Sportsman Club tournament

Sunday - April 18, 2010 - Day 96 - 11 days missed

Spalding County Sportsman Club tournament April 18
West Point Lake - sunny and warm after cool morning
Air 48 at takeoff - 75 at weigh-in
Water 67 - 71 degrees and very clear near the dam

We took off at 6:55 and I ran almost to the dam where I have had good
luck this time of year. I stopped on a big round shallow gravel point
back in a creek, where two spawning pockets split. It holds pre and
post spawn bass and the shad spawn on it. As I put the troll motor in
the water I looked at my watch - exactly 7:00 AM

I threw a new Sebile Spin Shad bait a couple of times - a tail spinner
that looked like it would be great on the shad spawn. It looks good
in the water but just didn't feel right, so I picked up a Sammy.
First cast a hit and a miss - set the hook WAY too quickly.

For the next seven casts I got hits on the Sammy. All were spots, and
I put my fifth keeper in the livewell at 7:14 - quickest I have ever
gotten a limit in a tournament. I had also hooked and lost one fish
and missed two during that time. My partner missed a couple and landed
two keepers. My biggest was about 2.5 pounds but most were 13 to 14
inch skinny spots.

As the sun came over the trees the topwater bite stopped. We started
fishing different baits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, plastics, around
the point and my partner got his third keeper.

I jumped across to the good spawning pocket full of stumps but never
got a bite going around it. We did free catfish on a jug - it was
after 9 AM now and there were several floats in the pocket. No one
had checked them.

Out on the point at that pocket we both missed some hits on jig head
worms but didn't connect. That was to be a pattern all day. We often
saw our line moving off and set the hook, to only bring in half a
worm.

In a blowdown near the back of this cove I felt a thump on a Senko in
a blowdown but set the hook on a limb. I put that rod down and pitched
my Texas rigged lizard into the tree and got a bump - set the hook and
saw a big flash and it felt heavy. But the fish came around the limb
and turned out to be a 15 inch largemouth - not as big as hoped, but
would cull a 12 inch spot.

As we worked back out around the point where we started a boat pulled
in on the point where we had missed the hits and we saw them catch one
good keeper, but they stayed a long time.

Around the point and near the next one a mud line ran off the bank.
The water in this area was very clear so the mud offered cover from
the bright sun. I got a thump and set the hook and landed a solid two
pound largemouth - another cull. Partner then got a good keeper spot
out of the mudline. We worked it hard but not more fish. Let another
catfish go off a float here.

On the next small point partner and I both got small spots. Decided it
was time to try another pattern so I went to a nearby bank where there
are many blowdowns, spaced about 100 feet apart. We worked a dozen of
them without a hit. Partner did get another keeper spot off a rocky
spot and gave him his limit.

Decide to move and ran to a rocky point at the mouth of a spawning
pocket in another creek. A friend who owns a tackle store told me he
caught some keeper spots here. First cast, by a big rock in the water,
my line moved off. I told my partner to look at it. Since I had broken
about five worms in half when setting the hook with hits like this, I
figured it was another small spot and played around way too long.
Finally set the hook on my biggest largemouth of the day. Another
cull!

On the point I got a decent spot - my 10th keeper. I culled thru my
fish to get my best five.

We fished a couple more places and I got three more keeper spots, but
they were not big enough to cull anything I had.

At weigh-in one club member brought in a 6.13 pounder and he won with
five at 12.15. My five weighed 9.93 for second, third was 8.34 and
fourth was 7.46. There were six five-fish limits out of the 13
fishermen. Pretty good day for me.

Ronnie Garrison

fishing.about.com

Thanks for the read Ronnie.....nice finish, sounded like a fun day!

John B

==========

Spalding County Sportsman Club tournament April 18 West Point Lake -
sunny and warm after cool morning Air 48 at takeoff - 75 at weigh-in
Water 67 - 71 degrees and very clear near the dam
We took off at 6:55 and I ran almost to the dam where I have had good
luck this time of year. I stopped on a big round shallow gravel point
back in a creek, where two spawning pockets split. * It holds pre and
post spawn bass and the shad spawn on it. As I put the troll motor in
the water I looked at my watch - exactly 7:00 AM
I threw a new Sebile Spin Shad bait a couple of times - a tail spinner
that looked like it would be great on the shad spawn. It looks good in
the water but just didn't feel right, so I picked up a Sammy. First cast
a hit and a miss - set the hook WAY too quickly.
For the next seven casts I got hits on the Sammy. All were spots, and I
put my fifth keeper in the livewell at 7:14 - quickest I have ever
gotten a limit in a tournament. I had also hooked and lost one fish and
missed two during that time. My partner missed a couple and landed two
keepers. My biggest was about 2.5 pounds but most were 13 to 14 inch
skinny spots.
As the sun came over the trees the topwater bite stopped. We started
fishing different baits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, plastics, around the
point and my partner got his third keeper.
I jumped across to the good spawning pocket full of stumps but never got
a bite going around it. We did free catfish on a jug - it was after 9 AM
now and there were several floats in the pocket. No one had checked
them.
Out on the point at that pocket we both missed some hits on jig head
worms but didn't connect. That was to be a pattern all day. We often saw
our line moving off and set the hook, to only bring in half a worm.
In a blowdown near the back of this cove I felt a thump on a Senko in a
blowdown but set the hook on a limb. I put that rod down and pitched my
Texas rigged lizard into the tree and got a bump - set the hook and saw
a big flash and it felt heavy. But the fish came around the limb and
turned out to be a 15 inch largemouth - not as big as hoped, but would
cull a 12 inch spot.
As we worked back out around the point where we started a boat pulled in
on the point where we had missed the hits and we saw them catch one good
keeper, but they stayed a long time.
Around the point and near the next one a mud line ran off the bank. The
water in this area was very clear so the mud offered cover from the
bright sun. I got a thump and set the hook and landed a solid two pound
largemouth - another cull. Partner then got a good keeper spot out of
the mudline. We worked it hard but not more fish. Let another catfish go
off a float here.
On the next small point partner and I both got small spots. Decided it
was time to try another pattern so I went to a nearby bank where there
are many blowdowns, spaced about 100 feet apart. We worked a dozen of
them without a hit. Partner did get another keeper spot off a rocky spot
and gave him his limit.
Decide to move and ran to a rocky point at the mouth of a spawning
pocket in another creek. A friend who owns a tackle store told me he
caught some keeper spots here. First cast, by a big rock in the water,
my line moved off. I told my partner to look at it. Since I had broken
about five worms in half when setting the hook with hits like this, I
figured it was another small spot and played around way too long.
Finally set the hook on my biggest largemouth of the day. Another cull!
On the point I got a decent spot - my 10th keeper. * I culled thru my
fish to get my best five.
We fished a couple more places and I got three more keeper spots, but
they were not big enough to cull anything I had.
At weigh-in one club member brought in a 6.13 pounder and he won with
five at 12.15. My five weighed 9.93 for second, third was 8.34 and
fourth was 7.46. There were six five-fish limits out of the 13
fishermen. Pretty good day for me.
Ronnie Garrison

fishing.about.com

thanks for the post.
like to read them.
keep posting

--

Sometimes the best thing to do:
Is nothing at all.
But not this time.