On Saturday November 22nd, I got the pleasure of doing another "Jr Day On The Water" with Cameron Turnquist. I have to tell you all the talent of these Jr angler's is amazing. I really feel Cameron could enter any tournament he wanted to and hold his own there. At 15 this kid makes decisions that would make you sit back and just be amazed.
I arrived at the Spill Way Ramp on Lake Texoma about 6:30am and pulled up on Two Boats already in the parking lot. One being Cameron's and the other being Jeff Formans. Jeff followed Cameron around the entire day to show his support for the Jr Angler. ( Jeff didn't give Cameron any advice from the start till the finish of the trip)
The air and wind mixed were very crisp and chilly. Cloud cover with the winter haze and NO SUN would prove to be a gloomy day.....well weather wise! (you will have to forgive the PICTURES, I don't know what happened they turned out with a haze effect on them)
7:00 After Cameron walk us through how he plans to attack the day, he has his dad back him into the water.
While we pull out of the ramp cove he idles over to a drop off near a point to check for bait fish, Nothing in here yet, i will probably finish here he states.
7:07 He has moved a mile or so up the lake and makes a left turn into a cove. He starts on the left bank that is loaded with rocks and more rocks. He starts off running a RC 1.5 Lavender Shad Crank along the rocks trying to trigger reaction strikes. His boat is in 10.1 feet of water casting to 1-2 feet of water.
He runs his crank in front of a dock and feels some brush, he picks up a 5/16 Watermelon/Green Pumpkin jig with a Zoom Super Chunk trailer and makes a few cast in to the heart of the brush. No Luck.
He spends the next 29 minutes casting the Crank and Jig to the rocky Shore Line and Docks, before he moves across the cove and points out a small rock point we are approaching. 7:36 As he turns and is talking to Jeff who is in the middle of the cove watching, He feels a sudden WHACK on his RC 1.5 Crank. The fish loads up on the rod good and with a short battle he lands FISH #1 a Large Mouth weighing in at 2.08 pounds (2 lbs 8 oz). The fish was in 3 feet of water.
He knocked the crankbait hard Cameron tells us as you can see the weight of the first fish fly off his shoulder's
7:50 Has another fish on the crankbait and turns to tell me get the camera......UH......he misses fish and laugh's...Man that's exactly what Thomas Ross PM'ed me and told me not to do. 8:20 He has now moved to the Drain on the right side of the FINA STORE, he works his way back tot he very back and we shoot a video on setting the hook and learning from others mistakes.
8:21 Not a minute later he's casting the 5/16 Watermelon/Green Pumpkin jig With a Zoom Super Chunk Trailer to under water tree's in 14 feet of water, when he PRACTICES WHAT HE JUST PREACHED. He feels a TAP-TAP and BAAAAAAAM with a smooth hook set he stick a...............
Keeper #2 a 3.13 SMALL MOUTH...WHAT A SITE.
Well not 15 minutes later how about round 2 with depth lure and everything the same.
Keeper #3 a 3.05 Small Mouth
9:02 After getting hung up Cameron looses jig he had caught the last 2 Smallmouth.
9:12 Catch's his line he broke off, but can't get it before it falls back to the water.
9:14 Her's THUMP THUMP THUMP on his trolling motor and pulls it up to fine his line and jig he lost, After about 5 minutes of picking line from his Trolling motor prop he reties the jig only to lose it again 5 minutes later. I guess It wasn't ment to be he states.
He spends the next Hour moving in and out of coves trying to locate the fish. Using The Lavender Shad crankbait, and 5/16 Pumpkin Seed Jig.
Cameron Talking about Jr Angler's CLUB
10:20 He moves to a drain a few coves up from the dam and tells me he know of a brush pile in the back of it, he should catch a fish from.
He works his way back to the BrushPile cranking the rocks and surrounding tree's off the bank.
He reaches the BrushPile and picks up his Jig.
Keeper #4 a Large Mouth Weighing 3.01 pounds, Kinda a easy fight after the last two Small Mouth's he says joking.
Man that's something right out of the Bass Master's Magazine he tells, you flip into the brush and stick a 3 pounder.
10:50 After fishing out the cove he just caught the 3 pounder in, he moves out and heads back towards dam and pulls into a shallow cove moving to the back and starts casting the Lavender Shad crank Bait when he sticks.......
Fish #5 Large Mouth weighing .04 pounds (culled) Keeper #6 Large Mouth weighing 1.00 Pounds
Both fish were around the 3 feet mark in 58.6 degree water.
Cameron would finish out the day fishing Drop shot's and Jigs in the area's where he caught the 2 Small Mouth and 3 pound Large Mouth. With no luck. The SUN never showed up and it was COLD the entire day. Weight Wise he had a great day and is a GREAT Jr angler, really knows how to use his graphs and locate bait fish. For it being a GLOOMY Grey Hazed Day. He never gave up and ground it out till the last whistle.
Cameron's "Jr Day On The Water" Sack Fish #1.....Large Mouth.....(2.08) Fish #2.....Small Mouth.....(3.13)*1 Fish #3.....Small Mouth.....(3.05) Fish #4.....Large Mouth.....(3.01) Fish #5.....Large Mouth.....(1.00)
Total Weight................(13 LBS 11 OZ)*2 *1......New Big Bass record for Jr Anglers *2......New Heavy Stringer for Jr Anglers.
To Cameron and his Dad. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to watch a great young angler at work. Stuart, you have really raised Cameron right, everyone's perception of him on the TFF holds true. Both of you are Great people who are true stewards of the Lord.
Cameron, I will really dread the day i have to fish against you. Great job today dealing with what mother Nature threw at you at you. I will tell you, I learned A TON about JIG fishing today from you, and great tips on life living through the Lord. Keep it up and Good luck in what ever path you take in life and fishing.
Thanks to Lake Fork Tackle for all the contribution that make these possible.
Thank to Mark Jones of the BBT, for giving Cameron some great Carrot Stix rods, and also for the great NEW CAMERA "Day On The Water" Has. Man that thing is AWESOME....
Delo's and Froggy D's for the Tackle they pitched in.
Rob at Line and Lure/BTS for products and McCoy's for the Line.
#2859883 - 11/23/0805:37 PMRe: "Jr Day On The Water".....Cameron Turnquist.....Texoma RESULTS
[Re: monkester]
X-rayed Fish
TFF Guru
Registered: 02/25/03
Posts: 45536
Loc: Dallas, TX
Good Job Cameron! my wife just walked in while I was watching his first smallmouth video... I explained a little about Cameron and him being 15 with a bright future ahead of him. She agrees he has some fishign skills and professionalism needed to succeed. Another thing she said was "Is that Casey? He sounds like a hick!" LOL!!!
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