TrepMan
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- Jun 30, 2000
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OK Gang, this past Saturday was my first Club T as a prospective member to the Big Shanty BassMasters club here in North Georgia. I am considering joining this club, right now my only reservations is that they usualy fish 4-6 two day overnight T's and with my teaching Sunday School I don't know if that is doable next year. The club meets once a month for a "business" meeting, they do a charity/volunteer projects each year to meet B.A.S.S. qualifications, the Top 6 each year go to the Federation State Tournamement and so on... Each person weighs their own fish so while you are with a partner in the boat, each person is fishing against the clock and not as a team.
Anyway, I thought folks might be interested in my experience as some have never fished a Club before (like me):
- Last Thursday I went to the Dec. meeting and signed up as a non-boater. I was paired that night with the guy in the #3 spot in the club, and the Tournament on Saturday was the last one of the year, so the top 3 folks were all very close and wanted to come out on top. We talked briefly and he suggested we'd be hitting main lake points the first few hours with spinnerbaits and crankbaits (Big Dan - you were RIGHT On!!), and then as the sun/air warmed up we'd spend the remainder of the day on Docks looking for quality fish. The T was from safe light to 4pm.
- Weather predicted sunny/no clouds but a cool 31 degree's at blastoff (safe light which was 6:50am). I met my boater at a grocery store nearby, and loaded up his 18.5 ft Astro (single console) with my gear. We met the club at the Waffle House near the ramp for breakfast. Everyone was VERY friendly and I enjoyed my heavy fat and cholesteral breakfast
On the ride up to the lake (at the suggestion of Big Dan and Tex) I discussed how the boater and I would work through out the day. He wanted me to drive the truck and he'd work the boat on/off the trailer. He would let me know if he needed a net, and other then that just fish away.
- Oh, he was also the Tournament Director this year, so we called out the blast off order and away we went. I had purchased warm headgear and such so I was ready for a ride. Luckily he ran a whole 30 seconds to the first point, and then we proceeded to fish each point once and then on to the next. 2.5 hours later neither of us had any fish off the points.
- The sun had come up and he told me the fish would be in the shaddy sides/parts of docks and off we went for the next 6.5 hours we hit docks around the lake he felt were productive. Now, i have NEVER caught a fish under/around a Dock in my life, no matter how hard I tired. So I looked forward to learning something, and I did. He got his first fish at around 11am. He was throwing a 1/4oz Jig/Pig and skipping it back under the docks and under/between boats/docks. I helped him net the fish and kept trying my Senko's. The problem was he fishes FAST and after 2-3 casts at a dock he'd move on to the next one. What i've learned with Senko fishing is cast/skip it back under the dock and wait patiently for it to sink and wait some more! I quickly figured out this would NOT work with the style of my boater.
- After he picked up his 3rd fish about an hour later (I sucessfuly netted all 3 for him!!! that's a long story but i was REALY scared about netting!!) I had switched to a Tx rigged worm but he suggested a Jig or Slider worm. My only Jigs were 1/2 oz or bigger, so he gave me a Slider head jig and suggested a color. I hooked up a Crawfish plastic and off I went learning how to skip under docks!
- He got his 4th keeper fish, and then a dink. Oh, the minimum length on Lanier is 14 inches (reminded me of the KY Lake Rally where 15 inches was the minimum). Shortly their after I hooked my one and only fish for the day on the Slider jig. I had felt a few taps earlier but no hookups. This time the fish nailed the jig on the bottom and he helped me<
Anyway, I thought folks might be interested in my experience as some have never fished a Club before (like me):
- Last Thursday I went to the Dec. meeting and signed up as a non-boater. I was paired that night with the guy in the #3 spot in the club, and the Tournament on Saturday was the last one of the year, so the top 3 folks were all very close and wanted to come out on top. We talked briefly and he suggested we'd be hitting main lake points the first few hours with spinnerbaits and crankbaits (Big Dan - you were RIGHT On!!), and then as the sun/air warmed up we'd spend the remainder of the day on Docks looking for quality fish. The T was from safe light to 4pm.
- Weather predicted sunny/no clouds but a cool 31 degree's at blastoff (safe light which was 6:50am). I met my boater at a grocery store nearby, and loaded up his 18.5 ft Astro (single console) with my gear. We met the club at the Waffle House near the ramp for breakfast. Everyone was VERY friendly and I enjoyed my heavy fat and cholesteral breakfast
On the ride up to the lake (at the suggestion of Big Dan and Tex) I discussed how the boater and I would work through out the day. He wanted me to drive the truck and he'd work the boat on/off the trailer. He would let me know if he needed a net, and other then that just fish away.- Oh, he was also the Tournament Director this year, so we called out the blast off order and away we went. I had purchased warm headgear and such so I was ready for a ride. Luckily he ran a whole 30 seconds to the first point, and then we proceeded to fish each point once and then on to the next. 2.5 hours later neither of us had any fish off the points.
- The sun had come up and he told me the fish would be in the shaddy sides/parts of docks and off we went for the next 6.5 hours we hit docks around the lake he felt were productive. Now, i have NEVER caught a fish under/around a Dock in my life, no matter how hard I tired. So I looked forward to learning something, and I did. He got his first fish at around 11am. He was throwing a 1/4oz Jig/Pig and skipping it back under the docks and under/between boats/docks. I helped him net the fish and kept trying my Senko's. The problem was he fishes FAST and after 2-3 casts at a dock he'd move on to the next one. What i've learned with Senko fishing is cast/skip it back under the dock and wait patiently for it to sink and wait some more! I quickly figured out this would NOT work with the style of my boater.
- After he picked up his 3rd fish about an hour later (I sucessfuly netted all 3 for him!!! that's a long story but i was REALY scared about netting!!) I had switched to a Tx rigged worm but he suggested a Jig or Slider worm. My only Jigs were 1/2 oz or bigger, so he gave me a Slider head jig and suggested a color. I hooked up a Crawfish plastic and off I went learning how to skip under docks!
- He got his 4th keeper fish, and then a dink. Oh, the minimum length on Lanier is 14 inches (reminded me of the KY Lake Rally where 15 inches was the minimum). Shortly their after I hooked my one and only fish for the day on the Slider jig. I had felt a few taps earlier but no hookups. This time the fish nailed the jig on the bottom and he helped me<
