Well, I gave it my best, but this was another example of how having the funds really can benefit ya in a big tourney.
I was on a very specific bite that was to say the least......AWESOME! I was on something special. I honestly believed (and still do) that this was my tourney to finally win.
Day one: I drew boat 110 of 136 but no biggie since I was fairly certain that nobody had found my particular school of fish let alone figured out exactly how to make them bite. I was more or less right. But other guys had found similar fish and made them bite.
I was culling by 8:30 and my co-angler boated a 4 lb 12 oz and a 4 lb 3 oz that would have certainly helped me. I lost 3 fish that day over 4 lbs. Can't really say what I did wrong, they were just full of P!$$ and vinegar. I have never in 20 yrs of tourneys seen somebody lose as many big fish as my co that day. He easily LOST a 20 lb stringer. If we had each landed all the fish we hooked (let alone saw) we each would have had over 20 lbs. Anyhow, I had 17 lbs 7 oz but 1 dead so after the penalty 16 lbs 15 oz. I was in 35th place. I figured I would need that 20 lb sack on day 2 to make the top ten. Turns out, all I would need is the same size bag, roughly 17+ lbs.
Go to pull out the boat....truck breaks down and is still there. Nothing like a little added stress on your mind huh? Luckily I had a co staying with me and we got his truck to tow with the remainder of the tourney.
Day 2: Boat #27 out and I drew a buddy from right here in P'burgh....things look up except for the fact that we had 4-6' waves with 20 mph winds from the south. By the time I made it 5 miles to the main lake I had already been passed by at least fifty 20 footers. It was one of those days that a Z520 with a jackplate and Champlained tweaked would have made ALL the difference. Alas...I broke down.....3 TIMES! So I was confined to the bay we launched from and stayed across from the off limits and just continued to grind all day. I managed a limit and 3 culls for a little over 11 lbs. I was just hoping to hang on to a check at that point. (Funny how your goals go from sacking 20 lbs to make a top ten to just staying in a check!) Anyhow, guys that had whacked 19 lbs the day before within sight of my spot did in fact make it back up there but were coming back with only 8-9 lbs. So I am happy I did as well as I did. Missing the fish on day 1 really hurt me. I know if I had been able to get to my fish, I could have squeaked out a 16-17 lb bag and a little over 17 would have put me in 10th to fish the final day.
Day 3: Licking my wounds I went out with the co that was staying with me, a 20 yr old kid I had helped in the college event last yr. We took his boat out and didn't even hit the water until 9:30. We went up to my spot in waves the same size as day two but with more sun than clouds this time. And sure enough.....my fish were there and eating baits like nobody's business! DAMMIT!!!! We fished until about 4pm and each landed between 16 and 17 lbs without breaking a sweat. Go figure :angry:
Lesson learned! I WILL find a way to get a 520 by next yr and a newer truck. That 520 WILL have all the big water equipment I have on my R83 along with a Humminbird 898 with side imaging....those things are AWESOME!!!!
chin up and on to the USO partners tourney where I will once again test my skills against the best of the BASS northerns and FLW series where I and a friend who barely fishes will fish against PAIRS of pros! Watch out boys...ole Robby boy has an axe to grind!!!
I was on a very specific bite that was to say the least......AWESOME! I was on something special. I honestly believed (and still do) that this was my tourney to finally win.
Day one: I drew boat 110 of 136 but no biggie since I was fairly certain that nobody had found my particular school of fish let alone figured out exactly how to make them bite. I was more or less right. But other guys had found similar fish and made them bite.
I was culling by 8:30 and my co-angler boated a 4 lb 12 oz and a 4 lb 3 oz that would have certainly helped me. I lost 3 fish that day over 4 lbs. Can't really say what I did wrong, they were just full of P!$$ and vinegar. I have never in 20 yrs of tourneys seen somebody lose as many big fish as my co that day. He easily LOST a 20 lb stringer. If we had each landed all the fish we hooked (let alone saw) we each would have had over 20 lbs. Anyhow, I had 17 lbs 7 oz but 1 dead so after the penalty 16 lbs 15 oz. I was in 35th place. I figured I would need that 20 lb sack on day 2 to make the top ten. Turns out, all I would need is the same size bag, roughly 17+ lbs.
Go to pull out the boat....truck breaks down and is still there. Nothing like a little added stress on your mind huh? Luckily I had a co staying with me and we got his truck to tow with the remainder of the tourney.
Day 2: Boat #27 out and I drew a buddy from right here in P'burgh....things look up except for the fact that we had 4-6' waves with 20 mph winds from the south. By the time I made it 5 miles to the main lake I had already been passed by at least fifty 20 footers. It was one of those days that a Z520 with a jackplate and Champlained tweaked would have made ALL the difference. Alas...I broke down.....3 TIMES! So I was confined to the bay we launched from and stayed across from the off limits and just continued to grind all day. I managed a limit and 3 culls for a little over 11 lbs. I was just hoping to hang on to a check at that point. (Funny how your goals go from sacking 20 lbs to make a top ten to just staying in a check!) Anyhow, guys that had whacked 19 lbs the day before within sight of my spot did in fact make it back up there but were coming back with only 8-9 lbs. So I am happy I did as well as I did. Missing the fish on day 1 really hurt me. I know if I had been able to get to my fish, I could have squeaked out a 16-17 lb bag and a little over 17 would have put me in 10th to fish the final day.
Day 3: Licking my wounds I went out with the co that was staying with me, a 20 yr old kid I had helped in the college event last yr. We took his boat out and didn't even hit the water until 9:30. We went up to my spot in waves the same size as day two but with more sun than clouds this time. And sure enough.....my fish were there and eating baits like nobody's business! DAMMIT!!!! We fished until about 4pm and each landed between 16 and 17 lbs without breaking a sweat. Go figure :angry:
Lesson learned! I WILL find a way to get a 520 by next yr and a newer truck. That 520 WILL have all the big water equipment I have on my R83 along with a Humminbird 898 with side imaging....those things are AWESOME!!!!
chin up and on to the USO partners tourney where I will once again test my skills against the best of the BASS northerns and FLW series where I and a friend who barely fishes will fish against PAIRS of pros! Watch out boys...ole Robby boy has an axe to grind!!!
