Fished Fairfield Saturday from noon to dark. No big ones but they were biting. Caught 7 and missed a few... almost forgot what it was like to get bit. Prefishing for a tournament there if I can find what tournament it is and when it is, if I haven't broken any of the prefishing off limit rules. I've been out of loop for tournament fishing and would have probably fished the tournament at Athens today had I known there was one there.






Took my old trusty Perception kayak out today. Spent several hours over the last two weeks trying to drill out stainless steel screws that hold the grab handles. I swear this will be the last time. Third time I've had to replace them and I'll drill a hole in hull and set kayak on fire before doing again. Did get up to 5.45 mph on a short run starting out. Second run on the way in I hit 5.65 and then it gps said 6.10 before I had to shut it down for fear of heart attack. No pics of gps but will give it try tomorrow at Murvaul.



Felt right at home when the raccoons showed up at the ramp. They like KFC chicken.

thanks Pelican...

Funny story... I'm coming back from recent Florida fishing trip on Christmas Day. Cut vacation short because weather was so windy I wasn't having fun. Decide I'll fish Logan Martin in Alabama on the way home. Had decided I would fish the new HUK/B.A.S.S. sponsored tournaments and would scout it out for a few days on way home. I'm somewhere in Georgia/Alabama in the middle of nowhere, been driving since early a.m. and am out of gas. I mean I am really out of gas. I'm 50 miles into my reserve that I know I have past totally empty. I'd lost gps signal for a while in the forests and ended up having to make a choice of which town might have a gas station open on Christmas Day. First gas station closed, small town, stop and ask someone in their yard which way to nearest station. They point me in direction and I'm on fumes praying I make it there while looking at which house I'm going to ask for gas at if I run out. Find gas station, see several cars there. I pull into pump, then notice sign on door Closed. Everyone was looking for gas as several more cars pulled in. Luckily, the sign said they would be open at 10:00 a.m. and I only had to wait 30 minutes.

Fill up with gas... my 10 gallon tank holds 11.1. gallons. Back on the road only an hour or so from lake and notice car broke down and know the mess they could be in on Christmas. Luckily its just a flat tire. Figure some old man or lady is in car... nope 21 year old kid. He works for UPS in Atlanta on way to visit mom for Christmas and 2 hours from her house. He has called her for help as he has driven it down to the rim and there's no fixing it. I tell him to call his mom and tell her not to come out as we will get it fixed somehow. Find out he has a good spare and a jack that he hasn't even attempted to use. He has never changed a flat before. I wanted to scream but decided I would teach him. Find out his jack won't work with the parts he had and so I'm going to have to use mine. I have to unload everything in my car to get to my jack... rods, paddles, all my fishing gear, literally everything in the back of my car has to come out.

Finally start jacking up car and let him do it after I have it half way up. Go back to my car for a smoke, come back, and he has lowered it back down. I guess it was easier than jacking it up. Twice he does that as he gets mixed up on which way makes car go up instead of down. I finish up, we say our goodbyes as I'm left to load everything back up in my car. Kids these days.

Back on the road, finally make it into town nearest the lake and pull into a small convenience store where a guy with a nice bass boat is parked. I'm going to ask him a few questions about the lake. After a short discussion, I'm following him to the ramp not anywhere near where we are. He has offered to show me the spots from his boat if I don't mind foregoing fishing from my kayak. It could only be good Karma for me to meet this guy.

To make a long story not as long, AJ is a guide on the lake. He went way beyond beyond being nice to give me such an education on that lake. He caught a few, mostly smaller fish but he was fishing where he would be fishing if it were spring... just for me.

Now the funny part... I was at the wrong Martin Lake... there are two in Alabama, one called Lake Martin and the other not too far away called Logan Martin. Decided when I got back home that I wouldn't be fishing in Alabama after all, but will fish the Lake Fork tournament.

Good story, Louis.

Very funny Louis!! Hope to see you at Fairfield bud!!

Duc

Awesome post. Thanks for sharing.

Great follow up story!! Especially the fact you did a good deed and it was returned to you!

You always have a good story.
Also glad to see the Schedule.
I'll be at Sam Rayburn in mid-march(boat) and now know to watch out for the Kayaks on the 21st.

More practice on Fairfield yesterday. Didn't get there until noon but it was fishing. Caught only three but decent size..17.5, 18, and 19.25... all on the same bait as last time, and in the same places. I know it will be tough with 70 guys fishing the same waters but the good news was where I was catching the fish and what I was catching them on... a new bait that was given to me for juvi tarpon. Will post pics of it after tournament next week whether it works or not, but it is a winner. I'm afraid to use it as I only have one and I'm trying to find out the name of it (I forgot). Supposedly a new bait.






Hope to see some of you guys out there... I think we all know Duc is one of the best tournament directors in kayak fishing.

Back to Fairfield for the NorthTexasKC Tournament this morning. Dragged myself out of bed at 2:30 a.m., out the door at 3:00, at the 5:00 a.m. captain’s meeting with a few minutes to spare. It was cold, I was cold. There were 77 participants. The older I get the closer to the ramp I fish.



After activating 4 hand hand warmers I hit the water. Can’t believe not many guys paddling in the direction I am.
Moon is going down exactly where I’m headed.




Soon discover three other anglers are in the general vicinity of where I want to fish. It took me too long to unload my kayak. Make note to myself to use my trailer next time. I head to opposite side of cove and start working the edge of grass in 3 to 4 feet of water... nothing. I’ve got 4 rods on deck and trying everything... I work the bank for a quarter mile as other anglers do the same on both sides of the cove. Conditions seemed perfect though the water was colder than it was on either practice day... 51 degrees vs 56 last week. After a couple of hours of nothing folks are evacuating the area.

Paddle back across to other side of cove and start with super secret bait. Get bit quick but fish pulls off right away. My confidence is sky high. Those fish are where I thought they would be. Wind picking up and I’m having a hard time getting bait to stay down at the right speed. Getting frustrated and pick up rod with my number 1 confidence bait and get smashed. Land an 18 incher and get pic and back to fishing. Set hook when I feel something weird.. fish bit coming towards me as I lose contact with spinner bait. Got a good one pulling drag as it heads directly under kayak. Fish #2 landed... 21 inches. Takes me forever to get a good picture as this fish tries to jump off measuring board. The worst part of tournament fishing is taking picture of fish with closed mouth. You jam it against board and try to get its mouth shut and it doesn’t want to. My last tournament at Fairfield, two years ago, I lost the first three fish I caught, that jumped off measuring board before I could get a picture. Was overly cautious today.


#1


#2



Back to fishing and catch a third... 17 inches. Catch it in the same 50 yard stretch I’ve caught the previous fish and the same area I caught them prefishing two successive times.

#3



Then the bite ends. Another hour of nothing and I make a move a mile away. Didn’t want to get too far away as I am coming back. Couldn’t believe I didn’t get bit in area with lots of big stumps in 6 feet of water. Realize time is flying and paddle a mile back against the wind. Make it back to my spot and catch #4 at 2:00, my best of day, 21.75.


I’ve got one hour to catch one more and feel I have a shot at winning. This is what tournament fishing is all about. One hour of casting knowing you just need one good fish.

Well it didn’t happen but I had a great time. That last hour was intense, trying to get as many cast out as fast as possible but having to slow way down on the presentation. Checking the time every 10 minutes, then every five minutes, then realizing you have to land and photograph fish in two minutes. Then back lashing on the last cast.and knowing it’s over.

For any of you guys that have never fished a kayak tournament... do it. Lots of damn good fishermen and you'll learn a lot. Duc is tournament director and he is absolutely one of the best in the business.

Results: I finished 21 out of 77. I'll take it. Good to be back fishing competitively.

http://ianglertournament.com/tourna...f9ZutYP1X2JH4bO91_YFHsKGBtwO5LtD2oHNVlJw

Good recap and congrats.