First Tournament of 2005
Just as you might expect, after a week of warm, cloudy weather with lows in the
50s and highs near 80 tournament morning saw 34 degrees and clear skies. Just
what we needed, a cold front. Water that was 52 on Friday was 47 at dawn
Sunday morning. It did warm back to the low 50s by noon and the air got to the
upper 60s/I ran up to a creek with docks, brush and rocks where I had caught some big
bass over the years and caught my best two in the December tournament. I ran a
crankbait over my favorite brushpile without a bite, then tried a spinnerbait.
Nothing. At 7:45, 15 minutes after blastoff, I pitched a jig and pig into the
brush. When it hit bottom I saw my line jump and felt a thump. When I set the
hook a bass had already run back out under the boat but my MTC rod and reel
quickly brought the 14 inch spot into the boat. First spot all week - at least
I would not zero. I worked the docks and rock pile for about an hour without another bite, then
at 8:45 jumped across the cove to a flat sandy point with rocks on the
downstream side of it. My first cast across it with a Fat Free Fry the plug
just stopped. When I set the hook a big bass jumped - I fought it to the boat
and managed to land it. I guessed it weighed around 5.5 pounds. When my hands
and legs stopped shaking I started casting again. I fished that creek and another area until noon. At noon I went back to the
brush pile where I had caught the spot earlier and work all around it and the
line of docks out to the point. Not a bite on crankbaits, jig and pig or a
Carolina rigged Senko. When I went around the main lake point I saw Kwong on the next point. As I went
into the cove between them he cranked up and went into the creek I had just
left. About half way down that bank I threw a Carolina rigged Senko into a
brush pile in about 16 feet of water and felt a tug. When I set the hook a 14
inch spot quickly came to the boat. I fished that cove out good then went up the river to a spot where I had caught
some fish earlier. I threw the Carolina rigged Senko across a small rockpile in
front of an old boat shed and felt a fish. When I set the hook it was like my
line had been cut with a razor blade. It was over the old rusted boat rails
under the water. I really needed that fish. I dropped my jig and pig into the same area and felt a tug, but when I set the
hook the fish was gone. I did not get another bite the last hour of the
tournament. I did get bugged by a skidoo running around in the last cove I
wanted to fish - idiot had on a wet suit and was raising heck, ruining the
peace and quiet. I expect that in warm weather, not in January! At weigh-in I heard Kwong had a big fish Sure enough, he brought in a 6.67
pound bass and two more to give him first place wht 11 pounds and big fish. To
add insult to injury, he said he landed the big one off a dock right behind me,
after I left and he came in behind me. He is the club member that beat me out
of the yearly big fish pot in the last tournament a month ago. Three people had between 10 and 11 pounds. My big one weighed 5.68 - second
biggest bass of the day. Just my luck, biggest bass I have caught in a
tournament in over a year and it is second. My three weighed 7.98 - good for
6th place out of 19 fishermen. Not a great start, but at least I did not
zero!.
Ronnie
fishing.guide@about.com
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