www.missouriangling.com
Event: B.A.S.S. Elite 50
When: May 29-June 4, 2005
Where: Lewisville Lake, TX
Finish: 2nd
Winnings: $22,000.00
Most
of the practice days were sunny with highs in the mid-upper 80s. There
were occasional afternoon clouds and some rain. The water temperature was
76 degrees and stained with 1-2 feet of visibility. The first day of
practice I caught most of my fish in 4-8 feet of water. I was able to
target stumps and dead willow trees with a Texas rigged worm. I used a ¼
oz., Excalibur TG Weight and a YUM, 10 inch, ribbontail worm in tequila
sunrise with green flake. I also caught fish on the same type of structure
slow rolling a ½ oz., BOOYAH Blade in white and chartreuse with double
willow leaf blades. I was using 14 pound, SilverThread, Fluorocarbon Line
on the worm and 17 pound green, SilverThread Line on the spinnerbait. This
produced five or six keepers with the biggest fish being a little over 2 ½
pounds. The next two days of practice I spent my time trying to find a
Carolina rig and crankbait bite. I was unable to catch any fish at all
Carolina rigging long, tapering points. I did manage to catch one 5 ½
pound bass on a Bomber 7A in citrus color and was also able to establish a
pattern on docks working a 3/8 oz. BOOYAH jig in brown spice with a YUM, 4
inch, Muy Twintail Grub in pumpkin pepper with green flake.
During the first two days of competition I was able to catch fish on
the 10 inch worm and crankbait in isolated patches of timber in 4-6 feet
of water. I was able to qualify for the Top 12 with just over 24 pounds.
During the first day of the Top 12 I was able to catch a nice fish
weighing 4 pounds on the jig in 4 feet of water underneath a boat dock.
The rest of my keepers came cranking a shallow, square lipped crankbait
like the Bomber Square A in a shad pattern throwing it to isolated timber
in 4-6 feet of water. This put me into second place going into the Top 6,
and I was confident with my crankbait pattern. Unfortunately the last day
of the tournament the wind blew 20-30 mph, and all I was able to catch out
of the docks and timber were small fish. I managed to catch two keepers
flipping a black neon, YUM, 4 inch Mega Tube to shallow stumps. These two
keepers allowed me to maintain my second place, but I was just one shy of
my first victory.
