Last week on Pickwick was frustrating, to say the least. I really wish I could have day 1 to do all over again. For some reason I just got too relaxed out there, and never kicked it into high gear. I kept flipping along, and just expected the big ones to show up, when what I should have done was flipped up a limit and then made a move or adjusted my presentation to catch a couple of kickers. I was focused on day 2, and my performance proves it, however it wasn't enough to overcome my day 1. At least it was only a 55th place finish, and not any worse. I barely missed a check, which stings a bit, but in the long run it isn't going to hurt me too bad in the AOY standings. At Pickwick I stuck with what I have been doing all season. I flipped my 3" tightlines UV Blue Beaver in thick cover.
Now we are at Toledo Bend, and it feels good to be back down here. This will be my fourth tournament on the Bend (the last time I was here was in 2003). The lake is low, and it is really dangerous. Many of the boat lanes aren't even safe, we are really kind of running the lake "at our own risk." The most difficult part about this place is the sheer size of it. Toledo Bend is huge! Even the map is intimidating! I have managed to find an area I want to focus on, and there are some decent fish there. I just need to dial them in a little bit, and maybe expand just a little bit. One thing I can say about this tournament for sure is that it is going to take some weight. I am expecting the Bend to put out weights that could possibly exceed what was done at Pickwick. So, this is going to be a good one, and I really am hopeful that I will have a good shot, and the Bend will treat me well.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Pickwick: Pre-Spawn Pandemonium
It's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, so I have a lot of catching up to do. We had our own little spring break in between St. John's and Pickwick, and got to do a lot of fun family stuff during this time. We went to Disney World, and visited my parents in Tampa. Mikayla has learned how to ride a bike all by herself, without the training wheels, and I am very proud! Mason went with me and my Dad on a charter fishing trip on a big charter boat, and did great! I am a very proud Father!
Unfortunately during our break we lost my Grandmother. We knew it was coming soon, and I am just glad that I got to see her not too long ago. I feel awful, but with my hectic travel schedule, we weren't even able to go to the funeral. I know that she understands though.
During the break I had the opportunity to go check out West Point Lake. I drove around quite a bit, and feel like it could really set up well for me. It seems like my kind of lake, which I am really excited for!
Now here we are at Pickwick, and once again we have some interesting weather going on. On day 2 of practice I was off the water at 2 in the afternoon to avoid a storm. I know some guys didn't get off in time, and they got beat up pretty bad out there. Now with this rain, and the fact that the lake is already above pool, I am afraid that they will pull the water down too much. If they pull the water down just a foot or so, it will position those fish better for us. Too much though, and they will be forced to evacuate the shallows. If they don't pull it too much down, this is going to set up to be a really great tournament. All of the fish are totally pre-spawn, and they are big, fat and football shaped!
Last year Pickwick was a really good event for me, and this year it is looking like it is going to be another tournament that I will be able to excel at. I am excited to get it started and finally be able to set the hook on all of my bites!
Unfortunately during our break we lost my Grandmother. We knew it was coming soon, and I am just glad that I got to see her not too long ago. I feel awful, but with my hectic travel schedule, we weren't even able to go to the funeral. I know that she understands though.
During the break I had the opportunity to go check out West Point Lake. I drove around quite a bit, and feel like it could really set up well for me. It seems like my kind of lake, which I am really excited for!
Now here we are at Pickwick, and once again we have some interesting weather going on. On day 2 of practice I was off the water at 2 in the afternoon to avoid a storm. I know some guys didn't get off in time, and they got beat up pretty bad out there. Now with this rain, and the fact that the lake is already above pool, I am afraid that they will pull the water down too much. If they pull the water down just a foot or so, it will position those fish better for us. Too much though, and they will be forced to evacuate the shallows. If they don't pull it too much down, this is going to set up to be a really great tournament. All of the fish are totally pre-spawn, and they are big, fat and football shaped!
Last year Pickwick was a really good event for me, and this year it is looking like it is going to be another tournament that I will be able to excel at. I am excited to get it started and finally be able to set the hook on all of my bites!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Florida R&R
I will take it! I'll take a 17th place finish in Florida! St. John's was quite an experience, and I definitely learned a whole lot. Learned a ton about bed fishing, something that I typically do not excel at, and I learned more about the unique fishery that is Florida. Everything I caught this tournament came off of beds in Lake George. And, in hindsight I wish that I would have moved around a little more, and done a little bit more exploring like Edwin did. But, I can't complain with where I am at right now! Everything I caught this last week came on a 6" UV Hawg, and a 3" UV Beaver.
Right now I am sitting in 17th place in the AOY standings, and I am pumped about that. This season is starting off a lot stronger than last year's, and I am really excited to see what the rest of the year brings. Right now the family and I are getting some R&R time in at Disney World. We enjoy making vacations out of all of the travel we do. This weekend we are headed to Tampa to see the grandparents and spend some time with them, and then it is off to Westpoint Lake to do a little pre-practice before we get to Pickwick. I am excited for Pickwick, as I fished well there last year, and am hoping that this year the fishing plays to my strengths.
Right now I am sitting in 17th place in the AOY standings, and I am pumped about that. This season is starting off a lot stronger than last year's, and I am really excited to see what the rest of the year brings. Right now the family and I are getting some R&R time in at Disney World. We enjoy making vacations out of all of the travel we do. This weekend we are headed to Tampa to see the grandparents and spend some time with them, and then it is off to Westpoint Lake to do a little pre-practice before we get to Pickwick. I am excited for Pickwick, as I fished well there last year, and am hoping that this year the fishing plays to my strengths.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Florida Finale
I can't complain about the Harris Chain event, not one bit. I ended up finishing in 30th place, and that is a great way to start out the regular season. I didn't fish poorly or slip up at all, I played with the cards that I was dealt and did what I could with them. I got a ton of bites on the Harris Chain this past week, but I honestly never caught a fish over 3 lbs the whole time I was there. This was just a weird event, and it definitely didn't play out the way that I thought it would. I was actually planning on starting day 1 in the pond that Grigsby and Goldbeck crushed them in, but I drew boat 90 for that day and didn't even bother. Kind of makes me wonder "What if?".
Each day of the event I went out to get as many bites as possible. I had the mind set that I was going to wade through the dinks to catch a lunker, but that never panned out. I flipped a 3" UV blue beaver around lilly pads the entire tournament, and really caught a ton of fish on it. On Saturday I threw a shallow crank into the mix, and caught a couple of my bigger fish on that. But, the tightlines beaver was my go to bait this past week.
Now it is on to the St. John's River. This is a really neat place, and this tournament is going to be a slug fest. The last time I fished the St. John's was in '99, so I don't really have a whole lot of recent knowledge to fall back on for this one. I do think that we will be able to go out and catch fish on whatever we want to catch them on, and people will be successful in targeting pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawn fish. This is going to be a good event, and will likely be the biggest slug-fest of the season!
Each day of the event I went out to get as many bites as possible. I had the mind set that I was going to wade through the dinks to catch a lunker, but that never panned out. I flipped a 3" UV blue beaver around lilly pads the entire tournament, and really caught a ton of fish on it. On Saturday I threw a shallow crank into the mix, and caught a couple of my bigger fish on that. But, the tightlines beaver was my go to bait this past week.
Now it is on to the St. John's River. This is a really neat place, and this tournament is going to be a slug fest. The last time I fished the St. John's was in '99, so I don't really have a whole lot of recent knowledge to fall back on for this one. I do think that we will be able to go out and catch fish on whatever we want to catch them on, and people will be successful in targeting pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawn fish. This is going to be a good event, and will likely be the biggest slug-fest of the season!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Left Home for the Harris Chain
I am so excited to get this elite season underway. I am feeling really good about where I am right now, and am really excited to fish this year. This Harris Chain event is definitely going to be tough, and honestly the whole schedule looks like it is going to be tough. But, I am excited about that. I feel like I have a better opportunity to rise to the top when the fishing is tougher than normal. I have had some success here at the Harris Chain in the past, but the conditions were quite a bit different than what we are facing this year. In my first practice day I found some fish, but most of them were short, and the keepers I have found aren't the kind that I will need. I wish I had more practice time down here because there is so much fishable water in this place, but I believe that I will be able to eliminate enough water to whittle my options down to something that will work come tournament time.
I have to say that it was a relief just getting here. The driving part of this job never gets any easier, it takes two and a half days to get from Lake Quivira down to here. And with gas prices as high as they are, I am really hoping to do well down here to make the venture profitable!
As different as this fishery may be from the New Orleans Delta, I have found some similarities. On the Delta, the majority of us did quite a bit of driving to get to our spots. Here at the Harris Chain, we will also have to do quite a bit of driving. This year we are launching at a new facility that is two canals (or two 30 minute idle only zones)away from Lake Harris, where we have launched in the past. There are so many canals and rivers here that are No Wake Zones that almost the entire fields' driving time will be consumed by travelling at idle speed. While the running distance is not comparable to what we endured on the Delta, there will be more time behind the wheel here than at an ordinary elite series event. But, it is what it is. And you have to make the most of it. The other similarity is that the fish here seem to like my Tightlines UV baits about as much as the fish on the Delta did. It gives me confidence to know that I am throwing something that the fish want, and that means a lot on a body of water that is as infamously fickle as this one is.
I have to say that it was a relief just getting here. The driving part of this job never gets any easier, it takes two and a half days to get from Lake Quivira down to here. And with gas prices as high as they are, I am really hoping to do well down here to make the venture profitable!
As different as this fishery may be from the New Orleans Delta, I have found some similarities. On the Delta, the majority of us did quite a bit of driving to get to our spots. Here at the Harris Chain, we will also have to do quite a bit of driving. This year we are launching at a new facility that is two canals (or two 30 minute idle only zones)away from Lake Harris, where we have launched in the past. There are so many canals and rivers here that are No Wake Zones that almost the entire fields' driving time will be consumed by travelling at idle speed. While the running distance is not comparable to what we endured on the Delta, there will be more time behind the wheel here than at an ordinary elite series event. But, it is what it is. And you have to make the most of it. The other similarity is that the fish here seem to like my Tightlines UV baits about as much as the fish on the Delta did. It gives me confidence to know that I am throwing something that the fish want, and that means a lot on a body of water that is as infamously fickle as this one is.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Can't Wait!
I am ready to get back on the water! The classic is over, and I have had a week off at home. But it hasn't really been a week off! I have been so busy running around doing things to get ready to leave for Florida, and working for sponsors.
I spent Saturday at the Bass Pro in Independence working their Spring Classic. I got to work with Jimmy Houston, one of my all time heroes. It is really special being able to share the stage with someone like that, someone that I have held at high esteem for quite some time. And, by the way, the crowd at the Independence Bass Pro was the best I have ever experienced! A ton of people came out to see Jimmy and myself, and the response I received from all of the fishing fans there was almost overwhelming. I want to say thank you again to everyone for supporting me, congratulating me, and for all of your prayers and positive comments. It really means alot to me. I had a great time working the Bass Pro Spring Classic, and thanks to everyone who attended!
On Sunday I sat down and watched the Classic coverage on TV. I am very pleased with the amount of television time I received, and was happy with the way the show came out. It was pretty neat to watch bits and pieces of the long run from Bayou Segnette down to Venice from the overhead perspective they had on the show. I have to hand it to those guys, they put together a heck of a show, and to do it in just a week's time is pretty awesome. So, thanks to the folks who edited and put the show together, it came out great!
On Monday I did a photo shoot for Fulton with my wrapped truck and boat. It was a pretty neat experience. Makes me feel good to be working with a company who does things like this, and shows their involvement and support in such a way.
Now we are almost ready for Florida. We leave on Wednesday, and come to find out that our roof is leaking. So, that is just one more thing to have to deal with before we leave! Probably will have to find time to have some work done, or even put a whole new roof on the house! Whatever it is, I'll have it done. As long as I can get back out on the water, it will be fine with me!
I spent Saturday at the Bass Pro in Independence working their Spring Classic. I got to work with Jimmy Houston, one of my all time heroes. It is really special being able to share the stage with someone like that, someone that I have held at high esteem for quite some time. And, by the way, the crowd at the Independence Bass Pro was the best I have ever experienced! A ton of people came out to see Jimmy and myself, and the response I received from all of the fishing fans there was almost overwhelming. I want to say thank you again to everyone for supporting me, congratulating me, and for all of your prayers and positive comments. It really means alot to me. I had a great time working the Bass Pro Spring Classic, and thanks to everyone who attended!
On Sunday I sat down and watched the Classic coverage on TV. I am very pleased with the amount of television time I received, and was happy with the way the show came out. It was pretty neat to watch bits and pieces of the long run from Bayou Segnette down to Venice from the overhead perspective they had on the show. I have to hand it to those guys, they put together a heck of a show, and to do it in just a week's time is pretty awesome. So, thanks to the folks who edited and put the show together, it came out great!
On Monday I did a photo shoot for Fulton with my wrapped truck and boat. It was a pretty neat experience. Makes me feel good to be working with a company who does things like this, and shows their involvement and support in such a way.
Now we are almost ready for Florida. We leave on Wednesday, and come to find out that our roof is leaking. So, that is just one more thing to have to deal with before we leave! Probably will have to find time to have some work done, or even put a whole new roof on the house! Whatever it is, I'll have it done. As long as I can get back out on the water, it will be fine with me!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Classic Conclusion
What an amazing week it was at the Classic. I guess I am a little dissapointed that I didn't win, but on the other hand I am so excited that I made it as close as I did. I don't feel any regret or remorse for any of my decisions made during the classic, honestly I executed flawlessly. Not one missed bite or lost fish, I capitalized on every situation that was thrown my way. The one thing that I couldn't overcome was the drastic decrease in water temperature on the final day in the Venice area. But, even then I was surprised at how many fish I caught in 49 degree water.
The Louisiana Delta, and Venice in particular is just an incredible fishery. I would say that it is definitely one place that every angler should experience in their life time. It was literally like pond fishing for me. Those fish bit like they hadn't ever seen a lure, that is how good it was. I will say that I looked at Cataouatche in practice, and while it seemed like an impressive area to me, I just didn't think that it would be able to hold up for the entire tournament. I really thought that the local pressure would hurt it, and the actual number of competitors fishing in there would shut it down. What I didn't account for was the timing of the whole deal. Cataouatche set up perfectly in that the weather forced the fish to move up in to that area in waves the entire week. Had the classic been one week earlier or one week later Cataouatche wouldn't have produced, and my spot would have produced the winning bags of fish. I caught 95% of my fish this week on a 3" Tightlines UV Blue Beaver, on a Trokar flippin hook. I barely had any bites on moving baits. I was really dialed in flipping this beaver bait, and nothing else would have caught them any better. I tried some other flippin baits as well, but the UV baits just produced better. With the stained water that I was fishing, I think the UV helped the bait to show up and look more realistic to the fish. And, I chose the blue color because this time of year the craws take on a little bit more of a blue tint, but also down there on the delta those bass feed on blue crabs. So, the UV blue beaver really fit the bill for the delta forage.
I need to say a few thank-yous to all of the people that supported me, cheered me on, and shared their well-wishes with me. All of my friends and family that came down to New Orleans, you guys are awesome! Everybody that followed along on their computers from home on my blog or on bassmaster.com, thank you so much. I really do appreciate all of you guys, and I hope you know how much it means to me to have your support. I also want to say thank you to Terry Butcher, Gary Klein, and Kevin Wirth. The first 2 days of the event, I was running without the Lowrance Broadband Radar, and these guys really helped me out by navigating me and letting me follow them. And on the last day, Terry let me borrow his Radar unit, and Lowrance got it all set-up on my boat. I really appreciate the Lowrance crew, and Terry for being so generous.
Now we are going to be back home for a few weeks, and then it is back on the road to Florida to kick off the elite series season. I can't wait to get back out there because this Classic has really lit a fire in me, and I am going to capitalize on this momentum throughout the rest of the season.
The Louisiana Delta, and Venice in particular is just an incredible fishery. I would say that it is definitely one place that every angler should experience in their life time. It was literally like pond fishing for me. Those fish bit like they hadn't ever seen a lure, that is how good it was. I will say that I looked at Cataouatche in practice, and while it seemed like an impressive area to me, I just didn't think that it would be able to hold up for the entire tournament. I really thought that the local pressure would hurt it, and the actual number of competitors fishing in there would shut it down. What I didn't account for was the timing of the whole deal. Cataouatche set up perfectly in that the weather forced the fish to move up in to that area in waves the entire week. Had the classic been one week earlier or one week later Cataouatche wouldn't have produced, and my spot would have produced the winning bags of fish. I caught 95% of my fish this week on a 3" Tightlines UV Blue Beaver, on a Trokar flippin hook. I barely had any bites on moving baits. I was really dialed in flipping this beaver bait, and nothing else would have caught them any better. I tried some other flippin baits as well, but the UV baits just produced better. With the stained water that I was fishing, I think the UV helped the bait to show up and look more realistic to the fish. And, I chose the blue color because this time of year the craws take on a little bit more of a blue tint, but also down there on the delta those bass feed on blue crabs. So, the UV blue beaver really fit the bill for the delta forage.
I need to say a few thank-yous to all of the people that supported me, cheered me on, and shared their well-wishes with me. All of my friends and family that came down to New Orleans, you guys are awesome! Everybody that followed along on their computers from home on my blog or on bassmaster.com, thank you so much. I really do appreciate all of you guys, and I hope you know how much it means to me to have your support. I also want to say thank you to Terry Butcher, Gary Klein, and Kevin Wirth. The first 2 days of the event, I was running without the Lowrance Broadband Radar, and these guys really helped me out by navigating me and letting me follow them. And on the last day, Terry let me borrow his Radar unit, and Lowrance got it all set-up on my boat. I really appreciate the Lowrance crew, and Terry for being so generous.
Now we are going to be back home for a few weeks, and then it is back on the road to Florida to kick off the elite series season. I can't wait to get back out there because this Classic has really lit a fire in me, and I am going to capitalize on this momentum throughout the rest of the season.
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