Club tournament - Lake Eufaula

Thursday - April 17 - Day 91 - six days missed

Practice at Eufaula for club tournament

After getting shots and running around to grocery store and other
stuff finally left at about 2, getting to Eufaula and put boat in on
campground ramp a t 5. Ran to a nearby slough and remembered I am not
the top of the food chain there - saw a 9 foot gator, first of many.

Got two hits on a Senko but did not hook either one. Went in and set
up van and went to bed early.

Friday - April 18 - Day 92 - six days missed

Practice at Eufaula for club tournament

Got up early and got boat in water - ABA tournament took off at about
6:50. None came up campground creek. I went looking for the shad spawn
- as I idled under the bridge saw some on corner and on a point just
upstream. Also saw a few on the riprap at the marina.

Rode to area I like to fish and there were 7 boats there already.
Looked around some then ran to the back of a creek with some riprap
but no activity. Something blew up at a buzzbait but I did not hook
it.

Very calm cool morning - not a cloud in the sky. Went to a point and
fished it - nothing. Flipped a Senko to a willow tree and it took off
- landed a nice 4 pound bass. First bass at 9 AM.

Breeze had started blowing lightly out of north then suddenly changed
to from the south and got stronger. Started clouding up, too. Storms
coming.

Fished rest of day all over lake. Got some hits on riprap in a creek
near a marina and landed a hybrid on a crankbait. Went to the
causeways and got some more hits. Something thumped a crankbait and I
set the hook and it felt heavy, then line went slack. Figured I had
lost it but realized it was swimming right to me.

I caught up with the fish as it passed the boat. I was running the
riprap parallel to it about ten feet out and fish went between me and
rocks running parallel to it then started striping drag. Strong fish.
Then it came off. No idea what it was.

Stopped by some flats on the way in to check out shallow water and two
guys in a Bullet waved me down. They said they needed a jump but came
to me on their trolling motor - it was strong. I asked if they had
tried to jump from trolling motor and they said yes but wouldn't work.
I told them they would probaby have to disconnect the crank batterty
first - probably too dead to jump.

We tried jumping with my motor running but no luck. They disconnected
the crank battery and hooked up to a troll batter - it fired right up.

They said they were catching fish back in a "pond" in very shallow
water. Guy in front had five, partner 3. I did not get in their area
but tried some similar spots nearby. No bites. Saw them idle out at 4
to go to weigh-in - they got cranked at least. Not sure how they did.

Went in a 5 without any more bites. Changed the switch on my trolling
motor - drove me crazy all day - all the rain at Hartwell two weeks
ago had made the button short and it would run on slow speed all the
time.

Got every thing ready for tomorrow. No idea what to do. Will not go
where I saw the guys in the ABA - they are fishing today, too.

Saturday - April 19 - Day 93 - six days missed

First day of two day Spalding County Sportsman Club tournament - Lake
Walter F. Eufaula

Lightning, thunder and pounding rain on top of van woke me up at 4:30
- hour before clock was set. Got up and started getting dressed. Eight
of us were camped near each other and everyone was up by 5 - rain
stopped about then.

I was ready to put in at 6:15 but one of the guys camped next to me
had not heard from his partner - was supposed to arrive last night. We
got his stuff in my boat but as we put my boat in the water at 6:45 my
phone rang - it was him. He showed up and we got stuff transferred
and I took up money.

We all met up at bridge at Lake Point and I got money from other
guys not camping. While I was still taking money up tournament
director let rest of club go - not happy about that. I was last one
to leave. As I idled under bridge I saw no one was fishing where I
saw shad yesterday so decided to hit it.

Second cast with a spinner bait a 13.75 inch bass slammed it -
throwback. A few casts later a 15 incher hit - one in the live well
at 7:25 - would not zero at least. Few minutes later a 16 inch bass
hit spinner bait. Two in the boat at 7:30 - better than I expected.

Noticed shad following my spinner bait most casts - good sign.

A couple of casts later I tried to make a long cast with the spinner
bait and my line popped - bait I was using went sailing out over deep
water. Must have had a bad place. Got out another double chartreuse
bladed spinner bait and tied it on another rod.

Worked the riprap until 9:00 without a bite. Tried everything.
Nothing.

Wind was pretty strong. Went to point were I got the four pounder and
birds were in the grass, eating shad. They were still shallow. Got me
fired up. Worked it fighting the wind for an hour - not a bite.

Fished around where missed one on a buzz bait - nothing.

Tried everything I could think of, including looking for some deep
brush where I placed seventh in the Top Six in 04 - it was gone. No
bites until 2 PM. Was working the borrow pits in Chenneyhatchee Creek
with a jig head worm and got a thump - landed a 13 inch spot. Keeper
but small. Three in boat at 2 PM.

Fished that area and riprap nearby until 3:30 but nothing. Ran back to
near Lake Point. Was going to hit pond where ABA guys were yesterday -
they were quitting at 4, but decided to hit bridge again instead.

Under the bridge I found a shallow point running out and worked it
with a jig head - got a hit at 4:15 and landed a 11.75 inch spot -
throwback. A few casts later got another hit and landed a 15 inch bass
- four in the boat at 4:30.

I worked hard for the last 25 minutes and hooked and lost another
short fish, lost it right at boat. Really hoped for a limit - have
caught a limit in every tournament day so far this year except the
first one in Jan, but I got a 8.80 in that one.

At weigh-in Butch had five weighing 13.65, including big fish of
4.25. My four weighed 7.21 and I was in second. Third was 2 at 3.64!
Eight of 15 zeroed. Tough day.

I told everyone I would be fishing bridge all day tomorrow - said I
got three of my four there and ran all over the lake for the little
spot. No need to go anywhere else.

Went in, grilled a steak, got stuff ready and got in bed by dark.

Sunday - April 20 - Day 94 - six days missed

Second day of two day Spalding County Sportsman Club tournament - Lake
Walter F. George

Got up to cool clear morning - dreaded cold front. Not much wind. We
met up at bridge and there were shad dimpling out over deep water
everywhere.

As we waited a local boat pulled up right off the corner of riprap
where I wanted to fish. Heart sank, but they went up bank, not fishing
riprap. Several of the guys said something about me having a short
run. We took off and I idled to riprap and started fishing.

No shad moving and did not see any following my bait - bad sign.
David and Mark were fishing other end of riprap and I saw them land
two. I did not get a bite. Worked all over that end of riprap - not a
bite at 9:30. David and Mark came over to “my” side - David said he
had five and Mark had three. I told them I had not got a bite and
David said they better go back to the other side.

At 10 I was disgusted to I ran a few hundred yards to a big pond area
where I got four weighing 14.75 in 03 on a similar day. No bites on
spinner bait or Senko pitched into openings in grass. At 11 I came out
and headed back toward bridge. Getting hot and sun was bright, thought
I might as well stay in shade and breeze for rest of day.

Got close and was surprised to see David and Mark on “my” side.
Decided to fish where they had been. Wind had got pretty strong and I
had to fight to keep boat in position.

Second cast with spinner bait a bass thumped it and I landed a solid 2
pounder. Felt a little better. Few casts later another two pounder
hit - two in the live well. Then got a 13 inch bass.

Made several casts without a bite so switched to another spinner bait
- silver and gold blade and white/chartreuse skirt. First cast to
same area got another nice 2 pounder. A few casts later got another
throwback, then another keeper. Then biggest bass of day hit - close
to 2.5 pounds. Limit in the boat at 11:40 - amazing how my attitude
changed in 30 minutes!

I worked that area hard with a bunch of different baits but no bites.
David and Mark came over and started fishing other side of same end
and went on down calm side. I went over to the other side at 1:00 and
caught another 2 pounder on a jig head off the point. Six keepers.
Culled smallest. Kept fishing and got a thump, landed a crappie.

Went in for weigh-in at 2. Butch had another limit and eight pounds
today, David’s limit weighed 11.99, mine 11.95. Final totals - Butch
10 @ 22.18, me 9 @ 19.16, David 5 @ 11.95 - he zeroed first day - and
Mark 4th with 3 @ 6.18 - he had zeroed first day, too. 5th place was
4.61.

Five people zeroed both days. There were four limits - and Butch had
two of them. He was throwing a spinner bait in the grass all day - I
never got bit doing that.

David made the comment that he should not have let me fish “his” fish.
Strange. Wondered if he would have stayed on bridge if he had not
heard me talking. And he went to my side when I was not there -said
they had not had a bite in hour and a half and were bored with looking
at it. Glad he made that decision!

Good going Ronnie. The ice on the lakes by me just went out two days
ago. Unfortunately I'm on-call for work right now so there won't be
any fishing for at least another week. You helped make my winter go
by with your stories. Thanks

Gary