The Off-Season

It's definitely the off-season. Not alot of fishing going on to speak of, mostly working around the house and getting ready for deer season. I am definitely excited about my trip to New Orleans here in a few weeks for classic pre-practice. My Dad is going down there and fishing with me, so it should be a real good time.

Looking back, on the last month or so, Bobbi competed in her first mini-triathlon out here at Lake Quivira. It was awesome. She did a 500 meter swim, a 9 mile bike ride, and a 5 mile run. I was defintely impressed, and kind of got me to thinking that maybe I could do something like that with her in the future.

We are still getting into the groove of having the kids off at school all day long. Mason is also playing baseball right now, so it is fun to get out and watch him play. I spend alot more time doing house chores, and preparation for next year's season. Right now I am working on getting all of my stuff ordered for the Triton I will be running in 2011. Most people don't realize how much work it actually takes to get all your batteries, graphs and the like. I also plan on doing some real work here pretty soon. I am going to powerwash and seal the deck and the driveway, and for a fisherman that is definitely real work.

Now the work that I have put into deer season is starting to come into fruition. The food plots are coming up, and I have seen the first scrapes of the year. I got my trail cameras up, so now I am looking forward to getting some pictures of some monsters with velvet hanging off their antlers! Everyday I do some bow practice to keep me sharp and ready for the season.

When I get back from New Orleans there are two things that I have to do. 1 is get to work on getting my boat from 2010 ready to sell, and 2 is get in my tree stand and get to work on knocking down a good buck!

End of Summer...Deer Season is Getting Closer!

A couple weeks ago I had a couple guys from the Kansas State Fishing Team come out for a morning of fishing on LQ. Ben Fuchs and Keith Cole were fun to fish with, even though the fishing wasn’t all that great. It was a treat to spend time with them, and really learn about all the time and effort that goes into the sport of college fishing. Collegiate angling is really making leaps and bounds towards the perpetuation of the sport of tournament angling. I really look forward to working with these guys more in the future!

The day after Ben and Keith came out to fish, we had a youth fishing derby at LQ. Mason won the panfish division, and got to bring home a really neat bluegill trophy. There were lots of kids out fishing, and it was great to be a part of it. One boy caught a 30 lb. grass carp! With the way the bass fishing has been out here lately, I might have to think about becoming a carp angler! The kids started school last week, which is pretty exciting for us. Mason is in first grade and Makayla is in kindergarten, and they were so happy and excited to go to school!

As summer comes to an end, I find myself really getting excited for deer season. I have been working hard in preparation of the season, putting in food plots, bow practice, and hanging stands at my Dad’s farm and mine. Every year my goal is to have stands hung before Labor Day weekend, this way the deer have plenty of time to get used to the new object in their environment.

Last weekend I went to the Triton owners tournament on Truman, out of Long Shoal. I was the weigh-in MC and had a lot of fun doing it. I didn’t get to fish this event, but I did see all of the fish that were weighed-in, and thought it was worth noting that there were no dead fish brought to the scales. I really think this is a testament not only to the effectiveness of Triton’s live wells, but of the health of the fishery at Truman. I got to say, as excited as I am about deer season, this weekend really made me want to get out and do some fishing! Next weekend I will be at the ABA fish-off on Big Hill for Labette county. Should be fun to watch the weigh-in, and hang out with some fellow Kansas fishermen.

While there isn’t really a whole lot going on this time of year, I still have to work on my schedule. At the beginning of October I will be going to the Gander Mountain in Hattiesburg Mississippi for a Costa Del Mar promotional event. After that I plan to head down to New Orleans to do some scouting around for the Classic. I am going to take as much time as I need to try and get an idea of where I want to spend my official practice. There are about 3 or 4 key areas down there that typically produce, but they are all cyclical, so it will take some work to find the most productive areas. I’m also kind of keeping my fingers crossed that I come across some redfish too! Those things are so much fun!

Kids, Grass Carp, and Graduation

Been having a good time at home the last few weeks. Bobbi’s family came to visit after we got back from ICAST, and we had some fun. Mostly trying to stay out of this awful heat lately, but managed some fishing with my son and nephew. We went out crappie fishing and caught 15 or 20 crappie, a couple of walleye, tons of bass, and some carp. The kids have been seeing some big carp up shallow lately, and really wanted to catch some. We chummed the water with corn, and the kids caught several nice carp. Mason caught a grass carp that went 45 lbs! I couldn’t believe it!

Went to Labette county and helped out with a youth fishing derby in Parsons over the weekend. It was a pretty cool deal to be a part of. Eagle Claw helped out a lot with prizes and give aways, and KDWP helped out too. That night I headed back to LQ, and got ready for my 20th high school reunion. With all this stuff going on, it made for a busy weekend, but we had fun. It was really cool to see old friends, and people that I haven’t seen since graduation.

Not a whole lot going on in our world lately, but that is just as well! It’s really nice to have some time off, and be able to be at home. Next weekend, a couple guys from the K-State Fishing Team are coming out to do a little fishing. It’s going to be hot, but I think we will be able to get on some fish.

Different Kind of Tournament - ICAST

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.

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!

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!

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!