Author Archives: John Crews

Will A Bass Bite?

Posted on by John Crews

POSTED BY: David Hart
http://www.fishingclub.com
April 16, 2012

When Virginia pro angler John Crews sees a bass in shallow water, he reads its body language to determine if the fish will eat a lure. By watching how it reacts to the boat or a lure, he knows if it is worth a few casts.“Most bass that are caught sightfishing are hooked within the first five minutes, although I will work a real big fish for an hour if I already have a limit of smaller ones,” says the three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and two-time FLW Championship qualifier.One of the first things he looks for is how the bass reacts to the presence of the boat. If the fish turns toward his boat or the trolling motor, that’s a good sign, he says.“It means it is guarding that spot and will probably eat a bait that falls in or near the bed. If it turns and takes off as I get near, that’s not good. It’s not locked onto a bed or a particular spot.”Crews also looks to see if the bass is aggressively chasing bluegills and other small creatures out of the area. When he sees that, he’s confident the fish will eat his lure.HOW IS THE FISH SWIMMING?“If the bass swims off slowly, or just swims in a circle and stops to look back, or returns to the general area of the bed, that’s good. I’ll wait for it to return to its original spot. The fact that it doesn’t want to leave the area means it is committed to that spot, either a bed or a specific area that it is protecting.”Before he makes a single cast, however, he pays close attention to the fish’s fins, especially the pectorals. If they start moving back and forth rapidly, that’s a lock. Crews says that indicates an agitated bass, one intent on defending its territory. In fact, he believes that anytime a largemouth acts defensive, it’s catchable. However, if it takes off at the splash of the bait, the fish isn’t locked onto the bed.“If you keep making casts but the fish won’t eat the bait and its fins are going fast, that just means it hasn’t decided to grab your lure, but it probably will eventually,” he notes. “If it’s busy chasing other fish away, all you have to do is put your lure in the bed when the fish isn’t looking and wait for it to come back.” If the fish turns to look at the bait or tips up like it is interested, but still doesn’t inhale the lure, Crews will continue to work it. Those actions are signs of aggression. However, if the bass won’t commit after repeated attempts, Crews will change lures or colors, or he’ll work the fish from a different angle. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

Dropping D bombs!

Posted on by John Crews

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — When Ish Monroe wins in the Bassmaster Elite Series, he goes big.

Monroe of Hughson, Calif., won the Power-Pole Slam Sunday on Lake Okeechobee with a four-day total of 108 pounds, 5 ounces. It was his second Elite win. In his first, six years ago on Lake Amistad in the inaugural event of the newly formed series, he also totaled more than 100 pounds — 104-8 to be exact.

“Winning with over 100 pounds is awesome,” said Monroe, who took home $100,000 and an instant berth into the 2013 Bassmaster Classic. “I really wanted to break my own record today, and it feels really good.”

His Sunday check pushed his Bassmaster career earnings to over $1 million. Weighing more than 100 pounds of bass over four days gave him a second entry in what’s known as the Century Club, an exclusive group of Bassmaster Elite Series pros who have busted the mark.

Monroe’s performance at the Power-Pole Slam was a complete turnaround from his 96-place finish at last week’s Elite event on the St. Johns River, which Monroe called “a mental screw-up” and a wrong turn in his quest to qualify for the 2013 Classic.

“The pressure’s off now, I’m in the Classic. My deal coming here was I was going to try for an Elite Top 12 at every event to make sure I got there,” said Monroe, who had missed several Classic qualifications in a row before he returned in 2012.

Although Monroe scored a wire-to-wire win, and twice had big leads, victory wasn’t a sure thing on Sunday, when he started the day with a 10-ounce lead over 2012 Bassmaster Classic champ Chris Lane, a Florida native who now lives in Guntersville, Ala.

“Chris Lane is the best in the world right now, and having him on my back was a scary feeling,” Monroe said after bringing 30-15 to the scales Sunday. His margin of victory was 12 pounds, 12 ounces, over Lane, who was second with 95-9.

Monroe began the tournament Thursday with what proved later to be the event’s largest sack at 34-5. He led that first day by 8-12 over South Carolina’s Davy Hite. It was the largest Day One lead in Elite history. Monroe followed up Friday with 24-25 and widened his leader’s margin to 13-11, this time over Lane. It was the largest Day Two lead in Elite history.

Then Monroe ran into trouble Saturday. Lane smashed 31-3, deflating Monroe’s big cushion to just 10 ounces.

“When he came in with that big sack on Day Three, it hurt because I would have loved to have gone into today with a 14-pound lead. Who doesn’t want to go into a 14-pound lead on the last day? But it also made me step up my game,” said Monroe, who now has four B.A.S.S. wins.

Monroe said his tackle for Okeechobee was a dark-blue D Bomb Bruiser Flash by Missile Baits rigged on a 1-ounce locally made Medlock jig, or a 1 to 1 1/2-ounce River2Sea Trash Bomb that had a punch skirt and 5/0 punch hook. He said he used 70-pound Daiwa Samurai Braid and an 8-foot Daiwa flipping stick he designed.

The rod was key because it allowed him to feel light bites, he said, and Okeechobee bass were biting light, especially on Sunday.

“As the tournament progressed, the bites got progressively lighter,” he said. “The flipping stick allowed me to get those real subtle bites and jack on those big ones. And I never broke a fish off this week, not one. And I pulled some heavy ones out of the cover.”

Wind velocity played a key role in his pattern. Day One the wind speed was high, but it dropped over the next two days. On Sunday, the wind picked up again. Monroe said he looked for spots where the water somewhat dirtied by the blowing wind.

“Wind changes the color of the water. There are fish always there in those areas, but when it gets really, really dirty, you’re not going to catch them,” he said. “If the water gets really, really clean, you’re not going to catch them because they get spookish on you.

“But when you get just a little bit of tint to that water, the fish are in there and they’re biting.”

He keyed on ditches that crisscrossed the lake’s tall bulrushes and vegetation, channels he called “freeways” that bass hung on because of the slightly deeper water.

His primary locations were in Okeechobee’s eastern Pelican Bay the first three days. He made a change Sunday because the high wind made running across the wide and shallow Okeechobee to Pelican too rough and time consuming, so he took a route that ran him through the lake’s southern end near Clewiston. He stopped to fish it. Once he began to land big fish there, he naturally felt no need to move on to Pelican, he said.

The 8-6 that anchored his Sunday bag was his largest of his tournament, and largest of the day. He caught most of his fish early in the day, except that big one.

“I caught that right at the end of the day on the second spot I stopped on, on the second time I stopped on it. I knew what the water looked like in there, and I knew the wind had switched directions a little more and a little harder, and I knew what kind of fish were in there,” he said.

Lane, the recent Classic champ and winner of a Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Open on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes, missed taking his third Bassmaster trophy of 2012. Although he has two Bassmaster wins (both on Okeechobee), he has never won an Elite Series event.

Each of Lane’s 2012 wins came with a qualification for the 2013 Bassmaster Classic, so he didn’t care about not winning the Classic berth at Okeechobee. Although it appeared Monroe would cruise to victory, Lane did get within 10 ounces of him after Saturday.

“To win this one would probably have been a bit of shocker to everyone — including myself,” Lane said. “I’m not disappointed.”

Finishing third was Skeet Reese of Auburn, Calif., with 84-12. Fourth was Shaw Grigsby of Gainesville, Fla., with 79-2. Fifth was Brent Chapman of Lake Quivira, Kan., with 77-8.

Reese leads the points race after the Okeechobee event. Points count toward earning post-season berths and 2013 Bassmaster Classic qualifications. The pro with the most points at the end of the regular season will win the 2012 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award.

“It’s nice to be in position for Angler of the Year,” said Reese, who has twice been embattled with Kevin VanDam for the Angler of the Year title before losing it. “But the bottom line is there are six more events, and that’s a lot of fishing yet to be done.”

Bonuses earned by anglers at the Power-Pole Slam included:

* Carhartt Big Bass of the tournament, which paid $750, plus another $750 if the angler was wearing Carhartt clothing: Kevin VanDam’s 8-14 on Day 3.

* Berkley Heavyweight Award of $500 for the best five-fish limit: Ish Monroe’s 34-5 on Day 1.

* Power-Pole Captain’s Cash of $1,000 if the winner has Power-Poles installed on his boat: Ish Monroe

* Toyota $1,000 bonus to the leader in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race: Skeet Reese with 192 points

* Luck “E” Strike Comeback Award of $500 to the most-improved pro in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year points race: Ish Monroe, from 96th to 49th

Elite Series competition continues next month in Arkansas with the April 19-22 Bull Shoals Quest.

Virginian Consistent, But Sees Room To Improve

Posted on by John Crews

By Jonathan Manteuffel
Special to BassFan

Anytime an angler can look back on his Bassmaster Elite Series season and see the kind of consistency that Virginia’s John Crews demonstrated in 2011, he has to feel pretty good about it. He easily qualified for his sixth Bassmaster Classic with a 30th-place finish in the Toyota Tundra B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year (AOY) race.

His best tournament finish was 16th at Lake Murray, and he didn’t have any serious bombs all year. He turned in respectable 17th-place showing at the Bassmaster Classic. All in all, he was “Crews-ing” on all cylinders.

“I was consistent, that was probably my biggest accomplishment last year,” he said. “I fished well, but at the same time I lost some key fish in a number of tournaments that probably cost me some Top 20s and even Top 10s. That’s what I need to improve most on this year.

“It comes down to focus and dialing in on a few details. There are a lot of small things that add up. You have to make sure you execute 100 percent of the time, and don’t get distracted. I was putting myself into situations where I had opportunities to do better, and I need to capitalize on those this year. So that’s my biggest goal now, to execute well all the time.

“That, qualifying again for the next Classic, and winning a tournament,” he continued. “The Red River Classic next month would be a good place to start.”

A Worthwhile Trip

Crews has been preparing for the Classic for months. Some of this year’s qualifiers have said they didn’t go to Louisiana to pre-practice, but Crews did.

“I went and learned my way around, and I think I found some good places to fish,” he said. “I’ll try to get dialed into what’s going on during official practice, but right now I think the Spro Fat John (crankbait) and some of my new plastics will be the deal.”

The new plastics he refers to are baits he designed and is producing himself, through his recently announced new company Missile Baits.

“I’ve been wanting to find a niche in the fishing industry,” he said. “I love my relationship with Spro for hard baits, but I didn’t have an outlet for all my soft plastic ideas. I wanted to do my own thing somehow, so I created my own opportunity. I did have a couple offers while I was planning this deal but turned three of them down because I wanted to do it myself, my way.

“In general the baits are thinner for the right action, but they’re made with various consistencies (of plastic),” he noted. “Some are softer, some firmer. I dial them in to be just right for the application.”

He’s already been using some of the baits in competition.

“I used the Twin Turbo (twin-tail grub) on a swim jig at Wheeler Lake for the Elite Series. That thing is smoking on a swim jig. The prototypes are made one at a time and they are expensive, but I caught some weigh-in fish on them in that tournament.

“And in one PAA tournament I caught them on the Twin Turbo and the D-Bomb in shallow grass,” he added. “The D-Bomb is a bigger, bulkier flipping-style bait with big, thin flappers on the back that have an undulating action. There’s a thin section in the bait where the hook pushes through for excellent hooksets.

“I’m really itching to get out on the tournament trail, start catching fish on them, and get them on the market and help other anglers catch fish,” he continued. “There’s a unique sense of pride in hearing about people catching fish on lures I designed. It’s a one-of-a-kind feeling that I’m really looking forward to, hearing about all the big fish people caught on the Missile Baits.”

An Even Keel

So which lake on the 2012 schedule is Crews most excited about?

“I try to condition myself to not get excited or disappointed with any of the tournaments,” he said. “It sounds cliché, but it takes years to teach yourself that. Mentally, I want them all the same and I’ll take them one at a time. If I do what I’m supposed to do I’ll end up where I feel like I should be – near the top.

“You can’t help yourself with negative thinking. But if you get pumped up too much, you already have too much expectation as to how you’re going to catch them. Places change every day, so if you already have scripted how you’re going to catch fish, that’s a recipe for disaster.”

Still, here’s how he’s guessing he might approach this year’s somewhat unusual assortment of venues.

> St. John’s River: “I’m likely to drop the D-Bomb on them. There should still be a lot of bed-fish, and that bait will be disgusting on bed-fish.”

> Okeechobee: “Flipping may be the deal, or punching mats. The Missile Craw (small 4-inch punch-style bait) could be pretty good there.”

> Bull Shoals: “We should be there around the spawn. If the water is up, it’s deep and clear and I could see that Drop Craw being pretty slick on bed fish there.” He describes the Drop Craw as a “unique 3-inch dropshot bait that is slim with tremendous action when you barely move it, great for highly pressured fish and clear water.”

> Douglas Lake: “I’ve never been there, but it might work out to use a heavy football-head jig with a Twin Turbo on it.”

> Toledo Bend: “I’ll probably fish the Tomahawk (8 3/4-inch twin ribbontail worm) on deeper grass edges and ledges.”

> Mississippi River: “Definitely a swim jig, that’s Twin-Turbo city there. The northern swim jig was pretty much invented there.”

> Oneida: “I might be flipping or punching if I’m going for largemouths. If smallmouth are the deal, the Drop Craw will be like a vacuum cleaner. I’m kind of excited about that tournament; you can catch both types of fish that time of year, which opens up the lake pretty good. It gives you more options. Oneida could be won on either species.”

Notable

> Crews sometimes goes by the handle “Crews missile,” hence the Missile Baits company name and missile-related names for the baits.

> As noted in his press release last week, California Bassmaster Elite Series pro and running buddy Ish Monroe is on the Missile Baits pro staff. “Ish is pretty pumped up about everything,” Crews noted. “I’m really glad Ish will be promoting the baits; he’s almost as excited as I am about it.”

The 381 Horsepower Crews Missile

Posted on by John Crews

Never did pro angler John Crews think that the nickname “Crews Missile”, given to him by good buddy Rick Hawkins, would grow so popular.

Not only does the nickname appear in the well-liked Virginia pro’s email address, but these days, Crews is also often referred to as ‘The Crews Missile’ on stage during B.A.S.S. weigh-ins.

Crews never thought he’d trade away his diesel tow vehicle for a gas powered Toyota Tundra either, but like the nickname, Crews’ new Tundra has serious horsepower.

“Based on my experience, the Tundra is the only gas powered truck out there that will keep up with a diesel. It’s the strongest gas powered truck on the road from what I’ve witnessed,” said Crews, who will tow his SPRO Lures sponsored Bass Cat with the new 381-hp Tundra throughout the upcoming 2012 Bassmaster Elite and PAA season.

“Not only will it be cheaper to buy gas than diesel, but I’m also looking forward to a quieter, smoother ride across the 30,000 miles I typically tow each year,” said Crews, who describes his dream fishing trip as any lake in Mexico where they’re biting a SPRO Little John DD.

Crews will also have a chance to haul home cash bonuses he wasn’t eligible for previously. “Being eligible for the Toyota Trucks Bonus Bucks definitely played a role into buying a Tundra. I feel like I have a good shot at grabbing some of that Bonus Bucks money,” said Crews, who has practiced a strict health and fitness lifestyle en route to qualifying for five Bassmaster Classics.

The “Crews Missile” is right on track. When you buy or lease a 2007 or newer Tundra, Sequoia, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser or Tacoma, send in your registration like he did, and be the highest finishing eligible participant (must finish in the top 50% of the field) in your FLW or BASS affiliated tournament – and you win the Bonus Bucks.  To find out more and to make sure you’re signed up please visit www.ToyotaFishing.com or call Kendell at (918) 742-6424.