First 2007 Tournament

Flint River Bass Club Tournament - January 7, 2007 - Jackson Lake

First tournament of the year. It was raining when I hooked my boat up
at 6:00 AM,
raining when I launched at 7:00, raining when I caught my first fish at
9:00, pouring
rain at noon when I completed my limit. It finally stopped at about
1:00 PM. At
least it was warm, in the upper 50s early rising to the upper 60s by
noon.

My partner was a new club member and this was the first time I had
fished with
him. He fished as a guest in our last tournament in December and the
member he
fished with said he missed a big bass with the net. That was on my mind
while
fishing.

At blast off I ran to my favorite cold water spot - a small creek with
several rocky
secondary points and boat docks with brush piles. I started throwing a
Bandit
chartreuse crankbait on a rocky point where I have caught many good
fish in the
past. On about my second cast I felt a tap and tried to set the hook
but came up
empty. There was a big swirl in the water where I missed the fish - bad
start, hoped
it did not set the pattern.

It was light enough to see the water was pretty stained - the plug
disappeared down
a few inches. Temp was 54, good for January on that lake. I hate it
when the temps
drop below 50. Seems I can't catch a fish.

We fished around that point to the next one where I got a 5.5 in
January two years
ago. No bites. My partner was throwing a variety of crankbaits and jig
and pig and
I stuck with the Bandit. We jumped across to a rocky bank with docks
and brush,
trying jig and pig, Carolina rigged Baby Brush Hog, several crankbaits
and a
Chatterbait. Nothing.

By now we were getting pretty far back into the creek and I started to
leave but it
started raining harder so I kept going. Got to a secondary point with
a boat ramp on
it and cast across it with a bait Yozuri had sent me to try. Started
cranking it in and
had a hit - good fish fought hard and my partner did a good job with
the net. I
landed a 2 pound plus largemouth - one in the livewell at 9:00 AM.

That fish and the baitfish I saw on my depthfinder made me keep fishing
the creek.
We worked several secondary points and good looking banks with a
variety of baits
without a bite. At about 9:30 I looked down and saw I had used seven
different
rods and baits. Variety was not helping.

We fished out almost to the mouth of the small creek and started down a
rocky
bank. As I reeled the Yozuri bait to the boat and started lifting it
out of the water my
partner and I both saw a big mouth come up and grab the bait. We both
had
different comments, neither of which I can print here, and I started
yelling for the
net.

When I fish a crankbait I keep my rod tip near the surface of the
water. When the
fish hit I had about a foot of line out. Usually I have my drag cranked
down pretty
tight but this reel had ten pound Suffix line on it and the drag
slipped a little. I was
about to have a heart attack with a five pound plus bass churning the
water by the
boat on a short line. My partner moved fast and netted it. The plug
was all the way
down its throat.

I was shaking so hard I could hardly get my crankbait out of the fish
and put it in the
livewell. Figured I had almost eight pounds with two fish at 10:00 -
not too bad.

On down that bank I caught an 11 inch spot and then another one in the
pocket at
the end of it. Turned and went back up that bank and got another 11
inch spot -
three short fish quick.

Worked back to the point where we started and this time I hooked the
fish that hit -
a 13 inch spot. Three keepers in the livewell but the little spot did
not help much.

We decided to run up the river to a rockpile where I caught two decent
fish in
December. As we approached there was a boat near it so I peeled off to
the next
rocky point. After a few minutes on that point a good fish grabbed the
Yozuri and
my partner netted a two pound spot. Put it in the livewell and on the
next cast
caught a 1.5 pound spot. Had my limit at 11:00.

It is amazing how many times that has happened to me in the last couple
of years. I
will be headed to a spot I want to fish and there will be a boat on it,
so I got to the
next place and catch fish. Almost to the point I hope a boat will be
fishing where I
plan to go. Shows how good my decision making is!

By now my partner was digging for a similar bait to the one I was using
and I
offered him anything I had except the one bait - I wanted to cull the
little spot and I
had a lot of confidence in that bait by now. We fished around to the
rockpile but
nothing hit. I kept the trolling motor in the water and hit every
rockpile and point
we came to. I caught one more 11 inch spot but that was it. During this
time it
poured rain for about 30 minutes, soaking through my shoes. My Red Head
Goretex
suit kept me dry everywhere else tho. I was too stupid to put on the
rubber
overshoes in the locker before it was too late and my feet were wet.

By now it was almost 2:00 and we were quitting at 3:30. There was a
point across
the river I like and we started to go to it, but I decided to go on up
one more point.
When we got to it I threw to the rocks and got a solid hit, landing a
spot close to
two pounds. That culled my little one so I handed my partner the rod
with the
Yozuri bait that had been so good and told him to either use my outfit
or tie the lure
on his. He argued a bit but I told him I had a good limit, was happy
and wanted to
see if it was the lure or if I really had a horseshoe where the sun
don't shine today.
He finally picked up the rod.

I went back to the front of the boat and picked up the Bandit - first
cast to the rocks
with it I got a largemouth close to two pounds. My luck was unreal. It
culled my
smallest spot. Love it when I am culling pound and a half fish.

We fished around that point some more and neither of us got a bite.
We had a little
over an hour to fish so I started to go to the point across the river.
When I hit the
key nothing happened except my depthfinder went out. Talk about as sick
feeling.
There were very few boats on the lake, I was a LONG way from the weigh
in with
a good catch and a dead battery.

When I opened the back compartment I got sicker. Both trolling motor
batteries
were showing red in the little Delco eye. The trolling motor had been
fine but there
was no wind or current and I had it on low.

I switched the leads to one of the trolling motor batteries the motor
fired right up.
What a relief! Told my partner we were going to fish the last hour at
the ramp.

Got to the creek where the weigh in was to be held, unhooked the motor
cables and
hooked the trolling motor battery back up. Checked and the cranking
battery was
keeping the aerator working and the depthfinders going.

As we fished around this cove I noticed my partner put down the Yozuri
and went
back to his jig. He had caught four good keepers in December on it and
had
confidence in it. Told him I was going to throw the Yozuri if he
wasn't and started
casting it. Caught three short spots going around the cove - he never
had a bite.

Count for the day - 7 keepers, 7 throwbacks, if I remember right. All
but one hit the
one crankbait. My partner never hooked a fish.

I figured everyone had caught fish since I had a good day but talked to
a couple of
guys while waiting on the trailer and they had a couple of fish each.
At weigh in
my big fish was 5.87 - biggest I have caught in a while - and my five
weighed just
under 14 pounds. Did not hear was second and third place had but
fourth was eight
pounds.

Good start to the new year. Wish I was a good fisherman, not just a
luck fisherman,
and could keep it up and be consistent!

My partner done so good with the net I might marry him!

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com