Awesome bass fishing and awesome lungs

It's been a rough 6 months, a lot of ups and downs with my health post double lung transplant. However I am super excited to just have had my 6 month Bronchoscopy and the report from my doctors that the transplant and lungs are looking great and for the first time since my transplant I will not need weekly bronchs. In fact, the next one is planned for July, I am really just excited about that. 

This also means I can do what I love, Bass fish and do my fishing charters without having to worry about tests and procedures. I know there will be more bumps in this road, but I hope for a few months I can just enjoy the gift I was given.

So let's talk bass fishing. I have been on the water a lot these past few weeks after having to take a month off from transplant complications. The bite has been great, I am defiantly getting people on numbers...usually 20 fish in the boat in 4 hrs. My go to bait for most of my fishing guests are flukes or sinkos, weightless with 10 lbs test fluorocarbon line. I work areas have hydrilla very slow and in depths around 8-10 ft. I will fish an area about 50 square yards for a hour or more at a time, especially if we are catching fish. Working are area that size that slowly is producing a lot of bites. The issue has been getting the big fish to bite. I have managed at least one trophy size fish per charter, it's something that I honestly expect to occur until mid-May. The weather has still been unsteady and keeping the water temps into the low 70's. These temps are causing some of the bass to spawn late, while some are post spawn and just not feeding, and a third of the fish are already in a sum my pattern, feeding constantly on shad and already schooling on shad on the surface. 

I had believed the spawn was over on my lake, I had a lot of big fish in February, which is the normal peak of the spawn for this lake, but these past two weeks I have seen a ton of new bass beds all over the lake. I have been fishing lake Bryan for 5 yrs and have never seen these bass spawn this late. The bigger fish we have been catching have had marks on their tail and many even bleeding from the tail. Usually a clear sign they are clearing off beds, these bedding fish are bedding along slopes that drop down to 15-20 ft, and seem to be on the slopes in 8-10 ft. So I can't see the beds, but just they way they are striking the baits it's pretty obvious they are bedding fish. 

When the winds are calm, I have been seeing bass schooling on shad pretty much all over the lake. This usually doesn't occur until the water temps heat up in June so when it does happen I try and use some top water baits just to see the fish strike top water. The fishing will continue to be great, so if your coming to Orlando take some time to enjoy some of Florida's great Bass fishing.

The big 6

We are quickly approaching my first big milestone of reaching six months post double lung transplant. I am excited but there have been some issues. Continuous issues are developing in my right lung and last week I required a stent to be placed. This should keep my airway open fully, reduse the wheezing and allow the scar tissue to get stronger and hold the bronch together better.

As a result of this set back it has reduced the amount of the days on the water the past few weeks.

I am looking forward to fun month of April doing a lot of fishing.

5 month post transplant and March fishing madness

I am thrilled to say I am 5 months post double lung transplant and still feeling great. There have been some complications still occurring that my doctors are dealing with on a weekly basis. My right lung continues to develop scar tissue causing it to narrow the right bronchiole. The narrowing causes me to wheeze and makes me short of breath. To correct this problem I have weekly bronchoscopies, which is when they stick a scope into your lungs and then dilate the bronchiole. The right lung is still not fully healed, and they say it will just take time. Otherwise I continue to get stronger everyday. Fishing has been great. This past weekend I competed in my first tournament in over 3 years, the Oakley Big Bass tournament on Harris Chain. I fished with a good friend Michael. I was going into this tournament kind of blind. I have not fished Harris in a long time, and really had no solid game plan. That lack of preparation hurt us in the tournament, we only had 3 bites the entire two days. The best part of the tournament was the fact I was able to fish two straight days nonstop and wasn't exhausted like I was pre-transplant. Lake Bryan, where I guide, continues to be a fishing hot spot. The last week my clients are catching numbers, catching over 20-30 fish in 4 hours using artificial baits. Size has been the factor, just not getting big fish. Honestly, this is common this time of year on this lake. The water temperature was already in the low 70's and the spawn is done, so all the big females are in a post-spawn pattern. Sitting in deeper water, and not feeding. Usually in a week or two these big females will recuperate and start feeding again. The smaller males are holding tight to the beds and protecting the eggs until they hatch. The crappie bite has slowed down as most of the big crappie are too off the beds. Florida is still getting slight cold fronts passing through almost weekly, and just that slight barometric pressure change affects the bite for a day or two after it passes. Again typical for spring in Florida, and this usually lasts until the end of March, and the heat and humidity will be back. Once my lakes waters really start to warm up, the bite increases, and the top water bite will also take off. I really love April to August fishing. I hope to be making some cool announcements this week with my business, so stay tuned!

Back on the water, finally!

After over 18 months this past Wednesday was my first charter since becoming to sick to operate my boat, and just 3 months after having my double lung transplant. 

My charter was with two long time clients, great, fun guys...Matt and Stacy. I was nervous taking these guys out because I had only been on the lake once prior to taking them out, and my very first outing was a tough day with only catching 4 fish. I am obsessed with making my charters worth my clients pennies, so I do lose sleep at times when fishing gets tough.

We started in the late morning around 1030 am... Had a really slow hour and half with two fish. I then moved to a spot that just always produces fish, and we did...about 6 smaller bass...nothing really over 15 inches, but we were getting plenty of hits and fish in the boat. The air temps cooled and the winds picked up as the day went on, but the bite remained constant. 

Towards the end of the day Matt and Stacy landed 20 bass, all on artificial baits, missed another 10-15 opportunities as well. It was a great start for me personally. I am still able to locate fish and put clients on those fish. 

Matt caught 2 really decent fish, one 3 lbs and another right at 4 lbs....plus two huge crappie all with zoom flukes. 

Stacy did ok, he managed to get 5 fish in, and lost two really decent fish. 

For me I was so thrilled to be back doing what I love. I will continue to ease into the guiding, only doing a few a week and gradually increasing and my health continues to improve. My body still has a lot of recovering to do from the surgery, but I am amazed how quickly things have come together. 

I have held at least 3 simultaneous jobs at once, I still do that now, it's a little different. First, my health is literally a full time job, then my family and being a dad and good husband is my second full time job, and now fishing again. 

I am looking forward to some warmer weather, the cold we have had has really dropped the lake temp down to mid to low 60's, but the bass have already began the spawn. Several of the bigger fish we caught were shallow and in places where they would normally bed. If we get a few really warm days, and the temps start to rise, the spawn will be on.

Here are some photos of Matt's catches.