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This article made possible by:
By:
Tim Domaille
I
had a chance to sit down with
Minnesota
’s own John Stears. John is a very accomplished bass fisherman.
John took second place honors this year in the Minnesota State
BASS Tournament. That qualifies John for the 2007 Regional Tournament.
John has been a long time tournament fisherman and guide. John’s
accomplishments include winning the Minnesota Bass Federation and the
Bass Northern Division Championships. He has also qualified for the
BASS Nation finals 9 times.
How
did you get started in bass fishing tournaments?
I grew-up in
Onalaska
,
WI
and had the
Mississippi River
in my back yard. As a kid we’d fish for anything we could catch from
shore. However, the bass always tweaked my interest. I caught my first
5 pounder at about the age of 10 on a Crazy Crawler and won a weekly
fishing contest with it. When I moved to
Minnesota
everyone was walleye nuts so I joined the crowd. Once I got my first
boat I had a neighbor from
Missouri
who liked to fish bass so I got back into it. On an outing to
Lake
Zumbro
, I met a gentleman named Nick Bowlus. Nick was a member of a local
bass club and encouraged me to join. I did it to learn!
What
preparations do you make prior to fishing tournaments?
Well I suspect everyone has the same answer, but finding the area
holds the fish is the first step. Next is finding the
lures/presentations that will trigger a strike and land the most fish.
I’m going to use the 2006 Minnesota TOC as an example. I had
patterned the fish and knew where they were. I was flipping milfoil
and found that lure drop speed made a huge difference. With the right
presentation I could fish heavily pressured areas and still catch fish
so I was confident and willing to stay the course. Another factor was
hooking efficiency. I had three colors of Yum Mega Tubes I was
flipping. All were getting bites. However, I was missing hook-ups with
the darker colors because the tube wasn’t collapsing away from the
hook. I don’t know is it was the wall thickness or if the plastic
was stiffer because of color dye. My choice was to use the lighter
color because it was softer and hooking more fish, not some hype about
how important color is.
Even
the best plans can collapse so I had to have a plan B. The docks were
being pounded but they were producing fish. Most guys skip tubes etc.,
and fish them on the bottom. I found I could catch fish by swimming a
jig past the outer posts so that was my fall-back plan. From there
it’s getting the equipment and the body into tip-top shape. For me
that means taking a day off fishing to rest and re-tie etc.
What
steps did you take to make Minnesota Bass Federation Championship?
In 1983 when I won the TOC the skill levels were very
different. If you had the right spot you could win! I had a friend
show me an area that was full of fish and all I had to do was catch
them. I won’t claim any expertise in the win.
After
winning the Minnesota Bass Federation Championship, how did you
prepare for the Bass Northern Division Championship?
We (several of my team mates made the cut) were fortunate
the we only had to move from pool 4 to pool 8 in LaCrosse for the
regionals. Again, it was all about the spots and not learning how fish
move in an area. The tournament was held in July and we practiced hard
all June. What we found was wood was the key. There wasn’t a tree or
stump in pool 8 we didn’t hit. Our expectations were high! I suspect
most of the river guys reading this will know what happened. The fish
moved to the vegetation and we were sunk. Chalk one up to experience.
How
did it feel to win the Bass Northern Division Championship?
That was an awesome experience. At that point I matured and
knew on a good day, I could compete with the best. There were some of
the best Federation anglers there and I out fished them all. Two names
that still stick were Art Ferguson and Chip Harrison. Both have made
careers as professional fisherman.
What
kind of on the water decisions did you have to make in order to be
successful in winning?
What won the tournament for me was I was willing to slow
down (not my style) and fish deeper than everyone else. I was fishing
in a pressured area that held lots of fish. Most of the guy’s were
fishing the first weed edge which ended at about 12 feet. I found if I
backed off to 18 feet I could catch fist between first edge and the
coontail growing out deeper. It was slow going but it produced the
bigger fish so I stuck it out.
When
the fishing pressure and conditions change, what kind of on the water
adjustments do you make?
This is where 30 some years of experience pays-off. An
example is when a cold front pushes through and the fish turn-off.
Most guys slow down. In some situations I find that is the wrong
approach. I have found that straining water and picking off the few
active fish works well for me. I’ll pick a flat near a row of docks
and cover it with a horizontal lure and look for a reaction bite. If
you call me a junk fisherman I’d be honored.
John
is also a guide for both Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass on the
Mississippi River
pools 4-5.
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