JML Outdoors Century Marine Saguaro Friday Nights - July 28th - Bartlett Lake

With the suspension on the lakes still, a friend called me up wanting to got to Bartlett Lake to fish the tournament. He knew my game plan of throwing crankbaits most the night and staying on whichever one of my areas that didn't have someone on them. I noticed the water had cleared up and it was going to be a windy night as it was blowing 20-30mph to start the tournament.
We made a short run to my area and missed two fish early which wasn't a good sign. The fish were biting but getting a good look at the bait and weren't eating it. The wind made it tough to fish but the first keeper was a great one. He was trying to slow down and throw a plastic but it was producing smaller fish that wouldn't keep. Once the wind was to strong for the guy on my primary area we went there to fish it, I noticed a current break from the wind and decided to try it and it produced another solid keeper. We moved all around the two areas and had 3 fish with a few minutes to go. My partner caught a solid keeper with 10 minutes left and we fished hard until the last second, he missed a bit and we ended up with 4 keepers. We weighed 8.52lbs and finished 12th and were ounces out of a check. Only regret is not having him throw the plastics behind me to make sure we got that 5th keeper. Was still a fun tournament but happy to be moving back to day tournaments.

JML Outdoors Century Marine Saguaro Friday Nights - July 7th - Bartlett Lake

With the Golden Algae bloom all tournaments were suspended at the Salt River Chain lakes but they were allowed to move them to Bartlett Lake. My stepdad and I had boat issue the last time out, but we decided do this one for my birthday celebration. It was his first tournament in the new Phoenix. We planned on hitting the same area as I had fished previously and with the stained water I knew the fish should eat the bait instead of slap at it.
We were only of the first few boats out but someone had seen me on the area I had done so well on for the last month and was boat 1 out and beat us there. I tried to make a second rock pile work but with the rising water from recent storms they weren't pushed out to it yet. Once I gained my composure we made a move to another rock pile point that I did well on previously. It turned out to be the right move. It didn't take long for us to put a limit in the boat and proceeded to cull relatively quick until a massive monsoon storm hit. We couldn't fish for nearly an hour until the winds got below 30mph. Once they did the bigger fish started to eat and we proceeded to cull again on the same area. We never moved all night and weighed a 5 fish limit for 10.64lbs with a 3.07 big fish. It was good enough for a 5th place finish, which was great for my stepdad's first tournament back in the last few years.

AZ Head to Head Bracket Tournament - Championship - June 25th - Lake Pleasant

I was looking forward to this final for few weeks. I was a little nervous and both the other two guys had fished this lake and very regularly and I hadn't fished it in almost 7 months. I had a game plan of running islands and points and was going to throw topwater then mostly a dropshot the rest of the day.  Made the first run and didn't take long to have a fish explode on the topwater but it never hooked up. Not long later made a move to an island and hooked first keeper only to have it come off at the boat. I thought it was over at that point, but I took a minute and regrouped and calmed down and put my head down and fished hard. I moved all around the lake hitting areas that I have down well in the past and kept rotating around them. I could only manage 3 keepers. When we came to weigh I felt a little defeated but I was shocked to hear that both guys had blanked. I was shocked but pumped at the same time, it was a definite confidence booster and proved my hard work was paying off.
 It was hard earned, but I want to take the time and thank the sponsors that helped back this and make it what it is. Thank you Dave Davis and DD26 Fishing Rods, Josh Bertrand and Berkley Baits and NINES Optics, Ryan Chambers Chambers, Perks Custom Baits, RCI Cooling and Heating, BL Hagerty, and also Jeff Mabry for organizing everything. Thank you guys for everything, looking forward to trying to defend next year.

Roostertales Bass Clup Open Tournament - June 10th - Bartlett Lake

After the success I had the previous week on Sunday, decided to do this Open. My partner cancelled last minute but I went up anyways hoping my bite was still there. I was one of the last boats to launch and pulled up to my area and sure enough a friend of mine is sitting on my spot, but gave me some room so could share it. It wasn't long and already had 4 keepers in the boat but was having a hard time keeping them hooked up. I noticed that the water had cleared up and the fish were slapping at the bait. I filled out my limit but I knew I needed to change it up from the crankbait, and also move out the the next rock pile but unfortunately my friend was all over it. I worked the area over all night and unfortunately lost the fish that would have put into the top on a carolina-rig. I caught 40-50 fish easy and finished the night in 17th place with a 5 fish limit for 9.54lbs and a big of 2.29. My buddy took 3rd and second big fish. Lesson learned don't tell friends where caught them!

AZ Head to Head Bracket - Round 4 - June 4th - Bartlett Lake

After 2 hours sleep and a horrible Saturday night showing at Bartlett it was time to do it all over for round 4 at the same lake I struggled at. I covered one end of the the lake to the other and  threw a crankbait all morning. I found a pattern about 7am, throwing a crankbait on the inside of small points. I noticed that they were mouthing the bait and had to give them a second to eat it then set hard. It produced 4 keepers on the points and a few shorts. After I talked to the guy I was competing against and knew he had a limit, I decided to crank some rocky shoreline near the ramp area. That was the ticket for me, I caught my 5th fish and found a spot on a spot and proceeded to catch 70-80 fish on the area and had a limit that went well over 11lbs and they just kept biting. We weighed at 11am and I took the win with a little over 11lbs with a 3.79 kicker to his limit of just under 7lbs. The fishing was so good I went back out to see if could cull up to 12lbs, it took about 15 minutes and 4 fish later and easily had over 12. It was one of my best days on Bartlett Lake, and a huge turnaround from the previous night. Now only have the finals left, looking forward to wherever it will be.

JML Outdoors Jet Renu North Valley Nights - June 3rd - Bartlett Lake

This was the first night tournament of the season for my partner and I. Last year we smashed them this time of year, so we had high hopes for this tournament. Without any prefish we decided to head down lake and see what we could crank up. First cast caught a short and proceeded to catch a few other shorts. We hit a steep wall with some rocks and my buddy got short lines by a fish over 4lbs that got off right at the boat. We fished down the bank and proceed to catch two keepers and a few more short fish. We had heard once it got dark the fish shutoff, but we had heard that before and caught them. At the end of the night we could have left at 8pm when it got dark, not a single bite. Was brutal tough for us, we weighed 2 fish for 2.8lbs and took 29th of 50 boats. The fish we lost would have put us in the top 10 with over 6lbs. That lake rarely fishes that tough but the water clarify was 1-3 inches and lime green, it should get better as it clears up.

Personal Best - May 26th - Canyon Lake

With the success I have had at Canyon Lake lately I wanted to take my stepdad out to get him on some of the fish I found. I went out May 24th before work and absolutely smashed them, had over 20lbs in 3 hours, all bed fishing. He needed to break in the new Phoenix 921 with a big bag. We went to the area I had found and it was a little slow to start with the sun not fully up yet, but still had a few 2-3lb fish in the boat. After a 4lb largemouth, I noticed a massive fish near a rock, and about a 4lb fish with it. I made a long cast to them and it nosed down immediately. I had my stepdad throw into the bed area and within a few seconds it was game on. We thought he hooked the male until we saw the mouth open on the head-shake. She took him for a ride across the cut and into the reeds, I jumped on the trolling motor and as was going in to get her she came out. When we finally got her in the boat I knew it was his personal best. I figured she would be close to 10lbs but she came in at 9.12lbs!!! It was an awesome moment, he took me out when I caught my personal best, and to take him out and get him his, was perfect. It is a day I will never forget.