Up and Adam Adventures

Today I got to check off the bucket list item. The Bassmaster Classic has been held on Lake Ray Roberts in Texas several times and is the site of the upcoming 2025 Classic. I’ve wanted to fish this lake since I heard about it during the 2021 Classic. I happened to be working in the Dallas area this week so this evening when I was done with work for the day, I headed up to the lake to get in an hour or so of fishing. I found a rocky point near one of the boat ramps and started slinging a shaky head. Using a Zoom trick worm in green pumpkin blue on Whack’Um 1/4 oz. shaky head, I was able to get a few bites from small fish hanging out on the point. Nothing big, but I got to scratch the itch and catch a Lake Ray Roberts bass. 

 This year, the regional championship for the Mississippi division of the BFL’s was held on Wright Patman Lake near Texarkana, TX. I had a really rough season in the Mississippi division so I wasn’t planning to make the championship but as it turned out, I ended up ranked number 43 and the top 45 anglers from each division go to the championship. I had no experience on the lake and outside of YouTube videos from NPFL anglers who had fished there several times, there wasn’t a lot of information available online. My plan was to treat it like any lake in the fall and just go fishing. My first day of practice was decent enough. I caught a few fish, but nothing of any real size. It was typical fall junk fishing and there was no consistent depth or pattern to where I was catching fish. This is more or less what I expected so I went into day, two of practice, hoping to expand and find some new areas to fish About 8:30 on day two I hit a stump with the lower unit of my outboard. I initiall...

After a whole week of slow hunting, it all came together in the last 15 minutes of shooting light Friday night. This bull woke up ready to fight, and in the rush of trading bugles with him and running in for a last minute chance at success, I made a bad shot. With very little blood and daylight running out in Grizzly country, I backed out and waited until morning, praying a grizz or wolf didn’t bump him and that a rain shower didn’t wash away what little blood trail I had. It took a while Saturday morning, half blood-trailing, half grid-searching but about 500 yards from where I shot there he lay.  I’ve hunted this particular unit in Wyoming for about 11 years off and on, had more “almosts” than anywhere else, but never have been able to close the deal. It feels good to finally notch that tag.

  Tagged out in Illinois! I passed on this buck this morning and as soon as he got by me I instantly began to regret it. I told Wayne Nations as we were headed to our stands this evening that if I saw him again I wasn’t going to let him go again. Well, he slipped up and retraced his steps this evening.

Over the last few years one of my favorite hunts has become a bonus whitetail hunt that I get to do in Wyoming. It’s a special Type 3 tag that runs through the peak of the whitetail rut in November, and in addition to this Any Whitetail tag I usually pick up a doe tag or two as well.  I hunt for these tasty critters on checkerboarded state land around agriculture, and this type of hunt usually involves a lot of waiting until the deer wander off of a neighboring ranch onto public land. Then it’s a matter of getting into range and set up for a shot before the deer bust you or keep moving onto another ranch.  I’ve been fortunate to tag several whitetail on the same section of state land 3 years in a row. This year my dad had a doe tag as well so he got to tag along, and in addition to a doe, I killed the biggest whitetail buck I’ve killed in Wyoming. He put me through the wringer waiting for him to stand up so I could take a shot over the y’all grass he was bedded in, t...

This year I fished the WONBass US Open on Lake Mead in Nevada for the first time. This has been a bucket list tournament for me for as long as I’ve known about it. The Open is a huge derby and draws some of the top anglers from not only the West but nationwide. This year’s field included anglers from the BASS Elite Series, Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour and FLW Tour, in addition to WONBass’s own roster of talented Western hammers. The Open uses a unique Pro-Am format that combines the weight of the boater and non-boater (called a AAA) each day. The next day new partners are drawn and that pair again shares their weight for the day. This format is featured in the US Open and the Arizona and California Opens, which are also WONBass events.  Earlier this year I decided to take the leap and sign up as a AAA, or non-boater. I wanted to get my feet wet without getting in over my head with a field this big. As the summer went on, I connected with some of the guys I fished agai...

I am very excited to announce that I have started my own YouTube channel ! This is something I’ve been toying with for years, and I’ve been sitting on a lot of footage of my hunting trips with no real plan on what to do with it. I decided there is no time like the present to get the ball rolling.  My first video is about fishing for smallmouth on my home lake. I’m not ready to make any promises about the type of content I’m going to put out, other than it will be outdoor lifestyle related. As I get more familiar with my cameras and editing software I hope to figure out what type of video I do best, but until then this is all one big experiment. Please check out my first video and let me know what you think. If it’s your cup of tea, give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel . Then look for more content coming soon!

Although I love catching smallmouth bass, sometimes it’s good to have a change of paceman chase some largemouth! This pst week I headed down to Hyrum reservoir in Utah in search of a a few green fish.  Hyrum didn’t disappoint and I was able to catch some greenies around shallow cover. Most of my fish came on a BOOYAH Pad Crasher frog and a War Eagle flipping jig. These are lures I don’t get to fish much back in Wyoming and it was fun to break them out.  Hyrum is a pretty small lake but holds some quality largemouth. It does get hit hard by pleasure boaters on the weekends, but the fishing can still be great. I’ll definitely be bringing the Bass Cat down to this lake more in the future.  

The smallmouth bass population on the Flaming Gorge took a huge hit several years ago with the illegal introduction of burnout into the fishery. These fish are native to many parts of the west, but not to the Green River drainage. The burbot are an aggressive feeder and tend to outcompete bass and trout for food, as well as gobble up their young, taking a big toll on their population. Although bass and rainbow trout are technically non-natives to the region, their popularity with fishermen and ability to coexist in this ecosystem created the need to manage this new invasive species.  The Wyoming Game and Fish and Utah Department of Wildlife Resources have begun efforts over the last few years to replenish the bass population in the Gorge and eliminate as many burbot as possible. Fishing regulations on the Wyoming side of the Gorge prohibit keeping smallmouth and releasing burbot, and during the winter events such as the Burbot Bash Ice Fishing derby have helped to reduce b...

After waiting through a long cold spring, it looks like the smallmouth on Flaming Gorge are starting to spawn! This is a fun time of year to fish the clear waters of the Gorge and find some of the biggest fish of the year. Smallies are super aggressive on the bed and it can make for some exciting times on the water.  I have two presentations I use when aight fishing. The first is a white Texas-rigged YUM Christie Craw. This bait is easy to see in stained to clear water, and will usually get the bass to react. I’ll also throw a drop shot with a bright colored worm, and the advantage of the drop shot is you can let it sit in one spot for as long as you want, and sometimes that’s what it takes to tick off a bass enough for them to bite. You can even drop it on the bed, open the bail on your spinning reel and back away, leaving the bait in place. More often than not, your line is going to start moving sideways. Then just reel into him!  Some people don’t like the ide...

Turkey hunting is something that few people really get into, but those who do REALLY get into it. People like to draw comparisons between turkey hunting and elk hunting, and I do think a lot of the same characteristics apply to both. You’re calling to a male animal, and trying to convince him to go against his instincts and venture over to the sounds of a sweet-talking female. You have to set up just right to give yourself a shot as the turkey or elk comes in, and then you have to calm your nerves and shaking hands enough to pull off a clean shot when if and when you get the opportunity.  I’ve hunted Rio Grande turkeys in the Utah general turkey season for the past few years, mostly due to the fact that I can get to Utah turkeys about an hour from my house. Wyoming turkeys are several hours away in the central to eastern parts of the state, although their range is expanding so that may change in the near future.  This year I did something I have never done before,...

It’s a sure sign of spring when you find smallmouth bass cruising the shallows looking for a meal. I was able to get out on the Flaming Gorge for a few hours, mostly working on dialing in a new prop, but I also took the opportunity to hit a few coves and do some fishing once the wind picked up.  The first few spots I hit didn’t produce any fish, but one cove did. I was cranking a Wiggle Wart along a rocky point when this nice smallie hammered it. I was running out of time and the ever-increasing wind was making the run back to the ramp look like a real rodeo, so I had to call it a day. Good to know the bass are on the move and hungry. With the water warming up it should only get better from here on out!

The Cowboy BASS Nation qualifier was this past weekend on CJ Strike reservoir in Idaho, and as usual it was a great tournament. Overall weights were a little lower than we’ve seen in years past, but there were still some big sacks brought to the weigh-in.  I spent most of my time fishing coves and rocky points up the Snake River arm, and although I was around fish throughout the tournament, I never got on any really big fish. The co-anglers I drew were great to fish with and we had a good time on the water.  I did manage to qualify for the state team as a non-boater. That means I will be fishing the 2020 BASS Nation Western Regional next year. Looking forward to the announcement of where that will be and ultimately fishing the event. 

Doing a little public land exploring and giving these Shady Rays sunglasses a test drive. These ice blue polarized lenses seem like a good all-around choice for an outdoor lifestyle. Plus, the wood finish is a classy touch. Can’t wait to get these out on the water in the spring. Not only are they great sunglasses, but every order of Shady Rays provides 11 meals to Feeding America as well, with over 3.6 million meals provided to date! I love supporting brands that give a little something to the community, whether it’s in the outdoor space or the broader mainstream.

They’re here!! Follow this link below to get your Wyoming Wildlife Conservation license plate ! Proceeds from the sales of these plates go directly to building and improving wildlife corridors, crossings and game dances along Wyoming’s highways. State legislator Stan Blake led the charge on this one, along with Muley Fanatics, and tremendous support from Wyoming’s sportsmen and women.  The "Public Land Owner" T-shirt that I'm wearing is available here: Backcountry Hunters & Anglers .

Today’s fence pull with the 10 Country chapter of the Muley Fanatic Foundation was a success. The local mule deer herd should be a little happier tonight. This project was designed to pull some old fence on a section of Red Canyon Ranch that will be replaced with a wildlife-friendly design. This area is part of a critical mule deer migratory route and will hopefully be a boost to the Lander deer herd.  Special thanks to Jared Oakleaf for spearheading this project and keeping everyone in the loop. Glad to be a part of such a cool day. Check out Jared's blog, Come Far Pilgrim .  

Grocery shopping Part 2. This girl is possibly the biggest doe I’ve ever killed. She was off to herself so I really didn’t know until I walked up to her how big she actually was. Talk about a Freezer Queen!

Grocery shopping, Wyoming style. Whitetail hunting out west is much different than it is in the eastern part of the country, and I miss November mornings sitting in a treestand. But these critters are too fun to chase and even better to eat. It’s hard not to apply for an extra doe tag or two every year.

I am very honored to have been added to the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Wyoming Chapter State Board, joining some other great champions of wild places. Looking forward to doing great things in southwest Wyoming! Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands and waters. Our freedom to hunt and fish depends on habitat. While many of us enjoy hunting and fishing on a range of landscapes, including farm fields and reservoirs, there is something special – even magical – about hunting deep in the backcountry or fishing on a remote river. Wilderness hunting and fishing deliver a sense of freedom, challenge and solitude that is increasingly trampled by the twin pressures of growing population and increasing technology. Many treasured fish and wildlife species – such as cutthroat trout, grizzly bear and bighorn sheep – thrive in wild...

Doe patrol is underway. I had two doe antelope tags this year in the same unit as my buck and was able to fill the first one. Antelope meat is not known as the best available and many people don’t care at all for it. I happen to think it’s delicious when prepared right, and this young doe is going to be ever-so-tender.