Lowen's Lowdown presented by Feather Flage

Duck season and turning the page

Bill Lowen — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:38:25 +0000

Although we’ve been quite busy with preparations for the arrival of our 2nd child I have made several quality duck hunts on Brookville Lake and the Ohio River. I’ve posted a lot of photos on my Facebook page.

The weather down south has been so warm that we’ve had a lot more ducks than usual here in the Midwest. The late season hunts have been much better than in the past few years. The ducks are smart so you have to use the best equipment to fool them. The new Storm Front and Master Series decoys from Flambeau are 150% worth the investment.

As we turn the page to fishing and Bassmaster Classic preparation I am getting excited. A lot of the new gear is arriving in the mail and I am busy filling my Flambeau tackle boxes. I picked up my new Skeeter last week, which is always an exciting experience.

The season is almost here!

Near miss and decoys

Bill Lowen — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:24:53 +0000

Last year was a very successful hunt in Kansas. I was fortunate to take a great buck with my bow. Take a look at www.BillLowen.com for pictures. This year thanks to TightLines UV I was able to get another shot at another nice deer.

In bow hunting there is obviously little room for error. I was in a great stand and had marked off the area so I knew my yardage, or so I thought. 30 yards is a very comfortable distance for me and a really nice buck came into my area. He was on a steep embankment that I thought was 30 yards away, so I shot for that distance. Turns out he was about 39 feet when I stepped it off – after shooting and missing!

That has to be the worst feeling in the world. It is similar to the scenario of seeing a really big bass on a beg, flipping in a bait and having the fish eat it, only to miss it or break the line.

Since my return home I have been waterfowling a lot. Flambeau sent their newest Storm Front decoys and they are the deal. With these decoys and my Feather Flage camo I feel real good about my chances hunting on the river.

Looking at Deer and All Pro Rods

Bill Lowen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:56:42 +0000

It is cloudy and rainy here in Indiana today. That is perfect weather for blog writing! I’m not a professional writer so trying to describe the last couple weeks of hunting trips where I have seen some decent deer but no “shooters” is a challenge. That being the case, stay tuned for some hunting stories. I am headed to Kansas to hunt with Tight Lines again this year so that should be fun.

Last Friday I went down to Tennessee on Old Hickory Lake. I own fond memories of that fishery. In 2008 I nearly won an Elite Series event there. It was the first of two runner-up finishes in my career.

On Friday I fished with Mel Burton, who had bid on a charity package from Buck Knives. We caught 8 keepers on a 3/16 oz D&L jig, Tight Lines UV Hogs, and an Ima Square Bill in Silver Lining or Bluegill Foil colors. Our best 5 would have gone 14+. Old Hickory is very healthy right now.

Friday night was the All Pro Rods annual pro staff meeting. Bill Merrick and Don Jarvis, the owners, introduced the 2012 line of rods and have hit a home run in my opinion. They are preparing to introduce a line of rods that will retail for $99 and $109, but you would swear they would cost $200. They are solid rods. I had the opportunity to fish with them on Saturday and caught all of my keepers on them. I am very excited about the future prospects for All Pro Rods.

As for the pro staff tournament on Saturday, they didn’t bite like they did on Friday. However, I got to spend time with great guys at the lake and that is what it is all about!

Turkey hunting and shows

Bill Lowen — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:10:17 +0000

I’m been fortunate to take advantage of some Fall turkey hunting here in Indiana. One of my goals as a hunter is to be well-rounded and one that sets and meets goals. A lot of the goals surround my bow.

A turkey is not an easy kill with a bow, but Fall is as good a time as any to accomplish the task. I had 2-3 days in the field between fishing business trips for IMA and Tight Lines, but wasn’t able to stick a tom. It was a blast though.

On the fishing business front, I just returned from a dealer show in Somerset, KY. I was there for IMA Lures helping promote their great line of baits and especially the Square Bill. It is such a great bait, and it sells very well.

This Saturday night I am speaking to a local bass club and am looking forward to it. Bass Club guys are awesome. Sharing information and helping each other get better is what makes this a great sport.

If you ever want my advice on getting better at the sport of fishing it is to join a club. You can find your local club by calling the Bass Federation Nation at 877.227.7872, Option 4. Give them a call and tell them I sent you.

Dream hunting trip

Bill Lowen — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:52:43 +0000

I just returned from a hunting trip out west that I’ve been on in my dreams for years. Hunting an elk with a bow is something I’ve always wanted to do. A few buddies and I recently drove out to Sulphur Springs, Colorado to do just this.

We hiked into where we would set up base camp (no guides, all public land) on the first day out there. The weather was nice and cool and we heard bulls bugling. It was an awesome sound! Amazing. One of my buddies actually got close enough to let an arrow fly and bring down a 5×5 bull. What a sight! We figured we were all in for a great hunt. Feather Flage “Ducks in a Row” camo works very well in Colorado!

Elk like it to stay cold once it gets cold. We hit a warm spell in Colorado. Just our luck. The weather was too warm the rest of the hunt and we never heard or saw another bull. We did see a bear finishing up the carcass of our field-dressed elk. That was a little dicey.

I guess after this experience hunting an elk with a bow will continue to be in my dreams, until it works out to hunt them again. One thing that fishing as a pro has taught me, which hunting reinforces, is that things don’t always go as planned.

Canada geese and getting beat

Bill Lowen — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:01:28 +0000

Hunting season is here. Some buddies and I took advantage of the early goose season and had a great time shooting. The birds weren’t flying like we would have liked but after a long time of non-hunting it was great to get out.

And yes, the Beat Bill Lowen event went off and someone did beat me. The best part was that they got 2 Buck 110′s to remember it.

It is hard to believe it has been 1 year since this blog started. Looking back over the year I have been busy. This has been new for me and I’ve learned a lot. Please feel free to comment on here or Facebook about any questions you have.

Can you beat me?

Bill Lowen — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:24:09 +0000

I love to fish local tournaments. There is not much better than meeting up with a group of guys and seeing who can catch more fish. 3 hours, 5 hours, 8 hours, even 12 hours sometimes at night. On the Ohio River there is a group called the 100% Club. All the $ that goes in goes back out.

Last year the 100% Club decided to do a contest where the guys went out to beat me and my partner one weekend. We did plaques and stuff for the winner. Well I had a great day on the river and caught like 12 pounds, which is really big. So we shelved the plaques and will bring them out again this year. This Saturday is “Beat Bill Lowen” day again.

Buck Knives, the best sponsor any guy could have, called and committed two Buck 110 knives to the team that wins….I hope we put those back on the shelf with the plaques again this year…Haha. Call Dennis at (513) 256-0040 for more information. See you out there.

The weight is over…

Bill Lowen — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:50:03 +0000

Bassmaster just put up a very informative story we did on Reins Tungsten weights. Big weights will always have their place in my tackle box. I am very fortunate to work with the company that makes the best one on the market too. Go with someone that knows how to use big weights sometime and you will be sold too. They are a great way to catch fish other people don’t have a prayer of catching…and that is a good time.

Also, the WAIT is over! Except for the great trip to Smoky Mountain Knife Works I have been trying to stay busy here in Indiana…thanks for the suggestions on Facebook everyone. But the WAIT is over…I leave for two Cabela’s appearances Saturday and Sunday and then go to Lake Erie to fish the Northern Open. I am jacked up. For one, I love Cabela’s and the great people at the Wheeling, WV store. I am excited about meeting the folks in Dundee, MI too.

Please stop in and look for me Saturday and Sunday. I will be located in the Buck knife section of the store of course.

A little crazy

Bill Lowen — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:21:51 +0000

So this time of year an outdoorsman has to get creative. The highly competitive Elite Series season is over. Hunting season is a good ways off. I fish a Bassmaster Northern Open in two weeks up on Lake Erie but more than a few days at home and I start to go a little crazy. What should we do?

We’ve been working on food plots (see below), shooting carp, doing a little pond bass fishing, organizing the shop and the boats, working with sponsors, etc. All good stuff, I have just gotten used to the whole jump in the truck and be gone from home. I guess that is a good thing, right?

I’m not complaining at all. I realize how fortunate I truly am. To be able to make a livelihood in the outdoors is truly something to be thankful for. The family and friends we have are awesome too. And it really is a great country we live in…regardless of what the stock market does!

SMKW/Lake Douglas TN

Bill Lowen — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:02:56 +0000

The event this past weekend at Smoky Mountain Knife Works was a lot of fun. We were able to promote the Lowen knives on Knives Live TV and spend time in the store. Love that store.

Fishing was fun on Douglas on Saturday. Bob George from Buck Knives and I went fishing with the Giveaway winner and his grandson. We fished for a couple hours and caught some really nice fish.

I’ve found that if you show up at a lake that you’ve never fished before you can always take a Zappu Jig Head Wacky and a little Tight Lines finesse worm and fish bridge pilings. We caught a 4+ and several other nice fish doing that. A couple years ago I filmed the Day on the Lake for ESPN2. I threw that little combo out near a boat ramp and caught some nice fish.

Try that little trick next time. Shaky heads are great for first-timers and kids that are just moving to the point of wanting to fish with artificial baits, but still get bit like it is live bait.