Ronnie Garrison in Georgia TOP SIX State team

Thanks for sharing that Ronnie, felt like I was there with ya!!! Great job
keep it going.
"RGarri7470" wrote in message
...
Way to go Ronnie!

If you need any more pointer's, just let me know! (just kidding)

Great job...
--
Andrew Kidd

Thanks - can always us Pointers as well as pointers. What do you know
about
the rivers around Paducah, KY?
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Congrats again Ronnie... Wish I had something to hand you about Paducah,
but have never fished it.

I'm sure you'll figure something out... Best of luck. I remember you
mentioning that your luck hadn't been with you of late. Sounds like it's
back. Just what you need to compliment your fish catching talents!
--
Andrew Kidd
http://www.amiasoft.com/ - Software for the rest of us!
http://www.rofb.net/ - ROFB Newsgroup Home

"RGarri7470" wrote in message
...
Way to go Ronnie!

If you need any more pointer's, just let me know! (just kidding)

Great job...
--
Andrew Kidd

Thanks - can always us Pointers as well as pointers. What do you know
about
the rivers around Paducah, KY?
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Congrats!!!

--
Craig Baugher
Be Confident, Focused, but most of all Have FUN!

I guess I made the right decision to fish the Top Six and not the Southern
Classic - really hated to miss that trip and hope the two never conflict again.
Sounds like you guys had the usual fantastic time and actually caught fish this
time!

Thanks for the nice comments - yes Warren, I was using your old trolling
motor. And the competition is fairly tough - as was the fishing. We had 85
teams, about 500 people there. The winner ran away with it - 31 pounds. Second
was 23 pounds - I placed 7th with 9 keepers in two days weighing 17.9 pounds.

There was no off-limits this year so I went down on Tuesday, arriving at after
lunch. I fished for about 4 hours that afternoon and got on shallow fish on
Senkos - caught 6 or 7 keepers, the biggest was 6 pounds or so. Also had a 3
pounder, but those fish were right around Lake Point and I knew they would get
beat to death in the tournament.

On Wednesday two guys from my club came down to help me. They fish the lake a
lot and build brush piles on it. They were not fishing the Top Six. One of
the places they showed me was a series of brush piles on an old road bed
running across a huge flat. 200 yards from the bank the water was only 6 feet
deep.

We got a 5 pounder and another 17 inch fish there, and caught about 9 good
keepers that day. They showed me about a dozen places that should hold post
spawn fish.

Thursday I fished a few hours - had ridden home with the club members to get my
truck. I was camping in my motor home and did not want to be stuck with only
it. I again found a few shallow fish, this time on a Carolina rigged lizard.

Friday was registration day and after that I went to Walmart and spent about a
hundred dollars - that is why they like us coming to a lake for the top six -
500 fishermen spending money! I again fished for a few hours and caught a few
more fish, the shallow pattern seemed to be pretty good.

Saturday and Sunday I checked out some new spots, spending most of the time out
on the river channel looking for deep fish. Seemed the further I got from the
bank and the deeper I fished, the smaller the bass. I did not find anything
that really interested me. The guys in my club said the shallow bite was way
off, and a big tournament weigh-in that day seemed to confirm the fishing had
gone down hill drastically.

Sunday afternoon I drew a partner from a fairly local club but he said he would
go whereever I wanted - he really did not have anything to go to. My second day
paterner was from all the way across the state on the coast and was not real
familiar with the lake.

I will post the two tournament days in a follow - up message.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

The rest of the story......

The weather had been dry and mostly clear until Monday morning - then the rains
came. I had drawn out boat #8 in the first flight so I could pick my first spot
- I decided on a hump in the middle of the lake about 200 yards off the
channel. A ditch ran to it and short willows had grown up - the water was two
feet deep around it and the willows stuck up about a foot. I thought it should
be great for spinnerbaits early.

We were supposed to take off at 6 AM but the cloud cover made it darker, and we
were held until about 6:40. I headed to my channel marker and turned right -
but turned too sharp. In the half-dark we could not spot the willows and we
idled around for a few minutes looking. The area is covered in stumps and I had
to go slow.

My partner told me his team was on some fish in that area - one guy had found a
hump and was catching 3 to 4 pound bass there every morning. I finally turned
on my GPS -stupid of me to wait so long - and headed to the hump, about 200
yards upstream of where we were. As we headed that way another boat sat down on
it - and my partner said it looked like his brother.

We left and went to some riprap where the shad were spawning. Birds were
feeding on them like crazy but no fish hit. I finally picked up a big
crankbait and something thumped it about half way to the boat - but I did not
hook up. Another turn of the reel handle and another thump, this time a 14.5
inch bass came flying to the boat when I set the hook. It landed in the boat -
maybe my luck had changed!

We fished there for about an hour with no bites, then headed down the lake.
Each spot I wanted to fish had a boat on it until I got to the old road bed. I
used my GPS to line up on it and dropped a marker. We had been catching bass on
green pumpkin with green flake Trick worms on Carolina rig out here but I
picked up the rod with the black with red flake Trick worm since it was cloudy
and raining.

I did not make but one or two casts when I hit one of the brush piles and felt
something a little different and set the hook. It was a 15 inch keeper - two in
the live well at 8 AM. A few casts later and again more brush, and a little
different feel. Set the hook and saw a fish back and forth on the brush. It
come free - almost 3 pounds - turned out to be my best of the day. My leader
was badly frayed so I retied, and threw my partner a worm like I was using.

A few more casts, another brush pile. Again, a little different feel, set the
hook and land a 2.5 pounder. Four in the boat before 9 AM! My partner still
had not got a bite. Within a few more minutes I got a hard thump and landed a
13 inch spot - legal in the tournament. I had a limit shortly after 9 AM.

We fished that brush for another hour or so without another bite. The we
started hitting more spots - got three throwbacks on one, I got two and my
partner caught his only fish of the day, a short bass.

At weigh-in my five weighed 9.50. I was told that was the 4th limit of the day
and I was in the top five - but only about 100 people had weighed in. I did not
think much about it.

I was real lucky to have a partner to stick with my spots like he did, allowing
me to fish where I wanted to. He could have taken control for half the day and
gone anywhere he wanted.

I headed back to the campsite with some joy at a limit, but I figured with less
than 12 pounds a day you would not be in the running, so I was not too excited
about my catch.

Next post - the last day ......
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

The last day ....

Tuesday morning dawned completely clear and much colder. I actually put on a
jacket for the first time. We were in the last flight and only 8 boats from the
end - I told my partner we would have to look for a place to fish. While
waiting to leave one of the tournament officials told me I was in 22 nd place -
quite a surprise.

We took off at about 7:30 and headed down the lake. Sure enough, there was a
boat everywhere I wanted to fish.

My partner had brought in over 7 pounds the first day but they were his
partners fish, and he was not sure he could find the place again even tho his
parterner had said come on back. It was way down the lake back in a big creek.

When we got where we could see, there were no boats on the roadbed. I tried to
put a marker exactly in the same place as the day before and started casting.
Although we were hitting brush piles nothing bit. I switched to the green
pumpkin green flake Trick worm since the sun was out and it was bright.

After an hour I was getting worried. It was almost 9 and I had not caught a
fish - had my limit yesterday by this time. I headed out to the deepest brush
pile just to see if they had moved deeper, and got a bite at 9:05 - a 15 inch
keeper! It was a start. My parterner asked for one of my worms and I gave him
one.

About 45 minutes later probing that deeper brush I felt a little weight and
set the hook - another 15 inch keeper. We kept working the brush for a stretch
of 200 yards or so. At about 10:45 I felt weight in a brush pile and set the
hook and thought I was hung. Then I felt the fish pulling and kept sawing until
it came free - my biggest of the day - about 2.75 pounds. Again had to retie -
my leader was frayed bad again. Lucky to land that fish.

At 11:30 I caught a 14.5 inch bass out of the same brush as the bigger one. It
had a big sore on its side and did not fight much. 4 in the live well at 11:30
- I had to be in at 2:30 so had over 2 hours to get my final keeper.

Suddenly the wind got up and I had to fight it. At one point I felt weight in
the brush and set the hook, and it felt like a big fish. I fought it to the
boat and my partner was waiting with the net - when the string from the marker
came up! I had hooked it and was fighting it. The line had payed out in the
wind. It was amazing how good it felt pulling on the line, dragging the weight
and unrolling the marker!

We stuck with the roadbed, and I caught a couple of throw backs and my partner
caught 3, but we did not get another keeper. We headed in with a few extra
minutes to spare since the wind was pretty strong.

When we idled up to check in I was surprised that very few people were weighing
fish. I got in line quick with my four and they weighed 7.6. An old friend
that was doing the final check of the weigh-in slip told me I would make the
team with 17 pounds, but when I seemed shocked, he backed off, saying he was
not sure.

My partner got his stuff and I thanked him again for letting me spend the day
on that spot. I went around to the ramp and picked up a club member, and we
went to the campground and loaded up. He headed home in my truck and I went
back to the weigh-in, thinking I might get a check for finishing in the top
25.

A couple of guys I know met me as I walked up and said it was just announced if
you had over 17 pounds stay around. I thought that meant for a check so was
happy. They awarded team prizes and I congratulated the guys I know on those
teams. This was my 25th top six - have missed only one since 1979 when I was
too sick to go - and have made the team twice and got checks for finishing in
the top 25 six other times.

When they called out first place, 31 pounds, I knew I would be way down the
list. Then second was only 23, third 22, fourth 19.5. I thought I was still
way down, then the called 5th 18.9, sixth 17.950. Still a good bit above me.
Then they called my name - I had forgotten bonus ounces for live fish and ended
up with 17.90, tied for 7 and 8 but I had more fish so got 7th. What a great
suprise!

I won $600 in cash, a new troll motor battery, case of oil, two or three tackle
boxes, a bunch of lures and JJs Magic dip and dye, a box of Gulp worms and some
other stuff. But the best prize - a trip to the Southern Regional June 6 - 11
at Paduch, KY.

We are fishing the Ohio, Tennesse and Cumberland Rivers there. Can't lock thru
to KY lake but can go downstream to the Mississippi. Any help there would be
greatly appreciated!

I plan on going up for a week, probably last week in May, to check it out.
Fritz said he might join me. During official practice I can not fish with
non-competitiors, but if anyone in that area would like to show me around in
May let me know!

I almost bought a new boat before the top six. Got some calls out now - will
probably have a new Triton TR21 in a week or so. Surely the wife won't
complain now!
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Wow, that's great Ronnie! Keep it rolling my friend! Hope to see you
in Wisconsin. )

Heavy

Thanks! I will be there - already have my plans made.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Congrats, man, that is great! Thanks for sharing!

Congrats making the state team Ronnie! I'd love to be able to do that. I've
made it to the state finals a couple of times out of our Top-8, but have yet to
come close to making the team. Was a couple of fish short each time.

I'm sure you'll have a blast at the divisional.


Brad Coovert
2003 Angler of the Year, Greenfield Bassmasters
http://www.greenfieldbassmasters.com

Congrats making the state team Ronnie! I'd love to be able to do that.

It is a good feeling - it has taken me 25 tries to do it 3 times. Just
finishing in the top 25 and getting a check is good, but not nearly as good!
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com