First 2009 Tournament

Sunday - January 11, 2009 - Day 11

Jackson Lake - January 11, 2009

First Flint River Bass Club tournament of 2009

Water heavy stained to muddy in most of lake, a couple of creeks
somewhat clear

Cloudy and wind - cold all day - water temperature 52 - Fished 7:30 AM
- 3:30 PM

A little background

In December I went to Jackson with Randy Woodham to get info for a GON
article. He showed me a pattern of fishing seawalls but we didn’t get
any fish that day. A week ago last Friday he called - was on the lake
practicing and had some decent keepers. I went down and got pictures
and he told me he was catching them on a Beaver on the pattern we
talked about and told me one area where they were biting. He had a
tournament the next day - I talked with him after it and he had not
done any good.

Last Thursday Jordan and I went to the lake to check it out. Mud was
rolling down the river but in one creek, where Randy told me he had
caught some fish, the water was decent and upstream there was no mud
so I figured it would stay ok. I had rigged a Beaver type bait on a
jighead and caught one keeper in the area on it and left.

Jordan called and said he could not fish, had to work Sunday, so I
fished by myself.

I rigged a jig and pig, jighead W-3 Tip Up head with a Beaver type
bait, a spinner bait and several different crankbaits and a jerk bait.

I am tournament director and have to take up money. One club member,
Tom, had to pay his dues and came up ten dollars short so I lent him
$10 so he could enter the daily big fish pot $5 and cumulative big
fish pot $5. We had 15 members fishing.

Sunday morning I ran straight to the seawall I wanted to fish. My club
was the only one at the ramp, cold windy damp day. But as I idled
through a no-wake zone to get to “my” seawall three boats came out of
the marina there. One came downstream by me but the other two headed
straight to where I was going. My heart sank - then they stopped in
the middle of the creek and started trolling for crappie!

Started fishing the seawall and a rocky hump near it and missed a hit
on a spinner bait. Followed up with crankbait and a Beaver but no
hits. Worked on up and back with spinner bait then crankbait but no
hits. Up past the wall going around a cove a 11 inch spot hit a Yozri
Shallowvibe, but no help. Switched to the Beaver but nothing else for
first two hours.

Fished up to a big pine tree in the water. Just before I got to it a
fellow club member ran up and started fishing across the creek.
Pitched my jig and pig to the top of the pine and it started sideways
- set the hook and netted a solid 2 pound largemouth. One in the live
well at 9:40. At weigh-in Roger said he saw me catch that fish and
that tree was where he was headed.

Worked the tree hard then on up around a point and more seawalls. One
wall had some sticks off it in three feet of water and I got my Beaver
hung. Eased up to it and popped it to try to get it loose and it took
off - and my line broke! Wondered if it was a fish all along -
disgusted with myself for missing it. Fish pulled my line under one of
the sticks and cut it. Wondered how big it was.

Retied and worked on around point and some more seawalls. Jumped
across the creek and started the other way - saw my other club member
leave the area. Switched to a jig and pig and pitched it to a seawall
and it never stopped sinking - landed a fat 13 inch largemouth. Two in
live well at 10:40. Pitched back and again my line did not stop - set
the hook and saw a decent flash, netted a 3 pounder, three in the live
well at 10:41! Felt better but really mad about losing the one in the
brush.

Fished around that seawall several times with different baits but not
more bites. Across the cove wind was blowing right into a seawall.
Pitched the jig and pig to it and turned to put my foot on the motor
to keep off the wall. Turned back, raised my rod tip and realized a
bass was swimming out with my jig about the time it spit it out.
Missed it - should have my limit now!

Worked back around where I had missed the fish and where I caught the
two but no more hits. Fished on down to where my fellow club member
had been. Worked a seawall then a rocky point with the jig and pig but
no hits. As I got past the point I threw the Beaver across it and felt
weight when I tightened up the line. Set the hook and landed a two
pound spot - four in the live well at Noon. Surprised three of them
were largemouth, spots usually bite better in the cold water.

Jumped back across to the treetop where I got the first one and fished
it - nothing. Saw a boat working down near the seawall where I started
so I idled back down to it before they came across the creek to fish
it. Fishing down it I felt a thump on the Beaver but missed it. Next
cast one grabbed it and headed out - set the hook on a good fish,
netted a 3 pound largemouth. Limit at 1:05 - felt pretty good, thought
I had between 9 and 10 pounds.

Next cast got a hit and landed a 11 inch largemouth - no help.

For the next 1.5 hours I went back around where I had caught fish.
Near where I broke off the fish earlier I threw my jig to some brush
near the same seawall and realized a bass was swimming out with it
just as it spit it out. Really wanted to cull the 13 incher but no
luck.

Fished the area until 2:45 then ran down to where I got a 8-13 last
January in this club tournament. Pitched my jig to the seawall where
that one had been and felt a thump but missed it. Pitched back an my
line headed for deeper water. My heart stopped as I set the hook but
it was 15 inch very skinny largemouth-- wouldn’t even cull the 13
incher.

Headed in at 3:20.

At weigh-in my five went 12.64 - better than I though. Had a 3.5 and a
3.25 - I was guessing them right at 3 each. My 3.5 pounder was big
fish until Tom brought in a 4.2 pounder - guess I should not have lent
him the money!

Second was five at 11.86 and he said he got them throwing a crankbait
right against seawalls in the muddy water. Surprised me - said he got
10 or 11 keepers during the day. His partner had one 2.5 pounder.

Third was five at 8.92 and he said crankbaits in the mud. Fourth was
five at 8.86. Four limits, two zeroes. We brought in 38 keepers, 21
largemouth, more than I expected. Catch in winter there is usually at
least 60 percent spots. Maybe that is a good sign.

Three January wins in a row for me in this club at Jackson but the
first two I also had big fish. Close, but no horseshoe today! Still
happy to start with a win.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:54:48 -0800 (PST), Ronnie
backed into a tree whilst ridin inna park
then wrote:

Sunday - January 11, 2009 - Day 11

Jackson Lake - January 11, 2009

First Flint River Bass Club tournament of 2009

Water heavy stained to muddy in most of lake, a couple of creeks
somewhat clear

Cloudy and wind - cold all day - water temperature 52 - Fished 7:30 AM
- 3:30 PM

SNIP a good read.


Three January wins in a row for me in this club at Jackson but the
first two I also had big fish. Close, but no horseshoe today! Still
happy to start with a win.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Nice report Ronnie. Always enjoy reading your reports. always enjoy
fishing with you too.

Take care
_

Dan TOASTY in Florida for now

Remove the X for e-mail reply
www.outdoorfrontiers.com www.SecretWeaponLures.com
A proud charter member of "PETAF", People for Eating Tasty Animals and Fish!!!

A very nice read:

Keep the reports coming:::

Thanks again, just what I needed to here about.
Dan still cold in Wisconsin::::

--

Sometimes the best thing to do:
Is nothing at all.

On Jan 12, 11:46*pm, "DanD" wrote:
A very nice read:

Keep the reports coming:::

Thanks again, just what I needed to here about.
Dan still cold in Wisconsin::::

--

Sometimes the best thing to do:
Is nothing at all.

Come on down - always room in my boat. It is supposed to get into the
teens here Friday.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Right now the teens would be great. The wind chill was -35 F when I
got up this morning. Congratulations on another great win and thanks
for doing the reports. At this time of year that's as close as I get
to fishing.

Gary