Interview with Mr. John Shore,
Winner at Lake Keystone, the third stop for the Wal-Mart BFL Okie division.

By: Dustin Lester
 

John Shore is well on his way to being a full time touring pro, not only does he possess the skills needed to consistently catch limits of bass, but his mental toughness, deep desire to succeed, and love of bass fishing all equally attribute to his success.


OBF- John are you married and do you have any children?

John- Yes I have been married to my wife Cindy for 16 years, and I have
two children J.D. who is 13, and Sarah who is 7.


OBF- What do you do for a living to support your fishing habit?

John- I am the owner of J&C Overhead Door in Owasso Ok.


OBF- How long have you been tournament fishing?

John- 8 years


OBF- How many years have you been fishing the BFL?

John- For the past 8 years, and for the past four years I have not missed a
tournament.


OBF- What is your favorite way to fish?

John- Shallow Cover


OBF- What is your favorite lake?

John- Oologah, you can take things that you learn on that lake and apply it
to a lot of different lakes around, such as the West side of Texoma,
Eufaula and Kerr.


OBF- What is your favorite lure?

John- Jig and a Spinnerbait


OBF- Is this your first BFL win and what else do you fish?

John- Yes this is my first BFL win, I have had three top 5 finishes and
several top 10 finishes. I also fish the Skeeter Team Trail and
have had a second, a third, and numerous top 10 finishes since the
start of the Skeeter Trail.


OBF- How many days did you fish Keystone prior to the tournament?

John- Two full days (Thursday and Friday) and I flew over the lake on
Wednesday. I have a buddy who is a pilot and I fly over a lot of
lakes before fishing a tournament. That’s how I found the spot
that produced the fish that I caught.


OBF- Did you have a long run to the fish that you were on?

John- No, ten minutes


OBF- What type of water did you catch your fish?

John- Shallow points and inside creek bends. I was not keying on long
stretches of buck brush, because it was getting hammered. I found
two spots that I could fish for thirty minutes to an hour, and I went
back in fourth between those same two spots all day long.


OBF- What made you decide to fish that water?

John- Where I fished Thursday I caught a limit in twenty-two minutes, but
I knew that they would not hold up on Saturday, because they were
biting to good. “Everyone was catching them” So Friday I dedicated
my whole day to dirty water. Carrying the same pattern with me from
the day before. I found my fish at 3:30p.m. on Friday. And got off
the lake at 6:00.


OBF- How long did it take you to catch your fish?

John- I caught my first fish at 5:55am at 7:15am I boated my second at 9:05
came my third and at 1:50 I caught my last fish of the day.


OBF- What type of lures were you throwing?

John- Flippin Saltcraws and a jig


OBF- How many fish did you catch throughout the day?

John- Four fish is all I boated all day


OBF- Did your co-angler catch any fish?

John- He caught one short fish; he was having a tough day


OBF- Where on the bushes were you placing your lure?

John- There was only one place that you would get bit, and that was right
in the middle of the bush letting it fall down the trunk. Anywhere
else and you would not get a bite.


OBF- What was the water temperature you were fishing?

John- 85 to 88 degrees in the creek and at my other stretch of bushes it was
77 to 81 degrees. I would drain my livewells when I went out to the
cooler water and fill them back up with Cool fresh water. “That hot
creek water will kill those bass; I have done it too many times.


OBF- What size of a weight were you using?

John- 3/8oz. on my saltcraw, and I really feel like that fast fall made the
difference on the bass I was catching. It would fall through the bush
hit the mud/rock bottom making a disturbance on bottom, that is
when they would hit. The bite was very subtle. I was totally in tune with
my rod, reel, and everything else.
I only had about a second to make a decision,
or they were gone.



OBF- What type of equipment were you using?

John- I was using a 7’, 7-power Allstar rod with 25lb. test Trilene Big Game,
5’0 Owner hook, and a Bass Pro Shops Rick Clunn Edition 3/8oz.
Gambler screw in weight.




Thanks for an enjoyable interview; congratulations and good luck.