September tournament

Sunday - 9/23/07 - Day 259

Spalding County Sportsman Club September tournament - West Point Lake
- Surface temp 79,
cloudy morning changing to mostly sunny - hot. Lake level down about
10 feet.

Blast off at 6:30 AM - still very dark. I had planned on running from
Yellowjacket ramp to the
dam but with the low water, tree tops sticking up in the channel and
humps just under the surface
I stopped on 109 bridge riprap and started throwing a Secret Weapon
spinnerbait. Just a few casts
later got a hit and landed a 12.1 inch spot - it fell off into the
bottom of the boat as I swung it
over the side. One in the livewell at 6:45.

At 7 it was light enough to see so I ran to the dam. There is a point
there where I have won two
September tournaments in the past few years. Usually can limit out
there early. Not today. First
pass with topwater, nothing. Second pass with crankbait - nothing.
Same results with spinnerbait,
different topwater, Carolina rig and jig head worm. Much of the rock
cover was above the water
level.

At about 9 I ran to the next spot I wanted to fish - the entrance to
Southern Harbor Marina.
Riprap point is usually good for a fish or two. Started about 75 yards
down from the point,
throwing topwater working toward it. When I was about 30 yards or less
away a boat stopped in
front of me on the point in front of me. Looked like guy and his son.
Younger guy started
throwing some kind of plug while older guy did something - not sure
what. Never put trolling
motor in water, boat drifted up against the rocks. He pushed it off
with his hand and stayed right
on the rocks.

I turned and went back over area I had just fished, then started
working toward point, planning on
going around them and fishing back side. As I got near he put trolling
motor in water and started
turning. That was all I could take. I asked "I don't want to mess you
up, which way are you
going?" He pointed the way I was headed so I pulled up trolling motor
and said "I hate to see you
training him to pull right in front of other fishermen like you did to
me." As I got in the drivers
seat he said "I'm Sorry." Maybe he was - actually did not realize what
he did. Who knows.

Ran back to the point I had left and caught a 12.1 inch spot on second
cast with a Carolina rig -
glad he ran me off. Two in the boat at 9:30.

Fished that point for another hour without a bite. Hit a bunch of
other spots and caught one short
spot and one short largemouth. At 1:00, with two hours left, I went to
the 109 bridge and got in
the shade - it was miserably hot. Fished a piling and caught a short
spot on jig head worm. As I let
it go and started toward next piling a club member that had been
idling under the bridge stopped
and put his trolling motor in the water. He quickly caught a short
bass.

I turned and went to the piling on the other side of where I started.
First cast I got a 1.89 pound
spot on a jig head worm. Three in the boat with a little over an hour
to fish. Next cast got a
throwback spot, then a 12.1 inch spot. Four in the boat.

Beginning to see a pattern - go where I had not planned to fish when
run off by other fishermen
and catch keepers! Great planning and skill on my part.

I eased away from that piling, planning on giving it a few minutes
rest while I fished the next one
and a boat pulled up and tied up on it as I moved away. Fished the
next piling without a bite. With
about 45 minutes left I ran to the next bridge and started hitting
pilings trying for that fifth keeper.
Caught one more short fish.

At weigh in my biggest spot was big fish until last guy weighed in one
weighing 2.1 pounds.
Shocked my four at 4.48 won. Second was three at 4.23 and he was the
one with the two pound
spot. 11 guys total and no largemouth weighed in - tough day. Have no
idea what I could have
done to catch more and bigger fish.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Congrats Ronnie, looks like your having a pretty good year fishing
tournaments.

Gary

"Ronnie" wrote in message
ups.com...
Sunday - 9/23/07 - Day 259
Sunday - 9/23/07 - Day 259

Spalding County Sportsman Club September tournament - West Point Lake
- Surface temp 79, cloudy morning changing to mostly sunny - hot. Lake level
down about 10 feet.

Blast off at 6:30 AM - still very dark. I had planned on running from
Yellowjacket ramp to the dam but with the low water, tree tops sticking up
in the channel and humps just under the surface I stopped on 109 bridge
riprap and started throwing a Secret Weapon spinnerbait. Just a few casts
later got a hit and landed a 12.1 inch spot ...

snip

...Have no idea what I could have done to catch more and bigger fish.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

------------------------------

Um..... stayed with the Secret Weapon spinnerbait?

Just a guess.

Joe

On Sep 28, 10:14 pm, "Joe Haubenreich"
wrote:
"Ronnie" wrote in message

ups.com...
Sunday - 9/23/07 - Day 259
Sunday - 9/23/07 - Day 259

Spalding County Sportsman Club September tournament - West Point Lake
- Surface temp 79, cloudy morning changing to mostly sunny - hot. Lake level
down about 10 feet.

Blast off at 6:30 AM - still very dark. I had planned on running from
Yellowjacket ramp to the dam but with the low water, tree tops sticking up
in the channel and humps just under the surface I stopped on 109 bridge
riprap and started throwing a Secret Weapon spinnerbait. Just a few casts
later got a hit and landed a 12.1 inch spot ...

snip

...Have no idea what I could have done to catch more and bigger fish.

Ronnie


------------------------------

Um..... stayed with the Secret Weapon spinnerbait?

Just a guess.

Joe

I threw it every place I fished. Never got another hit on it in
eight hours.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

September tournament

At weigh in my biggest spot was big fish until last guy weighed in one
weighing 2.1 pounds.
Shocked my four at 4.48 won. Second was three at 4.23 and he was the one
with the two pound
spot. 11 guys total and no largemouth weighed in - tough day. Have no
idea what I could have
done to catch more and bigger fish.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com
========
Hey Ronnie....when you win, you don't have to do any "better"!!!!!
Congrats on another win, keep it up!

John B