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.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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