Zero fish - couldn’t happen, could it?

I’m at High Rock Lake near Greensboro for the first major tournament of the year - the Bassmaster American. And let start by saying my practice days were horrible. I never got on anything that was working. I didn’t get enough bites to establish any kind of pattern, and when you don’t see a pattern the only thing you have to go on is where the fish should be this time of the year.

So I made the decision to fish out in the main lake most of the day, and I didn’t catch a single fish that was longer than the 14-inch minimum. Zero. … Really a discouraging day. It’s the first time I’ve ever walked across a Bassmaster stage with nothing to show.

The tournament is over for me. It’s done, and I’ve got nothing to show for it.

It’s tough when you’re a competitor and you want to win. I had to be around people I’ve competed with and against. They know I’ve had some success. I won the Bassmaster Classic this year, and that was coming off a decent year last year.

Walking across that stage today with nothing to show was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. … But I did the only thing I felt like I could do. I went to the stage for the weigh-in and had my head up high. I stood up for my sponsors, and I tried to take it the best I could.

So that’s the news. It was a hard day. Somehow now I’ve got to put it behind me and get enough confidence to go out there and see if I can make something positive happen and get back in it.

As far as what to do, I have no idea. I’ll probably start further back in the creeks and see what happens. That’s where most of the guys that caught them were. … The main lakes didn’t work, and the few guys that were out there on the main lakes with me died with me.

Chalk it up to experience. But what a tough day.