TBA Championship - Sept. 6th & 7th - Roosevelt Lake

Fred and I qualified for the championship through the night series that was held. There were 21 boats that showed for the 2 day event, held at Roosevelt Lake. Sign up for the championship was held at Boston's Lake House Grill. I was able to get out and pre-fish the weekend prior for a few hours and had found a few different patterns that could work throughout the 2 days. I found fish early on buzz frogs and square-bills in the backs of cuts and deep crankbaits, Carolina rigs, and Alabama rigs deep off points and cliff ledges. The two days of competition turned out to be completely different, Day 1 was sunny and hot, with temps over 110, while day 2 was over cast with wind and rain mixed in with a high of about 80.
Tournament morning for Day 1 came early but we were rigged up and ready to go. We made the short run to the deeper cuts with grass growing in the backs of them. We started at the point of the cuts and worked all the way back in looking for the shad as we covered water. Within a few minutes we had our first keeper on a crankbait and a few casts later had our second. The morning was looking good and we just kept up the same pattern. In the back of the next cove, I connected with a quality buzz frog fish that came unbuttoned just before it got to the side of the boat. That one hurt but had to keep on moving as it was still early. We covered some bank with only a few short fish to show. We found a cover littered with shad but could only manage a strike out if the time spent there, and we threw just about everything we owned! At that point we decided to go with the more finesse bite that I had found with dropshots and Carolina rigs on the steeper breaks. This is where things happened to go severely wrong for us. As we took off to get on plain we heard an odd sound and then the motor got really loud and lost power. Immediately we knew something was wrong and popped off the cowling. The spark plug had literally shot out of the cylinder head and was laying inside the cowling. Without the proper tools to put it back in and make sure was secured to not do excessive damage to the motor, we turned the trolling motor on high and headed towards the bank to fish our way in to the ramp. Heading across channel something internal on the computer for the trolling motor short circuited and we lost almost all the power to the trolling motor. It was a slow pace back to the dock which produced a few short fish, one nice keeper, and a fish that broke us off on light line. We finally made it back to the dock between 9am and 10am and got the boat back on the trailer to assess the damage. Thankfully is looked worse than it was, we placed the spark plug back in and it held without issues, but we were done for the day as the power to the battery and trolling motor was fried. We weighed 3 fish for 4.70lbs which surprisingly got us 2 gift certificates for Day 1.
Unfortunately, we were unable to get the motor tested and the battery and system for trolling motor fixed so we were out of Day 2. It was a frustrating way to end a Championship as we had never had a breakdown force us out before. It was a learning lesson to always check the plugs, fuses, charging system etc. as the roads can cause something very minor that could turn into something major. Also, learned to always put the tools back in the boat, they do no good sitting at home!
I want to thank all of my sponsors as they allow me to do what I love. I am looking forward to next season already!

Picasso Lures - New Sponsorship

I am proud to announce a new sponsor for the 2013-2014 tournament season, Picasso Lures. They have a variety of top of the line products including: tungsten weights, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, multiple styles of umbrella rigs including the Bait Ball Extreme, jigs, terminal tackle and more. I have been using their products prior to being sponsored and they have helped me put fish in the boat at nearly every tournament I have fished.  I am sure the new umbrella rigs and tungsten products will be a huge part of my arsenal this you.  I am looking forward to promoting the company and using their products during this coming season and in future seasons as well. Take a look at their full line of products at - http://www.picassooutdoors.com

 

TBA Nights - August 16th - Saguaro Lake

Once again with thunderstorms lurking in the background prior to launch, the anticipation was growing. The moon was supposed to be out all night, which normally means the weights should be high. The wait on the water to blast off seemed to take forever. My partner and I had a game plan to stick to one spot that had produced for 2 months straight and it got better every time out. The spot is a double ledge with a deep water drop off that is covered with grass, with another stretch connected to it with steep drops and ledges that plastics seems to work best on.
Our number was called and we took off on the short run in the main lake, and were first to our area. We knew the bite wasn't going to start until almost dark since the shad didn't push onto the ledges and shore until then. We were throwing Strike King 6XD and 5XD crankbaits in shad patterns dredging the rocks and then ripping through the grass. Our first fish came around 7:30 and it was around 5lbs. After that first fish the bite just turned on. We continued to catch fish after fish on the crankbaits throughout the entire night. We lost some fish that hurt our total for the end but we never had the chance to dwell on it as we would hookup again within a few minutes. Around 10pm the bite started to slow with only a bite every so often so we continued down the bank to allow the area to rest and hopefully reload. We caught a few on small soft plastics that helped cull some smaller fish out. We worked back down toward the ledge and starting throwing the crankbaits again and within a few casts we had another fish close to 5lbs. We made the decision to stick on that spot and fish it from all angles the rest of the night. We had one of the best nights of fishing, with huge numbers of fish and out biggest limit of the series that weighed in at 20.71 lbs anchored by a 5.05 lb big fish. We finished 6th place and finished in the money and had an absolute blast on the water and the storms steered clear with the exception of a few sprinkles and a few gusts of wind off and on. With this being the last night event of the series, I am looking forward to the TBA Championship on Sept. 6th and 7th at Roosevelt Lake.

iRod Fishing - New Sponsorship

I am proud to announce a new sponsor for the 2013-2014 season, iRod Fishing. Owner, Matt Newman and his rod designers, some of the best pros in the world,  have designed some of the most lightweight and sensitive rods on the market, especially at the value! These rods have great balance and feel. They have 2 different lines of rods, the Air Series and The Genesis II Series, which have been upgraded severely over the first generation rods. These rods are made for a general setup or for specific techniques, whether it's throwing dropshots, squarebill crankbaits, deep divers, all sized swimbaits or the popular A-Rig, they have the right rod to help get the job done. I can not wait until the new season starts next month as these rods will help put more fish in the boat and I will have more fun doing so. Get your hands on one and feel the difference! Take a look at their full lineup of rods at - http://www.irodfishing.com/

TBA Nights - August 2nd - Saguaro Lake

With my series partner sidelined for this tournament, I took a friend of mine to the 5th scheduled event of the Total Bass Addicts Summer Night Series at Saguaro Lake. Our biggest decision was where to start. I know the area I have been fishing has produced 16+ every tournament but I knew would take over 20 again even with the fishing being tougher. Well right at launch we decided to start at a different area and it proved to be the wrong call. We threw A-rigs, crankbaits, jigs, and dropshots to start but couldn't get the short strike bites to hookup. After an hour we made the call to move to the other area and it was the right move. Within a few casts I hooked into a 5.4lb largemouth on a deep crankbait. A few minutes later I lost one over 3, that would later cost us. My partner hooked into a 4.5lb largemouth not long after and we had 2 fish for just under 10lbs and were pumped for what the rest of the night would bring. We happened to catch all of our fish off that area. We miled a 100 yard stretch all night making a few moves elsewhere that didn't pan out. We had our limit with the slow bte but needed a couple more decent fish. With less than 30 minutes left, hooked into another 4lb fish that pushed our limit to between 17 and 18 pounds. We caught a few more fish but could only cull a few ounces instead of pounds. We weighed in 17.63 pounds with a 5.40lb kicker fish, finishing in 8th place. The one we lost cost us a top 5 but that's fishing. We had fun and I am looking forward to the last tournament of the year on August 16th.

TBA Nights - July 19th - Saguaro Lake

With the full moon and thunderstorm in the forecast all night, Fred and I set out for the 4th event of the Total Bass Addicts Summer Night Series at Saguaro Lake. We had made a decision to try the same area we found fish on previously and change up tactics to milk the spot. We launched with the first flight watching the lightning show all around the lake. Thankfully the storm stayed out and around the mountains and only had about 15 minutes worth of rain a slight winds to cool it down.
We made our short run to our starting spot, which happened to be the only run we made all night. Within a few minutes we had 4 smaller fish in the well throwing crankbaits and dropshots. We knew it was going to take much more than what we had but at least we got an early start to get the confidence up. Throughout the night we made pass after pass and had two sweet spots on a 50 yeard stretch that would produce most of our fish. We through dropshots, texas rigged worms and craws, shakey head, etc. but the best bite and most the fish came on the old classic Westy Worm and Wired Worm. We couldn't get the fish to bite the bigger baits but with those working so well it was hard to not throw them. We caught over 30 fish off that area and weighed a limit of largemouth weighing 16.24 pounds with a 5.20 pound big fish, which was good enough for 14th place. We had an absolute blast out there and with our finish we qualified for the end of year Championship at Roosevelt Lake. With 2 more tournaments to go and the pressure off to qualify it should prove to be interesting and hopefully the quality keeps improving.

TBA Nights - June 28th - Saguaro Lake

Well with the temps over 120 degrees during the day, this tournament was going to be brutal, even if the tournament was 7pm-1am. At blast off the temps were still over 110 and the hour wait on the water made it pretty tough to sit around. I had made the decision to only throw big worms the entire tournament since the weights had been so strong the last month or so, while my partner was smarter and knew we needed a limit.
We made a short run to a point adjacent to a flat with a deep drop off the side. We fished the flat for the first little while and once we made a move to the steep side, we had our first fish in the boat, a little over 2.5lbs, and missed a bite a few casts later. We made a move just before the sun was going down where we caught fish in the past and it happened to be a spot we hit repeatedly throughout the night. My partner caught a few short fish on dropshot, but no keepers. He made the decision to makde a few more passes which was the right move. Next pass caught a 3.5lb largemouth. The next pass through it produced another small 13 inch keeper in the same spot. We kept going back and forth across the area and within a few minutes my partner was hooked up with a fish, but in the dark it was hard to tell until it came up and rolled on the surface. It took a few minutes to land on 7lb test but he played it well and he got the 5.13lb largemouth in the boat. The night was looking up, it was a much needed fish to get the adrenaline back that the brutal heat was zapping out. We made a few more passes but only a few short fish. We decided to make a move to an area I did well in prefish and had worked the last month or so. We fished it for abouyt 30 minutes with nothing but a few bluegill bites to show for it. My partner made the call to go back to the area that produced so well. Within the first couple casts I watched as the boat next to us stuck a good fish and we had a big one splash next to the boat, what I didn't realize was that one that splashed was hooked up on my line, I couldn't seem to feel bottom like it was in and endless drop, I reeled up to feel a little tension and set the hook. The fish exploded out of the water a few feet from the boat and the fight was on. Thankfully I was throwing heavier line and was able to get the 5lb largemouth in the boat even with it pulling drag pretty hard. We needed just one more bite to cull the 13 inch fish. We fished extremely hard the last hour but couldn't get another keeper to go even though the bite kept coming. We weighed in just over 16lbs for a 5 fish limit and only ended up in 15th place. It was a fun tournament either way, and can't wait for the next one!

MBC Nights - June 22nd - Bartlett Lake

After having such a great night with quality at Saguaro Lake I had to make the change for Bartlett Lake as the quality is not nearly the same. The target was a 10 lb limit for 5 fish during the 6pm-1am tournament time. With the lake being flooded and 100 percent full, the bite is not the same as the last few years at night.
My partner and I made a run to the river since it is open and able to actually get into it with the water levels being up. We threw squarebill crankbaits which produced numerous massive bluegills but no bass until the second pass through. We caught one just under 2 lbs and a few short fish. The fish were short striking the crankbait and slapping at it, knocking slack in the line but not hooking up. We decided to make a move and switch up tactics to a dropshot. It was the same as earlier, numerous short fish and bluegills galore. We then made a run back towards the main lake to fish an island, I switched back to a crankbait and had 5 fish in 15 minutes, none over the 13 inch minimum though. A few hours passed with tons of fish and bites but nothing to show in the livewell for our efforts. We made our last move of the night near the marina which was the best fishing even though we couldn't capitalize on it. I caught a 3 lb carp and lost 2 quailty fish for that lake which really hurt knowing the fishing had been tough. No matter what we did, we just couldn't seem to find the keepers and when we did it just didn't work out. We ended up weighing just the one fish and it only took 9 lbs to win. Looking back we should have fished a few different areas but would have thrown the same baits, it just didn't work out for us even though we caught plenty of fish. Looking forward to redemption on the July 20th though.

Arizona Bass Federation Night Series Open - June 20th - Saguaro Lake

Saguaro Lake has been the hotspot for all the night tournaments this summer and once again was out there looking for 3 big bites for the 3 fish limit, the tournament hours are 6pm-11pm. My partner prefished and found an area holding some quality fish later at night so the game plan was to start there in hope of a kicker and limit quick then come back to it at the end of the night.
We started on a flat with a drop covered in grass and it produced a small keeper right away and a fe short fish. After working it over repeatedly we made the decision tomove since the bigger fish obviously hadn't moved up yet. We made our routine stops which produced fish including 2 fish over 3lbs and a few 2+lb fish. We needed a kicker so at the end of the night we made a run to where we started. The first cast produced a fish that fought like crazy, all we could see was it tail-walking from a distance then bury itself in the grass repeatedly. After a hard fight we finally got it netted and it was our big fish of the night. The fish weighed-in at 4.51 lbs. It fought like it was bigger than that but burying in the grass will do that. We caught 3 more smaller fish in the next few minutes then had to come into the scales. Our 3 fish limit weighed in at 10.25 lbs and we only finished 7th! The quality of fish at this lake is just incredible. The winners had just under 12 lbs and the top 3 had over 11 lbs with 2nd and 3rd having 7 lb kicker fish. It was a great night out on the water and the fishing is getting better and better.

Total Bass Addicts - June 14th - Saguaro Lake

After fishing the night before and having a decent night I was looking forward to finding a quick 5 fish limit during the 7pm-1am tournament, and hopefully get a kicker fish or two. Fred and I decided to make a run to the front of the river on a double reef break where he had caught a night fish earlier in the week. When we got there we weren't  the only ones with that planning but we managed to work the area over with numerous bite but no keeper fish by the time dark came around. We made a move toa community area but that didn't workout as the sweet spot was cover by 10-15 boats. It was incredible to see the guys in that area fishing only feet apart in the dark, I'm sure it was an interesting night for a few. We decided to hit the cliff walls which produced a nice fish right away. After fishing down the bank we decided to hit a spot that has produced in the past. Within a few minutes we caught 3 other keepers and 2 shorts. We only had a few minutes left but we worked the area but were unable to catch the 5th fish for our limit. While we struggled to figure it out, we managed 8.9lbs for 4 fish, and gathered a game plan for the next tournament.

CBC Thursday Night Opens - June 13th - Saguaro Lake

With the temps warming up, the night fishing is getting better and better. My partner and I decided to try our luck at Saguaro Lake in the Chandler Bass Club Thursday Night Open. There were 36 teams and with the tournament going from 6pm-10pm a 3 fish limit was in place. We knew it was going to take some serious weight with the lake producing numerous fish over 5lbs every tournament.
The day started pretty quick with a few small fish early but as dark crept in the bite slowed. We only had 2 small keepers and need a kicker and a few culls to be in it. We finally caught one a little over 3 and culled one of the smaller ones. We ended out the night with 6.96lbs and took 14th place. We caught fish throughout the night just never got the bigger bites, hopefully as the summer progresses the canyon wall bite with get better.

MBC Nights - June 1st - Bartlett Lake

This was the first night tournament of the series, 4 tournament all at Bartlett Lake from 6pm-1am. It was a last minute decision to go as I hadn't prefished but Bartlett Lake tends to be a numbers lake especially since normally a lack of structure other than rock. When my partner and I got there we were in shock, the water was completely full, I had never seen it full, and up over 40ft from last time I had fished the lake.
We made a run straight across the lake and with the lake flooded I decided to throw a squarebill crankbait across the weedline, while my partner threw topwater. Within a few cast we had our first keeper of the tournament. I kept throwing the crankbait and hooked into a nice fish and it got off on the way to the boat, never got a good hookset, and I was hoping it wouldn't be a repeat of the night before. Between throwing the squarebill and topwater we had our limit fairly quick but were catching numbers just too small to be keepers. Once it ot dark we fished some areas that produced a fish or two but not the size we needed. With a little over an hour left we decided to make a run up to the river in hopes of a few bigger fish. The fish were there but only smacking the bait but with what we learned the night before we remained patient and managed to cull up a few times and catch our big fish in that area. With only a few minutes to go we made a run at night at only a few people would have been able to do at the speeds we did, thanks to my partners driving we got back safely and in time for weigh-in.
We had a small limit compared to most lakes but we finished 2nd place and has 2nd big fish of the tournament as well. It was a tale of day and night for us as I caught fish after fish before it got dark and my partner figured the bite out at night and it all came together for us. With the loss of a few fish again, the lessons kept coming and hopefully have a few more things figured out that will keep me catching fish instead of struggling. The next tournament is June 22nd and I am looking forward to another fun time.

Total Bass Addicts - May 31st - Saguaro Lake

This was the first night tournament for TBA and with the previous finish at Saguaro Lake the week before I was really looking forward to it. I had a game plan and with the fishing going from 7pm-1am I figured my partner and I could figure out 5 bites fairly easy. Well after going out boat 13 (unlucky 13 for me) we ran to a spot that produced well for me all fall and winter. I was throwing an A-rig, the first cast I got a hit that doubled up the rod but it grabbed one of the dummy baits and let go. I knew the fish were there at that point but just needed to get them to go. That spot produced 3 strong hits but none hooked up. We made a move and switched to dropshots and carolina rigs. They produced a few bites and tons of bluegill bites but nothing that would keep. For me this would be my pattern for the night. I struggled all night missing bite after bite while my partner was making the best of my misses catching fish behind me. A few times I got bit throwing a big worm and would set the hook and come back with no worm at all. The fish were short striking the baits and mouthing them but never fully eating them. Near the end of the night with only one keeper in the livewell that my partner caught, we made a move to and old set of sliffs that produced well for us in the past. The first cast produced a good fish on a shakey head but with my luck that night the fight ended like the others and the fish just came unbuttoned at the boat.
We weighed only one fish but had the opportunity for a much better night. It was a frustrating night but a learning experience. We finished 21st of 27 boats and we are looking forward to making the corrections at the next tournament on June 14th.

CBC Thursday Night Opens - May 23rd - Saguaro Lake

This was the first night tournament of the year and I hadn't been out at night yet, my partner though had prefished and had an idea of where to go. We were fishing 6pm-10pm and it happened to be on a full moon. We were boat 33 out and we knew was going to be a rough ride to our first spot. We started on an area with a drop to 20ft with grass and the bottom of the drop, it produced 2 keeper fish and we decided to make a move to a steeper cliff wall with small points and ledges. We caught our third keeper and limit fish before it got dark. Once we had that fish we made a short run to the steep walls in order to find a kicker fish or two. Within 30 minutes we landed a 4 lb largemouth and has a decent 3 fish limit. I switched to a bigger texas rigged worm in hopes of a big bite. With about 10 minutes to go we got another 3+ lb largemouth on the bigger worm and then had to make the runback to weigh-in. We weighed in just over 10lbs for 3 fish and finished in 5th place. We were hoping it would be enough for a check but we just missed out, top 3 payout only for this circuit. It was a tough first night tournament but the quality and fun was there. I am looking forward to all the night tournaments this year, any cast can produce a monster.

MBC Super Teams Championship - May 17th & 18th - Apache Lake

The season finale with big payouts to the winners was finally upon us. With the tournament I fished the week before at the same lake I was looking forward to the tournament with an idea of what was working and how to capitalize on the things I missed the week before. The weather was supposed to be in the 90's and light winds, but I knew better, I expected the winds to pick up throughout the day and brought the gear I was going to need when it did.
Day 1 we started throwing reaction baits early but they didn't produce. We made a move and switched to carolina-rigged worms and dropshots to find a limit. It produced some smaller fish that we knew we would need to cull. The next move we made paid off and we filled our limit and caught some quality keepers off a deep rock point with a nearby reef. After that we decided we would stay fishing the steeper rock banks in hopes of finding the better quality fish. We caught nice fish throughout the day on both carolina rigs and dropshots. We finished off the day on the same area I fished the week prior and made a decent cull with about 10 minutes to go. We weighed in 14.33lbs without a kicker and had a game plan for day 2.
Day 2 we started where we finished day 1 in hopes of a few bigger fish early. The spot produced 3 smaller fish and we decided we needed to run to same areas we fished the day prior to catch the quality to stay in it. The next spot we went to was where we finished our limit out the day prior and it didn's disappoint. We caught a few smaller fish to fill the limit and a few minutes later we caught our big fish of the tournament a 4.29 lb largemouth. We finished fishing out that spot and decided to hit the steeper banks again down the lake. It was the right move as we caught another fish over 3lbs and a couple more that culled out our smaller fish. With the wind picking up and knowing we were on the pattern we fished a deep pocket with the wind pushing into it. We kept getting the bluegills bite so we knew the largemouth were hanging around with such an abundant food sourse available. Once we hit the back of the cover we caught another quality fish that culled. The next cast I hooked into the biggest fish we had that day. After a long battle and tons of jumps I got the fish next to the boat and it decided to make one last run, it went straight under the boat the proceeded to make a last second run to the other side of the boat, jumped, hit the deck and just came unbuttoned. It was heartbreak and frustration, that was the bite we had been looking for and we had it within reach. We had to put it out of our heads and keep fishing, as it was still early. We fished that spot repeatedly for most of the day and every trip through it produced fish after fish somewhere on that cove. We caught over 50 that day and weighed another quality bag of 14.58 lbs.
We ended up 4th for the tournament with 28.91 lbs and missed a top 3 payout check by .11 lbs, but we did take 3rd big fish of the tournament. We figured out the bite but over the 2 day period we lost 3 big fish, and a few others that really cost us. All in all it was a fun tournament and I'm looking forward to next year already. Thank you to all of my sponsors, without your help none of this would be possible.

MBC Seniors Championship - May 10th & 11th - Apache Lake

Apache Lake has been producing some great fish and monster limits and having the championship there was a great idea. My prefish went well as I had a decent limit over 14lbs with big fish at 4 lbs. I knew would take more but that weight would keep us in it needing a kicker fish or two.
Day 1 was a little bit of a struggle since the bite changed over previous days. We managed to catch out limit fairly early on a dropshot and the proceeded to try to cull up. We fished ledges and points that were wind blown and proceeded to have a steady day. We finished out the day near the ramp and culled twice in the last 30 minutes throwing carolina-rigged worms on a long sloping point. We weighed 11.3lbs and were sitting in 15th place.
Day 2 made Day 1 look great. The water rose significantly and the bite slowed way down. We fished as hard as we could all day and finally managed our limit about 12pm with a mix of carolina-rigs and dropshots. We hit the same sloping reef to end the day and managed to cull again but could only manage 9.35lbs for our limit.
The weather and rising water played a vital role in how we finished. The 5-10mph predicted winds were way off as we constantly had 15-30mph winds for the 2 days. Also the rising water from Roosevelt Dam being opened flooded the areas and we didn't make the correct adjustments. We lost some key fish on deep crankbaits but kept working hard throughout the day covering water in the wind trying for that big bite. Thank you to all my sponsors, without your help I wouldn't be able to be competitive on the water. I can't wait until next season!

MBC Super Teams - April 20th - Roosevelt Lake

Well with the great day that had at Roosevelt the previous week, I was hoping the cold front that moved through didn't wreck the area that I had been fishing. We knew it was going to be a race there, as 5 of the top 6 finishers all fished the same stretch. This was the first tournament I was running my boat at since the rebuild so I was a little nervous having to race to an area. Well I decided to make the run but switched my setup to run a slight but less mph that topped out and still kept it easy. The boat performed flawlessly on the first run. We made it to the area without an issue, and that helped ease the stress right away. I noticed right away things had changed, the water was cooler and not nearly as many shad up spawning. We decided to fish the area anyways, it produced fish but not the umbers from the week before. The fish were slapping at the bait which resulted in a few lost fish, which was frustrating. As the morning progressed and we only has a few fish in the livewell, including one over 3lbs, and a number of short fish, we decided to change locations to find some more shad in the cleaner water. That move bagged us fish 3 and 4 but nothing that we needed to win. We moved to an area my partner caught a nice fish at last week, but the bigger fish had moved and only a few unders were in the area. We decided the fish may have moved deeper and hit some area with dropoffs. We found a couple of fish spawning and while my partner watch workng the bed, I threw a jig out deep, 2 casts and 2 fish, one of which culled a small keeper from earlier. We worked the area for a while and moved further down whch produced a couple more crankbait fish but nothing of size. We went back to the area where we caught the jig fish and culled twice more on depper crankbaits. We made a move to same area I lost a nice fish at the end of the day last week, and withing a few casts caught another fish that culled. We had a small limit and looking back at where everyone finished up, we should have stayed on that stretch. As the day warmed up the fish moved back onto that stretch of water and the guys that stayed in the salt caught huge numbers of fish and 4 of top 5fished that small area. We locked up 6th place in the points and are looking forward to the championship in May at Apache Lake

MBC Seniors - April 13th - Roosevelt Lake

Roosevelt Lake had been decent but hit or miss lately due to the rising muddy water, but my partner went out and prefished and found an area he was set on. It is currently in prespawn, spawn and post pawn timing with the shad spawn in full swing. We were boat 3 out and it seemed like it was a race up to the salt. Another guy and us were actually heading to the exact same stretch eventhough we didn't know it at the time. It was a little tense first thing but we talked it out and shared the water without any issues. The bite was on early for us as the shad were everywhere spawing. We threw squarebill crankbaits, varied the color if the bite ever slowed down. We has a quick limit and the fish just kept biting. We has almost 13lbs but 9am and had caught over 30 fish. It was one the best morning/days I can rememeber especially on that lake. By that time there were 6 of us sharing that stretch of water. Everyone seemed to take turns on each small cut and area of the stretch and each produced fish. After 10am the bite seemed to slow down, so we decided to make a move to try and find some less pressured water. We hit some other areas in the salt and also in the mainlake and caught some fish but nothing that would cull out what we had. At the end of the day we made one last run and effort to find a bigger fish on a drop in a cove. We could see the bigger shad but no fish chasing. We threw some deeper diving crankbaits and it produced one decent sized fish that threw the hooks after couple of jumps, and thats how our day ended. We ended up 6th, we may not have wonbut it sure was a blast out there. That's a day of fishing I won't soon forget. That finish locked us into 7th for the end of year points race, we arelooking forward to the championship at Apache in May.

MBC Super Teams - March 23 - Apache Lake

With the brutality from the last tournament the week before, I was hoping to turn things around this week. My partner for this tournament series had found some fish the week before so we decided to head there first thing in the morning. It didn't take long to hookup with the first fish of the morning. The bite proved to be great throughout the morning. We were throwing Lucky Craft Pointers to prespawn areas with some dropoffs and points. We had a limit fairly quickly and we proceeded to keep covering water in order to maximize the bite we had found. We culled all morning but not to the size we needed. We decided to try and cover water while looking for larger spawning females. This produced a few fish but no spawners that would help. We made a move to a cut that was out of the breeze and proceeded to cull out some of the smaller fish with fish on beds in the cut. Knowing it would take close to 20lbs to win, we realized while catching 2lb+ fish on beds was fun, we needed more size. We made a move the a banks with a boulder and access to deep water caught our biggest fish of the day on a 5XD in shallow water just before the drop. We ran out of time unfortunately to find the 4 and 5 pound class fish we needed. We had a great day on the water but the winners took it with 22.77lbs including big fish of the tournament 8.27lbs on a bed. They caught their fish on Senkos, while 2nd place caught their fish on jerkbaits within eyesight of the ramp. Third place caught their fish on dropshots and texas rigs, while 4th caught theirs all on jigs and 5th caught their fish on jerkbaits and jigs. The bite is great at Apache and will more than likely stay that way for awhile.
Here's a video of my partner's smallmouth

MBC Seniors - March 16th - Apache Lake

Well I had been looking forward to this tournament since last year. It is prespawn and this lake is returning to its old self prior to the fish kill over 10 years ago. Knowing that the bite for the last 2 months was primarily jigs with a few other tactics paying off, I was planning on sticking to that game plan in order the find the 18-25lbs it would take to win. The tournament proved to be a grind for my partner and I. We moved around and tried deep areas, shallow areas, shelves, flat, point etc. We just never found the fish. The jig bite was tough but did produce some fish, but at the end of the day had to make a switch to the dropshot in order to catch some fish. It produced 2 fish right away and I proceeded to lose 2 fish in the last 20 mins and one that was very good sized. Lesson learned that sometimes need to go with what the fish are telling you no matter what. We made the switch too late and it cost us. The 5 teams found the bigger fish on jigs, as we knew they would but we just couldnt locate them. A lack of prefish due to the boat being down proved to be the difference as we weren't able to figure the fish out prior to the tournament. Well now with the boat being back up and running I sure hope this won't be the case again.

MBC Super Teams - Feb. 23 - Bartlett Lake

I had fished a tournament the week before and found the squarebill bite decent, especially later in the day. My partner and I hoped that would be the ticket. The cold, muddy, rising water continued to be a problem at Bartlett. We started off on a short run almost directly across the lake, staying in the less muddy and only stained water. The morning bite was slow but produced a solid 3.26lb largemouth, it was caught on a KVD 2.5 squarebill. After another short fish we made a move towards the marina and continued to throw the squarebills shallow and the 5XD and 6XD on steeper banks. We worked a few coves all day which produced fish throught the day but we could only manage 4, or so we thought, that would keep. At the end of the day we measured on of the fish since it barely kept earlier in the day, it shrunk just enough that we had to toss it back. Well that one fish made all the difference as with its weight we would have finished 2nd instead of 8th. We did take big fish honors though with the 3.26. The squarebill bite was the right idea, as most of the teams besides the winners caught all of their fish on crankbaits. The team that won said they caught their fish early on crankbaits but found an area that they caught over 30 fish on jigs which proved to be outstanding. The next tournament should have some heavier weights as it will be held at Apache Lake.

MBC Seniors - Feb. 16th - Bartlett Lake

I was able to prefish for the event with my uncle and we found a decent squarebill bite later in the day after the water warmed up. It was main lake since the river end was extremely muddy from the recent rains. I knew it was going to be a tough tournament under rising, cold, muddy water conditions and figured the best bite would be some sort of reaction bait.
The morning of the tournament was warmer than during practice but the mudslick had moved into the main lake and the visibility went from 3-4ft to less than 1ft. My partner and I decided to stick with the plan and throw crankbaits and reaction baits in the coves where the water was a little calmer and warmer. The bite didn't pick up until about 12:30 and it was too little too late. We did catch a few small keepers but not the size from practice. If we had to do it over again, would have thrown something different early in the morning, more than likely a small profile jig or something similar. The next tournament is at Apache Lake and that should be a slugfest with some high weight totals.

NuTech Lures - New Sponsorship

I am proud to announce a new sponsor for the 2013 season, NuTech Lures. The Nu-Jig is not any ordinary jig, with its cam heads, dual appendage weedguard, verticle line tie, and other cutting edge technology, it greatly increases hookup ratios and decreases hangups. This jig will be a huge part of my arsenal during this season. I can't wait to further this partnership with NuTech and show the results this jig can produce. For any information and ordering go to https://nutechlures.com/.

MBC Super Teams - Lake Pleasant - Jan. 26th

With the fishing at Alamo Lake as bad as it was, the tournament director made a lake change Tuesday before the tournament, Lake Pleasant was the choice. I dislike Lake Pleasant most of the time but I figured it couldn't be any worse than Alamo, so I had some hope for the tournament. Thursday brought in a front that dumped water Thursday, part of Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. My partner and I didn't mind the storm coming in but with no prefish, I had to go off of some info a friend gave me. With my motor blowing on Wednesday, we needed to take my partner's Ranger. We were boat 2 and I knew it would be a race to the back of Humbug.
With rain pouring and first light creating impaired vision we headed out across the lake. We made it to Humbug partially frozen and wet. We decided to throw Alabama Rigs and crankbaits early. It seemed to be the right decision with the bass busting shad shallow but we just couldn't get them to go. At 12pm and only 2 fish in the livwell I was starting to worry but we knew the fish were there. I made a change that I should have done earlier. Instead of a weedless A-rig I switched to the normal setup I have thrown the last few months and that was the ticket. The fish were mouthing the bait and I was missing fish since the hooks weren't exposed. Within tow cast we had the 3rd fish in the livewell and it was just under 3lbs, our best of the day. Over the next 2 hours the bite became consistant and my partner and I only threw the A-rig. We filled our limit and culled 3 or 4 times and caught plenty of others that just didn't help our total. We left at 2:30 to make our weigh-in time of 3pm. We weighed a little over 11 lbs, which was good enough for 3rd place and 3rd big fish.
We were happy with the turnout but we could have finished better, we figured out the bite a little late. The fish made the bite feel like were ticking tree branches since they were mouthing it instead of hitting and crushing it. If would have switched to the exposed hook A-rig earlier the tournament may have turned out differently. The bigger fish were caught early, and we were missing them not knowing the bite. It was a learning experience but on a rain filled and tough day we worked through it for a great finish. The points race tightened up so anything can happen with 3 tournaments left.

MBC Seniors - Jan.19th - Alamo Lake

Well, I am not sure how to describe this tournament as anything other than brutal. Last week the temperatures were int he teens and the temps for tournament were looking to be about 70 and a low in the 30s. My partner and I were looking forward to the warming trend in hopes it would have the fish moving around. Well as it turns out that never happened.
We launched Boat 1 and headed to our first spot. We threw squarebills and jerkbaits looking for some active fish. We covered water slow but effectively mixing it up with other baits as well including dropshots, shakey heads, jigs, carolina rigs etc. Nothing seem to work. We made a move to some rocky points and fished every onch of them without any bites. We decided to try some deeper water, hoping to find some suspended fish. We located a school in about 45ft over 68ft of water but from the arches they seemed like crappie but we fished for them trying to get a bite to find out for sure. After exhausting modified deep crankbaits, a-rigs, dropshots, and spoons we gave up on the fish and covered some bank with reaction baits. No luck on the sun warmed rock banks so went bak to the longer points with rockpiles on the ends to coax a bite. Nothing seemed to work. We finished the day off flipping some shallow trees and throwing blades through them as well. We were humbled and beaten but we weren't the only ones. Out of 24 boats only 8 weighed fish, and 7 of those weighed 1 fish. The winners weighed 3 fish for just over 6lbs and second was below 2lbs. Congrats to the winners they did a great job grinding out the win. I am looking forward to not seeing this lake again except during the late spring or early fall and hopefully it will be higher than 2 percent full.