Congrats Ronnie...just keep winning em!

John

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Club tournament - Lake Oconee

Group: rec.outdoors.fishing.bass Date: Sun, Sep 21, 2008, 6:58pm (CDT-2)
From: (Ronnie)
9/21/08 - Lake Oconee - Spalding County Sportsman Club tournament 7:00
AM - 2:00 PM - water temp 78-79, cloudy, breezy and cool - fished alone,
partner called last night and said he could not get off work.
Took off and ran to a deep bank with rocks and tried a spinner bait,
then buzz bait them popper. Not a hit, although there were shad
everwhere and even saw some mayflies hatching - ducks and bluegill were
feeding on them by a dock. Went across to a pocket with a deep dock and
tried it and the point, then another deep point. Caught a bluegill on
the popper.
Headed to my favorite area - had three places in mind to fish. As I
approached a deep bank with docks saw a boat there so peeled off toward
a point - where there was another boat. Then went to another series of
secondary points and there was a boat on them. In frustration I went
back the way I had come to a deep cove with docks.
Tried the buzz bait going in then picked up my jighead worm and pitched
it to the first dock. Felt heavy when I tightened up so I set the hook
and a solid 2 pound bass came to the top and I swung it right into the
boat. One in the live well at 8:15.
Next cast to the dock I got a 13 inch throwback. Had to get the pliers
to get the hook out and decided to retie. Could not get the knot to hold
- realized I had picked up the rod with 12 pound Pline Fluorocarbon line
that I have been having trouble with. It breaks real easy and I have to
tie several knots to get one to hold. Have broken the line several times
on the hookset. I should have left that rod at home since I had not
planned on using it, picked it up by mistake. My heart sank as I
remembered swinging the two pounder over the side on that line - a
miracle it held. * Put that rod away and got the one with the same jig
head tied on 15 pound Pline Flouro - have not had any problem with it.
Fished that area then headed back to a deep bank and stopped just
upstream of a boat in a pocket. There is a rock pile in the middle of it
but it looked like the boat there was fishing the bank. When he left I
eased in and got a 13 inch throwback off the rock pile.
Worked out of the cove and on the main lake point I got a hit on the jig
head on a long cast and set the hook. A small bass jumped and I half way
fought it to the boat - then it started pulling harder. Finally landed
it and it was a 14.5 inch keeper - much bigger than it first looked -
two in the live well at 9:15.
Kept fishing that bank - series of docks and small points and seawalls.
Worked each dock carefully, hitting every post with the jig head. Not a
bite. Hit about 20 docks that way - usually can pick up some fish on
them. While working between two docks I threw up near a seawall and got
a hit - set the hook on a strong fish and landed another solid two
pounder - three in the live well at 10:15.
I realized I was on a pattern - didn't matter where I was, as long as I
was throwing the jig head I got a keeper on the quarter hour!
I went another deep point and worked it hard - lots of brush and rocks.
Got one short fish. After fishing that point I worked into a small cove
and as I came out started pitching to the docks at a condo complex -
lots of simple post and walkway docks, no boats or brush. They are
fairly new. On the fourth set I felt pressure and set the hook - fish
felt real heavy and it fought hard but when I landed it, it was barely
14 inches long. And it was 45 minutes late - it was noon now, and there
were four in the live well.
I fished two more areas and got a 13 inch throwback. At 1:15 decided to
run back to the weigh-in area so I would be close. I like to fish there,
two good points and a bank that holds a lot of the released fish.
Another club member was on one point so I went to the next one. Fished
it then into the cove. Two more club boats came in behind me. Near the
back of the cove I caught a 13 inch bass by a dock. After unhooking it I
noticed a school of shad on the surface a little further back. We had
talked about fishing under shad at out last meeting. Threw the jig head
to them and it never hit bottom. Set the hook on my biggest bass of the
day - put it in the live well and looked at my watch - 10 till, time to
idle in.
I was shocked at weigh-in. Fourth place was one keeper at 2.78, third
was one at 2.79. Second was two at 3.17. My five weighed 9.85 for first
and that last fish I caught was big fish at 2.81 - .02 heavier than the
second biggest fish! Glad I saw those shad.
Ronnie

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