Another Jackson Lake tournament

Sunday - 11/25/07 - Day 322

Same lake, same partner, different club, different results from two
weeks ago. Fished Jackson Lake from 7 AM to 3:30 PM - cloudy with
some wind and rain predicted, started raining at noon. Water temp 57
to 58 degrees.

Started on my favorite rocky point with spinnerbait then crankbait.
Partner got two keepers on second pass on a crawfish DT5. I did not
get a bite. I did notice another boat in the club with the guy in
second place for the year, Kwong, started two points up from me, near
where I got the four keepers two weeks ago. He fishes that area a
lot.

After fishing around the point and cove we worked up and met the other
boat coming down. Kwong said he had lost a good fish near where they
started. I immediately thought of the blowdown in the pocket where
they started where I missed the bass on my last cast two weeks ago.
It has produced some good fish over the years.

We left and hit some more spots. At about 10 AM we were working up a
bank and met the same boat coming around a point. They cranked up and
headed up the river and I headed to where they had started. When I got
to the blowdown I threw my jig and pig into it and as it fell off a
limb I felt a thump. Set the hook and landed a five pound largemouth.
It had a big head and two big black blotches on it, one near the head
on top and another on one side near the tail.

That gave me confidence to stick with the jig and pig. Kept throwing
it. At about 1 PM I pitched under a dock and my line moved sideways.
Set the hook, pulled a solid three pound bass to the top and it came
off.

For the rest of the day I threw the jig without hooking another bass.
Partner added two more on spinnerbaits. I would throw a plug or
spinnerbait some then go back to the jig. Frustrating to get a good
fish but not be able to add anything to it.

At weigh-in five at 7.5 won, three guys had four or five fish weighing
between 6 and 6.5 pounds for 2nd thru 4th, including my partner.
Kwong was in second with four. I ended up with big fish and sixth
place.

Just before I got my fish out of the livewell Kwong, the guy that
lost the big one, walked up. I asked if it was in the blowdown in the
pocket and he said it was. His spinnerbait had broken while fighting
it. I asked how big and he said 4.5 to 5 pounds. He said the fish was
real dark. I pulled my fish out and he said "You SOB" - no idea why
he thought I was a sweet old boss, he never worked for me. The fish
weighed exactly 5 pounds. Those black blotches made it look very black
and dark.

Placing 6th dropped me from first to third in point standings for the
year. Final tournament of the year is back on Jackson next Sunday.
Trying to decide if I should try to beat Kwong to the tree!

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

I know how you feel... it's really disappointing when a big fish comes off,
especially during a tournament.

Huber and I had a couple nice three-four pound smallmouth come off right at
the boat when we fished up at the paper mill in-flow structure on Mohawksin
last year. I don't know how I can get a solid hookset, get the bass right up
to the boat, and the just a little shake of the head sends that jig flying!

I may have to break down and start using a jig heads having two parallel
hooks arranged so you can nestle the tube jig right in between them. The
hook points sort of nestled in against the sides of the plastic bait. The
nice things about this rig are that (1) the lure never slides down the hook
shaft to ball up in the bend, and (2) you get double the chance to stick the
fish. With the hook points skin-hooked into the plastic on both sides, it's
weedless, too.

Joe
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"Ronnie" wrote in message
...
Sunday - 11/25/07 - Day 322
snip

That gave me confidence to stick with the jig and pig. Kept throwing
it. At about 1 PM I pitched under a dock and my line moved sideways.
Set the hook, pulled a solid three pound bass to the top and it came
off.

snip

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com