Home Pactac in Tournaments
I thought I'd share how my tournaments are going. After each tournament this year I will write up the good, bad and ugly in my quest to chase the little green fish
BFL Regional
KY Lake, KY Lake Village
28 Sep – 3 Oct
I fished hard all year in the Arkie division and ended up in 24th place on the boater’s side out of 200 fellow competitors. It wasn’t easy but I qualified for the Regional at KY Lake.
On Saturday morning my co angler and I made the trip to KY and set up camp at the State Park about 2 miles from the launch site. By the time we got our license and were finished at camp we decided to relax the rest of the afternoon and start fishing in the morning.
I have never seen this lake before but I had maps and with a little bit of study I knew the areas I wanted to concentrate on for this time of the year. Pockets and creeks were first on the list since the shad should be moving into them by this time.
I went into a major creek and my very first bass from KY Lake weighed in around 4 pounds. I was thinking alright, this is going to be good. I went to several other creeks and the pattern was a strong one with one snag. There were plenty of fish to catch but a 15” keeper was hard to come by. I caught around 20 – 30 bass a day but out of all of those I was lucky to weed 5 keepers out of the bunch.
On tournament day #1 I drew a co angler from Ohio. We worked together pretty well but the fish were all dinks. We couldn’t get a keeper to bite even though we could see them busting shad. Kenny was living in Ohio but he was actually a local and had lived on the lake before moving to Ohio. He asked if I was willing to give another place a try. My plan wasn’t working so I agreed.
When we got to his spot it wasn’t more than a mile from where I had caught the 4 pound fish on my first day. There was a row of docks and he suggested we fish them. I got the jig rod out and began pitching a 5/16 Green Pumpkin Bughead to the docks. I caught 3 solid keepers from them and had around 7 and a half pounds. We went to a creek not far away and we threw cranks and doubled up a few times but never caught a keeper. I did loose a single keeper there but Kenny lost three of them! There I was with 3 keepers in the well thanks to Kenny and he was fishless. On one hand I felt bad for him but at the same time I was grateful for what I had.
We went back to the docks and I caught 2 more keepers on my jig and now had around 11 pounds. Not great but not bad either.
With less than an hour to go we went to another spot closer to the weigh in site. We had just enough time to fish about 15 minutes before going to weigh in. It was a nothing bank but Kenny said he had caught some good ones there in the past. Since there wasn’t anything in the water and it was only about 2 feet deep I started throwing a spook to cover water. On my second cast I watched a good fish nail the spook and a second fish about the same size was trying to eat the bait out of the other fish’s mouth. I let the original fish swim around for about 20 seconds and tried to hook up with a double on the spook but he had it so far in his mouth the other bass couldn’t get hooked up.
Time was up and we had to go. My day 1 sack weighed 13.08 pounds and I was in 11th place. That gave me a huge boost of confidence because after the next day only the top 12 would fish for the brand new truck and boat. I was in the hunt!
After weigh in Kenny came up to me and asked me not to go back to those 2 areas. His day 2 boater had zeroed and Kenny had talked him into going to his spots. I wanted to go back but it wouldn’t be the right thing to do without his permission. I had to respect his wishes.
On day 2 I fished every boat dock I could find that had any water under them. The lake was way down and even though there was plenty of boat docks most were sitting on dry ground. I did catch a number of bass but never got a keeper. I zeroed for the day. Even with the zero I ended up in 45th place at my first BFL Regional.
I found Kenny after weigh in and he caught a little over 10 pounds on his spots. I was happy for him. He said he kept looking for me all day but I had given my word not to go back. With those 10 pounds I would have made the All American. I may have zeroed for the day but now there is one more person out there that knows I can be trusted and my word is as good as any guarantee.
13 – 14 Sep
BFL Super Tournament
Lake Dardanelle
First practice day on Weds was fantastic. Fish were in backs of pockets and would hit anything. I had around 13 pounds when I quit at 10 am.
Thurs I went upriver to Spadra and beyond. Water had dropped about 2 to 3 feet and I only caught 2 bass all day long. Both were short to boot. At least I knew I could catch keepers closer to the ramp and wouldn’t have to burn a lot of gas.
First T day:
Winds were sustained around 25 mph. I went to my pockets but with the water so low I couldn't get to my fish. They were still there but out of casting range. I had to settle on picking anything in the water apart. I knew it was going to be hard to get a bite so I stuck with a 5/16 black and blue traditional bug head after I missed a few on the frog. Ended the day with 3 keepers a little over 7 pounds but did have a nice 4.5 pound fish as a kicker.
I should have had 4 more pounds but I made a mistake. I had a big blow up on the frog and threw back with a jig and swim bait but couldn't get her to bite again. I tried for about 5 minutes to get that toad to bite again. After I gave up my no boater threw a worm in there and caught a 4 pound bass. Lesson learned the hard way.
I finished 18th overall and missed the day two cut by 3 places. With the weather getting worse we packed up the camper and were headed home when I got a call from the tournament director. It seems 3 guys in the running for day 2 had backed out for one reason or another and I was eligible to fish day two. I grabbed a pillow, blanket and mattress out of the camper and made a nice place to sleep in the back of the truck and headed back to the campground.
With the remnants of the hurricane approaching I went to sleep but left 1 eye open. At 3 am the wind was so bad I was really concerned that the pines would fall on top of me so I relocated to the parking overflow area. It had no trees but the way the truck was rocking from the wind it felt just like sleeping in a cuddy cabin out on the ocean.
Sunday morning there was a vote to fish or not. The weather was bad. Vote passed and we launched. 40 mph sustained winds for the day. Oh boy.
I took off but went slow as I rode the roller coaster waves. After getting to my pocket I was disappointed to see that the water was even lower and red with mud. With no other option I went to Piney creek. It isn’t my favorite place but it was protected and fishable. I knew bites would be few and far between so I kept the jig rod in hand all day long. The bites were so light I missed a few because I didn't realize they were actually bites. I ended up with 2 fish for less than 4 pounds and in 15th place for the tournament. I earned $411 and made it back to the dock safe and I’m happy with that. Wish I could have finished better but with the conditions I can’t complain.
BFL at Dardanelle 21 Jun 08
I arrived at the State Park on Tuesday and was surprised to see the park was almost full and there were only 6 sites available. I guess with the weather not quite blazing hot yet, families were enjoying some camping. I saw lots of kids camping with their parents and thought it was great to see these young folks out riding bikes and enjoying the outdoors.
My camping partner was once again my good friend Bobby and when he arrived I saw something I didn’t think I would see at a campground. Bobby had a small refrigerator in the back of his truck and I must admit it turned out to be quite useful. We never had to buy ice and our food and drinks stayed cold without the hassle normally associated with coolers while camping.
Since it was late afternoon we decided to hang out at camp and relax. Our scouting would be done on Wednesday and Thursday. Since it had only been two weeks since my last tournament on Dardanelle and not much had changed I knew what I was planning on doing anyway. I had also fished the previous Saturday with another friend and did we ever have a hawg fest. Between us our 5 biggest bass would have gone at or over 20 pounds. They were all caught on frogs, Thumper jigs and spinner baits so I had a pretty good idea of what I would be throwing on tournament day.
My practice days were decent but a little slower. The same baits were working so I felt pretty good going into the tournament. My only concern was my area was fairly small and if someone beat me to it and had figured how to catch them I would be in trouble.
At the meeting I found out we would have 133 boats in the tournament. As the pairings were called and take of numbers were assigned I kept waiting for my name to be called. It finally was as boater #132 out of 133. Egads! I would be able to take a nap before it was my turn to take off.
When my number was finally called I dropped the hammer on Big Red and we began our long run up river. We had about 30 miles to go and about halfway there we ran into a fog bank that only allowed me to see about 50 yards in front of the boat. I knew my guardian angel couldn’t do 70 mph in that stuff so I adjusted my speed as I ran using the gps.
After arriving at my best spot I saw about a dozen boats in this small area but they were not throwing a frog. That made me feel a little better. After fishing about 15 minutes I hooked up on my frog. Quick note here, Dean Rojas has “Kermie” and I have “Nedeep”.
That first fish was a 1/4” short and I would catch many more the same size. I had some monster blow ups from bigger bass but only one keeper actually ate Nedeep. I bet I had a dozen big bites without a hookup. The short fish had no problem swallowing that frog to their tonsils but the big girls must have been just trying to kill the frog at ramming speed.
With time running out I tied on a 5/16 oz bug head in watermelon and began swimming it around grass, trees and anything else I could find. I managed to catch a second keeper and about 8 or nine more short fish.
When it was down to an hour to go I switched over to my bread and butter 5/16 oz Gourd green bug head. I caught 2 short fish and then finally got my 3rd keeper for the day before we had to weigh in.
After arriving at weigh in I was astounded to find out there was absolutely no waiting for a bag. I got my bag and 5 minutes later I had weighed in 3 bass that went 7.03 pounds. That weight was good enough for 45th place for the tournament. Not spectacular by any means but it did move me up enough that I was now ranked 39th in the standings and am now qualified to fish the regional. It also opens the door to the Stren Series if I choose to go next year.
1st place had 17 pounds and I must say he did an outstanding job. It was a very tough day. To put it into prospective 133 boaters competed and only 12 limits were brought to the scales. It took exactly 10 pounds to get a check on this body of water loaded with big bass. Unbelievable.
Dardanelle
31 May 08
I had not been to Dardanelle since last year so I headed to the lake on Friday morning. After setting up camp I met up with Bobby Cullison and invited him to look around the lake and prefish a little.
Our first stop was a point with lilly pads. Bobby caught a small fish and had two more hits on a buzzbait. I had 1 bite on a spinnerbait. Our next stop was a pepper grass field. I hooked a fish that went about 2 and a half pounds on a spinnerbait and that was the only strike so we headed for another lilly pad field. We had 3 strikes at this field.
Our next stop was an underwater ledge where Bobby caught a small fish on a Pactac Bug Head jig and I didn’t have any luck at all.
Knowing that I only had a 6 pound lead for Angler of the year things looked bleak. That lead could easily be wiped out with one fish on Dardanelle. My plan for the tournament was to go back to the pepper grass where I had the bigger fish hit my spinnerbait.
Tournament Day
When I took off I headed straight for my pepper grass. My plan was to wear the place out with a spinnerbait, buzzbait and a frog. The first rod I chose had the frog on it. After just a few minutes I had my first strike. That bass was so close to 15” it was unbelievable. I had to let her go. My next strike on the frog was a 4.16 pound bass and things were looking up. I never put the frog rod down and weighed in 5 bass that went 13.48 pounds. My 4.16 pound bass won big bass and I won first place by a single pound.
At weigh in my closest competitor for AOY was exactly one pound behind my day’s weight so I had now increased my lead by 7 pounds. Even with a 7 pound lead I wasn’t comfortable on this lake full of big hawgs. Our second tournament was the next morning on the same body of water and I only had the one location that I had already picked apart. I hoped the bass would replenish themselves.
Tournament #2
Dardanelle 1 Jun 08
I had a no boater with me this day. His name is Matt Grey. Matt is a very good fisherman for 17 years old. If I am not mistaken he won the Arkansas state JR Bassmasters tournament this year. I was honest with Matt about what I was doing and explained I only had 8 bites the whole day. But I also told him the bites were worth waiting for. He said he loved fishing a frog and accepted the challenge.
After arriving at the pepper grass it took about 30 minutes to get my first strike and she weighed 3.45 pounds. A few cast later and I had her twin in the boat. Matt also caught a bass but it was short. That was the last fish that we would catch in this area.
With no backup plan we decided to just go fishing and see what we could figure out. Since I was in search mode I decided to use a Pactac Thumper jig to cover water quickly and efficiently. Matt’s choice was a Chatterbait. When Matt saw my Thumper jig he asked what was the difference between his Chatterbait and my Thumper jig. I asked him how much he had paid for the Chatterbait. His answer was $5.50. I then told him the only difference was mine cost $2.50.
The first fish caught was on Matt’s Chatterbait and she weighed 3.20 pounds. He then caught a 15” fish. The next 5 fish were caught by me with the Thumper jig. Out of these 5 bass I was able to cull twice. Hopefully Matt caught on to the only difference between the two baits and will save some money in the future.
I knew I had between 13 to 14 pounds in the livewell and felt AOY was safely in my grasp so I decided to take a chance. I offered the trolling motor to Matt and let him fish however he wanted to fish. I sat down in the driver’s seat and watched Matt fish for the remaining 3 hours. To tell the truth I was impressed with Matt’s skills. He handled the trolling motor like a seasoned professional. His casting was precise. Even though he didn’t catch anything else I knew this young man had a future in bass fishing if he decides to pursue fishing at a club level or even as a professional. I guess time will tell.
Our last stop of the day was back in the pepper grass. A storm was coming in and even with high gusty winds Matt handled the boat expertly. When lightning began to pop around us I told Matt fish or no fish we were heading for cover. In the amount of time it took for Matt to stow the trolling motor and put on his life jacket amounted to about one minute. That was when the storm hit. I found out later that day that the wind was blowing in excess of 69 mph. The wind caused swells that were easily 5 footers and the rain was coming down so hard I couldn’t see 10 feet beyond the bow. All we could do was surf the waves at about 5 mph all the way back to the ramp. Since I couldn’t see what was in front of me I had to use my gps to get us back to safety and hope nobody or nothing was in front of us.
At weigh in my 13.84 was good enough for another first place. My competitor that was only 7 pounds behind me stubbed his toe and only brought in 2 bass that weighed 6.23 pounds. His 3.58 pound bass beat my 3.45 pound bass for big bass and he did finish in 2nd place so he did get some compensation.
Angler of the Year was a hard fought battle. It came right down to the wire. In my opinion that is much better than a blowout.
To cap off how bad the weather was I must report that the storm claimed Matt Wellenberger’s boat. He was without engine power and was trying to make it back on his trolling motor when the storm hit. Casey Jones luckily saw that Matt was in trouble and immediately came to his aid. He rigged a tow line to Matt's boat and was attempting to get Matt and his boat to safety. Unfortunately the huge rollers filled up Matt's boat causing it to flip over with Matt still on board. With no option Matt swam to Casey's boat. Despite the tossing and turning from the huge waves Casey was able to get Matt onboard. Fearing that two boats and two lives might be lost the tow line had to be cut.
I would like to thank Casey for his actions. This just shows what outstanding individuals Anvil Jaw has for members.
18 May 19, 2008
Greer’s Ferry, Anvil Jaw Bass Club
After fishing the day before I knew the bass in the area we had fished had been hammered pretty hard by anglers. My plan was to make a long run up towards the dam in hopes of finding less pressured fish. The water was crystal clear on that end of the lake but I thought throwing a Pactac Bug head in deeper water would do the trick and it sure did.
Knowing that these fish would be very spooky I had already tied on an Olive bug head in hopes that the more subdued craw would get more bites. At my first stop I hooked up and brought a solid 2 pound smallie to the boat. Thirty minutes later I had another smallie about the same size. With quality bass like that in such a short amount of time I knew I would stick with the Olive bug head and didn’t even pick up another rod for the rest of the day.
The fishing was a whole lot tougher than the day before but the Olive jig did an outstanding job of putting solid keepers into the boat. With only around 8 and a half pounds in the boat I didn’t feel I had enough weight to win but with a solid limit I knew I should place well. As it turned out my Pactac jig earned me 3rd place overall and I also won big bass for the day. I didn’t win but I have never been unhappy when I get 2 checks in one day of fishing.
17 May 19, 2008
Greer’s Ferry, Sherwood Bass Club
My partner Casey and I were the second to last boat to take off. Our plan for the day was to catch 4 smallies quickly and spend the rest of the day trying to upgrade with largemouth. Our first stop was some flooded timber about 200 yards long and 50 yards deep. From prefishing we knew the smallies were scattered throughout the area and we had caught some good ones during practice.
In an hour’s time we had our limit of smallies using Wackos, tubes, and Pactac Bug Heads and had culled out several times. With around 7 pounds in the boat we began our search for largemouth. Catching them wasn’t hard but finding a 15” keeper proved to be very difficult. Knowing that one good kicker would do a world of good for us I flipped a Uni Craw Pactac Bug head for the rest of the day. With about an hour to go I hooked up and flipped a 15.5” keeper largemouth into the boat. It wasn’t the kicker fish we were looking for but it did cull out our smallest fish.
At weigh in we had a 5 fish limit that went around 8.5 pounds and put us in the top 15. The winner had 10 pounds and 9 pounds earned a check. Once again we were very close but no cigar.
BFL
Greer’s Ferry Lake
10 May, 2008
I headed to the lake on Monday to prefish and pulled into Devil’s Fork to set up camp only to find it was closed due to high water. I couldn’t even get to the ramp so I headed over to “The Narrows” and launched from there. My plan was to fish that particular end of the lake and see if I could figure out a way to get the largemouth to bite.
I turned out of the narrows and ran towards Devil’s Fork. The water was muddy but at least it wasn’t cold so I wasn’t too concerned about the lack of visibility. I did get concerned when I came to the Hwy 16 bridge and didn’t know if I could get under it. This bridge is normally about 25 feet above your head as you go under it but with the water 25 feet higher than normal I was able to actually touch the bottom of the bridge without standing up.
I ran up river and fished some areas that I do well in but the water was so far back into the trees it was tough going. I did catch a few on my Thumper jig but not enough to gamble on fishing this area on tournament day.
On Tuesday I fished mid lake and the water was cleaner and the smallmouth were co-operative. I don’t want to get into too much detail because I have a tournament there again on Saturday and another on Sunday. I will say that I was catching them on a 5/16 green pumpkin bug head. Of course anyone that knows me would know that anyway.
On Wednesday I fished with my buddy Bobby to help him locate some fish and the pattern I had found was working in the areas that we went to. We both felt Bobby was set for the tournament as we headed back to the camper that evening.
On Thursday Landon Kendrick showed up to fish with me and since I didn’t want to beat my fish up we fished other areas of the lake looking for the same type of pattern. It turns out it was working and we caught fish just about everywhere we stopped.
All week I only caught 1 good fish that was about 4 pounds but the majority of the fish I was catching were running in the 2 to 3 pound range and I was happy with that. On tournament day I planned to get a limit fast and spend the rest of the day trying to up grade my catch.
On tournament day I was happy to get a good take off number for the first time this year. I drew number 38 out of 168 and was in the second flight. My no boater for the day went by the nickname “Hopper” and had yet to weigh in a fish with BFL so far this year. I told him we should both have a limit early but weight might be an issue. I then let him know about my plan of trying to upgrade. He was game and when it was time to go I dropped the hammer on my Yamaha and the Skeeter was streaking across the lake.
We arrived at my first spot and the pattern was still strong but the fish were smaller. We each caught a limit of smallmouth by 9 am and went down the bank a few more times trying to get a bigger fish. I knew they were there and they were. Hopper hooked up a 3 pound smallie and lost it as he was reeling it to the boat. A few minutes later he hooked up again and this time he had a smallie that would go close to 5 pounds but it came off about 10 yards from the boat as well. That was a tough break for him because at weigh in he would have finished in the top 5 with those two fish alone but as it turned out he missed a check by 7 ounces and placed 33rd over all.
My plan worked out and I did cull up twice but I never did get a big bite. I weighed in a 5 fish limit that went 8 pounds three ounces and was good for 36th place. I missed the last check by a scant 6 ounces.
Bassmasters Central Open Red River Shreveport LA. 24-25 Apr 08
My roommate (Robert Cullison) and I arrived at Shreveport after a 3 hour drive from Little Rock The trip went smooth and we had been invited to stay at one of Bobby’s relatives home. Thank you Dawn for allowing us to stay at your home. Both of us appreciated the hospitality.
After unloading the gear we went to Bas Pro Shop to kill a couple of hours before we had to register for the tournament. While we were there we attempted to purchase an out of state license but the computer system was down so our next stop was at Walmart. Their system was also down along with every other place that sold licenses. After finding a phone number for fish and game we were able to get a license over the phone.
We arrived at registration and after signing in we were treated to a fantastic catfish dinner provided by numerous local businesses, churches and local bass clubs. So far the experience was first class and the people of Louisiana continued to impress me during the entire visit. Some examples that far exceeded any expectation would include the Bossier City Sherriff’s deputy that we met while getting coffee the first tournament morning. We were not sure how to get to the ramp and he graciously offered to lead us there. With this officer’s knowledge of shortcuts we arrived at the ramp a full 10 minutes quicker than if we had used our mapquest directions.
My day one boater’s name was Bob Morin. His game plan of fishing backwater areas sounded like a good plan to me since the river was over nine feet high and pretty much unfishable. Our first area produced a 12 ½ inch keeper and a short bass for Bob. I did catch a short bass and a gar but no keepers. Our next spot didn’t give up any fish at all but we did get to see a nice size alligator. His third and final spot finally paid off for both of us. Bob caught a fish that went over 2 pounds and I boated my only keeper for the day that weighed in at 3.6 pounds. My day one standing was 106 out of 198 non boaters.
I have to give props to Bob. His investment was much greater than mine and he had more to gain or loose depending on his finish. Despite this Bob went out of his way to give me a fair shot. I was never front ended or impeded in any way. If you ever draw Bob Morin treat him with respect because he will treat you fairly.
I ended up in 66th place on the non boater side and was two pounds away from cashing a check. I would have to say Pactac jigs made a strong showing when I needed some weight the most. My boater weighed in the single 2 pound fish. Overall my two days with Bassmasters was a great experience with a little aggravation thrown in.
19 Apr 08 Sherwood Bass Club at Hamilton
I didn’t prefish during the week but I did get to go out last Saturday with a friend of mine (Matt). It didn’t take very long to figure out what the fish wanted. It only took a few casts with the Thumper jig to put a fish in the boat. We tried other baits and caught fish but the thumper jig caught better quality fish so that is what I decided to use for the tournament. I don’t know for sure how many Matt and I caught that day but around 40 bass would not be out of the question.
One of the things that stood out that day was a small boy that was on the bank watching us. He was about 6 years old and followed us as we fished. I thought he was just interested in watching us fish but evidently he had other motives. After a few minutes he informed me that his family didn’t allow people to fish in this part of the lake. Furthermore, he said there were no fish in that area and our best bet was to go to the other side of the lake. As he was saying this I caught a solid 2 pound bass and asked him if that fish was lost or just visiting. His reply was the fish was probably lost and even though no fishing was allowed in this part of the lake we were welcome to continue fishing. I made a cast to some rocks that he was standing on and he very quickly warned me about scratching his rocks with my thumper jig. I was a happy fellow when “Momma” came out of the house and ordered junior back into the yard.
I got a little better draw this time, #26 out of 44 teams for the Sherwood tournament. Since we used my boat last time we fished the tournament out of Casey’s boat this time. Casey had not fished any but I had already told him about the thumper jig and he had one tied on as well. At our first spot we put a limit in the boat by 9 am and spent the rest of the day trying to upgrade. Upgrading on Hamilton is a hard thing to do because the fish all seem to be made from the same size mold. I don’t know how many keepers we let go because they wouldn’t help our cause. In the end I caught a 3.14 oz fish on a gourd green bug head that culled a pound and a half fish and about 30 minutes later I culled again with a fish around 2 and a half pounds.
At weigh in we had a total of 9.99 pounds and finished somewhere in the top ten for the day. It took 12 pounds to win and we were in striking distance but just never pulled it off.
On Sunday I fished with my bass club (Anvil Jaw) at Hamilton. I fished the same way as the day before. The thumper jig put another limit into the boat by 8:30 but size was lacking. I switched over to a floating worm and that did the trick. The bigger fish wanted a slower presentation and even though I didn’t get a big bite I did bring 8 and a half pounds to the scales for I believe fourth or fifth place.
As somewhat of a consolation prize my buddy Matt that had prefished with me caught big bass for the day. He caught a 5 and a half pound toad on guess what, yep one of my thumper jigs.
5 April
BFL at Degray
I arrived at Lake Degray on Monday and set up my camp site. By the time everything was finished it was too late to fish but I would be heading out first thing in the morning. My practice partner was Bobby and we decided to fish separately to cover more water and share what we had found or didn’t find.
My first stop of the morning was a large spawning cove and after just a few casts with my Pactac Thumper jig I had a pretty good idea of what I would do on tournament day. Every cove or pocket that I tried was loaded with fish and I just knew I would do well in the BFL tournament on Saturday.
I met up with Bobby later around lunch time and he was having the same luck in the same kinds of places so I knew we were onto something good. The rest of the week I caught a lot of fish around 3 pounds and knew the pattern was a strong one. I was pumped about Saturday morning. The only thing I was concerned about was the constantly rising water. Since I knew where the fish were located I knew I would have to adjust a little.
When we went to the meeting on Friday night there was much talk about cancelling the tournament from the director. There were only two ramps that we could use that were not under water and would require us to travel some distance by boat to the take off point. With the week I had experienced I was hoping the tournament would go on and it did.
I met up with my partner for the day (Danny) and waited for our take off number to be called. We were # 108 out of 166 so we passed the time by talking about things we had in common. We both served in the Air Force and we both loved to fish so the time we had to wait went by quickly until our number was called and away we ran way up the river. We arrived at our first spot were I had weighed in 15.88 pounds in my last tournament at Degray and was shocked to see how muddy the place was. It was off of the main river so I thought the back would still be clean but boy was I wrong. We fished about 20 minutes and took off for something else. My plan was to fish the spawning areas I had found but each and every one of them was devastated by the high muddy water. The buck brush that I had been catching them in was in four feet of water on Wedsday was now in 11 feet of water. To get into water in the 4 foot range would require us to use a chainsaw to get through the trees and I didn’t have one so we continued to fish places as we headed back towards the weigh in site.
With about 2 hours to go I put all rods away except for my jig rod. Since nothing seemed to be working I decided to go with my confidence bait (Pactac 5/16 oz Gourd Green Bug Head) and stick with it. Danny’s lure of choice was a spinnerbait and he did catch a bass but it was short. Tough break for him because I wanted to see him bring a bass in for weigh in. Still, I had problems of my own; I hadn’t even had a bite. At least Danny got to reel one in.
With very little time left we were a couple of miles away from the weigh in site and I was steadily fishing the jig when I finally got my first strike. I set the hook Danny scooped the bass into the net. When I saw it was over 16” I was thrilled that I would have at least one bass to bring to the scales. A short while later I set the hook again and brought a 15” bass to the boat but according to slot rules I had to let her go. That was the last fish we caught for the day.
With my one keeper I placed 90 out of 166 on the boater side. Looking back on the tournament day I would have stuck with my jig all day. All week I never caught a 4 pound bass but I had caught quite a few in the 3 pound range with the Thumper jig and was just too hard headed to put it down.
29 Mar White County Medical Benefit Tournament at Greer’s Ferry
I drove to the lake on Thursday to see what the fish were doing. I had not been to Greer’s since last October and I needed to get a game plan together. I arrived at Devil’s Fork and two things that I saw gave me a clue to fish for smallmouth at the other end of the lake. Clue number one was water muddy enough that tracks could be seen from coons and deer crossing the lake at night and clue number two was the truck parking lot was under water.
I drove to the Heber Springs campground and even though that ramp was underwater the water looked better. I launched from the road that leads down to the boat ramp and away I went. I stopped at a large spawning cove and on my first cast to the flooded trees with a Pactac Thumper jig the rod loaded up and the fight was on! I got the three pound fish to the boat only to find out it was a hybrid. I fished the rest of the cove and ended up with two keeper smallmouth bass so I decided to head to one of the creeks.
The creek that I decided to try looked really good. The buck brush was under several feet of water but I knew where it was at so that didn’t really bother me. I fished my way to the back of the creek and came across a young fellow fishing from a canoe. He watched me catch a few fish and said he was not having any luck. I invited him to hop in the boat and fish the rest of the creek with me and he got on board. It turns out his name was Devon and he was a collage student on spring break. All these years I thought spring break was held at beach towns and Devon was spending his on the water trying to catch a bass. I liked Devon immediately. As we fished to the back of the creek we caught a few fish but nothing that really got my attention. When we arrived back at his canoe I told him I was going to fish my way back to the truck so he would have to get back in his canoe because I wouldn’t be coming back this particular way.
I went into another creek and did I ever find good solid keeper bass. The water was a warm 58 degrees and my pattern of throwing the Thumper jig at isolated bushes was paying off very nicely. I knew what to do on Saturday.
On Saturday morning we drew number 71 out of 91 boats. What is it with me and bad draws this year anyway? When we finally took off I had the Skeeter zooming for the other end of the lake. When we arrived at my creek I was surprised to not see any of my competitors there. The only concern was the big drop in the water temperature. Instead of 58 degrees it was now 51 degrees and would not warm up for the rest of the day. My partner Matt was hyped up and fired of a cast with his Thumper jig as I was dropping the trolling motor into the water. Bam! Matt is hooked up with a good one. I ran back with the net and saw he had a hybrid. That is how it went on almost every cast for the next hour except they were al hybrids. I did notice the bass were under the hybrids because I could actually see them but getting a bait down to them before a hybrid got it was almost impossible. Some how I got my bait past the hybrids and caught a 13” smallmouth and a few minutes later I added a chunky spotted bass into the live well. After that the fish turned off. With no more bites I knew it was time to start chunking a Pactac Bug head. It paid off with a smallmouth that went almost three pounds but that was all and I was happy to catch that fish.
We arrived back at the weigh in right on time. I was surprised when we didn’t have to wait at all in the weigh in line. There were a lot of zeros for the day. Our three bass weighed in at only 5 and a half pounds but it was good enough for 21st place out of 91. Not great and no money but not bad for the conditions we had faced.
17 Mar 08
Pine Bluff Arsenal challenges Pactac at Hamilton
I received notice that 2 friends (Jerry and J.D.) from the arsenal wanted to test their skills against team Pactac. Knowing that these two guys are pretty good and since we were fishing for high stakes I had to enlist the help of Pactac Pro Staffer Brian Lindamood from VA. The reason I needed Brian to back me up was because he is an expert with my tackle and the winners would be treated with a two cheeseburger meal from McDonalds. With such high stakes I wanted serious backup in the boat.
We ran to our first stop and began pitching bug jigs on medium heavy rods to brush piles. It wasn’t long when I set the hook on a behemoth bass. Even with 20 pound test I wasn’t able to stop her from running into the center of the brush pile and getting off. That one hurt a lot. I should have known to use the flipping stick but my lapse of thinking ahead had cost us a monster bass. We fished these brush piles a little more and Brian set the hook on a good fish that went around 2 ¾ pounds on the bug head. After that there were no more bites to be had in these brush piles so it was time to move.
After trying several other areas without success I told Brian we were going to one of my favorite places. I told him it was known for limits but not large bass. With nothing else working we took off for the last spot for the day and two hours left to fish it.
The fish were there but size was about what I had predicted. We managed a limit and culled a few times but with Jerry and J.D. breathing down our necks I could only hope it was enough. Besides I was hungry and really wanted that two cheeseburger meal.
At weigh in I was surprised to find out Jerry and J.D. had zeroed for the day. Brian and I weighed in 9 pounds even for the day. Not bad for Hamilton and the free lunch was great.
In all seriousness Brian had flown to Arkansas to pay tribute to Jerry. Jerry is retiring from active duty this week. I wish Jerry the best of luck and thank him for his service and devotion to this country.
15 March 2008
Sherwood bass club at Ouachita
I started my pre fish on Friday by going into a rather large cove with the plan to run the trolling motor on high and covering everything that I saw. This particular cove had points, coves, standing timber, grass and channel drops in it so I knew they had to be in there somewhere.
The water was in the low to mid 50’s so my lure of choice for working fast was a Pactac Thumper jig. (White w/ white trailer w/ tail dipped in chartreuse) In less than two hours I had caught around 15 pounds on various points so I knew where we would start the tournament the next morning.
That evening my partner arrived at the campsite and I told him what we would be doing while we waited for the burgers to cook. I also told him that I felt 15 pounds on tournament day was likely but if we could catch a kicker to go along with the others we could win the tournament.
The next morning we drew #15 for take off. There were 44 boats in the tournament and we were happy with the draw. When it was our turn I dropped the hammer and we were off.
After fishing the Thumper jig about 5 minutes I set the hook on a pound and a half spotted bass that went into the live well. I told Casey not to worry because that was the smallest bass I had caught in the area and assured him the quality fish were there. A short while later Casey set the hook with his spinner bait and added a good 3 pounder.
As we hopped from point to point the plan started to pan out. I added another 3 pounder and Casey added a 14” bass to the boat and we only needed one more for our limit. There where two logs that we had fished already without success but I told Casey I wanted to give them another shot. It was the kind of set up when you just know a bass has to be there so we went back to them. About 4 casts later with the Thumper jig and I brought our 5th keeper to the boat. Another good 3 pound fish. It had taken us about and hour and a half to get our limit and we just knew it would get better as the water warmed.
Casey caught another 14” fish that culled his previous small fish after judicial use of the culling beam. It only tipped slightly but it did add an ounce or two. We still had the barely heavier spotted bass and his new 14” fish to cull so we doubled our efforts.
As the water warmed our fish stopped biting. We changed areas for awhile without success. We went back to our original area and fished jigs on the drops. We tried every thing until we had 50 minutes left before we would have to leave. Casey talked me into fishing pockets again even though we had not had a bite doing that. All of our fish had been on points but since nothing else was working we went to the pockets. Bang! Another 3 pounder swallowed my Thumper jig. This fish culled out Casey’s 14” fish but we still had the spotted bass left. We were now in our last pocket and only have 3 minutes left before we have to go. I was covering every inch of the pocket with my thumper jig when the rod loaded up. I set the hook and my reel spun backwards causing a bird’s nest. I saw another good three pound fish swim by with the Thumper jig in his jaw. In retrospect I should have hand lined him in but it never crossed my mind. It took a few seconds for me to get the reel free but it was too late. That reel malfunction cost us a shot at the money and my promise of a 15 pound limit. We ended up with 13.6 pounds for the day.
Four of our keepers were caught on the Thumper jig and one was caught on a spinner bait. Points produced the most fish and later in the day the pockets were the place to be.
1 - 2 March Anvil Jaw @ Degray
The bass club that I am in is trying something new this year to help save money during tournaments. What the club has done is have two tournaments on the same body of water over the course of a weekend. Saturday is considered a single tournament day and Sunday is a separate single day tournament.
The thought process is by doing this, members save towing expensive for one tournament. Some people like it and some don’t but I personally saved money by driving to Degray from Beebe only once instead of twice.
Once we arrived at Degray several of us split the cost for a campground spot and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for supper. Breakfast consisted of bacon and eggs. Instead of paying for a hotel and eating out my share came to $4 for my share of the campground fee for 2 nights, 6 hamburgers, 2 packs of hot dogs, mustard, relish and buns.
Now for the tournament report:
Saturday’s tournament I fished deep grass lines with cranks and Pactac jigs. I had 3 bites for the day and caught two fish. One was a slot fish and the other weighed 3.10 pounds. Both of the fish that I did catch came on jigs. The slot fish was caught on a ½ oz football head and the keeper was caught on a 5/16 bug head. The winner used a c-rig, 2nd used cranks and 3rd used finesse worms.
For the second tournament on Sunday I knew I had to change up my game plan. Instead of fishing deep for staging prespawn females I moved shallower. I tied on a 5/16 oz bug head in my black neon pattern and after fishing about 10 minutes I promptly put a 4.70 pound keeper in the boat. The light bulb went off and that is what I stuck with the rest of the day. To keep from tempting myself from using something else I put all other rods back in the locker. Bites were few and far in between but I just knew I was on a big fish pattern so I stuck to my faith in my 5/16 Pactac Bug head. It took all of the tournament day to catch 5 fish over 16 inches. The slot fish were having a field day but I knew I had to keep going and weed them out to get to the big mommas. At weigh in I had 15.88 pounds for my efforts and beat 2nd place by about 4 pounds.
BFL @ Ouachita 23 Feb 08
Ouachita beat me up pretty bad. I weighed in a single two pound fish. Had 2 bites all day and missed one of them.
I had located a school at the edge of the grass on an island but I never got to fish it. A boat got there ahead of me and stayed on it all day from start to weigh in time. 2 days before I caught a 4 pounder and pulled a 3 pounder to the boat without setting the hook on her. I wanted to fish that spot bad.
I waited for the boat to leave until noon before I left the area and headed up the river to my usual spots. River was full of mud and 45 degree water so I went back to cleaner water and caught my only keeper for the day.
I wish I could say the late take off position of #167 was a factor but # 174 brought in a double digit sack of fish. I plainly failed to figure out what the fish were doing. I placed #116 out of 200 for the event.
17 Feb
My partner and I fished a Sherwood bass club tournament yesterday. To prepare we went to the lake on Wednesday to see what was going on. We arrived at daylight and man was it ever cold. The wind was calm but it was so cold the rods and reels were icing up. We tried jerk baits, traps and cranks and never got a bite. After switching over to jigs we caught 4 bass that went around 12 pounds. Granted we only had 4 keepers but after no bites on anything else we knew what we would fish on tournament day.
We arrived for the tournament and since it was our first time fishing with this club we had to register. I don't know how many teams were fishing but I would guess close to 40. Anyway we filled out our paperwork and launched. It was cold, windy and rainy but like I say good times can't last forever. The longer the day went the colder, windier and rainier it got. I'm not sponsored by Cabela's Guidewear but if you want to stay dry in a winter monsoon there isn't anything else that can beat it that I have worn. Frogg Toggs are great when it is hot but Guidewear is the ticket for when it is cold. I commented to my partner that the tournament would be won under 2 conditions. First the fish would have to bite and plain old survival from the wind, rain and numbing cold.
Since we knew we were fishing jigs I had two rods ready to go. I had a 5/16 bug head and a 1/2 ounce football head ready to go. About an hour into fishing a chunky spotted bass nailed the football head and went into the live well. Then no bites for a long time. Our next fish was a 15" largemouth that chomped down on the football head. He was in the slot so I had to let him go with a tear in my eye. From then on until an hour left in the tournament pickerel kept us busy but somehow I had another chunky spotted bass beat the pickerel to my football head jig. At weigh in about half of the field had called it quits early and had left. Team Pactac had 2 spotted bass that weighed in at 3.5 pounds. Not a stellar day by any means but we did weigh in fish. There were around 20 teams that would have liked to have been in our shoes.
Next Saturday I'll be at Ouachita competing in BFL. Come back and see how I did.
11 Feb
I had a fellow that I have competed against in local tournaments give me a call Saturday night. I don’t want to mention his name because I don’t want to embarrass him in any way through the course of this story so I’ll call him Bob. We have never fished together but Bob asked if I would like to fish with him the next morning. He came right out and said that he had never caught a bass on a jig and he knew that I like to fish jigs.
We arrived, launched and pulled up to our first spot of the day, a rocky bank with water dropping off into 30 feet of water. I tied on a Pactac football head with a Universal Craw skirt and he tied on another style jig and we began casting. In about 10 minutes I set the hook on a good pound and half spotted bass from the back of the boat.
We fished down the bank about 100 yards and Bob noticed a brush pile and began casting his jig to it. I watched his rod tip and saw it bounce about three times before Bob even though about setting the hook. When he did swing it was too late and I knew it. I told Bob to set the hook a little quicker the next time. He made a second cast and the same thing happened again. When Bob reeled in I walked to the front of the boat and showed him the difference between the particular jig he was using and a Pactac. Bob’s jig was fine for flipping but it wasn’t designed for fishing with a lot of line out. The hook was short and very stout and would not penetrate with so much line out on the cast.
To help Bob understand the concept I explained that it is easier to stick a needle into a potato than a nail. Both will work with enough force but the needle is the easier way to go. I can’t take credit for this bit of wisdom because I heard the very same thing years ago while watching Bill Dance Outdoors. Bob’s concern was that my “needle” hook wasn’t as strong as his “nail” hook. I explained that I had completed lots of research before selecting the Mustad hooks that I use on all of my tackle. It has a small diameter but will not flex or open up even when flipping with 20 pound test. It holds up more than enough for any situation that I have tried it on. With the small diameter it will penetrate on long casts and in our case 30 feet deep. Knowing he had the wrong jig for the job I handed him a Pactac Bug jig. He tied it on and about 15 minutes later he caught his first ever jig fish. I high fived Bob and said now you have another tool in the tackle box.
Later that day we were fishing some standing timber with crank baits and couldn’t buy a strike. I suggested we pitch the Bug jig to the trees. After catching several fish in deep water Bob knew the Mustad was the right hook for casts with lots of line out but he still wasn’t sure about close range with a flipping stick. He began pitching and soon set the hook. After landing a largemouth he examined the hook. I already knew what he would find. The hook was in perfect condition and ready for the next fish.
2 Feb 08
I only got 1 bite on jigs and had to scramble to catch them this past weekend. It was a tough tournament. On a positive note Landon Kendrick used my gourd green bug jig with full skirt to catch the big bass of the tournament and 2nd place. Be sure to visit Get5bass.com for other tournament stories and news.
Get5Bass.com
"Covering the Arkansas Bass
Fishing Tournament Scene"
Duane Paquette Wins Anvil Jaw
Bass Club Tournament on
Lake Ouachita
Story provided by Ron Plate
14 anglers headed out Feb 2nd for the second Anvil Jaw Bass Club
tournament of 2008. With the Arkansas weather being a roller coaster
this past week, most anglers did not have a clue what the fishing
would be like. Also with the water temps in the lower 40’s, blue bird
skies, and the fish in there winter pattern we all knew it could be an
interesting day.
At the 3 PM weigh-in we soon realized what a hard day of fishing it
was. Only 1 5-fish limit was caught and 5 zeros. The only 5 fish limit
was caught by Duane Paquette who had a weight of 9.14 lbs, 2nd place
was Landon Kendrick with 7.05 lbs and 3rd was Steve Sivils with 5.53
lbs
The top 3 patterns: (Or should I say, top 3 styles, seems there was no
real pattern this Saturday that you could hang your hat on)
1st place Duane Paquette caught his fish on C-rigs, jerk baits and rattle
traps.
2nd place Landon Kendrick caught his fish on jigs which also included
big bass of the day at 3.70 lbs.
3rd place Steve Sivils caught all his fish on a red rattle trap.
Balance of weights were:
4th Jack Woods 3.73 lbs
5th Perry Kincade 3.30 lbs
6th Casey Jones 2.76 lbs
7th Tracy Jones 2.28 lbs
8th Ron Plate 1.54 lbs.
See you at DeGray in March
18 Nov
I fished an ABA tournament at Hamilton this past Saturday. I didn’t get to prefish for the tournament but felt I would be able to adapt. I know the lake very well and fish tournaments on Hamilton quite often and planned to run to my usual spots
After launching the boat it became very clear that the lake level had dropped from my last visit in June. It was so shallow at the ramp I had to trim the Yamaha way up and churn mud to put the bow up on the bank. After securing the boat I walked up to the sign in table to let them know I was there and to talk with some friends. As I was there shooting the breeze a friend of mine came up and asked if I had some shaker heads that he had ordered. I pulled the package out of my shirt pocket and handed him the shaker heads. Another fellow saw this and asked to see what they looked like and that started a chain reaction. I passed out many business cards that morning.
At take off I was boat number one but since I had not prefished it really didn’t matter. The tournament director walked out onto the pier and had us drive by for boat check. Since I was boat number one I was already at the pier and held onto a pylon while I waited for the TD. When the TD walked out to the end of the pier and looked down at me I realized how low the water actually was. I had to point my nose straight up to see him. As I was listening to the old neck bones cracking I asked Tommy if he needed binoculars. He asked why and I said they might come in handy to see way down there where my boat was sitting.
After clearing boat check I took off for my first spot only to discover the water was so low I couldn’t get to it so of I go to spot number two. Spot number two is a secondary point with some docks on it. I pull up and grab the dropshot rod. I fished the point without a nibble so I tried the docks. The first cast to the dock resulted to a vicious bite that surprised me but I set the hook and brought the fish to the net. Keeper number one is in the boat! I make a few more cast to the dock and set the hook again on two more fish. Unfortunately, they are both short so I move over to the second dock. After several cast I notice the line is swimming so I set the hook and bring keeper number two into the boat. Before I finally left these two docks I had caught 7 bass but only two were keepers.
I run over to my next stop which is a long tapering point with some docks real close. I only caught 1 bass on the dropshot and it was a dink so I headed back to my first spot but if they were still there they were not biting. All of my bites came on docks very close to points so I think about another spot that fits the bill. I ran there and after a few casts with the dropshot I caught another dink in the boat slip I was fishing. I made a cast into the second boat slip and right away I noticed the line swimming again. Keeper number three goes into the livewell. I knew I had three keepers from fishing the pattern I had discovered but I also knew twelve inch fish would not win the tournament for me so I decided to try something different. I pulled a shallow running crankbait and a spook out of the rod locker to see what they would do. After 30 minutes of cranking I put it down and picked up the spook. BAM! I get a bite and start reeling in. There wasn’t anything pulling back so I stopped reeling for a second and noticed my spook was kind of quivering like a bobber when you have a minnow for bait. I reeled in and discover a four inch bass on the hook. I don’t know how he managed to get that hook into his mouth. Time was running out and I still needed two more keepers so I decided to put the trolling motor on high and cover water. As I was buzzing down a row of docks I had a hard hit on the crankbait and brought keeper number four into the boat. With four keepers that weigh four pounds and only an hour and a half to go I didn’t believe I would do very well at weigh in but I would be satisfied if I could just catch one more keeper and come in with a limit so I went to a spot on a bridge where I can usually catch a keeper. The shad and bass were stacked up on the bridge and I tried my best to wear my dropshot rod out for the last hour of the tournament. I culled several fish and improved my weight by a good half ounce. All of the fish were the same size. I would put them on a balance beam and it wouldn’t tilt. I never caught a decent fish but at least I had five to weigh in.
It took ten pounds to win but with 5.09 I knew all I would get was points. I don’t know where I finished since the results are not posted yet but 5 ½ pounds got ninth place so I think I finished in the top twelve.
During the day my fish were mainly caught on a dropshot. I did catch two on a spook and one on the crank but the dropshot was the ticket for the day for me. I’m not sure how many I actually caught on the dropshot but it was consistent all day long.
16 Nov
I received a letter from BASSMASTERS today informing me that I will be fishing the 2008 Central Opens. I am pumped! It has been a long time coming for this to happen to me but the day will soon be here. I'll be going as a no boater this year but hopefully with financial backing I will be going as a boater in 2009.
30 Oct
The AR BASS Federation Nation tournament at Greer’s Ferry Lake is over. During most of the week the wind howled and the rains threatened to drown frogs. I did get to prefish one day with my buddy Landon before the tournament. We went up one of the creeks and stopped at the first point that we wanted to try. Without moving the boat we caught over 30 bass off of that single point. Since I knew I was going to be a non boater I told Landon we might as well catch every one of these fish and enjoy the fun. It really didn’t matter what we threw, the bass were all over any bait. It was a feeding frenzy that lasted over an hour. On several catches I saw other bass trying to eat the bait out of the hooked fish’s mouth.
On day one I was paired up with a fellow named Mike. We were #10 in take off and his first spot wasn’t to far away. We raced there and within 5 minutes we had 5 bass in the boat. I had a 13” smallmouth and a 15” spot and Mike caught 3 short fish. Even though we caught many fish that day neither one of us put another keeper in the boat. I told Mike I promised not to go back to his spot the next day and even though we fished the other side of the lake within sight of his spot and I was dying for a fish I kept my promise. It was pleasure fishing with you.
At weigh in I had 2.48 for 2 fish. I though I was sucking wind until I saw what others were bringing in. I wasn’t in as bad of shape as I originally thought.
On day 2 I drew Jim as a boater. We went to his first spot and he caught an 8 inch whopper but it was better than anything I had in the boat. He noticed I was fishing a dropshot and was curious about it. He said he had never fished a dropshot or even had any real idea of what to do. I went to the front of the boat and showed Jim how to tie the hook on correctly and attach the weight. As we fished down the bank I explained what most bites on this rig feels like. About an hour later Jim set the hook on his first ever dropshot bass. It was a keeper spot and Jim was pumped about having a new tool for his tackle box. I think I taught him to well because he caught about 10 bass to my one during the day. It really didn’t bother me because I was happy to show a fellow angler a new technique and have it work for him.
Jim knew I wanted to fish rocks and he obliged. I went through about 15 pactac dropshot weights for the day. A friend of mine was also dropshotting with his non boater. His non boater went through 4 dropshot weights then commented that those 4 dropshots cost $7. I can’t understand why people pay high prices for dropshot weights. The fish and rocks don’t give a hoot if it is poured from lead or tungsten.
At weigh in time we proudly came up to the weigh in line with our one bass apiece. It was a tough day; I only had three bites total. Still I enjoyed fishing with you Jim. It was better than any day at work.
The overall results are not posted yet and I’m curious as to how I and the team did overall.
22 Oct
Anvil Jaw's classic is in the books. The wind howled both days and the fish were not cooperative. On day one I caught 2 keepers and was in 2nd place but I did get big bass for the day. I was thinking at least with big bass I would get to take a new trolling battery home for my efforts. On day two the wind howled even more and I only managed two more keepers. At weigh in I didn't feel like I had much of a shot so I weighed in and then started getting my boat ready for the trip home. It turned out that I won the classic and got big bass for day two as well. I was truly shocked. I never would have thought I could win with just a little under 7 pounds but I did.
I'm proud to say Pactac was involved in the win. I was using a dropshot that I make to catch my fish on day two. Granted I didn't make the soft plastic that was on the hook but the weight was my own.
3 Oct 3:17 am
Wife had a "honey do" for me today. I was building some jigs when she came out and informed me that I had to fix the toilet. It had been running constantly for about a week and according to the boss something had to be done. I jiggled the handle but to no avail. So it was off to Lowes for new guts for the bowl. Several hours later and with webbed feet forming I am happy to say mission accomplished! I know there are some folks out there that could do this blindfolded but I'm not one of them. Next time I will consider calling in a pro. Naa, I have to at least try.
I got a phone call today. It seems a touring FLW professional has acquired some of my jigs. To me this is so cool. The jigs have worked for local tournaments and now there is a good chance that they will be used to make some serious cash. I'm ready to see where this goes.
25 Sep 07
Get 5 bass put on a great tournament on Sunday. It was my first
with Get 5 bass and I hope to fish with them more. My partner Casey and I
finished 5th. The fishing for us was really tough but we came in with a 13+
limit and culled once. We had to keep the trolling motor on high and covered
miles of water for our bites. There didn't seem to be much of a pattern other
than keep going down the bank looking for a fish willing to bite. My hat is off
to the guys that finished higher because they defiantly earned it.
When our limit was weighed in I was actually shocked at the weight. I thought
we had less. We had 2 good fish that went almost 4 pounds each and 3 decent
keepers. After last week's dream tournament when we were throwing 3 pound fish
back I guess the 3 decent keepers that we caught looked smaller to me than
they really were.
I'm proud to say all of the fish we weighed in were caught using my tackle that
I make. Caught 1 on a Bug jig and the others came on a GP spinnerbait.