Reel Chat with MARK DAVIS

– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Welcome to FLW Live Reel Chat. This week we’re joined by FLW Tour pro Mark Davis of Mount Ida, Ark. As the recent $100,000 winner of the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on the Fort Loudoun-Tellico chain of lakes, Davis currently boasts nearly $300,000 in career earnings in FLW Outdoors events alone.

– MODERATOR COMMENT –
In addition, Davis is a past BASS Angler of the Year, former Bassmaster Classic champion and a winner of five BASS events. Since 1997, Davis has logged six top-10 finishes on the FLW Tour, including his first-ever win at Fort Loudoun. Today Mark Davis is here to take questions from you, the fans. Let’s get started.

Q: Mark, first of all, congratulations on your big FLW Tour win recently at Fort Loudoun-Tellico. I once heard Rick Clunn say that you were the best-ever postspawn fisherman. To me, coming from him, that’s a mouthful for sure! Would you please talk a little about the postspawn period and how you attack an event during this period of seasonal pattern for largemouth and spotted bass? What do you look for in practice or during competition?
— Mike Anders (Flat Rock, N.C.)
A: First of all, you have to understand the transition and what the fish are actually doing after they spawn. You have several different phases of postspawn. All of the fish in postspawn don’t make this transition at the same time. The reason I like to fish in the postspawn period is because the fish get to group back up and begin to feed again. The key to catching these fish is to intercept them on their migration routes back from the spawning areas. Depending on the type of lake, you are going to use the available structure and cover along these migration routes to pinpoint these schools of fish. I look for a food source, first and foremost. I’m also looking for quick access to deep water. The real key to postspawn fishing is figuring out the right depth. Water clarity is also important – the clearer the water, the deeper the fish are likely to be.

Q: Mark, you said that you took a hiatus from fishing the FLW Tour from 2000 to 2005. What ultimately made you return to that circuit?
— Jon Pageler (New York City, N.Y.)
A: I decided in 2000 to stick with BASS because fishing both FLW and BASS was just too much for me. Basically, I came back because I liked the direction FLW Outdoors was going in as a sport, and I really wanted to be a part of it again.

Q: Mark, congrats on your recent win. What advice would give to someone who is interested in fishing one of the pro tours?
— Ron Eichler (Milford, N.H.)
A: Professional fishing is just like any other sport in that the more time you spend on the water, the better. The more tournaments you fish, the better. There is no substitution for experience. Depending upon your level of expertise, I’d tell someone to fish as many tournaments as you can. If you do well enough at that level, move up to the next. And if you’re not comfortable doing it out of your own boat, you can do it as a co-angler. I don’t know how many pros I know who used to sit in the rear of the boat as a co-angler. It’s a great way to cut your teeth and learn.

Q: What are your first steps in patterning the fish during the course of a tournament? Also, what determines your color choice of lures during a tournament?
— Seth Cannon (Statesboro, Ga.)
A: The first thing I try to do is basically figure out what the fish are doing. Are they shallow or deep? Prespawn or postspawn? You also have to look at what a lake has to offer – structure and cover. And then you try to put together some type of pattern based on those factors. The way I do that is the first day on the lake, I put the trolling motor in the water, fish and make sure I’m very observant. I pay close attention to my depth finder, etc. As far as color, I think color is largely overrated, in my opinion. When I select a lure, color is oftentimes the last variable I consider. If you’ve got the right lure with the right size with the right action at the right depth, I can catch a fish with it. Now, I might change colors at the very end to slightly change the presentation. Once I find the fish, then I start experimenting with colors a little bit more to see which ones they like the best.

Q: What kind of wakebait were you throwing in Knoxville, and how does a wakebait differ from an ordinary topwater bait?
— Josh (Golden Valley, Minn.)
A: A wakebait can be any type of a floating swimbait; it will look like a jerkbait, or it can be one of the soft-plastic or hard-plastic swimbaits. It’s a lure that will float that you can pull slowly. So basically, it will float and make a wake.

Q: Is Angler of the Year a goal of yours after starting the season with two awesome events?
— Jeff (Naperville, Ill.)
A: The answer to that is this: Every year when I start out, my goal is to win the Angler of the Year. It’s certainly a goal of mine this year. It’s a shame that most people don’t realize how harder of an accomplishment that is than winning any particular title. To win an AOY title, you have to be totally in tune with what the fish are doing and execute almost perfectly at every single event. To me, without a doubt, that’s the hardest title to win in bass fishing because overall consistency is key.

Q: Mark, after day three, it seemed like you were a lock to win the FLW Tour title on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes. However, with your day-four catch weighing less than 8 pounds, were you worried you might lose the title heading back to weigh-in?
— Kathleen Salisbury (South Brunswick, N.J.)
A: There was an easy way to catch 10 pounds: Eight of the 10 competitors (finalists) stopped near the marina to get a 10-pound limit before heading out onto the larger lakes. I could have easily stopped and done that, but I wanted to go out and get a big stringer. So, to answer that question, I was worried. Sure. I was kind of kicking myself in the tail that I didn’t stop and get a limit and then continue on with my day. But that’s fishing. I was trying to put on a show and catch a big stringer, and it didn’t work. Fortunately for me, I had a couple of pounds to spare.

Q: You talked at length about having to adjust to the FLW Tour by fishing in crowds. How big is an average crowd (on the water) at an FLW Tour event? Are we talking five boats or 45 boats? Was crowding an issue back in ’99 and ’98 when you fished the tour?
— Ron C. (Shakopee, Minn.)
A: Back earlier when I was fishing the tour, it wasn’t really a factor. The 200-boat field isn’t a factor when you’re fishing big bodies of water, but it was for me on smaller bodies of water. On the FLW Tour, the competition is so good, all of the fish are going to be found. So if you’re not around boats, you’re probably not around the fish. And that’s what I had to learn. Last year was difficult for me because I tried to find areas by myself, and it didn’t really work out. And this year I tried to make a more concerted effort to stay with boats around me because that’s where the fish are. It was tough mentally for me, but I had to do it. The key is to fish that much better than the guys around you.

Q: Since you gave Jay Yelas some of your winning baits, does that mean Jay has to give you a portion of his sixth-place check?
— Dan L. (Shawano, Wis.)
A: No, I’ll tell you a story. Jay and I are good friends. We run together a lot. That’s not the first time this sort of thing has happened. He’s given me plenty of baits and even fishing locations. On the final day of the tournament, a Smith Lake FLW Series event last November, Jay actually flagged me down with his cap. The fishing was extremely difficult, and Jay shared this spot with me. I caught a fish, and that qualified me for the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup. I really needed that one fish desperately, and he helped me out. So, to answer your question, I was more than happy to give Jay those baits.

Q: Did you fish Fort Loudoun or Tellico lakes (when you won the recent FLW Tour event at Knoxville)?
— Mitchell (Knoxville, Tenn.)
A: I fished on Fort Loudoun, exclusively.

Q: What are your favorite go-to baits or the baits you feel most comfortable using?
— Titus Song (Minneapolis, Minn.)
A: My go-to bait is a crankbait – probably a little Strike King Series 3, shad-colored crankbait.

Q: What killed your bite on day four (at Fort Loudoun-Tellico)? Was it the rain? The wind? I would have thought fast-moving baits would have worked well in those conditions.
— Ryan (Ledbetter, Ky.)
A: First of all, I was catching fish on a slow-moving wakebait, and it was the wind that killed me. When it’s choppy, the fish can’t see the motion of the lure that well. I couldn’t get the fish to react to anything but a wakebait, and with those conditions, that was that.

Q: Congratulations on your victory. I am a huge fan because I also love to fish crankbaits. My question: I was in a BFL this past weekend (Douglas Lake), and I had a couple of days of great practice throwing a No. 8 Shap Rap and pitching a a jig. The day of the tourney, my fish were gone, and I could not seem to adjust. Do you have any helpful hints?
— James Bouldin (Rockwood, Tenn.)
A: Not knowing all of the particulars of that day, my guess would be that you had some sort of a condition change, which caused these fish to behave differently. More times than not, when conditions change, I’m going to slow down and move out a little bit deeper.

Q: Mark, congrats on your recent win at Fort Loudoun-Tellico. Why did you use the Cajun red line, and is it not best to use clear line when you’re fishing clear water – I’m talking gin-clear? This is what we fish at lakes in western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina – lakes like Jocasse and Keowee, which are some of the headwaters of Hartwell and Clarks Hill.
— Mike Anders (Flat Rock , N.C.)
A: First of all, with the red line, the big advantage is that it disappears at certain depths (3 feet in stained water and more like 6 feet in clear water). During this recent win, I didn’t choose it because of the color; I used it because it was a monofilament line and it floats. It’s just good fishing line; I really didn’t use it because of the color. Clear line, green line, red line – they all work. Line color, in my opinion, is mostly personal preference.

Q: Hi Mark. I was glad to see your win at Fort Loudoun. What were you looking for in terms of the areas you fished, and what was your decision-making process to that end? And why the subsurface presentation?
— Pete Raulin (Loudon, Tenn.)
A: Honestly, I was looking for areas that other anglers might overlook. I was really looking for places that didn’t look like much. The other part was that I figured out there were some fish on these average-looking points. Then I was able to put a pattern together on the areas that most people were missing or passing by.

Q: Mr. Davis, congrats on a great win. What area of the lake were you fishing when you won the recent FLW Tour event at Knoxville (like the name of creek or a specific location – upper, lower, middle portion of the lake)? How do Fort Loudon and Tellico compare with other lakes you fish? Thanks.
— Kevin (Knoxville, Tenn.)
A: I was fishing the lower one-third of Fort Loudoun lake, from the dam to up the lake about 12 miles. And everything was on the main lake. How does it compare with other lakes? Very similiar to many other lakes we fish. It has a good bass population as well as a good forage base.

Q: Congratulations on your win. What can I do to help eliminate line twist on my spinning reel? I am fishing Lake Hartwell, Ga., and the water temp is around 58 degrees. This time of year, the fish are usually bedding, but very few are visible. How would you pursue these fish. Thanks, and good luck in your next tournament.
— Charles Heimerich (Dacula, Ga.)
A: First, on the line twist: Line twist on a spinner reel is just part of the deal. Spooling your line on the reel correctly is important. Personally, I like to roll it off onto a spinning reel. Once you get your line on your reel, let 50 yards of line out without any lures, and let it drag behind your boat. That will stretch it out and get it wet, which will help get a lot of the twist out of it. You need to drag it behind the boat for about five or seven or 10 minutes.For the fishing situation you described, I’d use a Carolina rig, and I’ll often use it with spinning tackle, 10-pound-test line with a light weight and a short leader, and use a little worm or lizard, then blind-cast into those areas where you think the fish are spawning.

– MODERATOR COMMENT –
Mark, thanks for your time and for joining us today on FLW Live Reel Chat. Congratulations on your recent FLW Tour victory and your 2007 AOY title pursuit.

– MODERATOR COMMENT –
And thanks to all of the fishing fans who took part in today’s chat. Join us again soon for a live discussion with yet another of the nation’s top pros.