This was my first time back at Apache Lake since a championship back in May, and my first ABA in awhile. I forgot how hard Apache Lake could be. My partner and I were expecting a great day on the water, which it always is, but the fish didn't cooperate. We launched first thing in the morning and headed down lake, the boat ran incredible, but it was a cold first run! We planned on throwing small soft plastics, jerkbaits, swimbaits, jigs and crankbaits throughout the day depending on the area.
Once we started fishing we had 2 small unders, one smallmouth and one largemouth on squarebills. Had a big fish annihilate a swimbait but only hooked up for a few seconds, amazing how they avoid all those hooks. We went over the area a few more times without another bite. We decided to make another run to an area we usually get bit. There was another boat there so we had to fish it a different way which just didn't work as well. After some more time we made a move further down lake, which produced another small fish and a lost keeper. About half way through the day my partner finally put our first fish in the well, it was small but it was a start. A few more spots later and no fish to show, we worked out way back towards the ramp and the hump that is in front of it. That paid off with our second keeper. With limited time I decided to throw the swimbait again in hopes of a big fish while my partner through a Carolina-rig. He lost a keeper within a few yards of the ramp and I had another big fish toilet bowl the swimbait pull some drag and came unbuttoned. That's how our day ended.
I learned a valuable lesson, that I had forgot, prefish helps eliminate water and baits. We never got a chance to prefish and the bite wasn't what we were expecting. It was still a day on the water and that always helps in the end. I am looking forward to redemption in March on this lake as well as the championship in May again.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Sunday, November 24, 2013
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!
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!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
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/
Sunday, August 4, 2013
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.
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.
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