Snowden's Tournament Journal

www.missouriangling.com

What: Citgo Bassmaster Tour

When: February 23-29, 2004

Where: Lake Guntersville, AL

Finish: 25th

Winnings: $4,200.00

With the water temperature ranging between 44-47 degrees, and an abundance of
hydrilla and milfoil, the conditions were perfect for fishing a Cotton Cordell Super
Spot, a Suspending Bomber Long-A, and a Smithwick Rogue. The first day of practice was
very slow. I went and checked some areas that had produced bass in the past, but I
was only able to catch two keepers. The next day I spent fishing more ridges and humps
in the mid-section of the lake. In this area I worked a 1/2 oz. Super Spot, in
Rayburn red and golden black, along ledges and ditches with hydrilla and milfoil. This pattern produced a nice limit of bass. This is the area that I concentrated on for the
tournament.

The first day of the tournament started out great with a limit weighing in at
fifteen pounds by 8:30 in the morning! It was every fisherman’s dream!! I caught all of my
keepers working a 1/2 oz. Super Spot slowly over the tops and edges of the grass. I
was using a 7 foot, medium heavy, St. Croix, casting rod spooled with 17 lb., SilverThread
Fluorocarbon Line. A benefit to using this type of rod and the reduced stretch
of the Fluorocarbon Line allows you to rip the Super Spot free from the grass. The
second day of the tournament started out slower, but I patiently worked the same areas
alternating between the Super Spot in Rayburn red and gold with black back. By the end of
the day I had caught seven keepers with one over six pounds! This gave me a combined
weight of thirty-three pounds.