gear, we were soaked by the time we reached the sweet spot. Gliding over the
pads and nearby shoreline scrub, Jed`s unique Candy Bananna Frog was like opening the line
on an all you can eat dessert buffet!. He scored a Northern (See Photo), and then
proceeded to be relentlessly pounded landing Bass(See Photo) and Pike back and forth. He
decided to name his Frog "Willy Wonka" the Candy Man, as he is just too sweet to
resist.
 
At one point we had all three Frogs out on the water, and
as if we were under morter attack, explosions were going off all over the place, some
landing, and some misses. It was awesome!! Zak and Demon landed a beautiful healthy green
Bass right by the boat (See Photo), I caught another Northern(See Photo), and
then.......Willy Wonka looses his pants! Jed had cast him out into the deep opposite the
shore to see what would happen, and something did...something gigantic came up from behind
(we are pretty sure it was a trophy Bass), and took Wonka`s pants right off as he was
trying to swallow him, and Jed was setting the hook. (See Photo) If only he hadn`t missed!
Willy Wonka Needs some new pants please Capt. Ken. We were stunned and shaking as we
decided to call it quits shortly after.
As we were rowing back, we kept saying over and over how incredible the Frogs are! They
are such a blast to fish, and unlike any other lure out there, you feel a personal
connection to each one. There is an indescribable pride and joy that comes from having
"your" Frog work its magic on the Bass! What was the lesson we learned these
past two days; It`s a jungle out there folks, so be prepared, anything is possible with
these lures! and Kong is still on the loose! Do they work? Be the Frog!! |
Cleve Worthington's Vermont FROG
Fishing Reports from 2009
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