Thursday - 2-7-08 - Day 38
First practice day for me

Got up in Bainbridge to a clear cool morning. Took my time getting
ready and getting boat in the water.

Met Jack as his dock at about 10:15 and he showed me around his area
of Spring Creek. This creek is maybe a mile wide where he lives and
almost all the way across is solid stumps and hydrilla in water from
inches to 25 feet deep. There are boat channels cut through the stumps
and marked by telephone poles - mostly straight lanes that don't
follow the channel at all - the actual creek channel swings all over
the place, winding through the trees.

First place we fished was where the channel makes a bend. I started
with a crankbait and quickly caught a 2.5 pound largemouth - looked
like it was going to be a good day.

Jack showe me some interesting places, one was a ditch running across
a flat toward a spawning cove. He said he had caught a good many bass
by one particluar stump on the edge of the channel in 20 feet of
water. Little did I know how important that was going to be.

We looked around a lot. I am still afraid to look under my boat - I
got on dozens of stumps in the four days I was there. Jack and I got
on one while idling along and I didn't think we would get off it.

The one I caught was our only hit but what Jack showed me was to play
an important role in my tournament.


-----
Ronnie Garrison

http://fishing.about.com