Lake Martin Tournament

Saturday October 11 - Day 268 - Seven days missed

Lake Martin, Alabama - October 11 & 12, 2008

Three club tournament - 31 fishermen - 17 hours total fishing time - 7
- 5 and 7 - 2 Georgia time - 7 fish limit

Windy, cloudy and cool both days, water temps 75 - 76 - very clear
water

Fishing alone - Jordan called in sick Thursday night. He was supposed
to join me Friday afternoon.

After two frustrating practice days of fishing memories and catching a
few small fish I decided to go with what Chad Miller, a local guide
told me. On Thursday I got seven or eight keepers on everything from
buzz baits to jig heads and on Friday I got six keepers, four of them
on jig heads in one brush pile. No pattern at all.

I ran about 12 miles almost to the dam first thing in the dark,
really, and stopped on the point Chad told me to throw a topwater
bait. Within a few casts I missed a fish, threw back and missed
another hit but kept working it and hooked a good spot. It fought hard
and I managed to land it, but got it all tangled in the net. Could not
find my pliers - had a tough time getting it out, was too excited I
guess. Finally got it in the live well but the boat had drifted right
on top of where it hit.

Kept working the point and missed another fish, then landed a 14 inch
spot - it went into the hopefully cull live well side. Fished around
the point and missed a total of five bites. Seven hits and only two
fish. Disgusting. Was throwing a Rico popper - usually they take it
better than that.

Fished back around the point and did not get a hit. Right at the end
of the deeper water I decided to make one more cast and hooked a solid
2 pound largemouth - three in the live well at 8:00 AM. The whole plug
was in its mouth.

Went out to another point Chad had suggested. Fish schooling on the
wind blown point and I got three on top - all about 10 inches long.

Started hitting places Chad had put in the Map of the Month article
last October in Kowaliga Creek. First rocky point I worked around it
with topwater and nothing. Started back with a spinner bait and got
slammed. Fish was all I could handle - figured it was a big cat. Got
it to the boat and it was a two pound spot - strongest 2 pounder I
have ever hooked! Four in the live well at 9:00.

Went to a deep bank with brush and worked topwater down it - nothing.
Started back up it with a jighead and got thumped by a Christmas tree
in five feet of water - solid 2 pound spot. Five at 9:15.

Out on the end of the bank I had not had another hit and decided to
throw the spinner bait before leaving and got a 14 inch spot. Now had
six in the live wells - four good ones and two that I wanted to cull.

Ran to a hump with brush but could not fish it effectively - too much
wind. Did see one good fish follow the spinner bait but did not hit
it.

Went to the next spot, a point at the mouth of a cove, and got a
sickly looking 14 inch spot on the spinnerbait - limit in the boat at
10:00 but 3 needed culling.

Fished places like that for the next four hours and got several
keepers but none would cull even the smallest spot. At 3:00 I decided
to run back to near weigh-in in Wind Creek and hit some brush where I
got my best fish in practice.

Got to the brush and first cast got a 13 inch spot where I had been
catching 15 inchers - it would not cull. Worked on down that bank and
cast the jig head by a log and got a solid hit - landed a 1.5 pound
spot, culled one. A few feet further threw a buzz bait in a ditch by a
log and landed a keeper largemouth - it was fatter than the two little
spots and culled one of them.

Fished hard for the last hour trying to cull the last fish but that
was it. At weigh-in most folks were shaking their heads - we had 8
limits - very low for Martin. My 7 weighed 13.62 and I got first for
the day and my first spot weighed 3.18 and it was big fish. We pay
back both days, six places and big fish. Second place was 12.52 - he
was camping across from me and had told me he was on some good fish in
brush on spinner baits, had found them Tuesday morning but had not
been back. Third was 9.54 down to 8.39 for sixth.

I was excited about the second day - thought I would wear them out on
top on that point, hoped I would land more that hit. Called Chad and
he suggested I throw a swim bait if they were not taking topwater good
so I got my Sebile Magic Swimmer ready. Had it tied on today but had
not thrown it.

Second day in next post.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Sunday - Lake Martin

I was excited at blast off headed to where I got eight hits yesterday.
When I got there the wind was blowing in on it more and I though that
would help.WRONG. First pass, no hits on my popper. Second pass I
tried a swim bait and spinner bait - no hits.

Ran around to Kowaliga Creek and tried to fish where I got fish
yesterday. Saw one follow a spinner bait and missed a hit on a jig and
pig but the wind made it very hard to fish. Blowing much harder than
yesterday.

I tried to work those areas until 10 and never hooked a fish. Tried
spinner bait, Redeye Shad, other baits. Nothing. Ran back to the
brush I had caught fish in during practice and the other guys were
fishing near there. Never got a hit. Talked to them at weigh-in -
second place at 12 pounds came from there yesterday but they didn’t
get anything either.

Ran to my favorite rocky point on this side of the lake. Threw a jig
head and finally got a small spot keeper. One in the live well at 11
- only three hours to go.

Went back into some pockets with logs and brush and caught one on a
crank bait. Then started working the swim bait over the logs and got a
third keeper. Saw two more come up and look at it but not hit.

Went in with three at 3.3 pounds - tough day.

Took 13.18 for first today - came on Rat-L-Traps on wind blown
points. Took 7.30 for sixth today. Only three limits today compared
to 8 yesterday. I dropped to 3rd overall but my 3.18 pound spot hung
on for big fish - big one today was 3.17! Close.

I did a lot of running in two days and burned just over 20 gallons of
gas. I love my 225 Yamaha - seems to be real good on gas.


Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:47:58 -0700 (PDT), Ronnie
backed into a tree whilst ridin inna park
then wrote:

Sunday - Lake Martin

I was excited at blast off headed to where I got eight hits yesterday.
When I got there the wind was blowing in on it more and I though that
would help.WRONG. First pass, no hits on my popper. Second pass I
tried a swim bait and spinner bait - no hits.

Ran around to Kowaliga Creek and tried to fish where I got fish
yesterday. Saw one follow a spinner bait and missed a hit on a jig and
pig but the wind made it very hard to fish. Blowing much harder than
yesterday.

I tried to work those areas until 10 and never hooked a fish. Tried
spinner bait, Redeye Shad, other baits. Nothing. Ran back to the
brush I had caught fish in during practice and the other guys were
fishing near there. Never got a hit. Talked to them at weigh-in -
second place at 12 pounds came from there yesterday but they didn’t
get anything either.

Ran to my favorite rocky point on this side of the lake. Threw a jig
head and finally got a small spot keeper. One in the live well at 11
- only three hours to go.

Went back into some pockets with logs and brush and caught one on a
crank bait. Then started working the swim bait over the logs and got a
third keeper. Saw two more come up and look at it but not hit.

Went in with three at 3.3 pounds - tough day.

Took 13.18 for first today - came on Rat-L-Traps on wind blown
points. Took 7.30 for sixth today. Only three limits today compared
to 8 yesterday. I dropped to 3rd overall but my 3.18 pound spot hung
on for big fish - big one today was 3.17! Close.

I did a lot of running in two days and burned just over 20 gallons of
gas. I love my 225 Yamaha - seems to be real good on gas.


Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Congrates on a good job Ronnie! I do enjoy reading your reports.

Dan

On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:53:28 -0400, What me worry?
wrote:

On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:47:58 -0700 (PDT), Ronnie
backed into a tree whilst ridin inna park
then wrote:

Sunday - Lake Martin

I was excited at blast off headed to where I got eight hits yesterday.
When I got there the wind was blowing in on it more and I though that


Congrates on a good job Ronnie! I do enjoy reading your reports.

Dan

Ditto here Ronnie. I'm a lurker, but love reading your detailed
reports too!

Thanks - I enjoy re-living the day when writing the report! Most of
them, anyway.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com