Added Pluses Of Fishing The Yo-Yo

EDITOR'S NOTE: I've never caught as many catfish in my life as I did when I fished at Blue Bank Resort on Tennessee's Reelfoot Lake last summer with Yo-Yos. Be sure to check out last week's "John's Journal" to learn even more about yo-yoing for catfish. Practice what you learn, and you'll have even more catfishing success this summer.

Because the Yo-Yo doesn't have a mind of its own, it doesn't know it only should catch catfish. I've found that when you bait the Yo-Yo with live minnows, live crawfish or even whole night crawlers, the Yo-Yo will take almost anything that swims, including catfish, bass, walleye, white bass, hybrid-striped bass and even stripers.

In many states, anglers fish for crappie with Yo-Yos. Fishermen bait the Yo-Yo hooks with live minnows, tie the Yo-Yos to jugs and allow them to drift in the mouths of creeks, along the edges of underwater creek channels or over points where crappie tend to hold during the post-spawn. By using jugs and Yo-Yos, crappie fishermen can catch more crappie more quickly than they can drift fishing with a rod and reel.

Another plus of fishing the Yo-Yo means you can catch plenty of catfish at night with them. To make finding your Yo-Yos easier at night when hanging them from limbs of trees on bushes, add a piece of reflective tape to both sides of the Yo-Yo. When your flashlight hits the tape, you not only can find your Yo-Yo easier and more quickly, you immediately can tell whether or not you have a catfish on, because you can see the reflective tape move in the dark.

To learn more about Yo-Yos, contact Mechanical Fisher, P.O. Box 1170, Diamond City, AR 72630; (870) 422-7715. For more information on Blue Bank Resort, write Rt. 1, Box 970, Tiptonville, TN 38079; (901) 253-6878.

Tomorrow: Double-Dipping