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Day on the Lake: James Hall

Bassmaster Magazine Editor James Hall tries to figure out Lake B, a small reservoir.

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<p> </p> <p><em>Bassmaster</em>’s reality series usually challenges Bassmaster Elite Series pros to locate and catch bass on a small lake within a seven hours. But this month we put <em>Bassmaster</em> Editor James Hall in the hot seat. The 41-year-old Texas native began his career as a newspaper outdoor writer, then joined <em>Angler’s Choice</em> magazine as editor. Hall has been with B.A.S.S. since 1999, first as media relations manager, then as editor of <em>Guns & Gear </em>before joining <em>Bassmaster. </em>A skilled and passionate angler, Hall has a special fondness for light line bass fishing, a presentation form that, as you’re about to discover, served him well on May 3, 2012, when he took on Lake B, a small reservoir.</p>
 
Bassmaster’s reality series usually challenges Bassmaster Elite Series pros to locate and catch bass on a small lake within a seven hours. But this month we put Bassmaster Editor James Hall in the hot seat. The 41-year-old Texas native began his career as a newspaper outdoor writer, then joined Angler’s Choice magazine as editor. Hall has been with B.A.S.S. since 1999, first as media relations manager, then as editor of Guns & Gear before joining Bassmaster. A skilled and passionate angler, Hall has a special fondness for light line bass fishing, a presentation form that, as you’re about to discover, served him well on May 3, 2012, when he took on Lake B, a small reservoir.
<p>6:50 a.m. Shortly after launching on Lake B, <em>Bassmaster </em>editor James Hall heads uplake to fish a shallow flat.</p>
6:50 a.m. Shortly after launching on Lake B, Bassmaster editor James Hall heads uplake to fish a shallow flat.
<p>7:12 a.m. Hall picks a backlash out of his reel as rain beings to fall.</p>
7:12 a.m. Hall picks a backlash out of his reel as rain beings to fall.
<p> </p> <p>7:23 a.m. Hall catches “an extreme nonkeeper” on a square bill crankbait.</p>
 
7:23 a.m. Hall catches “an extreme nonkeeper” on a square bill crankbait.
<p>Hall prepares to tie on a deep diving crankbait.</p>
Hall prepares to tie on a deep diving crankbait.
<p>9:48 a.m. Hall ties up a Carolina rig, which he’ll use to probe main-lake points.</p>
9:48 a.m. Hall ties up a Carolina rig, which he’ll use to probe main-lake points.
<p> </p> <p>10:11 a.m. Hall drags a Carolina rigged lizard across the point where he lost a huge bass earlier.</p>
 
10:11 a.m. Hall drags a Carolina rigged lizard across the point where he lost a huge bass earlier.
<p>11:16 a.m. Hall hangs a lunker bass on a stick worm rigged wacky-style on a jighead.</p>
11:16 a.m. Hall hangs a lunker bass on a stick worm rigged wacky-style on a jighead.
<p> </p> <p>11:16 a.m. Hall’s first keeper bass, a beautiful 5-pound, 4-ounce largemouth, hit his Yum Dinger stickworm on the side of a main-lake point.</p>
 
11:16 a.m. Hall’s first keeper bass, a beautiful 5-pound, 4-ounce largemouth, hit his Yum Dinger stickworm on the side of a main-lake point.
<p>12:12 p.m. Hall skips a worm underneath a dock on Lake B.</p>
12:12 p.m. Hall skips a worm underneath a dock on Lake B.
<p>1:24 p.m. Hall swings aboard a bass that hit his finesse worm on a clay point.</p>
1:24 p.m. Hall swings aboard a bass that hit his finesse worm on a clay point.
<p>1:24 p.m. Halls third keeper, 1 pound even, hit a finesse worm on a brushy point. “This was definitely a postspawn scenario today,” Hall told <em>Bassmaster. </em>“I spent a lot of time in shallow water, but there was absolutely nothing happening there — the fish I caught were mostly on points and channel banks, in or close to deep water. The weird weather system passing through made them extremely tight-lipped. I never had a single bite on a reaction bait, such as a crankbait or umbrella rig; every bite came on slow-moving finesse baits fished on the bottom. The action picked up considerably after it stopped raining; I didn’t catch my first keeper until after 11 a.m., and I was getting quite a few bites right up to quitting time. There are some huge bass in this lake; that lunker that jumped off this morning would have really helped my weight total. The spring weather pattern in this region has been so crazy, I wonder if the fish aren’t as confused as I was!</p> <p> </p> <p>Read more in the digital edition of <a href=
1:24 p.m. Halls third keeper, 1 pound even, hit a finesse worm on a brushy point. “This was definitely a postspawn scenario today,” Hall told Bassmaster. “I spent a lot of time in shallow water, but there was absolutely nothing happening there — the fish I caught were mostly on points and channel banks, in or close to deep water. The weird weather system passing through made them extremely tight-lipped. I never had a single bite on a reaction bait, such as a crankbait or umbrella rig; every bite came on slow-moving finesse baits fished on the bottom. The action picked up considerably after it stopped raining; I didn’t catch my first keeper until after 11 a.m., and I was getting quite a few bites right up to quitting time. There are some huge bass in this lake; that lunker that jumped off this morning would have really helped my weight total. The spring weather pattern in this region has been so crazy, I wonder if the fish aren’t as confused as I was!
 
Read more in the digital edition of Bassmaster Magazine.

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