Well with a new outlook on fishing it was time for my first tournament of the year. My stepdad and I decided to run the Seniors circuit again this year after he has missed the last two seasons due to health issues. The water was falling and already extremely low as they would be closing the ramp after the weekend. I was able to pre-fish the week prior but those spots were 6-8 feet shallower than they were so it was a whole new game. We decided to stick to our strengths and with the high winds early we were going to throw reaction to start and plastics as the wind laid down.
We made a short run to start and caught a few shorts on a crankbait and knew we needed some size so we made a run into the river. The river didn;t last long as the water was stained, extremely cold and shallow. We hit some mid-lake areas near the islands and picked up a few keepers on Carolina-rigs. We made a few more runs to fight the wind and ended up in an area I prefished and have done well in the past. It produced a few hits but nothing worth keeping. As we kept moving we located a feeding area and proceeded to fill our limit and cull rather quickly. We needed some size and the spot kept reloading and we were culling ounces. As it slowed down we moved out a little deeper which produced our biggest fish. We finished the day in the area but never got the bigger bites we needed.
We weighed a small limit for 7.99lbs and ended up 35th out of 55. We made a few mistakes but it was a confidence building tournament and we will take what we learned and go from there.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Remembering Why I Love Fishing
With all the stresses, costs, and other things that goes along with tournament fishing you can lose sight of why you got into it in the first place. This last year I got to that same point, I lost the focus of enjoying my time out on the water. I took the summer off and decided to take trips to the lake and just FISH. I took some friends with me at times, while others I went by myself and learned new techniques and studied my graphs and went out and enjoyed the outdoors. I needed a complete reset and I think it really helped. I went out fishing more and learned some things in the process.
This year I cut out of the tournament series I was running that have done for years. It was so I could focus on another with my step-dad who got me into the tournament fishing in the first place. He is coming back from a few surgeries so just getting him back onto the water and catching fish was a main concern and focus this year before the series championship in May. I will still do other tournaments in other circuits but not because I am forced to, but instead because I want to. I am planning on getting back into it heavy again but I am working myself back into it. I don't want to lose sight of what is important again, the enjoyment of fishing.
This year I cut out of the tournament series I was running that have done for years. It was so I could focus on another with my step-dad who got me into the tournament fishing in the first place. He is coming back from a few surgeries so just getting him back onto the water and catching fish was a main concern and focus this year before the series championship in May. I will still do other tournaments in other circuits but not because I am forced to, but instead because I want to. I am planning on getting back into it heavy again but I am working myself back into it. I don't want to lose sight of what is important again, the enjoyment of fishing.
River2Sea USA - New Sponsor
I am proud to announce my new partnership with River2Sea USA. I have been throwing their swimbaits for the last few years along with some of their topwater baits and have had a great amount of success. They make great products and I am looking forward to what the year will bring with them.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Mercury Racing Bravo I XS - 2015 Edition
I had been looking for a prop to that would handle my boat in all conditions, summer heat, heavy load, full or empty tanks, etc. and still keep my holeshot and performance. I had been running a Mercury 25P Fury 3-Blade and it has performed very well especially during the winter on my Ranger Z520 and Mercury 250 Pro XS. As the heat started hitting here I noticed that the boat was getting a little sluggish out of the hole especially loaded at the higher elevations we finish the season at. Normally I would just drop to a lower pitch Fury but after a few suggestions I called and talked to Scott at Mercury Racing Propellers as ordered in a 25P Bravo I XS - 2015 Edition, which comes with 8 adjustable PVS holes to adjust the holeshot exactly how each boat needs it.
All I can say is wow, I took the boat out the first time just to run it by myself and it screamed to 71+ before I had to get out of it. The holeshot was insane at around 2-2.5 seconds and the low and mid-range was quick. The next trip out I loaded it with a tournament load and had partner join and went up an extra 600ft in elevation and the boat once again ripped out of the hole and topped out at 69.9 on the first run. I could handle the boat with one finger driving it and knew could make adjustments to it.
I recently just took it out and think I have it dialed in. I tried it two times with a decent load and in the heat and 89 degree water the boat jumps out of the hole like it has 4-wheel drive and blisters to 70mph quicker than my Fury does to 60mph. This prop is truly a beast and exactly what I was looking for. It may not top out quite as high as the Fury 1-2.5mph slower but it seriously out performs it in every other way. Thank you again Mercury Racing for bringing this prop out, I am loving it more and more each day.
2015 Edition Bravo I XS - Mercury Racing Pro Finished Propeller
All I can say is wow, I took the boat out the first time just to run it by myself and it screamed to 71+ before I had to get out of it. The holeshot was insane at around 2-2.5 seconds and the low and mid-range was quick. The next trip out I loaded it with a tournament load and had partner join and went up an extra 600ft in elevation and the boat once again ripped out of the hole and topped out at 69.9 on the first run. I could handle the boat with one finger driving it and knew could make adjustments to it.
I recently just took it out and think I have it dialed in. I tried it two times with a decent load and in the heat and 89 degree water the boat jumps out of the hole like it has 4-wheel drive and blisters to 70mph quicker than my Fury does to 60mph. This prop is truly a beast and exactly what I was looking for. It may not top out quite as high as the Fury 1-2.5mph slower but it seriously out performs it in every other way. Thank you again Mercury Racing for bringing this prop out, I am loving it more and more each day.
2015 Edition Bravo I XS - Mercury Racing Pro Finished Propeller
Friday, August 7, 2015
ABA Teams - January 31st 2015 - Bartlett Lake
I am not sure how i missed posting this one but here it is. It was a last minute decision to go, and turned out to be a great decision. My friend had been on a great bite and we were fishing the same areas the last few weeks and he called me needing a boater. It was late but decided to go and already knew the game plan.
The morning started with some rain and the forecast was to have rain throughout most of the day, thankfully it turned out to be a gorgeous day with just rain in the morning. It was a race to the first area since it had been producing the wins and top weights the last few weeks. The boat was running absolutely perfect and fast, we passed a few boats and got to the area right where we wanted to be on. Within 2 casts we already had a fish and the limit came fairly quickly. We were throwing jigs and carolina-rigs and they were crushing them. We knew the structure and angles we needed and proceeded to catch them while other anglers struggled and left. We figured we would be fighting boats all day and turned out most guys left and we had the area to ourselves almost the entire day. We had to catch close to 40 fish but were sitting on 10lbs with about an hour to go. We switched up angles slightly and that was the ticket as we culled up to just under 13lbs. We made the run back but since we didn't have a kicker we weren't sure if we could pull out the win. Even as they were announcing the weights we knew it was close and not sure of the outcome. We ended up edging out second by close to half a pound and took home the hard earned win.
It had been a while since had won one, so this one made the hard work even better. I learned a ton from my partner in this tournament and took that knowledge into the rest of the season and was able to consistently catch fish the rest of the year. Already looking forward to the 2016 season.
The morning started with some rain and the forecast was to have rain throughout most of the day, thankfully it turned out to be a gorgeous day with just rain in the morning. It was a race to the first area since it had been producing the wins and top weights the last few weeks. The boat was running absolutely perfect and fast, we passed a few boats and got to the area right where we wanted to be on. Within 2 casts we already had a fish and the limit came fairly quickly. We were throwing jigs and carolina-rigs and they were crushing them. We knew the structure and angles we needed and proceeded to catch them while other anglers struggled and left. We figured we would be fighting boats all day and turned out most guys left and we had the area to ourselves almost the entire day. We had to catch close to 40 fish but were sitting on 10lbs with about an hour to go. We switched up angles slightly and that was the ticket as we culled up to just under 13lbs. We made the run back but since we didn't have a kicker we weren't sure if we could pull out the win. Even as they were announcing the weights we knew it was close and not sure of the outcome. We ended up edging out second by close to half a pound and took home the hard earned win.
It had been a while since had won one, so this one made the hard work even better. I learned a ton from my partner in this tournament and took that knowledge into the rest of the season and was able to consistently catch fish the rest of the year. Already looking forward to the 2016 season.
Monday, July 13, 2015
MBC Seniors Championship - May 30th & 31st - Apache Lake
Well it was that time, championship weekend. with the tournament we had a few weeks prior my partner and I had high hopes the bite would stay similar and we would just need the size to come back. The weather changed to a week of serious heat so we were hoping the steep bite would be even better.
We launched out boat 20 and headed to the same area we had started on and within a few minutes we had our first keeper. We also had a few big fish follow and bump a swimbait but just not connect. With a few fish in the well we ran our other patterns and areas but the bite just wasnt the same. We caught a few small keepers and had our limit and ended our day where we started which produced a few more bites and a cull or two. We ended our day with a limit of 10.47lbs and needed a big second day, which we knew was possible.
Day 2 we ran to the same area as the previous day and once again had a fish in the boat within a few casts and then finally got another to eat a swimbait, which unfortunately was only a 3.38lb largemouth. After fishing down the same bank and having 10 or so fish follow the swimbait but not eat it we decided to run our steep & deep pattern. We fished throughout the day and our steep drop off bite was gone. We caught a few unders which just made it more frustrating knowing how hard it was in the 100+ heat. We once again finished where we started and caught another keep. We finished the day with 3 fish for 7.53lbs and ended up in 22nd place with a total of 18.00lbs.
Looking back I missed the keys to unlocking the correct pattern. The area we caught the majority of our fish in practice was on the steep cliff walls and points but with the heat the fish left those areas and buried themselves in the deep grass. The area we caught most of our keepers and missed a few bites had good drop offs and deep grass. I failed to connect the dots until it was too late and it cost us a chance at the championship. It is a lesson learned, these Florida strain laregemouth like the grass more than the previous breed we fished for and will be a main focus from now on. I also remembered what it was like to sleep at the Ranger Suite, was a first in a long while.
We launched out boat 20 and headed to the same area we had started on and within a few minutes we had our first keeper. We also had a few big fish follow and bump a swimbait but just not connect. With a few fish in the well we ran our other patterns and areas but the bite just wasnt the same. We caught a few small keepers and had our limit and ended our day where we started which produced a few more bites and a cull or two. We ended our day with a limit of 10.47lbs and needed a big second day, which we knew was possible.
Day 2 we ran to the same area as the previous day and once again had a fish in the boat within a few casts and then finally got another to eat a swimbait, which unfortunately was only a 3.38lb largemouth. After fishing down the same bank and having 10 or so fish follow the swimbait but not eat it we decided to run our steep & deep pattern. We fished throughout the day and our steep drop off bite was gone. We caught a few unders which just made it more frustrating knowing how hard it was in the 100+ heat. We once again finished where we started and caught another keep. We finished the day with 3 fish for 7.53lbs and ended up in 22nd place with a total of 18.00lbs.
Looking back I missed the keys to unlocking the correct pattern. The area we caught the majority of our fish in practice was on the steep cliff walls and points but with the heat the fish left those areas and buried themselves in the deep grass. The area we caught most of our keepers and missed a few bites had good drop offs and deep grass. I failed to connect the dots until it was too late and it cost us a chance at the championship. It is a lesson learned, these Florida strain laregemouth like the grass more than the previous breed we fished for and will be a main focus from now on. I also remembered what it was like to sleep at the Ranger Suite, was a first in a long while.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
MBC Super Teams Championship - May 15th & 16th - Apache Lake
My partner and I went out to prefish the week before and the weather was beautiful, high 80s light winds off and on. I did have motor issues first things so we just covered water back to the ramp with the trolling motor for miles. We had an awesome day with over 17lbs in the boat and lost a few big fish that would have put us over 20lbs. It was practice so at least we knew what to do. We went into the championship with a solid pattern but the weather was going to play a major factor. A severe cold front with rain and massive winds were going to hit us both days. We decided to stick to our game plan and hope would pay off.
Day 1 we started at the same area as in practice and within a few minutes we had our first keeper. We kept working down the bank and had 2 in the boat and made our first move to another secondary point. First cast and another keeper. We worked just the inside and outside of each corner going into the coves and we were culling by 8am. We moved all across the lake culling up all day long throwing jigs, dropshots, wacky rigs, and shakey heads. We caught close to 40 fish during the day even in the 50+mph winds that we suffered through the last 3/4 of the day. We didn't have the big bite we needed but we were still close to the leaders who only had 6 bites all day.
Day 2 we went with the same game plan. With the rain and wind were knew had to make small adjustments so we downsized to keep the bites and once again we were culling before 8am. Again we caught fish after fish looking to upgrade. We had 5 solid 2 pound fish but we knew we were going to need 17-20lbs. We saw our friends who were leading it and they only had 3 fish with an hour to go. We knew we had a shot and we once again went through 40+ fish but never the ones we needed.
We weighed in 10 fish for 22.44lbs and finished in 15th place. Our friends followed our pattern and caught 2 big fish at the very last minutes of the day and won the championship. Congrats to them and looking forward to night tournaments coming up.
Day 1 we started at the same area as in practice and within a few minutes we had our first keeper. We kept working down the bank and had 2 in the boat and made our first move to another secondary point. First cast and another keeper. We worked just the inside and outside of each corner going into the coves and we were culling by 8am. We moved all across the lake culling up all day long throwing jigs, dropshots, wacky rigs, and shakey heads. We caught close to 40 fish during the day even in the 50+mph winds that we suffered through the last 3/4 of the day. We didn't have the big bite we needed but we were still close to the leaders who only had 6 bites all day.
Day 2 we went with the same game plan. With the rain and wind were knew had to make small adjustments so we downsized to keep the bites and once again we were culling before 8am. Again we caught fish after fish looking to upgrade. We had 5 solid 2 pound fish but we knew we were going to need 17-20lbs. We saw our friends who were leading it and they only had 3 fish with an hour to go. We knew we had a shot and we once again went through 40+ fish but never the ones we needed.
We weighed in 10 fish for 22.44lbs and finished in 15th place. Our friends followed our pattern and caught 2 big fish at the very last minutes of the day and won the championship. Congrats to them and looking forward to night tournaments coming up.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
MBC Super Teams - April 18th - Roosevelt Lake
This was the last tournament of the regular season and of course another post frontal with 3 previously cold days dropping the water temps over 5 degrees. The forecast was a gorgeous morning with nasty winds later in the day. The lake is in a weird spawn post-spawn time due to the stained water and quick warming water. We decided to cover water early with topwaters and swimbaits hoping to find the shad spawn going on like it was during practice.
Within an hour I knew the morning bite was going to be tough, I could watch fish darting after the swimbait and following it and not committing and also the shad were gone. After awhile with nothing to show we made a run to the Tonto end of the lake where I hadn't fished in years. We found some fish on beds and had two in the boat rather quickly. We did find others that would have helped but they just weren't quite ready to go yet. We ran further down lake but the water was bloomed out and made it tough to see and water was surprisingly colder. We fished our way back on every drop off but without any luck. We moved to our pre-spawn area from prior months and thankfully it produced some fish. We filled out our limit within an hour and were culling even in the 20-30 mph wind while dragging Carolina-rigs.
We finished with a limit for 9.71 and a big fish of 3.23 and placed 12th. We once again never had the big bite but did find some quality fish going back to the basics. The championships are in May and a lake that can put out some big bags or humble you, hopefully we figure it out before its over.
Within an hour I knew the morning bite was going to be tough, I could watch fish darting after the swimbait and following it and not committing and also the shad were gone. After awhile with nothing to show we made a run to the Tonto end of the lake where I hadn't fished in years. We found some fish on beds and had two in the boat rather quickly. We did find others that would have helped but they just weren't quite ready to go yet. We ran further down lake but the water was bloomed out and made it tough to see and water was surprisingly colder. We fished our way back on every drop off but without any luck. We moved to our pre-spawn area from prior months and thankfully it produced some fish. We filled out our limit within an hour and were culling even in the 20-30 mph wind while dragging Carolina-rigs.
We finished with a limit for 9.71 and a big fish of 3.23 and placed 12th. We once again never had the big bite but did find some quality fish going back to the basics. The championships are in May and a lake that can put out some big bags or humble you, hopefully we figure it out before its over.
MBC Seniors - March 7th - Bartlett Lake
Once again another post front tournament with seriously rising water. The water rose close to 3 vertical feet while we were fishing during the tournament. We started in the clean water near the dam and I just couldn't get a bite to hookup early. The fish were just slamming the bait on the drop-off we were fishing but not holding onto it very well. We did catch one off the area but was hard to stay with the strong early winds. Once it slowed a little we moved repeatedly covering water with reefs and drop-offs. We caught a few more fish but most were short. We decided to move back to where we started and fish inside to cove instead of the break line, it was a great move. We caught out 5th keeper and proceeded to cull by "video-game" fishing. We just paid attention to the graph and could tell when a school moved in deep which produced some nice fish. We culled up to 8.68lbs with another cookie cutter bag. We never got the big bite we needed and with ounces mattering we finished 25th. Thankfully there are no more tournaments at Bartlett Lake until summer time, the lake needs time to stabilize from the water and mud influx.
MBC Super Teams - Feb. 21st - Roosevelt Lake
Well with the last tournament behind us at Roosevelt, we had some hope with the lake clearing up some, but we knew to avoid that muddy water. The weather was another post frontal sunny day so we decided to start shallow early and deeper as the day went on.
We started in the area we finished weeks before which yielded one small keeper. We made a move which then produced within a few minutes. From that point on, the bite was fairly consistent. We got onto a Carolina-rig bite that was just a blast. My partner tried throwing a deep crankbait hoping for a kicker for most of the day it just never happened. We covered a few spots in a couple hundred yard stretch that produced 20-25 fish, and a few misses, on baby brush hogs. The fish were nearly ripping the rod out of our hands. We culled most of the day and culled up to a cookie cutter bag of 9.98 for 5 fish with the smallest at just under 2lbs and the biggest barely over 2lbs.
We never got that kicker pre-spawn female but wasn't from a lack of trying. We finished in 11th place and had an absolute blast fishing.
We started in the area we finished weeks before which yielded one small keeper. We made a move which then produced within a few minutes. From that point on, the bite was fairly consistent. We got onto a Carolina-rig bite that was just a blast. My partner tried throwing a deep crankbait hoping for a kicker for most of the day it just never happened. We covered a few spots in a couple hundred yard stretch that produced 20-25 fish, and a few misses, on baby brush hogs. The fish were nearly ripping the rod out of our hands. We culled most of the day and culled up to a cookie cutter bag of 9.98 for 5 fish with the smallest at just under 2lbs and the biggest barely over 2lbs.
We never got that kicker pre-spawn female but wasn't from a lack of trying. We finished in 11th place and had an absolute blast fishing.
MBC Seniors - Feb 7th - Roosevelt Lake
With the recent heavy rains and muddy rising water, we knew the tournament would fish tough for us. The weather was post frontal and all sun, which didn't make it much better. We made a run to an early spot that produced two bites but neither hooked up. That was the majority of our action until the last hour of the day. We made a move near the ramp and threw deep crankbaits and Carolina-rigs which produced 6 fish for us, only three keepers, the biggest weighing 2.96. We weighed in at 5.44 for 3 fish and finished a lowly 27th. It was a learning experience dealing with rising, cold, muddy water, not a normal occurrence here in AZ.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
MBC Super Teams - January 24th - Bartlett Lake
I was looking forward to a little redemption with the poor showing from last tournament, so the game plan was to sit at the mouth of the river with a few other boats and try to get a decent finish. We were fishing post frontal conditions and blue bird skies so we knew going into it we were going to have to keep our heads down and grind all day to get it done, especially with the water temp at 51 degrees.
We got into the river and fell in line with the other few boats that were there, it didn't take long to get first bite, but being a little over anxious, I set the hook a little to hard and snapped it off. It wasa little discouraging but at the same time we knew the fish were there. We fished the next few hours with a few bites and a few fish but only one keeper to show for it. The wind was picking up and we made a move to some deeper points and reefs. Once again we started getting bites but no size. The day was fun but we struggled to find those bigger bites again.
We weighed in one fish for 1.56lbs but were still able to finish 30th, it was a struggle for a few teams it seems. After being so dialed in on Bartlett for weeks, this new year has me struggling without knowing why. Just have to keep at it, and things will come together. At least it was agreat day on the water and another learning experience.
We got into the river and fell in line with the other few boats that were there, it didn't take long to get first bite, but being a little over anxious, I set the hook a little to hard and snapped it off. It wasa little discouraging but at the same time we knew the fish were there. We fished the next few hours with a few bites and a few fish but only one keeper to show for it. The wind was picking up and we made a move to some deeper points and reefs. Once again we started getting bites but no size. The day was fun but we struggled to find those bigger bites again.
We weighed in one fish for 1.56lbs but were still able to finish 30th, it was a struggle for a few teams it seems. After being so dialed in on Bartlett for weeks, this new year has me struggling without knowing why. Just have to keep at it, and things will come together. At least it was agreat day on the water and another learning experience.
MBC Seniors - January 10th - Bartlett Lake
This was the first tournament of 2015, and with the previous tournament going so well, and few mistakes costing us, my partner and I were looking forward to another great finish. We had had a few rain storms come through so I wasn't sure how that was going to affect the fishing. So the game plan was start all the way up river then hit the moth of it on the way out with half the field.
We made one stop into the river on the way to our area just to test it, but no bites. We decided to see what out area had in store. When we got all the way back, we noticed the water had dropped along with dropping from 56 degrees to 49 degrees, and the water clarity was dirtier. We had a few slaps on spinnerbaits but all shorts strikes, and one hit on flipping baits. We knew if we stayed it was going to be a rough day with the water temps and clarity so we worked out way out. Throughout the morning we struggled but covered water until we got to the mouth of the river. That area produced 5 fish for us but only 2 were keepers.
We weighed a measly 2 fish for 4.53lbs and finished in a humbling 41st place. This was not the finish we were hoping for to start 2015 but we failed to execute and have a backup plan. Lessons learn but was still a fun time while on the water.
We made one stop into the river on the way to our area just to test it, but no bites. We decided to see what out area had in store. When we got all the way back, we noticed the water had dropped along with dropping from 56 degrees to 49 degrees, and the water clarity was dirtier. We had a few slaps on spinnerbaits but all shorts strikes, and one hit on flipping baits. We knew if we stayed it was going to be a rough day with the water temps and clarity so we worked out way out. Throughout the morning we struggled but covered water until we got to the mouth of the river. That area produced 5 fish for us but only 2 were keepers.
We weighed a measly 2 fish for 4.53lbs and finished in a humbling 41st place. This was not the finish we were hoping for to start 2015 but we failed to execute and have a backup plan. Lessons learn but was still a fun time while on the water.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Fun Fishing at Saguaro Lake
All to often I am unable to just go out and have a fun relaxing day on the water with friends. Thankfully with the new work scheduling I may be able to do it more often. We headed out to Saguaro Lake to see if would could find some decent fish like the 5lb largemouth we had caught the previous week. It was a fun day to say the least, we caught them on topwater, jigs, and dropshots and the biggest was my best of the year that went right at 7lbs! Need to remember sometimes just need to get out there and remember the important part of this sport, having fun!
Thank You Tires2Go
I wanted to say thank you to the guys over at Tires2Go in Mesa. They hooked up the Ranger with some awesome trailer tires for the 2015 season. These guys are hands down the best out there, wouldn't dream of using anyone else. You can get ahold of them at 480-332-3270 or go to the website - http://www.newtires2go.com/
TBA Teams - December 13th - Bartlett Lake
This was a last minute decision to fish due to work, but was able to go. The weather was going to play a major factor as it was raining on the way to the lake and supposed to rain off and on all day with possibility of colder temps and hail as the day moved on. My partner and I were going to focus on the same type of bite as a few weeks ago up in the river and hope for the quality bites.
We started at the mouth of the river and saw some friends there, we had two fish within 5 casts but only one was a keeper. As we were fishing we had the pleasure of watching a friend slip and fall in the lake, he was fine but his pride was hurt. He must have got a good look at what was under water because within a few minutes we watched them catch one of 4lbs and another over 3lbs. We turned around and doubled back over the water we fished and hooked into one on a spinnerbait, it was over 2.5lbs and got us back into it. We moved further into the river and decided to flip the trees with tubes. Second cast and got smoked on the tube and a big fish ran through some trees and broke me off. At that point at least we knew the bite was still there from a few weeks prior. We fished one stretch for the rest of the day and unfortunately we had some fish come off and another big one get wrapped up. We had a good limit but we knew the lost fish were going to cost us, we just didn't know how bad. We finished in 13th place with 9.39lbs, the winners had 12.82 with a 5lb kicker.
We may not have won with the fish we lost, but it would have been very close and we definitely would have been in second if not as they only had 11lbs. Once again 3rd-15th were all separated by less than 1lb. It was another frustrating day due to the lost fish but at least we were on the right pattern and the only ones doing it. We were flipping the shallow trees in a small ditch in 56 degree water while most everyone else was staying deeper. Thankfully the worst part of the weather held off until the tournament was over, but made for a rough drive home through the severe hail and rain. At the end of the day it was just another lesson learned and looking forward to the 2015 season.
We started at the mouth of the river and saw some friends there, we had two fish within 5 casts but only one was a keeper. As we were fishing we had the pleasure of watching a friend slip and fall in the lake, he was fine but his pride was hurt. He must have got a good look at what was under water because within a few minutes we watched them catch one of 4lbs and another over 3lbs. We turned around and doubled back over the water we fished and hooked into one on a spinnerbait, it was over 2.5lbs and got us back into it. We moved further into the river and decided to flip the trees with tubes. Second cast and got smoked on the tube and a big fish ran through some trees and broke me off. At that point at least we knew the bite was still there from a few weeks prior. We fished one stretch for the rest of the day and unfortunately we had some fish come off and another big one get wrapped up. We had a good limit but we knew the lost fish were going to cost us, we just didn't know how bad. We finished in 13th place with 9.39lbs, the winners had 12.82 with a 5lb kicker.
We may not have won with the fish we lost, but it would have been very close and we definitely would have been in second if not as they only had 11lbs. Once again 3rd-15th were all separated by less than 1lb. It was another frustrating day due to the lost fish but at least we were on the right pattern and the only ones doing it. We were flipping the shallow trees in a small ditch in 56 degree water while most everyone else was staying deeper. Thankfully the worst part of the weather held off until the tournament was over, but made for a rough drive home through the severe hail and rain. At the end of the day it was just another lesson learned and looking forward to the 2015 season.
MBC Super Teams - November 29th - Bartlett Lake
Well Bartlett Lake is always a popular one due to the ability to catch numerous fish, especially small ones but my partner and I decided to try for a few less bits and go with bigger than average baits for the lake and going smaller if needed a fish or two. We were going to cover one end of the lake to the other as the day progressed an see what we came up with.
The game plan took us down by the damn at the end of the lake which produced a few fish early on a deep crankbait, but only two kept. As we moved off the drop off and down the bank, my partner hooked into a really nice fish on a crankbait. The 2.5lb fish is a pretty decent fish for the lake so we were happy to have it early. As the next hour or two passed the fish seemed to quit biting so it was time to head towards the river and see if we could upgrade and fill out a limit. We made a few stops on the way but only accounted for some short strikes. As we made it into the river, I was throwing a A-rig and my partner was throwing a tube. Within a few minutes we had two quality fish in the boat and were on our way to culling. We went further into the river and I was throwing reaction baits and my partner stuck with the tube to give the fish different options. He figured out what they wanted as he caught fish after fish and they were short striking mine. We culled throughout the rest of the day and lost a fish that cost us big fish honors as well as first place. We finished with 5 fish for 8.97lb and finished 15th.
With 1st-20th separated by less than 3lbs and 4th-16th by less than 1lb, the fish we lost really cost us. It was the only mistake we made throughout the day and that's fishing but at leas the fishing was fun and the lessons learned were easy to accept.
The game plan took us down by the damn at the end of the lake which produced a few fish early on a deep crankbait, but only two kept. As we moved off the drop off and down the bank, my partner hooked into a really nice fish on a crankbait. The 2.5lb fish is a pretty decent fish for the lake so we were happy to have it early. As the next hour or two passed the fish seemed to quit biting so it was time to head towards the river and see if we could upgrade and fill out a limit. We made a few stops on the way but only accounted for some short strikes. As we made it into the river, I was throwing a A-rig and my partner was throwing a tube. Within a few minutes we had two quality fish in the boat and were on our way to culling. We went further into the river and I was throwing reaction baits and my partner stuck with the tube to give the fish different options. He figured out what they wanted as he caught fish after fish and they were short striking mine. We culled throughout the rest of the day and lost a fish that cost us big fish honors as well as first place. We finished with 5 fish for 8.97lb and finished 15th.
With 1st-20th separated by less than 3lbs and 4th-16th by less than 1lb, the fish we lost really cost us. It was the only mistake we made throughout the day and that's fishing but at leas the fishing was fun and the lessons learned were easy to accept.
MBC Seniors - November 15th - Apache Lake
Apache Lake - my love hate lake. This lake has some beasts on it but I always seems to struggle to figure them out, unless its a practice day. With the warm fall weather the fish had been feeding up in the river end of the lake, so figured might as well hit a few spots towards the dam to start then main lake later in the day. A-rigs, dropshots, jigs, crankbaits, etc. were going to be the choice of the day along with spoons if could locate some deeper schools.
My partner and I started up in the river along with 3/4 of the field. We covered some water but didn't have anything the first hour or so. We came across a ball of shad on a drop off and got out first keeper on a dropshot, it was the only one we caught there. We made a move back towards the main lake on an island and finally caught a few fish, most were unders and not able to keep but did manage to add two keepers. As the day went on we threw just about everything in the boat at them, almost including ourselves. We could only manage one more fish and came out with 4 fish for 6.12lbs which put us in 29th place.
It was a tough day for everyone but seems that the fish moved from way up river to the mouth and we never figured that part out, it is another lesson learned after the fact. At least I don't have another tournament at Apache until the championships.
My partner and I started up in the river along with 3/4 of the field. We covered some water but didn't have anything the first hour or so. We came across a ball of shad on a drop off and got out first keeper on a dropshot, it was the only one we caught there. We made a move back towards the main lake on an island and finally caught a few fish, most were unders and not able to keep but did manage to add two keepers. As the day went on we threw just about everything in the boat at them, almost including ourselves. We could only manage one more fish and came out with 4 fish for 6.12lbs which put us in 29th place.
It was a tough day for everyone but seems that the fish moved from way up river to the mouth and we never figured that part out, it is another lesson learned after the fact. At least I don't have another tournament at Apache until the championships.
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