Snowden's Tournament Journal

By Brian Snowden

What: B.A.S.S. Elite 50
When: May 30-June 5, 2004
Where: Alabama River, AL

Finish: 42nd

Earnings: pay will be after series ends


Practice started out very slow for me on the first day. I caught a few keepers on a Carolina rig, YUM Rib Fry in 5-8 feet of water on the main river points. The second day of practice I decided to move up the river and fish more current related spots. I was able to catch five keepers, most cranking steep, rocky banks with a green crawfish Wiggle "O". I also caught a few keepers and short fish using a 1/2 oz., Booyah, Boo Jig in 5-10 feet of water. I was throwing the crankbait on a seven foot, glass, St. Croix Cranking Rod spooled with ten pound, green, SilverThread Line. The jig was on a medium heavy, St. Croix, Legend Elite, Casting Rod spooled with seventeen pound, Silver Thread, Fluorocarbon Line. The final day of practice I went back down the river and caught four keepers, which were larger in size, working the 1/2 oz. jig.



The first day of the event I went up the river and managed to only catch one keeper on the Wiggle "O". The second day I worked the mid-section of the river and tried some shallow backwaters. The backwaters produced a nice largemouth weighing over five pounds on a black neon, YUM, Mega Tube. I caught one more keeper on the jig and lost another three pound fish. The final day of the event I went to the mid-section of the river and tried some backwaters. This only produced three small keepers. This poor finish dropped me from seventeenth to thirty-three in the overall standings. It was a disappointing tournament for me.