Bio CTF name: Rivernut Real name: Dave Roberts Age: 44 Current City: Sunderland, MA Hometown: Amherst, MA Family members: Wife Lyn, Son Ben, Daughter Abbe Occupation: Science teacher / labor representative / tournament fisherman
1. A lot of your reports are river reports. What appeals to you most about river fishing? The diversity of the habitat from the lower dam to the upper one and current. Current puts fish in predictable locations and dictates their feeding attitude so they become easier to pattern.
2. A lot of your reports are during the cold weather months. Why fish the colder months? For me the question is “why stop fishing?” The fish bunch-up in the cold like no other time of year. There are no bugs out, no pleasure boaters, just big fish and lots of them. And winter spots are good forever.
3. Tell us about the features of your jet boat and the fishing advantages it has. I designed my Gator Jet boat for winning bass tournaments on the Connecticut River, but It allows me to go anywhere. Yesterday I was on Lake Champlain fishing thick weed beds. Tomorrow I might be on the Connecticut River in a foot of water fishing strong current. Those are all places that bass live. My boat is a collection of tools, which together allow me to fish efficiently. It has the largest casting deck of any bass boat made. It has huge storage compartments so the deck is uncluttered. It has the strongest trolling motor made. It has a huge divided livewell with a large dual air pump for keeping fish alive during tournaments. The boat is 20’ long, made of 1/8” welded aluminum. It has an inboard Chevy V-8 with 320 horsepower coupled with an American Turbine SD 309 jet pump. It will run in 2” of water but has run “negative depth” (land) on many occasions. Unlike other jet boats, this has a “clean-out hole” for clearing debris that would cripple other jet boats. It is set up like a pro-style bass boat with dual consoles and 7’ rod lockers. It has four batteries and a depth finder which seldom gets used.
4. What is your favorite species to target in rivers and your top three tips for catching bigger ones? I am a Smallmouth Bass fisherman. The most important tips for catching smallmouth are knowing the seasonal patterns and migrations, understanding current and how they relate to it, and time on the water to develop skills for actually catching them.
5. You writing and photography have appeared in major fishing magazines. What publications has your work appeared in, and what made you get started in submitting your work? Bassmaster, Bass Times, In-Fisherman, Outdoor Life, The Fisherman and some others I can’t think of. I did not pursue this aspect, it sort of found me. Most of this is due to my friend Don Wirth. He has written more on bass than anyone.
6. Tell us a crazy “Rivernut” story about fishing a river. There are a lot of those. One time during a tournament we ran up to a dam through some Class-3 rapids . It was a “white knuckle” ride avoiding boulders and standing waves. I was certain that if we made it, we would win. We got our 16 pounds of smallmouth and figured we had it won. On the way back we were going full throttle and we hit a boulder which was shielded from view by the water running over the top of it. The word “boom!” doesn’t do it justice. It threw the boat in the air with the bow way up high. As we landed I though for sure that the boat was ruined. We went on our way to the weigh-in and got second by a pound. Once on the trailer, I could see the 3 foot dent and stress crack around the intake. I always remember that because I now know what my boat can survive. Whenever I chicken out of running a bad looking area, Gary always points out how we made it through that, so we can make it through anything.
7. Do you have a dream fishing trip or destination? I have two. The first would be Black Marlin fishing on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The second would be White Sturgeon Fishing in a jet boat in Hell’s Canyon on the Snake River in Idaho.
8. If you were going to take 3 rods and 3 lures to go river fishing today (July) to catch the most variety of fish species, what would you bring? Small plastic worm, Rapala, jig.
9. Do you have any interesting stories surrounding that bad-ass hat you were during the winter? Hey, it’s cold out there in January and February! That thing works! I got it in the JC Penney bargain bin. I believe it is made out of rabbit fur. Did I mention that I hate the cold?
10. What kind of music do you enjoy listening to? I’m a music slut, I listen to whatever is on. I’m partial to classic rock. But on that note I have a flash memory / CD player on my boat stereo. Never seen another boat with this feature. A card the size of a postage stamp holds hundreds of tunes
11. What fishing technique would you like to improve on? Top-water. I just can’t resist setting the hook early on the explosion.
12. When did you start fishing and what is one of your most memorable fishing experiences? My dad took me fishing when I was very little. He was a fisheries biologist, so we were always around fish. Most of my best days of fishing have been on Lake Champlain. Yesterday I caught about 50 largemouth up to 4 pounds and I consider it an average day there. One day there I had 5 bass for 28 pounds, and it was part of a 300 fish weekend. I will never forget that.
13. Have you ever been involved in a life-threatening situation while fishing? Yes. I have saved numerous people from themselves. Once I helped a bunch of people in the Holyoke rapids. They had tied the anchor to the back of the boat. Once it caught bottom, it pulled the transom under and the boat capsized. I pulled a couple of them aboard. There was a state police helicopter overhead and firemen scrambling on the bank.
14. What is the fastest you’ve ever gone in a boat? At least 92 MPH in Gary’s Allison, probably faster when we did not have GPS.
15. Who has been the most influential person in your life? My kids
16. What is the last movie you really enjoyed (TV, rental, or in the theatre)? Jaws
17. Do you have any interesting or funny stories about taking a non-fisherman fishing? I took out a guy I used to teach with. We went out spring smallmouth fishing on the river. I took him to some hot spots where every time I told him he was doing something wrong, either where he was casting or what he was using, he would catch a 3 pound bass.
18. What is the greatest hardship you have had to overcome in your life? Watching a world record Largemouth Bass grab my plastic worm at lake Mirimar in Southern California, only to see it holding the end without the hook, then spit it out and swim away.
19. Do you have “fish that got away” stories that still haunt you? Many. The Mirimar fish, another at El Capitan (another Southern California Reservoir) that was huge. I was thinking about one yesterday while on Champlain. I fished a Redman tournament about 8 years ago on Lake Champlain. I found a smokin’ hot spot and technique. I was using deep crank baits and swim baits – even before they were called swim baits. I was paired up with local legend Tom LaVictoire Sr. We went to my place first and I was catching them one after another. I needed one more decent fish to to win and put me around 15 pounds for my five bass limit. On a long cast with the swimbait, I hooked a hawg, looked about 4 pounds. It jumped several times and wallowed on the surface. Close to the boat it jumped once more, tossing the bait. The sun came out and the bite shut down. I think I got 5th in that T. Mike Ioconneli won that T and went on to become famous.
20. What fishing experience or accomplishment are you most proud of? There was a tournament out of Chicopee once that Gary and I won with over 32 pounds for 10 smallmouth, it set a record down there.
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