When Old Guys go Fishing – Tricks We Never Share Start with a Question

  • Where to fish – an easy choice when you fish with old guys (the fish are in the water).
  • Rigging and weighting plastic worms and alternatives.
  • Lure selections, knot varieties, water depth: fishing factors that matter.
Lure inventor Bill Alexander (L) and Bass Pro field tester Gary Day (R) plan their fishing morning on a west-central Florida lake.

By Forrest Fisher

When young-minded friends meet on the water in Florida for a post-retirement gathering, life is good. Good for at least two reasons: You’ve survived long enough to collect social security and are going fishing. And, if you were smart enough to give your wife permission to go shopping, you know the entire day will have a happy ending when the boat returns to the trailer. Funny how things work with an excellent plan to wet your line!

We met at Gary’s winter home in Auburndale, Fl., moved the ice-filled cooler with water and sandwiches to the boat, and the day was on. Bill said, “Geez Gary, don’t you ever wash your boat. There’s dust on the motor!?” Not 1-second passed when Gary answered, “Well, go get a dust rag over there in the corner. You can be the new pixie dustman.” Gary and Bill have been friends for a long time and fished many bass tournaments together, also as competitors. I was the new guy in this senior collection of age-old, line-casting, bass-fishing quibblers. Gary added, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain there, Forrest. He thinks he knows how to fish.” We all chuckled, and the laugh-fest, fish-fest was in gear.

We piled into Gary’s GMC Terrain with his 19-foot Ranger bass boat and trailer in tow. The boat was filled with strapped-down, ageless fishing rods and reels and many memories about to be relighted for a fun day afloat. Our destination this day was a canal-interconnected lake system near Lakeview, FL. We arrived at the no-charge boat launch on Lake Rochelle, and the fishing fun began. The lake system includes Lake Haines, Lake Rochelle, Lake Conine and Lake Smart. I swear that each time I fish with these guys, we all get a little more clever and imaginative, no thanks to the last lake name there. Old guys know so much about so many things to do with life and fishing! I’m not bragging, as I’m on the side of what we (I) never stop learning.

Bill Alexander says, “One option for fishing the popular wacky rig is to place a slip weight above the hook, not pegged.” Gary Day adds, “Pumping the rig back to the boat, slowly, will cause the sliding line with the hook and worm to create a delay in the worm sink rate. A sure-thing fish-catcher on some days.” This durable and supple new plastic worm is one of the new Xstended Life Apex worms that Alexander and his partner, Paul Williams, have recently invented.

“What should we fish with, Gary? You’re the guide today because you know this water,” Bill asked. “Well, the bass are done spawning as of a few weeks back, so they might be hanging back from the shoreline reeds and in deeper water or not. They might be feeding on their own fry, in shallow. Who knows?” Gary replied. Bill quipped back quickly. “You mean you don’t know.”

“Every day of fishing is different, Big Bill, you know that. It could be the new moon phase, the sunrise clouds, the early overcast fog, or it could be that you just got up too early, Bill. Or maybe…you got me up too early!” Never let your guard down on senior fun fishing days.

I looked toward Gary to say, “I liked where we fished here in Lake Rochelle last time, over there where that big gator hangs out.” I was pointing across the lake to an underwater point with sky-seeking reeds that was also near a quick drop-off. “That’s what I was thinking, too,” Gary replied. The big motor roared to life, we popped out of the hole and were skimming along the smooth lake surface at cheek-waffle speed.

MTO Lure inventor Bill Alexander says, “Not all the fish we catch are giants, but these little guys make the fishing day fun and test the durability of our new Xstended Life Apex plastic worms. You can catch multiple fish without changing this worm.”

About 5 minutes later, Gary plopped the MinnKota Terrova electric bow motor into the water, and we were rigging up lines. The remote control Bluetooth link made it easy for Gary to position the boat to shallow or deep.

Bill tied on an Xstended Life soft bait, a 5-1/4 inch Apex worm in green/red fleck color, using a 4/0 circle hook. I did the same with a blue-black Apex worm, and Gary tied a similar soft plastic tail bait onto a wobble jig. With about 10 casts each, there were no strikes and no fish yet. A few minutes later, I checked my watch to share that it was 8:55 a.m., breakfast time for big old bass looking for big old fishing buddies ready to take their picture. Not a minute later, Bill said, “Fish on! This one is not big guys, but it’s a nice healthy Florida largemouth about a foot long.” Grinning, I said, “They must have heard me, brother Big Bill.” Bill said, “First fish in, guys, pay up.” Bill is a master talker, a great storyteller, and a great friend. Another 45 minutes passed, and Bill yelped, “Well, guys, looks like I got the first fish, the biggest fish, and the moist fish. Bingo, bango, bongo. It’s gonna cost ya’ll.” It’s easy to start speaking Florida English when you’re in Florida, even for just a few months. Bill was developing an accent.

“It’s time to switch, guys.” Gary picked up his first-generation Bass-Pro casting reel bought way back in the 80s – a fishing reel he loves, and tied on a short Berkley Lightning Shad in white-silver color. I switched to a small floating-diving crankbait from Al’s Goldfish Lures called the “Diving Demon.” One of my favorite lures, it dives no deeper than 3-4 feet, no matter how hard or fast you crank. Bill said, “I’m sticking with my worm.”

About two casts later, I had a fish on and pulled a nice 2-pounder into the boat. About 30 seconds later, Gary caught three fish on successive casts. Gary said, “What’s the matter, Bill? Did you spit on the knot and scare the fish away? The fish don’t like you, buddy.” Not exactly sandpaper on sandpaper, but hearty laughs and grins. Then over the next hour, we caught four more fish, Bill too, and the fish bite just plainly turned off. It was 10:30 a.m., and we all knew it was time for man-to-man jaw talk when the fish stopped biting.

Well-maintained “elder” fishing gear works as well or is better than some modern hi-tech fishing tackle.

We always share good talk, usually about things we’ve discovered in life and fishing. Gary is from Oswego, NY; Bill is from near Sylvan Beach, NY; and I was born and raised in western New York near East Aurora. We all accept that Southwest Florida is a great place to escape snow shoveling. We talked about life and cost of living, the differences between New York and Florida, taxes and gas prices. And how census numbers the day before where New York lost 299,500 residents in 2022 while Florida gained 315,000 new Florida residents the same year. “It must be the great fishing guys!” I added. “It could have more to do with taxes,” Gary said. “Let’s not talk about politics, you guys. C’mon.” Bill garbled. Then added, “The water temp is nearly 80 degrees, guys, it’s siesta time for the fish.”

The surface water temperature was approaching 80 early in the day.

We switched our no-fish-biting talk over to lure choices to try now. We covered surface lures, plastic baits, swimbaits, crankbaits, jigs, hair bodies, soft bodies, and plastic worms and their pliability and durability. That led us to talk about lure size and plastic worms. I threw in that I fished with Rick Clunn in the Red River a few years back, and Rick says, “Fish with a 12-inch plastic worm to win the tournament or not, and just one more fisherman in the crowd.” Gary said, “It’s true that bigger lures catch bigger fish or no fish. I won a NY Bass tournament that way once a few years back.” I asked how long ago, and Gary said, “Not that long. It was in the late 90s.” We all laughed. How time flies as we get a bit older.

Our conversation between casts was better than Abbott and Costello telling their story about WHO was on first and WHAT was on second and who and what has changed since then. That took us to cellphones…flip-tops and smartphones, laptops, the internet, grocery delivery to the door, online banking and what it all means. No face-to-face conservation and no touch or emotion between people. That’s when Bill said, “Hey Gary, where are you hiding the fish? Let’s get the sandwiches out and head to another lake in the system.”

As we near the end of the trip, Gary Days says, “I normally save these little ones for Bill.”

Five seconds later, Gary hollered, “Lines up, guys. Get the bread out. Time to move.” He lifted the bow motor, turned the ignition key and the Merc outboard growled to life. Off we went. I love that Merc sound as you begin to feel airborne. Ten minutes later, sandwiches and ice-cold water in hand, we idled into a narrow canal to enter Lake Haines, and watched for ospreys and eagles. Lake Haines is another pothole-style Florida lake. The deepest water is about 18 feet. Gary said, “I don’t fish this lake too often, but sometimes you gotta stick your nose where the wild roses grow. Maybe they’re biting here.”  A broken 5-acre field of water hyacinth patches was floating in front of the canal entry. Heavy wind the previous day had broken them off from their shallow roots near shore.

Bill stood up to cast the first line where the edge of weeds and reeds was about 4 feet deep in clear water. A 30-foot cast, his line immediately moved left, then right, as Bill lifted the rod to hook up with a nice bass – his biggest bass for the day. Smiling ear to ear, “That’s how you do it, guys. Were you watching? Gary? Forrest? Of course, you know I just jinxed us. First cast, first fish in the new lake, we’ll be lucky to catch one more.” Bill’s prediction turned out to be right on. About an hour went by with no hits.

We turned our talk to fishing lures from long ago that we still have and still use and still work, and we laughed a lot. We talked about new lifestyles in winter: fishing and golf and watching spring training baseball games. We also talked about the new pains and aches we all are developing and that, at least for me, I hide with a patented arthritis grin that can fool anyone. We talked about fishing and hunting and how most outdoor sportsmen enjoy everything in between. Our discourse about lures, line brands, rods, reels and fishing gear changes went into great detail.

We agreed that the increasing multitude of American tournament bass fishing contests today might not be good for the fish but was good for the local economies and the tournament owners. We yakked more and laughed a lot. Non-stop. We deliberated taking affordable Canadian fishing trips with friends – in the summer.

The fish needed to be biting better on this day, yet we brought seven non-whopper bass and a giant bluegill to the boat. The lack of non-stop fishing action was great for talking time. The yapping talk and laughing helped us forget everything else on our calendars as we roughed it out from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We spoke about notable quips and quotes we have heard through the years, like this one: “Remember that without bread, there can be no toast. Without friends, there can be no fun.” So true.

Keep your bread and your friends close.

We headed home.

Fishing with friends on a warm and sunny day in Florida is healthy for the mind and soul.

 

Wacky Worms that LAST: Flip ‘em, Skip ‘em, but You Can’t Rip ‘em OFF

  • Ever catch 10 bass on the same plastic worm? Nobody has! Be honest. BUT I JUST DID!
  • Patent-pending plastic baits with TANTALIZING soft action, multiple color choices, scent-impregnated, chewy and DURABLE.
  • Xstended Life Bait APEX STICK WORM from MTO Lure Company
Using 4/0 circle hooks and the Apex Stick Worm from Xstended Life Baits, every hookup was perfect. This was bass #4 on the same worm. One key to catching quick multiple fish was tossing right back to the same spot with no loss in time. Reason? We did not lose any of the wacky-rigged Apex Stick Worms…for the whole day! Astonishing!  

By Forrest Fisher

When former Elite Series bass Pro, Darrin Schwenckbeck, shared that he was winning local lake tournaments in New York State because of a new plastic worm, I had to ask more. Does it have a unique smell? Special shape? Is color the difference? New color? Where did you get it? “No to all of that.” He said, “I gotta get you in touch with my buddy, Bill Alexander. I think he has something here that will be a big hit in the fishing world. Tell him I asked you to contact him, and maybe he can send you some of these to try. He calls them Apex Stick Worms – they don’t break off the hook when you hook a fish. Above that, they are supple, and they cast like a bullet. Easy to skip off rocks or docks and rip through weeds with no torn-off worms. You’re going to love these things. I’ll text you his contact info.”  

I trust Darrin’s judgment, but I was still a little skeptical about a plastic worm that does not break off. What about the action? So a few minutes later, I talked to jovial and knowledgeable Bill Alexander, an amateur angler who has fished the pro circuits, won a few, and recently retired from the aerospace manufacturing world. Not a lazy guy, Alexander promised to invent a better plastic bait product that would last. Alexander said, “I love to fish plastic worms wacky style…you know, hooked in the middle without using an o-ring, so the hook is in the right position for every cast – it’s hooked through the worm itself. Much better hook-up ratio. This method is so deadly, but the one problem is that fish bite the worm off, and you go through bags of worm baits to keep fishing. It’s expensive, and I hate to waste time re-rigging, not to mention we are leaving plastic worms all over the lake. It’s another form of contamination. Our baits are made from recyclable plastic and it does not melt in your tackle box.” Alexander added, “After several years of prototype manufacturing with my partner, Paul Williams, we worked to develop a new plastic worm bait that can help everyone: parents fishing with kids or pro anglers fishing for big cash. Both groups can have more fishing fun.” Adding a wide, ear-to-ear grin, Alexander said, “One last thing, you know our packaging is not fancy, but I never caught a bass on the package before.” 

Alexander is a confident, soft-spoken, humble sort of guy. Not sure he realizes that his invention might change the plastic bait fishing world. Especially with on-the-water trials from Elite Series bass-pro anglers like Schwenckbeck and others. They gave their new, patent-pending product line the name of Xstended Life Baits, manufactured by the MTO Lure Company. The process can be used with plastic worms, drop-shot baits, creature baits, chatter-bait trailers, and more. See a listing of Xstended Life baits farther into the story. 

The APEX STICK WORM requires about 5 seconds of a scissors clip to separate from the as-shipped packaging shown above. Easy to cast, thick and hefty in appearance, 5-1/4 inches long, and available in four or five color combinations. Fished wacky style, they require NO USE of an ORING; the result is more hook-ups with each strike.

Ask yourself how hard it would be to introduce something new in the plastic bait fishing market. Why would that be hard? Because they all have the same flaw. They all break off quickly. That’s what Bill Alexander wanted to fix. That’s what he and Paul Williams have fixed! Plus, there are endless plastic bait styles, sizes, colors, and shapes. You get the picture. To make something new would be difficult.

Not long after, Alexander invited me to test their new Apex Stick Worm in a challenge with one of his long-time tournament boating partners, Gary Day. Of course, I accepted in a micro-blink! A few weeks later, we were bass fishing on a freshwater lake near Lakeland, Florida. Both of these guys are fun-minded fishermen but with a heavy focus on fish-catching. The challenge was to see how many fish (bass) I could catch using just ONE of the new plastic Apex Stickbait worms that Alexander and Williams had invented and perfected. 

Dubbed the APEX STICK WORM,” I was immediately impressed with the perfect size, feel, and weight of the worm. Easy to cast, thick and hefty in appearance – the look and size of the worm (5-1/4 inches) that big bass see and suck in without hesitation. And, in my sweetheart color choice, my favorite for Florida stained-lakes: Blue-black with embedded microscopic blue/gold/red flakes. “Ooooh, I whispered out loud after looking over four or five color combinations that Bill offered to try. Can I hook one of these up?” 

“The way we sell them right now,” Bill said, “A pair of Fisker scissors (Walmart) is used to separate them from each other. You do that the night before the tournament. Try it.” I cut the mesh to separate one worm from the 5-pack cluster of worms held together by the screen-like mesh material.

We may sell them a different way in the future, pre-separated, but for now, the patented material and manufacturing process provides the product in this manner.” I had no problem with the 5-second scissors effort.   

With a 4/0 circle hook in my left hand, I lifted the worm straight overhead with my right hand and peered along its length to select the approximate middle of the worm for hook placement. As I moved to thread the hook into the worm, Bill said, “Now watch the tiny seamline and thread the hook across that to get the best action and durability.” So I did. Bill used a different color, and Gary used a different color yet.

A moment later, rods ready, the 200 horsepower Merc lifted Gary’s 19-foot Ranger out of the hole in a moment and away we went. Joking and quipping as we skipped across the lake at about 55 mph, the warm Florida sunshine made the start of this day perfect.

Inventor, Bill Alexander, checks his Apex Stick Worm after landing 7 bass to this point. “Ready for more,” he grins.

About 5 minutes later, Gary slowed up and said, “Let’s start here, there is a sand bar and weed line edge along these reeds, and there may be some good bass on this structure.” He switched the motor off, hopped up front and dropped the electric bow motor. We silently scooted closer to the start point of our fishing. “I brought some neighbor kids out here the other day, and we caught some nice fish. That’s why I’d like to start here.”

A few seconds later, the Talon silently slid into the sand to steady the boat about 50 feet from the reeds. Gary advised that we cast into the reeds, along the reeds or out into the open lake side until we find where the fish are. 

All of us started with open-face spinning reels and braided line. Gary was upfront casting that way, Bill in the middle casting into the beckoning reeds, and I was in the back casting toward the transitional weed edge in the deeper open water. Not more than 10 minutes later, Gary yelped, “There’s one! Here’s a good one, guys. I’m hooked up with a nice one.” Not long after, Bill slipped the net under a bass that checked in at 5-11 on the Rapala scale. What a nice fish to start the day. We took a picture and carefully released this nice whopper. About 5 minutes later, I was slowly reeling and stopping, reeling and stopping, to let the wacky-rigged worm undulate downward as it settled into the deep weed edge. I felt the slightest tap-tap tap on my St. Croix Avid rod. The circle hook did an excellent job, and by lifting the rod gently and reeling, the fish was on. A few minutes later, we checked in that beautiful bass at 4-13.

Only 30 minutes on the water, I was hoping that Bill wasn’t getting tired from his net-man job. We joked about that. Gary moved the boat down along the reed a few minutes later, and on the first cast in the new spot, Bill hollered, “Hey, there’s one, guys! Got ‘em.” I ran over to pick up the net as the fish was acrobatic, dancing all over the surface as Bill battled another whopper. That one checked in at 4-14. Wow. 

“We’re all still using the same worm we started with,” Bill said, smiling. Over the next 4 hours, the three of us caught 26 bass – all of us using the same worm we started with.

All of us were fishing wacky style. Gary had caught 10 on his one worm.

Some fish were caught along the deep weedline transition, some in the reeds, and others under the boat docks as we skip-cast into the shadow line at high noon.

As we watched an alligator snoozing on shore, we gave the rods a rest to share a sandwich lunch from Bill, some turkey sticks and ice water that my better half had packed up in the shoulder-carry Grizzly cooler. We talked about the incredible fishing and these amazing, durable plastic worms. Just then, an Osprey soared overhead a hundred feet away, hovering high above some schooling baitfish.

Gary said, “I think that bird is telling us it’s time to pack up and head for home, guys.” 

Learn more about the Xstended Life Bait products by watching the online YouTube videos from Northeast Bass Fishing with Mark Filipini at https://youtu.be/zCXFiLl-43c. You can order this new product directly from MTO Lures at PO Box 286, Sylvan Beach, NY, 13157. For prices and info, simply email Paul Williams at Pwilliams9@twcny.rr.com or Bill Alexander at walexander2@twcny.rr.com

CLICK THE PICTURE ABOVE to visit Northeast Bass Fishing (https://youtu.be/zCXFiLl-43c) with Mark Filippini on YouTube for more details on these new durable plastic baits. A sample pack that includes 5 Apex Stick Worms, 4 Predator Drop-Shot baits, 4 Icicle Drop-Shot baits and 4 NED Rig-style baits is available. To learn more about low-cost pricing, simply Email Paul Williams at Pwilliams9@twcny.rr.com or Bill Alexander at Walexander2@twcny.rr.com for details.