Feb club tournament

Sunday - February 22, 2009 - Day 53

Spalding County Sportsman Club February Tournament

February 22, 2009 - Bartlett’s Ferry - 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Cloudy, cold and windy at 7:30 Blast off

Clouds blew out at 1:00 PM - water temps 49 - 51

Clear to heavy stain

Three weeks ago I fished the lake on a rainy day for a magazine
article and we caught about 20 keepers around docks and on rocky banks
on jig head worms. Water temp about the same. At blast off we ran to a
series of docks around a small cove where we caught several good bass
three weeks ago, including our two biggest. Started throwing a spinner
bait and jerk bait, also jig head worm. I had one small worm on 12
pound Pline fluorocarbon and another bigger worm on 15 pound, both on
3/16 ounce jig heads.

We worked around the cove without a bite, took about an hour. Ran up
the the next area we caught fish, starting on docks in a small cove
and then a rocky point. Not a bite. Kept fishing that area, working
several main lake points and pockets. Nothing.

At one dock I got my jig head on the 15 pound line hung in brush and
reeled down to it trying to get it back. Pulled the rod tip off one of
my favorite St. Croix rods. Put it down under the strap.

At about 10:00 it was getting pretty bright, high thin cloud cover was
all. I went down one bank with the spinner bait and felt and saw a
fish hit it but missed. Flash looked like a good keeper.

At little before 11 we ran to the first secondary point in a small
creek, good rocks and a drop. Worked it but nothing. Headed back into
the creek, down a shallow bank. Told my partner it was probably too
early for them to be this far back, water was 51.

Off a small seawall with the boat in 6 feet of water I was working the
jig and pig back when it seemed to go sideways. Thought a gust of wind
hit my line but then it started the other way. Set the hook and landed
a solid keeper largemouth. One in the boat at 11:10.

A few feet further up that bank I cast to the shallow corner of a dock
walkway and one almost jerked the rod out of my hand. Managed to land
a 12.5 inch keeper largemouth. Two in the live well at 11:15.

Fished up a little further and turned and went back. Off the end of
the dock where I got my second keeper my partner got a solid keeper
largemouth. Worked past it, turned and headed back into the creek.

I wanted to throw a jig head but had 12 pound test on the rod and
wanted something heavier around the docks and brush so I took the reel
off the tipless rod, it had 15 pound line, and put it on one of the St
Croix rods that I had rigged for crankbaits. I like the Avid AVC 70MF
rod for several kinds of fishing and have three.

Went a good bit further and told my partner it was probably too
shallow - we were sitting in 3 feet of water. Threw a jig head up by a
dock and it started swimming off. Another keeper largemouth - three at
11:30.

Fished back down the bank and partner got another keeper just past
where I got my first, then I got a throwback near the point. Worked
around it and up the other bank, and partner missed a fish. A little
later I got a bass that just barely touched, four in the live well at
noon but really did not want to keep that last one.

Back across the creek ;my partner got his third near where he got his
second, then got a fourth at the dock where he got his first. Two of
them were spots. All hit a jig head with a ribbon tail worm, I was
using straight tail worms.

Clouds blew away about then, near 1:00, and I was afraid the bright
sun would turn the fish off. A little later partner partner got his
fifth off the end of that same dock and I got one, too. Both of us had
limits at 1:10 but I was really worried about one of mine, a spot that
just barely touched.

We discussed trying something different but stayed there. At 2:40 on
another pass by that dock I got a solid keeper - relaxed a lot.
Decided to run to some deep brush on the way to weigh-in, a known big
fish hole, and fish the last 30 minutes.

Got on the brush at about 2:45 and worked it, both of us broke off.
Stayed there till 3:20 without any hits then ran in to weigh in

At weigh in two guys told about their boat not starting this morning
so they fished around the ramp with trolling motor. One had five
largemouth at 8.75 for first. His partner had two weighing 7.09 for
second. Billy had five including a very fat spot weighing 2.75 pounds
and got third with 7.03. My five weighted 6.30 and got fourth, fifth
was five at 6.08 and my partner’s five weighed 5.73 for sixth.

Boy that usually fishes with me had one at 4.83 for big fish and got
it on a jig and pig. He fussed a lot last year about me catching fish
on the jig and he could not catch any and I told him to keep chunking
it. He did.

We had 6 limits and no zeros out of 14 fishermen.

Got home and went to get my rod without the tip to take to get one on
Monday. Rod was gone. I guess without a reel on it it worked out from
under the strap and blew out on the way home. Terrible ending to a
decent day. Gonna get two more of the St. Croix rods today.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

"Ronnie" wrote in message
...
Sunday - February 22, 2009 - Day 53

GREAT REPORT. Gotta love those St Croix Avids. I've got a bunch of St
Croix rods myself including several Avids, a few Premiers, and a couple of
the blue tournament rods. My biggest love for St Croix is they do not just
throw a label on a rod and try to sell it to you like some of the other big
names do. Their rods are exactly the action and power they say they are.
That is probably the biggest reason I have so many of them.

By the way... I looked at the new St Croix Mojo 7'11" flipping stick, and I
think its got a better balance than the blue tournament series one. I'm
probaly going to pick up a couple of them. I never bought one of the blue
ones because it feels too tip heavy to me. That can really tear up your
forearm and shoulder after 8 hours of flipping. Not so with the Mojo, but I
did notice between the three in the store (exact same model) one felt a tad
heavier than the other two.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com