Is this any way to practice for a tournament?

Went to Oconee today to get ready for tomorrow’s club tournament. I
went late,
arriving at about 9:30 - mainly wanted to check out some old deep holes
to see if
fish were on them and also try a pattern I was told worked - topwater in
the standing
timber during the middle of the day.

The parking lot was crowded by parked trucks and trailers but no one was
launching. I got my boat ready then pulled around and backed in. While
I was
doing this a guy arrived in a truck pulling and empty trailer and he
backed down the
other ramp and stopped. As I got out and unhooked my boat, he turned his
truck off,
got out and stood beside it.

I got my boat to the dock, tied up and went back to the truck. The guy
next to me
was looking out over the lake - I asked if he was hoping someone would
ride by and
want to take their boat out. He said he was supposed to pick up his
buddy at 10 - it
was 9:45 now. I wonder if he would have backed down and blocked the ramp if
there had been people waiting to launch? Glad there weren’t - I parked,
got in my
boat and left. Never did see a boat headed toward the ramp.

First stop was some standing timber in 40 feet of water. I threw a
Pop-R some and
there were some fish breaking but did not get hit. Fished a buzzbait
and drug a
worm on a light lead thru some of the branches, too, but no takers.
Even when I hit
right were the fish were breaking on top nothing hit my Pop-R.

Went down to the dam and rode a favorite point - it has some brush out on a
breakline in 22 feet of water, and I got a 7-7 there a few years ago in
July jigging a
spoon in a club tournament. Lots of baitfish and looked like fish around
the brush,
so I marked it on the GPS and left. No need to bother them today.

Checked another point and again found fish around the brush in 22 feet
of water.
This point has fooled me in the past - have caught more catfish here
than bass, so
had to try it. I put out a marker and backed off and threw a Carolina
rig. Drug it thru
the brush a few times but nothing.

Switched to a Mag 2 worm Texas rigged and bounced it in the brush. It
got mushy
and when I set the hook I felt weight - then nothing. Reeled in half a
worm - the
tail was torn off ragged - catfish maybe?

Put on a new worm, threw back and felt the mushy feel again. This time
when I set
the hook it was solid and the fish started fighting. It stayed down so
I thought it
might be a Charlie fish or a mudfish, but was happy to see a 3.5 pound
largemouth
come to the top. I released it fast, lots of boats around and that
binocular pattern is
pretty bad on Oconee.

Left that point and ran up to the sanding timber I had been told about.
Spent about
1.5 hours fishing topwater, big cranks, spinnerbaits and worms in it and
the points in
it. Nothing. Not a bite.

Gave that up and started riding points. Found about four more with brush
and what
looks like fish on it in 20 to 22 feet - hope that pays off tomorrow.
Ran up to the
docks where I plan to start - where I got four keepers two weeks ago -
just to make
sure the mud from all the rain had not reached it. The river is still
pretty clear a few
miles above that spot so it should be fine tomorrow morning.

Checked a few more points but thunder ran me off the lake at about 3:30.
Now I am
wondering what else I should have done to get ready for tomorrow. Won’t
have
time for a lot - fishing from 6 to 2. Figure on hitting docks and
shallow cover for
about three hours then hit as many deep brush piles as I can from 9 to
2. I will be
on the one where I caught the 3.5 today at 10:30 and stay for an hour or
so since
that is about the time it hit today. Hope it is still hungry!

Water temps were 83 on the surface and water is fairly clear - can see a
spinnerbait
down over 2 feet. There was not much breeze today and it was partly cloudy.
Tomorrow is supposed to be rain and wind all day - at least it will be
cooler!