The first Elite Series event of the year at the Sabine River in Orange, TX was definitely an interesting event. I only live about two hours from there and opted to scout it out for only one day right before it went off limits due to time and financial constraints. During that time I never picked up a rod and only drove around for about four hours just to see what it had to offer. Of all the events I have fished in the Elites, this event came down to pre tournament satellite imagery study more so than any other event checking out the possibilities for clean water. Water quality seemed to play the most pivotal role in this tournament and that is why it ultimately fished so small.
Practice sucked for me. I did not catch a keeper the entire time and two of the days I actually only had a handful of bites and several of those werent even bass. On Day 2 of practice I did find an area that I could get a lot of bites in but failed to catch a keeper there even after trying to weed through numbers. The one positive thing about the practice period is the dock talk all seemed to indicate that everyone was having the same issues. Knowing this, I was able to formulate a game plan that I knew would give me a chance to survive this event and hopefully walk away with a check and valuable points towards making the Classic.
My game plan for the event was to go to the area near the ramp that I could actually get bit in and weed through the small fish hoping to catch a keeper or two and then I would take a calculated risk the next day by running an hour and a half to a wildlife refuge that had been closed for almost six months but was scheduled to open on March 15th, Day 2 of our tournament. I had nothing to lose because practice was so bad. I was going to be happy with a single keeper on Day 1 and elated if I were to catch two of them. As far as Day 2, I would just accept whatever would happen with my gamble.
Day 1: Last FlightBeing in the last flight, I could see that there werent many anglers that turned left to go upriver from the take off. Of those that did, I think 75% of them chose to go to the same place I did and none of them were the studs that are typically on top of the leader board. There were seven anglers that started in this hole and by the end of the day only one of them, rookie Hank Cherry, came out with a limit. He straight up put on a clinic for the spectators and other pros in this area as he was culling by 10 oclock. I ended up with 2 chip keepers for the day but botched opportunities to have a solid limit. One or two other anglers ended up with one dink in the box and the rest laid goose eggs.
The water in this area was fairly clear for the Sabine River as we had a foot of visibility. There was deep water fairly close to the shore and much of it was lined with cypress trees. This area had history of some quality fish catches and was absolutely loaded with ditch pickles and tight eyes. Giant mullet were getting airborne, but the dominant forage in the area was tiny little minnows and shad. For that reason, I downsized my baits and caught almost all of my fish on a tiny translucent 3 jerkbait made by a new Japanese company called DUO. I caught over 40 fish on the day on the jerkbait using a braid to flouro combo on a spinning rod. Because most of the other guys were flipping and throwing plastics slowly, I was able to move around efficiently covering water catching fish behind them. The most productive way I was able to catch them was by twitching the bait slowly around cypress knees or working it aggressively on the initial break line where fish were staging to move up to spawn around the cypress trees.
Even with that poor showing, everything was going as planned and I was tickled to have the two keepers I did have. I was sitting in 61st place with my two bass that went 3lbs 3oz.
Day 2: First FlightAsk any local in South West Louisiana where the place to be on the Ides of March would be and odds are if they owned a fishing pole, they would have said The Refuge. Access to this area closes down every year in October and reopens on March 15th and the locals plan their vacations around it as an opportunity to fill the freezer with filets. This sounded good to me!
I made the hour and a half run early in the morning along with numerous other guys that had similar plans as my own. Here is when a little bit of luck got involved Where to go blind in a maze of canals that were closed during the official practice days as well as during most of the time prior to the event going off limits. Having limited local info to guide me, I chose a canal that looked good on Google Earth. This canal was stained and had cypress trees and willow scrubs lining the edges. It was roughly 5 deep in the middle, was a mile long and had a terminal end with a swamp drain in the back. I chose wisely along with the 25 or so locals that had fish already flopping in the ice chest when we got there.
I did all of my damage in this canal pitching a Junebug colored Evolve Kompak Craw to cypress trees with a 1/8oz tungsten weight and punching the thicker stuff with a 1 oz weight. After a few missed opportunities, I ended up catching a limit by 10:30 in the crowded canal.
Once I caught my limit, the mind games started setting in. The mental side of this sport truly separates the field at this level. My biggest problem is I have always struggled financially and I NEED TO MAKE CHECKS. A lot of these guys are able to fish for the win or to maximize points towards making the Classic or making a run at the AOY. It sucks but it is what it is so at 11:00 I made a short run to fill up with gas and after another stop made the long run back to the ramp to secure my $10,000 check. THIS WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I MADE THIS WEEK! I should have hammered on those fish for at least another hour and a half trying to increase my weight while they were biting and not totally molested yet.
My limit weighed 11lbs 1oz and shot me up to 24th place with a two day total of 14lbs 4oz. I solidified my check and I was fishing on Day 3. I just knew I was going to smash them going into Day 3 because of the success I had on Day 2 and I left them biting
Day 3: First FlightI made the long run back over to The Refuge and was shocked to only see five boats in the canal. That should have been the first clue that things werent going to be the same. I fished the first two hours with only three bites! NOT GOOD! I ran around and tried several other canals with the same results. A lot of them had gotten muddier with a strong south wind. I ran into quite a few of our guys that were also struggling to even get bit that day. We all surmised that the extreme fishing pressure the day before had raped the bass population in that area. We had never seen fish get educated that fast!
I opted not to fill up with gas on the water that morning choosing to spend that extra time trying to put a keeper in the box. I blew my chance at a solid three pounder later in the day that would have helped, but ended up leaving that area at 1:00 with nothing to show but a half empty tank of gas. I trailed another competitor back to the lock that had a solid limit and let her rip the rest of the way once we were safe in the straight away running down the Intercoastal canal. I knew I might get an hour to fish my Day 1 spot if I made it back quick enough, but I ran out of gas two miles from the take off. If I had had a fish to weigh, I would have done things differently and not had this problem.
Every competitor that passed me running back to the weigh in stopped to offer aid but I chose to just stay on the trolling motor and limp my way back since I didnt have any fish. There has been a lot of talk recently about sportsmanship at the upper levels of bass fishing and it is moments like this that the fans do not get to see. It happens at every event. Most of the guys will not help you get ahead, but not a single one of them will leave you stranded at the end of the day. You will not be left behind because they know it could very easily be them the next day no matter what boat or motor they run.
I ended up with zero fish on Day 3 and fell to 42nd but I still got paid! My girlfriend Stephanie and my son Ash came to the weigh in to cheer me on. Seeing my little boy in his little tournament jersey was the highlight of the week. Other spectators on the dock said it was a sad sight to see him crying on the dock when I was having to leave calling for his Daddy.
Jerkbait Gear:Bait: DUO Realis Minnow 80SP: Top Smelt
Line: 10lb Seaguar Kanzen Braid w/ 8lb Seaguar Invizx leader
Rod: Dobyns Champion Extreme 702 Spinning
Reel: Daiwa Excellor 2500 Spinning reel
Pitching Gear:Bait: Evolve RX Kompak Craw: June Bug - 1/8 oz Elite Tungsten - 3/0 Gamakatsu flipping hook
Line: 17lb Seaguar Abrazx
Rod: Dobyns Champion 705
Reel: Shimano Curado E7
Flipping Gear:Bait: Evolve RX Kompak Craw: June Bug - 1 oz Elite Tungsten - 3/0 BMF
Line: 65lb Seaguar Kanzen Braid
Rod: Dobyns Champion 765
Reel: Shimano Curado E7
As time permits, I am going to try to write a recap for all of the events this year. If you are interested in checking out more of my tournament insights as well as have a chance to win some cool stuff from some of my sponsors, hit me up with a "Like" on my Facebook Fan Page or follow me on Twitter.
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