Despite the drop in water temps Brian Dupluchain caught a 12.6lb beast out there today.

Tougher is best for the tough.

Rayburn temps fell 12 degrees over the last couple of days and we cought lots of fish today. I just couldn't get a kicker.

Sort of like my stories. My partner had been undergoing Hep b treatment and did not get to go to Cedar Creek to prefish.
I had gone a couple times too and fished the last day before cut off the weekend before the tournament. Never having caught more than 2 fish and nothing but little ones, I called my partner that night and asked him if he would like to just skip this one.
He said that we should just go to have fun so we went. It was a summer tournament and it was taking 16 to 18 to win. Our first stop, his hole. Within 30 minutes we had a 7, a 5 and another 3 pounder. We knew then we were in it. Struggled the rest of the day but 20 minutes before weigh in we caught our 5th fish.
That was the last year they gave Champion boats. Champion was closing but we held out and Chad got us his comp boats. My partner kept the boat and still has it today. Champion 198, fully loaded.

Several years later and with my daughter we fished Tawakoni the last year they gave away boats. Again prefishing stunk with nothing to look forward to. We decided to just run a number of spots we knew and hope for the best.
Our first stop was a tiny patch of brush inside a point. Another boat was sitting on top of it fishing the bank. We kept waiting till they moved and then hit it. Nothing happened and I started moving off after 10 minutes. Tiffany got a hit and we boated our first 2 pounder. Cool.
Another little pile next to a small marina and I kept getting a hit but no fish. After about 4 misses I stuck it. Another 3 pounder.
We did not get another fish on our spots so we headed across the lake to some timber. A pattern emerged. We found if we hit isolated single trees in the forest and kept casting we would occasionally get a fish. Caught two more for the day with one nice one around 5 pounds. Around 1 I lost what may have won the tourney. It was a 3 pounder that I made the mistake with. I had put the boat between two trees and cast to an isolated tree. After several casts I put one just to the left of the tree but my line was over a small branch. I thought what the heck and pulled it up and dropped it a few times. Hit, pull, the fish breaks the surface a few times and is gone. It was at 1 so I did not know how bad we needed that one.
With just a few minutes to fish and having to idle through the timber to get out to open water, I told my daughter we would hit this one big tree up next to the bank. First cast, a 4 pounder. Going back to weigh in I knew we would probably be close. I turned out we were about 7 tenths of a pound short for 3rd place. That was the last year BC gave away boats.

So if you not on fish don't let that bother you. Tournament day is different.

May have been talked about before, but how does the launch work for Champs at Fork? Everyone meet at lake fork marina and launch like normal tourney? Or can you trailer? Thanks

Excellent advice from both you guys!! Just go fishin when you can and have FUN!! Life is too short.

And let me add that when Brian Duplechain says he caught a 12.6 you can take it to the bank!!

I found the lake in good shape today, much to my surprise. Fishing was good to real good in the 4 hrs I was out. Still stained to muddy, but a good angler and a little luck will figure it out pretty quick. I'm not but did, if the wind don't effect it to bad champs will catch'um up good tomorrow.