5 In The Box with Hillary Hughes!

While the fishing industry continues to grow bigger and bigger, Hillary Hughes is determined to show the world that some of the best things in life still come in small packages!

Why do you fish?

It wasn't something I got drug out (of me) by my dad or grandpa to do...I found the love of fishing by standing on the bank of the pond everyday. I love it. It has become the biggest part of my life.

Are you fishing competitively now?

Yes, nothing too major yet. Some college flw tournaments and local tournaments.

Who taught you?

Funny story actually, it was my boyfriend at the time about 3 years ago in Wisconsin. We always had competition with everything we did. I wanted to catch bigger fish than he did!

Does adding the competitive side of it change it for you now or are you still able to go out and have fun even if you don't catch 20 pounds?

I find myself needing to slow down a bit during tournaments but I am still able to go down to the pond or the lake and have a blast. Even if we don't catch much, its just being on the water that can make any mood better!

I call it my therapy!

What's your favorite technique?

Oh that's a hard choice! I love frogging and throwing a spinnerbait.

Do you hunt too?

Ohh no!! lol

Do you think guys underestimate your ability to fish and compete because you're a woman?

Oh yes! Most men see a young lady fishing and they don't take me seriously. They don't find it funny though when I'm weighing in bigger fish than they are!

What's your favorite lake? And what's your least favorite?

Most people may not know it because it's a smaller lake but my favorite is Mozingo Lake here in Northwest Missouri. My least favorite is Beaver Lake in Arkansas.

Let's get to the big 5!

1. Are you dating anyone, and if so, what's it like on a sunday when you're both together and not fishing or working?

Or are you both fishing together?

I'm not sure if you would call it dating but we are always fishing together every weekend! We fish most of our local tournaments together.

2. Do you have any pre-tournament rituals or superstitions?

Not really any rituals, but I always make sure I have my dirty old pink john deere hat on or with me!

3. Where was your best finish in 2013, and where did you struggle the most?

My best finish was at Mozingo Lake and my biggest struggle was on Kentucky Lake. We flat out got skunked. I haven't had a lot of experience fishing those deep ledges and neither did my partner. I saw shallow brush and wanted to flip that all day and it produced nothing bigger than 12 inchers.

4. What's the one body of water you would pick to fish in 2013 if you had your choice?

My choice of water would be Falcon lake. I will catch a double digit and it will be there!

5. What's one thing nobody knows about you?

The one thing nobody knows about me would have to be my fear of the dark. I still sleep with the tv on or a small light lol. Embarrassing, I know but I can't help it! My dad checked under my bed and in my closet until I was at least 14-15 years old :/ lol.

Oneida Lake Northern Open 2013

The second Northern Open of 2013 is over, and I can tell you that it's probably gonna be awhile before I can fully get over the sting that still exists from not having had done as well as I know I should have.  I had very few bites, I knew the lake would fish like that going in, but I didn't deliver.  I really needed to stay focused, not miss fish, and I didn't.
Day one I fished with Randal Tharp, FLW legend.  We began out deep, targeting smallmouth.  I really needed to do a better job of trying to get those fish to bite.  We were hovering over them in 25 feet of water, and I didn't do enough to fire them up and get them to eat.  I saw them on the screen and I threw all the things that I would normally throw, but when that didn't work I really needed to dig in and start going through everything else until I found what it was they wanted.  I didn't do that.  Instead I sat there for almost two hours, waiting for them to bite the things I'm really accustomed to catching them on at that lake.  It's almost as if my knowledge of the lake betrayed me, because it prevented me from doing what I do best:  finding what the fish want to eat.  I did the one thing I always pride myself on not doing:  I was stubborn, and I only used what I was used to using.  I wish I could have it back.  I didn't manage to get my first fish until noon, I missed two fish flipping grass, and caught my second fish on a drop shot at 1:30.  Although I was lucky enough to catch two good fish, one of which was the big bass up until the last 10 minutes of day 1 and have my picture taken and posted here on Bassmaster, not having the third fish I needed left me 4 pounds off the lead.  Had I been able to bring in any of the fish I missed I might have found myself in the lead or in the top five.
Day two I was paired up with Greg Pugh.  We began the day targeting smallmouth and I did the same thing:  I threw the same things, with the same results.  None of the fish we saw on the graph ate the things I threw at them, and I didn't try to throw anything else.  We left those fish after two hours, flipped grass, again I didn't catch anything.  We left there, flipped docks, I got frustrated and shut down a little, my knowledge of that lake and drive to win it got the best of me because it was noon and in my mind I was already defeated.  I caught my first fish at 2 pm on a drop shot, caught a good fish at 3 cranking, and lost (sadly) what might have been the biggest fish of the tournament with less than ten minutes to go on a crankbait after the fish buried me in some deep weeds.
Both of my boaters were great guys, and I had an excellent time fishing with both of them.  All my fish were caught on soft plastics made by Bass Attacker Lures.
Probably the highlight of the tournament for me was getting to see my friends I've met this season.  I got to spend a lot of time practicing with John McGoey and we even got to have a special evening at a local bait shop where we were fortunate enough to meet some great people.  We talked fishing, shared stories, and gave away some gear to some really deserving people.  The looks on their faces was incredible, and it made me feel really great to be able to share my love for this sport with men and women and children.  I also got to spend a little bit of time with Brandon Palaniuk again after meeting him at the James River when we were paired up on day two.  We didn't get out this time, but I'm sure we'll fish together again.  Probably not out of the same boat in a tournament (this is my last year fishing off the back) but we'll get out again.
With just one tournament left (Northern Open #3, Lake Erie, Sandusky Ohio, September), it's really important to me that I thank all my family, friends, and sponsors for their support:  Dobyns Rods, Citizens Bank, Rahfish, Schuler-Haas Electric, Bass Attacker Lures, and Quantum Fishing.

Dive into these Medium Diving Crankbaits!

How do you choose which medium-diving crankbait to throw?  Is it color?  Price?  Availability?  Reputation?  Let’s accept that all things are relative, and everyone has their own interpretation of what a “medium diving” crankbait is, so for the sake of saving that argument for another time we’ll say that a medium diving crankbait is anything that runs from 8-12 feet.

On the upper end of the price scale is the Lucky Craft series.  It’s hard to deny that these are made of quality components.  They tend to swim perfect out of the box, and have great hooks that touch each other (an essential aspect of crankbait selection).  These hard baits have a sound design that offers great movement and noise combinations to support the color patterns that come with them.  In a nutshell, they don’t just look pretty, they deliver.  The downside to these baits is of course the obvious price tag.  At $16-20 and up, they can be hard on your wallet!  Especially when you know you have to fish them in tight areas with the need to constantly resist the fear of losing them in submerged structure (I always tell myself “You can’t marry them, dude”).  They also can be a bit fragile, as I’ve broken a few bouncing them off rocks, bridge pilings, docks, or (ssshhhh) maybe even a boat or two parked in a slip. 

At a slightly less damaging cost is the Rapala DT series.  These baits come in a variety of sizes, depth ranges, and color patterns.  While the name hasn’t changed, the design of the DT has had some small adjustments over the years (size, hook type, color scheme), and while I’m not sure of the reasons behind these changes,  I can tell you that I strongly prefer the previous generation of the DT series, and I’m not alone in that opinion.  The older DT series baits flat out caught more fish.  These are still an effective lure, but their stock fell in my opinion.

Next we have the Bill Norman series.  I started using these baits (roughly) three years ago at the advice of a guy whose opinion I really admire.  They always swam well out of the box, cost half as much as Lucky Craft, and had a great, tight wobble that I really like when I crank.  The baits hold up well to being bounced off of hard surfaces, have great hooks, and even offer color patterns that I can’t find in other baits.  And while they’re not made of the same materials that Lucky Craft are, they’re hard to beat for the price (you can find them for $5-10). 

The Storm Wiggle Wart is probably one of my least favorite in the medium diving category.  That being said, Storm does make other baits that I absolutely LOVE.  This series just doesn’t happen to be one of them.  While the colors are great, and the wiggle (the tightest, and loudest in my opinion) will nearly shake the rod right out of your hand, they just never have produced for me at a level that would put the confidence I need to say it’s a “go to” for me.  Again, other products—absolutely—just not this one.

Last but not least is the Live Target series.  Falling at a price range of $12-17, they’re one of the more expensive models, and it’s hard to argue how beautiful they are.  Live Target has perhaps the most impressive appearance of any crankbait in terms of detail and lifelike imaging.  They were also the first company that I found to produce a craw-style crankbait that accurately displayed a craw realistically swimming in the backwards way they swim in real life (crayfish don’t swim quickly in a forward direction, they dart backwards).  When these baits first came out I went all in, buying everything and anything they made, and I quickly sold them all, with the exception of those crayfish lures because those are the only ones I could get the fish to eat.  But they ate them well.  Especially in the green color.

In closing I know there are a lot of different opinions on crankbaits, and I know I mentioned only a very few of the many different brands there are to choose from.  These are just a few that I get asked about the most.  I know other guys who say they've caught HUGE fish on this lure or that lure, and you’re always gonna have that.  Maybe you're the kind of guy that only buys Lucky Craft, or maybe you only buy Norman’s because you refuse to spend $20 on a lure.  Myself, I find that I have a mixed bag of things depending on color patterns that I have had success with, rather than marrying one manufacturer. 

Besides, you can’t marry them anyhow, J.  So throw whatever feels best to you.

Take me Fishin Channel 12 News Excerpt!

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