Congrats on a couple great finishes Ronnie! Sounds like you have been
keeping busy!

John B

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Flint River Bass Club Tournament - Lake Hartwell

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Sat, Apr 12, 2008, 3:05pm (CDT-2)
From: (Ronnie)
Saturday - April 5 - Day 79 - six days missed
Flint River Bass Club Tournament - Lake Hartwell, first day fishing 7 AM
to 4 PM.
Finally found the boat ramp this morning - not easy. The lake map helped
some. Water is ten feet low but it started raining as we put the boats
in. Supposed to rain all day.
I had stopped at a tackle store on the way to the ramp and the owner
said be real careful due to low water. I was looking for a Suddeth
crankbait in the Sexy Shad color - guy at the Regional has suggested it
on Hartwell. He was out of them. I had quit buying Suddeth since none of
the last five or six I bought would run right but was assured those
problems had been solved. I bought a white/blueback Suddeth to try.
Since it was raining at launch I idled across to the nearest rocky point
and started throwing the Suddeth - it would not run right. Got out a rod
with a #8 Shadrap on it and made two casts - a solid 2 pounder sucked it
in on the second cast and I landed it - wouldn't zero today at least.
One in the boat at 7:20.
Worked that point and two near it until after 9:00 - no more bites. Went
across to a shallow cove with some docks and made a few casts - too
shallow. Went into the next creek and fished the very back of it -
nothing. The little creek looked great with standing timber in the
middle and a bridge, riprap and brush in the back. As I idled out I
crosses something strange on the GPS and circled - looked like an old RR
crossing with pilings. Did not stop - another boat was on the other end
of it and I saw them catch a keeper. There is a BFL going on today but
have seen only about a dozen boats so far.
Decided it was time to run to a small creek I caught fish in during a
Top Six about 15 years ago. That was a rainy day and the bass ate trick
worms. Got there and realized the little ditches I had fished then were
high and dry. Started throwing the shadrap working down the bank.
A aluminum boat idled past me and the guy in front started casting near
a dock - never put trolling motor in water and guy in back never got up.
Not sure if they were bass or crappie fishing. They stayed only a few
minutes. I got to the dock and saw lots of Christmas trees on a flat
clay point by the dock. Cast a jig head worm to them and caught a 14
inch keeper - two in the boat at 10:40 - much slower than I had hoped.
The aluminum boat had idled about four docks up and stoppped for a few
more casts but did not stay long. As I worked up the bank got steep and
it was real rocky between two docks. I got a bare keeper by the first
one then a solid 14 inch fish by the second one, both on the W-3 Tackle
jig head and black Zoom Trick worm. Four in the boat by 11:00.
Worked a couple more docks and the bank got flat. Hit some brush but
nothing. Ahead on a steep clay bank were five blowdowns with their tops
in the water. I got close enought to cast to the first and got a solid
thump on the jighead - a good 2 pound keeper. Limit in the boat at
11:10.
The next tree produced another keeper - could cull the little one. six
in the boat at 11:20 Talked to two guys working the other side of the
creek - they were fishing a club tournament and had four or five in the
boat, all on crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
Fished the next three trees without a bite and then circled back - got
another solid 2 pound keeper in the next to first tree. Culled again -
seven keepers at 11:30. Guys across from me said looked like a good one
- I said I had a limit but needed a kicker.
A few casts later to the first tree got a good hit and landed a 4
pounder on the jig head - eight keepers and a good limit in the boat at
11:40 - felt pretty good.
At noon I got another small keeper - too small to cull. Nine keepers.
Worked the area until 3:00 but no bites. Decided to run down near
weigh-in to be close. Went in to the creek with the strange structure
and idled around. Didn't see any fish on it but did see the tops of some
bamboo with leaves in 14 feet of water just off it. Someone had stuck
them in the ground standing up. Stopped and cast the jig head to it and
got a thump.
Set the hook on a heavy, strong fish. The kicker I really needed! It
fought hard but I got it away from the brush and coming toward the boat.
Grabbed the net and started pulling it up and saw it - it was a six
pounder, but was a blue cat! That was my last bite.
At weigh-in my biggest bass weighed 5 pounds but were were weighing with
hand scales since the tournament director did not show up or make
arrangements to get the scales to the lake. We had to weigh the bag,
too, which added about a pound to the weight, I think.
My five weighed 13.02 for second. Leading was 5 at 14.07 and he had one
that weighed 6 pounds. Second place was 5 at 9.05 and fourth was 4 at
8.01.
Headed back to the motel to dry out and get ready to do it again
tomorrow.
Ronnie

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