This was another one of those times where I had several business and sponsor issues pressing. I swear I wasn’t intentionally avoiding this blog - or I guess I should say I wasn’t trying to avoid talking about what it’s like to NOT catch a big bag of fish in Florida.
Anyway, before I get to my fishing, I need to answer a question. Nick M. asked which of the LTX rods I would recommend for the shaky head. … The one I’d go for is the 6′-7″ medium spinning rod.
I’m in between tournaments and, as is usually the case, business piled up on me. I was going to just move on, but I’m still thinking a little bit about Florida. And Florida, well, Florida was Florida again. As far as the tournament went at Toho went, I didn’t do as well as I’d like, and that’s the nicest way I know to put it. In fact, after fishing four days in two tournaments, I never had less than seven pounds, but I never caught as much as 10. Some days I was proud to get what I did.
Before I talk more about Florida, let me tell you that I’m about to spend some time competing in the Ultimate Match Fishing tournament on the Outdoor Channel. I get to do it again because I won it last year. I’d love to tell you about it. I seriously would. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to do that.
Anyway, if you followed the results in Kissimmee, you know I didn’t have a great tournament for the second time in a row. I vowed to change what I was doing when we went to Lake Toho, and I sort of did that. But nothing I tried helped enough.
Florida is just a funny state to fish in sometimes. There are several ways to fish, everybody knows it. The best way is a lot of times is to sight fish. But the thing about it is you’ve got to see the fish first. And that’s not as simple as it sounds.
You have to make a conscious choice during practice on how you’re going to fish the tournament. You have to set up your plan. One of those ways is to look for them. But you could spend all your time looking for fish, and then if you don’t see them what have you accomplished? I looked, but the beds I found were empty. And like I said, if you look for beds and you don’t find anything, you’ve blown a day. And it’s not like you can see everything. There’s 700 miles of shoreline on Toho.
At Kissimmee, five guys found a spot on about 200 yards of shoreline where they found fish. That was a good spot, but that was about it. At least that was all any of us found. The five that fished in that 200-yard section did good.
KVD, who won the tournament, was not one of those sight fishing. He caught his fish on offshore grass. He was catching 15 to 16 pounds a day, so he fished a good tournament. … I believe I’ve said this before. But he’s one fine angler. No matter what, he’s going to catch them.
But no matter what you do, you’ve got to get a big bite to finish in the money. Forty of the 50 guys that finished in the money in Florida got one big bite in two days. I didn’t, so I didn’t make the cut. That’s what it’s like in Florida.
Today we finished the Sunshine Classic. Well, I didn’t finish today. I actually finished Friday. I struggled again.
I came to Florida, knowing I’ve always had trouble. But I came here with a plan, and that plan was to fish these lakes differently than I have in the past. Here, what you have to do to be successful is to sit on an area. You sit and be patient and hope they bite in an eight or nine hours. That’s what I planned to do.
I finished 62nd, and that’s a lot better than 92nd, which I have done. But it’s not what I was looking for. I came in with a plan to be totally patient, but I didn’t have the confidence that I was the right area, so I moved. And, as a result, I didn’t get the fish and, therefore, didn’t fish a good tournament. It’s a guessing game sometimes, and if you’re not in the right spot, you can burn your whole time up and not catch a thing.
My style of fishing is moving around, finding them and then hunkering down - but it just doesn’t work here. And to be honest, luck plays a role sometimes on these Florida lakes. Just look at what happened today. Mike McClelland caught them today. Brian Snowden caught big bags for three days and didn’t catch a thing today. Look at the weights on the final 12. There were some awfully good anglers that didn’t catch many pounds worth of fish.
I’ll be perfectly honest, my goal coming here to this tournament was to get a check, finish in the money. And I didn’t even do that. My goal going into tournaments should be a lot higher than to finish in the top 50 and get a check.
Well, we’re in Florida again this coming week at Kissimmee.I’m going to change the way I approach things this time, I assure you.
Well, the Elite Series starts tomorrow. It’s the Sunshine Showdown on the Harris Chain of Lakes. As you can see in this picture, there are some administrative chores to take care of before we get on the lakes tomorrow.
But that wasn’t my biggest headache of the day. My biggest headache was knowing there are some killer spots on this lake, with big, big fish. And I’m leaving the boat ramp as No. 96. And that’s a bad piece of luck. Somebody might have a 20 pounds before I ever leave the dock.
And really, this is not as if there are all kinds of secret places on these lakes. It seems like there are four or five really good places to fish, where you can flat bring ‘em in. I saw an 8-pounder today and whole bunch of fives. But the thing is, everybody seems to know where the fish are.
It’s kind of a gut-check time for me. I’ve been fishing in these Florida waters since 1982. And I’ll be honest, I’ve never done real well here. In a way, I’m glad we’re here, because I always want another shot at these lakes. But I’ve got a lot of history that’s not good.
As I mentioned, I’ve been doing a thousand things since the Classic - but it hasn’t stopped me from thinking about my performance. I disappointed a lot of people.
As we grow up in the fishing business, it’s a one-on-one sport and it’s a roller coaster. We know. We don’t want the lows, but I think the lows make you appreciate the highs even more. Normally, you only have the pressure of dissapointing yourself and maybe a small group of people around you. But this was different.
After I won the Classic last year I met a lot of people around the country. They said they appreciated seeing me win, and they’d be pulling for me from now. A lot of people said they were in my corner. And it was not just Elite Series fans, it was people within the industry and even in the media. Some of the media guys went out on a limb and picked me to do well. I got a lot of calls from media people after it was over, and they all had the same question: “What the hell happened?”
So here’s what I did on Sunday. I felt like the only thing I could do, not making the cut, was go to the outdoor show and support my sponsors. Show them I’ll be there whether I win or lose. So I spent time with Triton and Mercury and time with E-21. … I felt like it was the right thing to do to go the outdoor show. I talked to fans all day long and signed autographs. But I think people will understand when I say while it was great getting to talk to people that love the sport, it was awful being there instead of fishing in the finals.
People were nice to say, “Man, I hate it for you, but that kind of stuff happens. You’ll get them next time.” … But it was killing me.
I’ll say again that it was a great, great tournament. … I just wish I’d done better.
Again, it’s been a hectic few days, and I haven’t had much time to myself. Let me say right now that I know it’s better to put out a blog on the spot - and not have to do a rehash several days later. I will try to do that during the Elite Series. I will do my best. But these few days have given me time to reflect. I’ve done a lot of thinking since the Classic. I know a lot of people are disappointed, and no one’s more disappointed that I am. It got away on the first day. Here’s what happened.
I had a good practice, caught about 17 to 18 pounds a day in practice, every day. Well, every day except one - and that was the day I found I spot that I thought would let me win the thing.
But anyway, on Wednesday, the official day, I didn’t check my good stuff. I checked other stuff. I checked up the Tugaloo River where I had one pattern. I had a another pattern down by the dam, that was a second spot. I was in good shape. But then I had this third place. That’s the one I was talking about. … I could have won the Classic in that one ditch. I went into that creek and found a school, a bunch of threes and fours. Then I went about 20 yards ahead and caught two more fours and a three. I trolled around some more and they were everywhere. … It’s not the first time I’ve seen fish stack like that, early pre-spawn. I have seen it. But they’re usually smaller. These were the biggest fish in the biggest numbers I think I’ve ever come on.
But the weather took the spot. … All of the great spots I found were dependent on stable weather. And we didn’t get it.
At that point, as Friday unfolded, as the weather changed with 35 degrees and rain, I had to decide whether to find another pattern, or whether I could get five out of my existing spots. … I chose to go after my existing spots. I had six on the first day, but I lost too many of them. Then, on Saturday, I had more than 15 pounds without a big fish. … But I didn’t survive because of Friday. Bad as you hate it, those days come. You just don’t want them in the Classic.
Here’s a funny thing, though. Even though Friday was a tough day with a low weight, I enjoyed the Classic. This year, as a consolation prize, I had a chance to watch the event, to take it in. … Greenville was great, so was Hartwell Lake. Last year I was so focused because I was leading. I had to block everything else out. This year, I was down on the floor. I got to pass the trophy off to Alton Jones. I got to watch the emotion of the other fishermen. I enjoyed that.
I was proud to see Alton Jones win it. He’s 16, 17 years in, he has solid character as an individual, and I’m certain he’ll do the things to support and represent the sport. He’ll be a good champion. It’s an unwritten requirement that the Classic champion will support and honor the sport. And, as I said, he’ll do that.
I was like a lot of people. I pulled hard for Charley Hartley. There’s probably no one that wouldn’t have been happy to see him win. I wasn’t surprised KVD was in there, he always is. And Cliff Pace fished a great classic, came out of nowhere.
One other thing. I was real excited to see Ike in the final six. He had kind of down year last year, and it’s great to see a leader in our sport back on top, where he belongs.
A quick word on today. It wasn’t what I wanted. I did what I could, but it wasn’t my day. Just a bad day on the water.
When it’s 36 degrees and raining when the day starts, you know nothing’s going to come easy. But I can’t make excuses, because a lot of people caught them. Not me.
I had planned to fish for shallow bites. That was my best game plan, but my surefire places were gone today. I actually checked a few spots that would have been great two days ago, but there was nothing there today. They were just muddy holes.
Oh, well, you can’t have a great day out every day. We’ll just try again tomorrow. I’ll be swinging for the fences, as they say. I might have zero fish tomorrow, but it won’t be for lack of effort.
Again, I haven’t been able to do this blog for a couple of days. There’s just too much going on right now between staying in Greenville and going down to Hartwell Lake and practicing.
But I appreciate the nice comments. And, honestly, on the shoes I just go for what’s comfortable. And red. I’ve got a dozen or so pair of shoes and I rotate them. They’re all different brands. I just look for comfort, something that lets me move around and stay on my feet.
Well, if you follow the Classic you probably know what’s going on here. Rain, cold weather, a chance of sleet. … Hartwell Lake hasn’t had any rain to speak of in what seems like a year, and we got enough this week to raise the lake level a foot and a half and mess up some great shallow fishing holes. … I had a spot. Man, did I have a great spot. Fish on top of fish. But it’s gone now. Nothing but a muddy, empty creek.
Oh, well, you take what the weather gives you. And to be honest, I’ve still got places to fish. But this is going to change things. It’s really going to hurt the shallow bite, but the deepwater guys are going to do well now. … No matter, it looks like we’re going to be out in our boats in a lot of cold weather with wind and rain. It ought to be quite a day on Friday. The anglers against the fish and the elements.
Other than the weather, it’s been a good Classic week. Greenville is doing a great job hosting this thing. And ESPN is really into the coverage this year. We got a chance today to see the commercials ESPN put together after Bobby Knight spent time with Timmy Horton, Gerald Swindle and me. Man, what a day that was. I’d have to say, Bobby Knight’s just a commanding in person as he is on TV. … No, I take that back. He’s more, way more commanding.
When I was asked to go to Lubbock, Texas to film this commercial, I was ready. I had an idea what we were getting into, but I didn’t want to miss this chance. And here’s what happened.
Bobby Knight talked to us, the three of us in chairs in front of him. He just talked to us, and he knew his stuff. He knew his stuff. He knew things about all three of us. He gave Timmy hell about his long hair. And he talked to Gerald awhile about being so good and never finishing first in a tournament. … He actually went kind of easy on me. He looked at my shoes and asked me if I always wear those read shoes. I said, “Yessir, I think they might be lucky.” He stared at the shoes and at me and said, “Well, to tell you the truth I kind of like them.”
The main thing I remember is that when he talked, we listened. I mean, you don’t talk when he’s talking.
After he did his thing, he took us on a tour around the athletic complex. He was like Moses parting the waters when he walked the halls. People just moved out of the way when we came through. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it.
He also gave us shooting lessons. Man, we were bad. My three-point shot was awful, but Timmy and Gerald weren’t much better.
Then a few days after we left, he resigned. I don’t know what to think about that.
You know, I’ve kind of missed doing this blog.I started it early last season because, to be perfectly honest, I got talked into it. After the Classic last year, I got into a discussion with a couple of friends about what I’d like to accomplish during my first year on the Elite Series tour. I mentioned some personal goals, but I also told them I wanted to do what little I could to help the sport grow. To make a long story, somebody said, well, since I had just won the Classic, people might actually be interested in hearing what I had to say about fishing – at least for a few months.
So, out of that conversation came this blog. It was tough early on because I didn’t do too well the first half of last season. But the second half of the season was a lot better, so the words came a little easier.I sort of got away from the blog at the end of last season. One of the reasons was simply that it was the end of the season. But the other was that I was backed up with a lot of other obligations that I couldn’t tend to during the season.
The offseason was hectic. I probably had a higher travel pace during the offseason than I during the tournament season. I’ve been all over the country working for my sponsors, especially Berkeley and E21. I’ve also had the opportunity to do some seminars and shoot some television commercials. One of them was a promo for this year’s Bassmaster Classic and we shot it with Bobby Knight, right before he resigned as coach at Texas Tech. I hope the commercial still runs. That was fun.I’m a little hesitant to talk about my schedule, though, because I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining or whining. Believe me, I’m not.
But the reality is that I spend about 50 percent of my working time on professional fishing obligations and the other 50 percent on my business, Southern Tank Leasing. … I wish I had more time to devote to both of them, but things are what they are. So I do what I can to take care of both businesses.
That said, I’ve tried to devote as much time as possible to the Classic. I’d like to defend the Classic title. It won’t be easy, but I’d sure like to win another one. Hartwell Lake is a good lake for the Classic, and it will be a challenge. I spent some time at the lake before our cutoff date, and I’ve fished sunup to sundown during this week’s Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday practice days.
The good news is I think I’m ready. I’m going to catch some fish. I think I have a good feel for the patterns on this lake, and I’ve got some spots picked out.
But there are a lot of other anglers that are going to catch them, too. More on that, tomorrow.
I thought about this driving down here, but I just never seem to have any luck catching fish in Florida. I’ve never been down here at a time when fish were biting good, so I just don’t know anything about the patterns.
I wish I could say things were different this week, but as of today - Thursday - nothing’s changed. I caught three fish that total 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Believe it or not, I’m not out of it because most everybody else is struggling, too.
It’s Monday morning. I’m back in Alabama after a hectic week in Arkansas. But to say it was worth it would be an understatement.
I enjoyed the heck out of my week at Lake Dardanelle, and I couldn’t be happier to win the tournament that honors Ray Scott. I’ve been a member of BASS since 1971, and I’m pretty sure all of us who have been around for a few years understand that this playground we’re competing on now is here because of the ideas and the work of Ray Scott.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier. It was a tough tournament. Challenging from start to finish. Below this you’ll find the button that kicks of about a five-minute audio blog. It goes into what I was doing the last part of the tournament. I hope you enjoy it.
