What a blast we had at ICAST! We started off our time in Vegas with a Texas hold ‘em tournament with a bunch of the guys from Wright & McGill and Eagle Claw. It was a ton of fun, but I was definitely glad that I am a pro fisherman and not a pro poker player! I could have used a couple of practice days for this tournament. It was a great opportunity to spend time with friends in the fishing industry away from a fishing tournament scene.
I put in some long days at the show working hard for Tightlines and Wright & McGill. ICAST is so important for those of us involved with this industry, this is where we have the opportunity to learn about new companies, meet new potential sponsors, and promote ourselves within the industry on a face to face basis. It was really cool to watch Tightlines meet with some of the big tackle buyers that were present at the show, and help them grow their company. Also got to help unveil and witness new technological developments for Wright & McGill. I spent some time with the folks from Costa Del Mar, and am really excited for their new lenses, the 580 Ps. They are a plastic lens with the same awesome capabilities as their original 580 lens but now in a scratch and shatter resistant model. Power Pole came out with a new model that looks really great. They have 5 color options and have upgraded components that make them lighter and more durable. Really excited to see these on the water next season.
Bobbi and I had so much fun in Vegas, that we decided that this is going to be an annual deal for us. I was reminded while we were there that I am definitely not 21 years old anymore, but I think a lot of us got that reminder while we were there! Now we’re back home, and I have to say I am really enjoying my time off and taking it easy. Bobbi’s nieces and nephew are in town visiting us right now, so we will have some fun with them. Probably get some crappie rods out and try and get them on some fish while they are here. We just bought a new Mac, and we are pretty excited about that. I am horrible with computers, so hopefully this thing will be easy for me to use and I can actually do things on the computer without having to ask for help! This Saturday we will be going down to Labette County Kansas for a youth fishing derby, which should be a great time. And when we get back home from that, we will be going to my 20th high school reunion. That will be a busy but fun day.
For those of you paying attention to the business side of fishing right now, we don’t really know anything about the rumors of BASS and Triton being sold or bought out or whatever is going on. We are keeping our fingers crossed for the best, and expect that there will be an announcement after they get done with all of the post-season stuff.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
From Lake Cherokee to ICAST in Vegas
The PAA event on Lake Cherokee was a trying tournament, to put it lightly. Very tough conditions, and things just didn’t go my way. In order to experience success at a tournament, your heart really has to be in it, and I just didn’t have that going on. I felt out of synch, and was not ready to give up my time off. I found a pretty sweet spot in practice on the lake, and I committed to it on day one of the tournament. I couldn’t get anything to happen there that day, and wound up zeroing. In hindsight I should have scrapped that spot after 2 or 3 hours without any fish, but I had confidence in the spot and thought that it was just a matter of time before the fish would start going. On day 2 I scrapped every preconceived notion I had put together during practice, and just went back to “practice” fishing. I boated a limit all on a frog, but it wasn’t enough to put me into the third day of fishing. It was nice to know that I could get back out there and pick myself up after such a miserable first day of fishing, but it was also very frustrating at the same time. Because of my less than desirable finish at Cherokee, I probably won’t be fishing the rest of the PAA events this year. So, it’s nice to have the 2010 season behind me.
Now, as I write this, I am sitting in Las Vegas getting ready for a Texas hold ‘em tournament with the guys from Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw. Should be a good time with some good buddies. As for the rest of the week, I will be working hard to promote Tightlines Tackle and Lazer Trokar at this year’s ICAST event. This is a really fun time for those of us in the fishing world, as we get to see the newest trends and technologies of the industry. Also, this week it is just Bobbi and I, so it will be nice to spend some time with her without having to deal with the pressures of a tournament. After ICAST is done, it is time to start preparing for the next year. We really don’t have an off season, because when we’re not fishing we’re working hard to make sure we can fish hard the next year. So not only will I be researching tournament venues, but I will also be working hard to get sponsors on board for the 2011 season. Oh, and let’s not forget…deer season is just around the corner!
Now, as I write this, I am sitting in Las Vegas getting ready for a Texas hold ‘em tournament with the guys from Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw. Should be a good time with some good buddies. As for the rest of the week, I will be working hard to promote Tightlines Tackle and Lazer Trokar at this year’s ICAST event. This is a really fun time for those of us in the fishing world, as we get to see the newest trends and technologies of the industry. Also, this week it is just Bobbi and I, so it will be nice to spend some time with her without having to deal with the pressures of a tournament. After ICAST is done, it is time to start preparing for the next year. We really don’t have an off season, because when we’re not fishing we’re working hard to make sure we can fish hard the next year. So not only will I be researching tournament venues, but I will also be working hard to get sponsors on board for the 2011 season. Oh, and let’s not forget…deer season is just around the corner!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
PAA at Lake Cherokee
We’re at Lake Cherokee right now in Tennessee for the first PAA tournament of the year. We had a few days off since the last Elite Series event at Ft. Gibson, but man did they fly by! It was nice to be home, I got to see family and catch up on some house chores. I rested a little bit, but before I knew it we were back out the door. This trip to Cherokee is the first time in 5 years we haven’t taken our camper with us to a tournament. Practice for this event started fourth of July weekend, so there was literally no open camping areas. Not having the camper really made myself and the rest of the family consolidate our packing efforts. I just know that there is something that I left behind that I am going to need come tournament time! It’s nice having the whole family in one vehicle for a change, but don’t confuse nice with easy. There is no easy way to fit a family, everyone’s luggage, and all of my tournament gear in our rig and travel comfortably! But, it’s a sacrifice I think we’re all willing to make.
So, on to Lake Cherokee. So far, I’m not a fan of this lake! Not to say it’s a bad lake, it is just super tough right now. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this place, and a lot of good things about the night fishing bite that’s happening right now, but we have the cards stacked against us. This is a deep, clear impoundment that happens to be about 20 feet high during the time of our tournament. That’s just not a good combination during the middle of the summer. I’m going to be happy with 8-10 lbs a day, and I think the rest of the field will be too! Right now, it’s up to God with how I do the rest of this PAA season!
July 4th was the first day of practice, and I only had 2 keeper bites. I did, however, find a pretty decent area that lends itself to my style of fishing.
July 5th was the second day of practice, and I only had 1 bite. That 1 bite came on a frog, but the fish couldn’t even get the thing in its mouth.
On July 6th, our last day of practice, I tried to expand on what I had found in practice on the first day. What I had was a nice little creek with willow trees hanging over the banks and a lot of stumps and lay downs mixed in. I caught fish on a square bill, a beaver, and a frog. But, there was a bittersweet part to that day…I caught two 5 lbers in this area. Which tells me I might have something pretty special, but I would rather have caught those fish during competition and realized how special my spot was at that point in time!
When it all comes down to it, on an unfamiliar lake you got to do what you are comfortable with. Guys are going to catch fish every which way this week, but I’m not going to go out there and try to force myself to adapt to a technique that I’m not comfortable with. I’m going to put a big stick in my hand, and lay a few more across the deck, and I’m going to fish what I’m confident in. When fish are scattered like they have been this week, there is no right and wrong way to catch them, so I’m going to try and capitalize on that notion!
So, on to Lake Cherokee. So far, I’m not a fan of this lake! Not to say it’s a bad lake, it is just super tough right now. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this place, and a lot of good things about the night fishing bite that’s happening right now, but we have the cards stacked against us. This is a deep, clear impoundment that happens to be about 20 feet high during the time of our tournament. That’s just not a good combination during the middle of the summer. I’m going to be happy with 8-10 lbs a day, and I think the rest of the field will be too! Right now, it’s up to God with how I do the rest of this PAA season!
July 4th was the first day of practice, and I only had 2 keeper bites. I did, however, find a pretty decent area that lends itself to my style of fishing.
July 5th was the second day of practice, and I only had 1 bite. That 1 bite came on a frog, but the fish couldn’t even get the thing in its mouth.
On July 6th, our last day of practice, I tried to expand on what I had found in practice on the first day. What I had was a nice little creek with willow trees hanging over the banks and a lot of stumps and lay downs mixed in. I caught fish on a square bill, a beaver, and a frog. But, there was a bittersweet part to that day…I caught two 5 lbers in this area. Which tells me I might have something pretty special, but I would rather have caught those fish during competition and realized how special my spot was at that point in time!
When it all comes down to it, on an unfamiliar lake you got to do what you are comfortable with. Guys are going to catch fish every which way this week, but I’m not going to go out there and try to force myself to adapt to a technique that I’m not comfortable with. I’m going to put a big stick in my hand, and lay a few more across the deck, and I’m going to fish what I’m confident in. When fish are scattered like they have been this week, there is no right and wrong way to catch them, so I’m going to try and capitalize on that notion!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
End of the Season!
I can’t believe the season is over! I’m relieved to have some time off now, but I know that in a couple of weeks I am going to be ready to get back at it again. Good thing I’m fishing the PAA tournaments this year. I will be fishing Lake Cherokee in a few weeks, so that will give me just enough time to relax and enjoy being in a home that doesn’t have wheels on it! So, to recap on the season, it didn’t go as well as I had hoped, but it could have been a lot worse! We did good financially speaking, and I made my 10th Classic! But, no matter what, if you don’t end up in contention for AOY, you always finish the season feeling like you could have done better. Regardless, I am thrilled to know that I will be fishing the Classic in 2011. Ultimately, making the Classic is what all of us on the Elite Series strive to achieve.
Here is how things went down in Oklahoma:
On the first day of practice (which was on the river) I had a great day. At least 20 keeper bites that probably would have gone 15 lbs. I was excited, to say the least.
On day 2 of practice (still on the river) the water had risen about 5 feet from where it was the previous day. Despite the drastically different conditions, I managed to scratch out about 7 or 8 keeper bites that would have went 13 to 15 lbs. Then, at about 3:30 that afternoon the rug got pulled out from under me. A text message from Trip told us that we were no longer going to be fishing on the river due to unsafe conditions. I was a little upset, since I had really found some good fish in practice, but he made the call he had to make. So, I got myself ready to go fish Ft. Gibson, and start all over again.
On day 3 of practice I found that it really helped that I had fished there before! Things were tough, and tricky to figure out. I fished the lake like I would fish Grand Lake, which kind of helped me out. I got dialed in on some shallower fish, and caught them up in creeks on a shallow crank.
On the first day of the tournament I caught about 12 or 13 lbs in 30 minutes off of my first spot. I found this spot in practice, and didn’t really know what all was there, so I spent some time expanding on my area. All in all I caught about 25 keepers that day, and culled up to a little over 16 lbs by the end of the day. I was feeling pretty good, and sitting in 14th place.
On the second day of the tournament I tried to do the same thing as the first day, but something had changed and I didn’t put my first keeper in the boat until 8:30. Once I got the fish going, I was able to catch them. I didn’t get on them as good, and my weight was a few pounds lower than the day before, but I was still feeling alright. I dropped to something like 21st place, but I figured I had everything locked up and would be able to sneak my way up into the 12 cut the next day.
On the third day, I didn’t put my first keeper in the box until 10:00. The only thing I knew to do was to stick with it, and wait for the fish to turn on, but it never panned out. I ended up heading to a back-up spot a lost a 4 lber but caught another fish that measured. I was patient, and really just hunkered down and willed myself to believe that my fish would turn on for me, but they never did. My spots were inconsistent and unreliable, but I made the best that I could out of it. I got a $10,000 check, finished 33rd in AOY, and made the classic. I made myself a new rule that day too: If I don’t catch a fish in an hour on one spot, it’s time to move on. Some might consider me a veteran of the sport, but I still learn new things and figure new stuff out every tournament!
Now I am going to be focused on the Classic. Some of the reasons I work so hard to make sure I make it to the classic is that it is a fairly level playing field that provides a lot of momentum for the preceding season, we get good sponsor support for participating, and everyone is guaranteed a pay check. It’s 8 months away and I’m already looking forward to it! Right now there is some uncertainty about fishing in the New Orleans area, but we will make the most of it and I am definitely going to get down there sometime before deer season to do some scouting!
Here is how things went down in Oklahoma:
On the first day of practice (which was on the river) I had a great day. At least 20 keeper bites that probably would have gone 15 lbs. I was excited, to say the least.
On day 2 of practice (still on the river) the water had risen about 5 feet from where it was the previous day. Despite the drastically different conditions, I managed to scratch out about 7 or 8 keeper bites that would have went 13 to 15 lbs. Then, at about 3:30 that afternoon the rug got pulled out from under me. A text message from Trip told us that we were no longer going to be fishing on the river due to unsafe conditions. I was a little upset, since I had really found some good fish in practice, but he made the call he had to make. So, I got myself ready to go fish Ft. Gibson, and start all over again.
On day 3 of practice I found that it really helped that I had fished there before! Things were tough, and tricky to figure out. I fished the lake like I would fish Grand Lake, which kind of helped me out. I got dialed in on some shallower fish, and caught them up in creeks on a shallow crank.
On the first day of the tournament I caught about 12 or 13 lbs in 30 minutes off of my first spot. I found this spot in practice, and didn’t really know what all was there, so I spent some time expanding on my area. All in all I caught about 25 keepers that day, and culled up to a little over 16 lbs by the end of the day. I was feeling pretty good, and sitting in 14th place.
On the second day of the tournament I tried to do the same thing as the first day, but something had changed and I didn’t put my first keeper in the boat until 8:30. Once I got the fish going, I was able to catch them. I didn’t get on them as good, and my weight was a few pounds lower than the day before, but I was still feeling alright. I dropped to something like 21st place, but I figured I had everything locked up and would be able to sneak my way up into the 12 cut the next day.
On the third day, I didn’t put my first keeper in the box until 10:00. The only thing I knew to do was to stick with it, and wait for the fish to turn on, but it never panned out. I ended up heading to a back-up spot a lost a 4 lber but caught another fish that measured. I was patient, and really just hunkered down and willed myself to believe that my fish would turn on for me, but they never did. My spots were inconsistent and unreliable, but I made the best that I could out of it. I got a $10,000 check, finished 33rd in AOY, and made the classic. I made myself a new rule that day too: If I don’t catch a fish in an hour on one spot, it’s time to move on. Some might consider me a veteran of the sport, but I still learn new things and figure new stuff out every tournament!
Now I am going to be focused on the Classic. Some of the reasons I work so hard to make sure I make it to the classic is that it is a fairly level playing field that provides a lot of momentum for the preceding season, we get good sponsor support for participating, and everyone is guaranteed a pay check. It’s 8 months away and I’m already looking forward to it! Right now there is some uncertainty about fishing in the New Orleans area, but we will make the most of it and I am definitely going to get down there sometime before deer season to do some scouting!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Kentucky Lake
It seems like every tournament is a learning experience. And at Kentucky Lake I learned that when you got fishing biting, catch every single one you can, because it’s not going to last forever! Practice was pretty discouraging as one by one my favorite spots from year’s past failed to produce. It was tough to get on any offshore bite during practice because of the weather, so I loaded up the boat and towed it from Paris to the dam so I could fish up there without having to endure the rough ride. Once I started fishing up-lake, things started to go a little better. I found some good offshore humps that produced lots of fish. In practice I caught several doubles while cranking, and lots of 5 lb + fish. My strategy in practice was to put my Lowrance Side Scan to work while I idled over likely areas looking for hard bottom spots with fish on or around it. I found 5 such spots in practice, and come tournament time only 1 of those 5 spots produced for me! That’s how much those fish were moving around on us out there.
On day 1 of the tournament I caught almost 19 lbs on a Bomber Fat Free Shad and a football jig. On day 2 I caught a 4 lb smallie followed by a 3 lb smallie right off the bat, which was weird considering I hadn’t boated any smallmouths the entire week. I continued through the rotation of my spots and couldn’t buy another keeper bite. So, at 10 a.m. I ran up to my spot by the dam. I knew there were fish on the spot because I could see them on my Side Scan, but when I threw my Fat Free Shad through them I got nothing. Then I picked up my football jig and still nothing. But when I threw the War Eagle Twin Spin Jig at them, it was like they had never seen a lure before! After I wore them out with the Twin Spin I picked up a Spoon. First cast I lay into a huge fish. Huge fish turned out to be a giant freshwater drum! I was so disappointed and frustrated at the amount of time I put into that fish! I shrugged it off, and fired my spoon back out into the school. Same deal again, I lay into a huge fish that isn’t even acting like a bass. I kind of got lazy with this fish because I figured it was another drum, but when I got the fish boat side I saw that it was a huge largemouth! Got her in the boat and she went 6-11! Glad I didn’t let that fish come unbuttoned! After that, I was catching fish on the spoon almost every other cast. This is where my day 2 dilemma comes in to play. One of my smallmouths that I caught in the morning was belly up, and the other one was headed in the same direction. I had a decision to make: Either stay and try to cull out some of my other fish, or leave so I could weigh in early and save any other fish that might have been on the downward spiral and save the rest of the school on that spot. I opted to leave and weighed in at 2 p.m. I weighed in 22 lbs.
On day 3 the fish had vanished from my magic spot. I didn’t know what to do. I figured that the overcast conditions had shutoff the offshore bite, and turned on the shallow bite. So at about 10 a.m. I headed towards the bank and assaulted them with a frog. I caught 4 keepers in a fairly short amount of time on the frog. After I had 4 in the box, I ran back out to my offshore spot and never came up with another keeper bite. I ended my day there wishing I would have caught more of them on day 2. Just a few more pounds would have put me in the top 12, and fishing on the final day.
But, I achieved my goal of a top 30 finish, and now I just have to go to work in Oklahoma. I have it figured that I need at least a top 40 finish in Oklahoma to make it to the Classic. I just have to keep the intensity and fish hard. Hopefully this one will go better, as I’ll be fishing more my strengths.
On day 1 of the tournament I caught almost 19 lbs on a Bomber Fat Free Shad and a football jig. On day 2 I caught a 4 lb smallie followed by a 3 lb smallie right off the bat, which was weird considering I hadn’t boated any smallmouths the entire week. I continued through the rotation of my spots and couldn’t buy another keeper bite. So, at 10 a.m. I ran up to my spot by the dam. I knew there were fish on the spot because I could see them on my Side Scan, but when I threw my Fat Free Shad through them I got nothing. Then I picked up my football jig and still nothing. But when I threw the War Eagle Twin Spin Jig at them, it was like they had never seen a lure before! After I wore them out with the Twin Spin I picked up a Spoon. First cast I lay into a huge fish. Huge fish turned out to be a giant freshwater drum! I was so disappointed and frustrated at the amount of time I put into that fish! I shrugged it off, and fired my spoon back out into the school. Same deal again, I lay into a huge fish that isn’t even acting like a bass. I kind of got lazy with this fish because I figured it was another drum, but when I got the fish boat side I saw that it was a huge largemouth! Got her in the boat and she went 6-11! Glad I didn’t let that fish come unbuttoned! After that, I was catching fish on the spoon almost every other cast. This is where my day 2 dilemma comes in to play. One of my smallmouths that I caught in the morning was belly up, and the other one was headed in the same direction. I had a decision to make: Either stay and try to cull out some of my other fish, or leave so I could weigh in early and save any other fish that might have been on the downward spiral and save the rest of the school on that spot. I opted to leave and weighed in at 2 p.m. I weighed in 22 lbs.
On day 3 the fish had vanished from my magic spot. I didn’t know what to do. I figured that the overcast conditions had shutoff the offshore bite, and turned on the shallow bite. So at about 10 a.m. I headed towards the bank and assaulted them with a frog. I caught 4 keepers in a fairly short amount of time on the frog. After I had 4 in the box, I ran back out to my offshore spot and never came up with another keeper bite. I ended my day there wishing I would have caught more of them on day 2. Just a few more pounds would have put me in the top 12, and fishing on the final day.
But, I achieved my goal of a top 30 finish, and now I just have to go to work in Oklahoma. I have it figured that I need at least a top 40 finish in Oklahoma to make it to the Classic. I just have to keep the intensity and fish hard. Hopefully this one will go better, as I’ll be fishing more my strengths.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Back on the Tennessee River
We arrived at Guntersville on Memorial Day and spent the evening with the Howell and Martens’ families. We had a great dinner and we all enjoyed ourselves. On Tuesday and Wednesday I fished Guntersville to try and refocus myself for the rest of the season. I was happy to shake off the Clark’s Hill event with some solid ledge fishing on Guntersville. The fishing was great and I discovered a new lure: the War Eagle Twin Spin Jig. It’s basically a football jig with blades on it, and I can’t wait to put it to work on Kentucky Lake! On Wednesday night we went to the “Bat Cave” with the Howell and Lane families. Words don’t do this justice! It’s a cave on the lake where thousands upon thousands of bats reside. And after sunset 60,000 bats come pouring out of the cave all at once! It was crazy, and it was a unique way to spend time with family and friends. There were some biologists there working on an annual study of the bat population who told us that the bats are being decimated by a rapidly spreading disease. I’m glad we got to enjoy it while we could, and if you’re ever in the area be sure you check it out as well.
We left Guntersville on Thursday and headed upriver to Paris Tennessee. But before we got to Paris we stopped at Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Plaza in Nashville and got to meet Dave Ramsey! I am a big fan of his, and it was very exciting to shake his hand and meet him. We watched him do his show, and got to indulge in free Starbuck’s cappuccinos and gourmet desserts. It was quite the place, and a very cool experience for sure.
I got to be a part of the Triton Owner’s Tournament over the weekend. That’s always a cool deal, and it’s great to meet all the people that fish the tournament. However, the best part was watching all of the big bags come across the weigh-in scales. There were some 25 lb. bags caught, and big bass was around 8 lbs. I am so excited to get to work on the lake so I can have my chance to wreck ‘em.
My main focus now is to make two top 50 cuts so I can get a check. I need to work hard so I can make it to the classic, but I really want to put a “W” on my resume this season. I hope that all my hard work will pay off. I have been looking forward to the last two events of the season, so I can’t wait to see how they pan out.
We left Guntersville on Thursday and headed upriver to Paris Tennessee. But before we got to Paris we stopped at Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Plaza in Nashville and got to meet Dave Ramsey! I am a big fan of his, and it was very exciting to shake his hand and meet him. We watched him do his show, and got to indulge in free Starbuck’s cappuccinos and gourmet desserts. It was quite the place, and a very cool experience for sure.
I got to be a part of the Triton Owner’s Tournament over the weekend. That’s always a cool deal, and it’s great to meet all the people that fish the tournament. However, the best part was watching all of the big bags come across the weigh-in scales. There were some 25 lb. bags caught, and big bass was around 8 lbs. I am so excited to get to work on the lake so I can have my chance to wreck ‘em.
My main focus now is to make two top 50 cuts so I can get a check. I need to work hard so I can make it to the classic, but I really want to put a “W” on my resume this season. I hope that all my hard work will pay off. I have been looking forward to the last two events of the season, so I can’t wait to see how they pan out.
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