Big Indiana Bass

Event #4 of the Michigan Div. BFL went out of the Detroit R. at the same time that the Elites were there fishing. This changed up some plans, and made for tough fishing. Here's how the Indiana guys fishing the event fared, then Heath's tournament notes:

23 - HEATH WAGNER  ANGOLA, IN 16-02 (5)
26 - ROY MARCHANT  ELKHART, IN 15-00 (4)
27 - ROB CAMPBELL  TRAFALGAR, IN 14-15 (5)
29 - STEVE ROTH  SYRACUSE, IN 14-14 (5)
34 - ROGER HENSLEY  JONESBORO, IN 13-08 (4)
40 - KYLE PRSKALO  HOBART, IN 12-09 (5)
46 - MICHAEL KRAMER  SOUTH BEND, IN 10-01 (5)
65 - DEWAYNE ECK  ANGOLA, IN 1-06 (1)
---   BOB SNYDER  MARION, IN 0-00 (0)

HEATH'S REPORT:

I got a good night's sleep Friday night. I cannot explain why, but I am not feeling the points lead pressure. That is not like me, I have anxiety problems before most events and do not settle down til the first cast. My practice left me a lot to think about. Go for the win or go for the check? Yet still I slept like a baby. I woke up at 4:50 which was only 10 minutes before the alarm. Blast off was at 6:30 and I was boat 3. The morning launch at Elizabeth is smooth as silk so I never get in a hurry to get there. I don't know if I have ever mentioned it, but I always stop at McDonald's every single BFL morning and get a sausage and egg biscuit meal with a medium orange juice. I can usually barely choke it down because of nerves, but I rarely eat in the boat and I have to have something in me.

I was paired with Eddy Frye the current co-angler leader in the points. I told him I would be there at 5:45. Well I got there a bit late at 6:00 as Mcd's was a bit slow that morning. We made it through boat check in plenty of time. I discussed with Eddy my plans for the day and he said he didn't care what I did, he was ready to go fishing. The Elite tourney was heavy on my mind. I knew going for the win would involve a few pros pulling up on me through the day as well as BFL guys. The area I have been fishing has become quite busy the last few weeks. I am not used to this as I have fished this area a longgg time with virtually no pressure. I may see one or 2 bass boats in both practice and tourney day and I can tell you who they are when I see them. Don't get me wrong, I get it, and do not hold it against anyone for checking it out. When the big bags are coming from a certain place, you have to go check it out. It's no secret Erie is hot this year and St Clair is not.

We blasted off at 6:30 right on the nose and it was at this moment I made the decision that I was going to fish Michigan water and hope to cull to a good limit. I knew that I would have much of it to myself and this is the way I like to fish. I had no worry about a pro pulling in on me. It really surprised me they didn't fish the water I was heading to as it was an easy $10,000 top 50 check. It wouldn't have even surprised me to see a top 12 come from this area.
Anyway it was about 18 miles to my first stop, which is a short run compared to what I have been doing. The winds for the day were calling for 5-10 out of the NE switching to the SE as the day progressed. This would make it a bit bumpy but it should be an easy day to move around. As I neared my first stop I got a sinking feeling that I was making the wrong decision. I don't like laying up and I felt like I was laying up by heading to this area. A few weeks ago I really thought that there was a chance to win here, but after practice, I really felt the big fish were not there in the numbers they were. I knew there was a slim chance at 20 pounds or more, and there is no doubt in my mind that that much weight was still living here in the form of resident fish, but I felt the school of larger fish had moved on. I have a 'no regrets' attitude and I already had the regrets. I seriously considered as I neared to turn the boat and head across Erie. I made a decision as I sat down that "I'm here, I am gonna stick it out and see what I can do". I no longer liked this decision before the first cast, but nevertheless it was in this area that held my destiny for the day. I was going to do whatever it took to make this place work.

There was a 17 foot Crestliner idling across the deep rock hump I had discovered a few weeks ago as I pulled in. I figured he was getting ready to perch fish as this area has been real hot for the perch bite the last few weeks. I have literally seen hundreds of boats in the distance as I have fished, but no one has fished for them within a mile of me.  I sat down on the spot and began fishing and to my surprise the Crestliner turned his boat around and came right back towards me. He stopped about 2 casts away and began bass fishing. I didn't say anything and went about my business. It was a beautiful morning with about a foot of chop on the water, so holding the boat  was not a problem.

I started with the smokin' purple flash Poor Boy's tube that I have been fishing all year. On the second cast I hooked up and put a 15 incher in the boat. I looked up to see the Crestliner now a bit closer and he was battling a 2 1/2 pounder to the boat to which he threw a buoy. After boxing the fish I trolled towards him to protect the spot and he pulled away a bit. As long as he gave me room I had no problem with him fishing here. The one thing that did concern me was the fact that there were now 2 boats close together, and on a Saturday on Erie in a hot perch area, this is not a good thing. People don't pay attention to what you're fishing for, they only see boats and stop close to fish. A third boat pulled in about 3 casts from me and anchored up. I knew they were away from the rock pile so I didn't mind, but I knew there would soon be more.

Two more casts later I hook up on a solid fish. Big smallmouth have a very unique feel when you hook one deep. They shake their head hard, but have a more "lazy" and heavy feel to them. They are fast , but nothing like a 2-3 pound fish. This fish definitely felt solid and I yelled for the net. She came right to the surface and did a slight belly flop, but I didn't get a good look. My co said it was a Hawg. She stayed right near the top and about 10 feet from the boat did what many large fish do with a tube and shook her head and blew it right out just like she was never hooked. She looked to be a solid 4 1/2+, but I will never know. A few minutes later I hook up with another solid fish that made it to the net. I weighed it at 3-9 and boxed her. Not what I was looking for, but a good start. A few cast later and I hook into another fish that felt huge. Another belly flop onto the surface and there she was, GONE!!!! I shook it off as I knew this area was loaded with fish and I would have other chances.This is the only thing you can do to not think about it, but those big girls still haunted me.

I instantly changed to the drop shot to see if I could up my landing percentage, and on my second cast put another 15 incher in the box. Shortly thereafter Eddy was able to put his first fish in the boat, a solid 3-10 on a green pumpkin tube. A few minutes later and he put another one in the boat. Not being a dummy I switched back to my tube and quickly boated 2 more fish that each went 3-4. I now had 5, but did not have the right 5. Eddy was able to put 2 more fish in the box pushing 3 pounds. It was about this time (7:30ish) that the perch boats really started to gather around us. Everyone was fairly courteous and kept their distance. I knew it would be bad if spreader rigs with minnows flopped down around the smallies, but so far they were all far enough away to not affect us. I counted 13 that were 4-5 casts away. The Crestliner was still about 2 casts away and had caught a few fish, but I really had not paid attention to what he was doing. I only heard the fish jump and glanced up to see his rod bowed.

I become quite entranced in my Humminbird when I am fishing as holding on waypoints is imperative to catching fish out here. The perch boats were a little distracting, but they were all courteous and there to have a good time. I considered hollering out that the perch were out another mile, but I figured they would figure it out sooner or later when they didn't catch any. There were so many smallies here, no perch in his right mind would inhabit this area. At 7:45 I hook up with another solid fish that came up twice but never jumped. I knew it was definitely a big smallie and kept pressure on the fish.  She dove under the boat and about 3 feet from the net we saw her another 4+ fish that simply opened her mouth and spit the TUBE!!! I know I sound like a broken record the last couple events with the tube, but these large tube fish have my number!!!! I have tried different rods, hooks, and line and nothing has helped. I truly feel that these fish bite down so hard that you cannot get the hook slammed into there mouth. I think the front of the tube hits their closed mouth and never penetrates when I set the hook. My buddy Ryan, gave me a little trick to try for the next tourney. If it works I will let you know.

Once again just before 8, I had yet another large fish pull free the same way. We got a real good look at all these fish and they were all the right ones. This at least instilled confidence in me that I could put a 20 pound sack together in this area. Eddy and I contiued to put more fish in the boat over the next hour, but nearly every fish we landed was between 2-8 and 2-12. Nice fish, but not the right ones. We hooked a few others that felt good that pulled free, but we never saw them. At 9 am most of the perch boats had now moved on. The Crestliner was sticking with the area as well as the first perch boat on us. They were doing more drinking and talking than fishing, and I don't think they cared if they had a bite or not. They weren't bothering me so I didn't mind. Another perch boat pulled in and started idling right towards me. It was about a 26 footer and at first I thought it was the DNR as they pulled within 10 feet of me!!!! An older guy went to the front to lower the push button anchor when I stopped him by asking if they planned on fishing here. He said yeah they were after some perch. As calmly as I could I pointed out to the pack of about 60 boats that was forming a mile out. I told him I was fishing for bass and doing quite well as well as the guy in the Crestliner. I also told him that the other perch boat was not doing good at all that was close by. He told me that his number one waypoint was right where I was and that they were going to fish for a bit. It was then that I lost my cool. I told him that he was welcome to fish nearby, but he needed to be at least 2-3 casts away. I was bass fishing and had been here all morning and that all the other boats that came in gave me room and everyone else room to fish. There was no reason for him to be this close. He replied once again that he had a waypoint here!!! I told him I didn't care if he had 100 waypoints here he needed to give me some space. My co angler now joined the conversation as well as the guys in the other perch boat who were now listening to the conversation. Fortunately, everyone was on my side and the guy replied "all you bass fisherman are all the same, you think you own the water". I told him I didn't own anything, but a little common courtesy was all that was needed. He sped off to the pack throwing a nice wake at us as he left. At least the problem was solved and we could get back to work.

Eddy and I continued to catch cookie cutter fish. It was not one right after the other, but the bite was consistent. Occasionally, we would cull an ounce or two, but really weren't gaining much ground. We really did not have a big fish bite that we knew of since 8:30. It was now 10 and I was seriously contemplating making a long run to my shallow crankbait fish. The waves were around a foot or so, so the conditions to run weren't bad at all. In the back of my mind there was also an area that I have healed up on nearby in a hurry. It usually loads up as the day wears on and the shad get active. It is a shallow rock pile that has some scattered wood on it. It tops out at 3 feet and drops to 6-8 on the side. I felt it was now my best hope at a few 4 pounders. I made the decision to stay and hope that it got right.

I decided to run in and hit some of the other shallower piles that the Coach and I caught fish on Thursday and at 11 I would hit the shallow sweet spot. My next stop produced a cull fish on a crank bait on the first cast. Still not a big one but a solid 3 pounder. Eddy hooked up on 4 pounder on his crankbait only to have the line snap. She showed herself very clearly as she jumped 4 times trying to rid her face of the nasty trebles. This day was definitely an eventful day. Eddy retied his crank bait and on the very next cast it wrapped around the end of his rod and snapped the crankbait off and sent it flying. I knew what happened and watched his crankbait hit the water. I hollered I got it and began trolling towards his crank bait. Eddy hollered "I lost the whole thing!" I thought he meant he lost his crankbait and I replied "No worries, I see it". He again said "I lost the whole thing". I turned to see him looking into the water for his rod and reel which flew from his hand when the crankbait snapped off!!! Well, I at least got his crankbait back, but he made several casts to hook his rod to no avail.

We continued fishing and caught a few more cull fish, but again, only by ounces. At 11 we made the run to check the sweet spot. I have been fishing this spot for 15 years and know it like the back of my hand. I know what puts em there. I also know that if the largemouth are on it, it rarely has many smallies. On my first cast I put a 16 inch largie in the boat that did not help. Eddy did the same. The conditions were right for it to be good, but the smallies were simply not here. One thing I do pay attention to on Erie are the seagulls and what they are doing. I have to say that the seagull is my absolute favorite animal. They have won me a lot of money over the years. I noticed while we were here that there were nearly 300 of them just sitting on the water enjoying the day. This was not a good sign. No bird activity, no shad activity, no smallie activity:)

We caught a few more largies and decided to head back to our starting area. Only one boat was left and it was the Crestliner. He now had 2 buoys out and was fishing just west of me 2 casts. Just after we arrived he pulled them both and trolled up a little over a cast to the north of me and threw a buoy. He instantly hooked a good fish and played it all around the boat. He weighed it and for the first time today I talked to him and asked him how big it was. He hollered over excitedly that it was 4-6. At least I knew there were big ones here still. We once again began catching fish and would occasionally would still get an ounce or two better. I knew we were both in the 15 pound range and this is not what I came here after. I truly believed 17-18 pounds would not be a problem. Weigh in was at 2:30 and I wanted to head back at 1:50. It was now 1:00 and I decided to hit as many of the rockpiles in the area that I could over the next 50 minutes. I was hoping to pull up on the right one at the right time and hit a school of big ones.

Over the next 50 minutes We hit 5 different spots and boated a fish or two on each. I did manage my second biggest fish of the day at 3-6. Still not the right one, but a bit better. After a few more 2-10's we had to head back to weigh in making a quick stop in the river mouth which did not give up a fish. We made it to check in with 2 minutes to spare so we literally fished nearly every second we could. By the time I made it to weigh in, several good bags had been weighed. I weighed in a disappointing 16-2 and Eddy weighed in 15-8. At weigh in end, 22 pounds won the event, and my buddy Gary, who has been fishing near by my glory hole weighed in a solid 21-15 for his second straight second. He too said practice was tough. He had nothing going so he decided to stick with the area that has been good to both of us. He said he had nothing at 10 and that is when the light switch flipped and between 10 and noon he filled his livewell with 4 pounders. It just goes to show you you just never know. My 16-2 landed me in 23rd and out of the money. Eddy cashed the last co angler check at 14th place. Amazingly, we both remained in the points lead going into the last event.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words on my stories, I really do appreciate them. I enjoy recalling my events and often revisit and re read them to see exactly what I did last time or last year. God Bless everyone!!

Its that time again. Going to host another Labor Day Derby on the river for anyone interested. 7 am until 12 pm and the same rules as Wednesday Night apply. 4 fish limit if everyone has a partner, 2 fish limit if we have any solo competitors. Fish must be 15 inches or longer, no dead fish allowed, no culling in ramp parking lot. $40.00 per boat, two big bass pots this time. One for biggest smallmouth, one for biggest largemouth. Looks like we will have a crowd, so I will pay out probably 3, maybe even 4 places. Be kind to other fishermen and boaters. Give everyone some space and be careful running the river as its pretty low right now, but far from dangerous.

This year, due to some sort of art fair going on, we will not be able to fish the Broad Ripple pool of the river on Labor Day. They will have the entire ramp and parking lot shut down. So we'll fish this tournament on the 30th St pool of the White River. Not as diverse, but still good fishing once you figure them out with both largemouth and smallmouth. More shallow water up from the ramp than BR, but more deeper water from the ramp down to the 16th St dam. Lots of grass and wood, same as BR. Basically once you run to the 30th St bridge you will have to idle if you run a glass rig. Take your time and all is well.

Just an FYI for those that might be looking for a fun little tourney to fish that doesn't eat up your entire holiday. In the pics, that's Bryan Johnson (top, left) and Reggie Gibson (below) with a pair of fish from the Lake Indy pool this past weekend. Bite's on!

If you have any questions feel free to call or text me (Josh McDermott), 317-292-6150. See you there!

Our sixth event of the season took off to overcast skies that promised a shallow bite and some fun fishing.
 
The team of Ed Bauer and Bob Garner showed up with a jet boat and headed up the creek to pull out the victory and claim the SMI MARINE First Place Plaques and $1000.00 dollars .  They landed a monster dog days of summer bag that tipped the scales at 17.41 pounds!!! This bag included the OUTDOORSMAN SPORTSHOP SECOND BIG BASS AWARD which weighed in at 4.83 pounds.  I'm betting that some of those Bauer's Custom baits played a big roll in their win.  Great Job Guys!!!
 
Second Place went to the team of Doug Ruster and TJ Edwards (Sub for Shane Peters).  They brought in a nice limit hitting the scales at 13.03 pounds. Rumor has it they caught their best fish on one of their last casts of the day.
 
For the Third time this year the Bigbass of the tournament went to the team of Dale Brand and Dan Pennington with a 4.86 pound beauty!!!  These guys know how to catch the big ones and they proved it again! Great Job!

THE DENALI RODS ANGLER OF THE YEAR RACE
 
HOLY SMOKES WE HAVE A TIGHT ONE!!!  Who would of thought that after six events with one event remaining that the angler of the year race would be separated by less than half of a point!!!  DJ Capps and Matt McClanahan maintained their lead by the slimmest of margins with 623.53 points followed almost in lockstep is Dale Brand and Dan Pennington with 623.14 points.  In a distant third is Jerry Koller and Scott Davis with 607.23 points.  But this is Lake Monroe so they are certainly not out of it.
 
I just want to say thanks to all the teams for coming out and a special thanks to all the sponsors for their support as well. I would like to give a special thanks to our Lake Monroe Division Sponsors: SMI MARINE (www.smimarine.com) out of Louisville who is the Legend Boat Dealer for our area and the suppliers of the plaques for our events. THE OUTDOORSMAN SPORT SHOP (www.outdoorsmansportshop.com) in Greenwood who provides a prize for second biggest bass at our events as well as a discount for our fishermen (Get a card from me). Also, BASS BOAT SAVER (www.bassboatsaver.com) who has provided us with a PREMIER Boat cleaning/waxing product for first team out of the money and DENALI RODS (www.denalirods.com) who will be giving our Anglers Of The Year two premium rods.
 
Please support our sponsors where you can and let them know we appreciate their support!
 
Check out our divisional web page for full results and additional information:
http://www.actournaments.com/tdata/schedule2013.asp?Selectvalue=354
 
I would like to give a special thanks to Brian Waldman over at BIGINDIANABASS.COM for posting our results, pictures, and story.

Our last event of the season will be on Saturday, September 7th!   If you or someone you know is interested in fishing with us, please don't hesitate to give me a call.  We would love to have you.
 
Thanks,
 
 
Travis Feuerbach
Cell: 317-445-0386

Everstart Detroit River Day 2

I met my co angler for day 2 once again at 5:15 am at Elizabeth Park. This may cause a little controversy, but please know I only make these statements because this is how I truly feel. My co-angler for the day only had 4 pounds on Day 1 and was in no contention to get a check or make the cut. I would never ask anyone not to fish, but I did tell him about my experience at a BFL Regional event on the Mississippi River at Fort Madison. I explained that I had zeroed on day 1 of that event and that I had absolutely no chance of cutting a check. Catching a limit or a few fish would only show up on a stat paper that really meant nothing last place or 50th place paid the same exactly zero dollars. My partner for Day 2 of that regional was in 9th place and had a real good chance at making the coveted All-American. I made a decision that morning to not fish and to take him wherever he wanted (unless it was to his Day 1 boater's fish). The guy knew the river and I spent the day sight seeing and positioning the boat so he could fish. I did not want to be responsible for him not making the All American and since I was not in contention had no reason to catch a fish. It would be way cooler to help a guy make an All American than it would be for me to weigh in a limit and get nothing for it.

Now, that is just me and everyone is entitled to their opinion, so please don't crucify me for that. Basically, in a nutshell, I was asking him to give me some room and let me catch my fish. I never came out and asked him not to fish, I completely left that decision up to him. He was a very nice guy and a very good fisherman. I don't think he really got what I was saying at all and I was perfectly okay with that. I knew I was on the winning fish and the less pressure they received the better.

We blasted off boat 52, and once again Erie was slick. I arrived at the glory hole with no one close by. I grabbed my tube and my co did as well and we went to work. The bite was quicker this morning and we both doubled on 4 pounders in the first couple minutes. A few minutes later my co landed another 4 pounder. I then proceeded to lose 2 giants in a row both over 5 pounds. My co then put another 4 pounder in the boat. I then grabbed my drop shot and quickly put 4 more fish in the boat, however they were smaller fish and I had maybe 15 pounds. My co then put another 4 pounder in the box and a few minutes later finished off a quick 20+ pound limit.

He was using a goby colored tube in basically the same combination I was, just a different color. He was employing a basic lift and drop technique much like you would use hair jigging walleye in the spring except straight vertical. The big fish either liked the tube or the presentation because every fish he caught was right at 4 pounds or more. He began culling 4 pounders while I struggled. I was getting bit, but I struggled to connect. My co was also struggling to connect, but for whatever reason they were coming back and he would connect eventually.

I did not want to leave til I had at least 20, and by 9 am I had culled very little and was maybe around 17 pounds. By this time I was now getting company and 3 boats were within shouting distance. No one came close enough to cast into their boat, but they did come close enough that I did ask them to stay back. I had no company at all on day 1, as I mentioned, so word was definitely out Erie was on. On this day I noticed at least 15 boats within sight.

My co continued to slowly upgrade, but his fish were all clones. I hooked several solid fish that all shook off. The bite was very lethargic and slow. As soon as the boats close by left, which was around 11, I made a decision to try some shallow cranking fish. I made a short 1/2 mile run and began combing my sweet boulders. When I arrived at the boulder I caught the 5-10 from on Day 1, my rod was nearly ripped from my hand. After a short battle a solid 4 1/2 pounder came aboard. This was a solid 1 1/2-2 pound cull, and calmed my nerves a bit.

After combing the area with no more bites I hit a few more places to no avail. I then ran back out to the glory hole and 2 more boats were fishing close by, but not on the sweet spot. I knew I still did not have 20 and thought if I could just catch another solid fish I would get over the hump. After arriving my co once again put 2 more 4 pounders in the boat and I was only able to catch a 3 that did not help. The bite had slowed considerably and I decided to just try to crank another big one for the remainder of the day which was about an hour and a half. The fish never happened and I arrived at weigh in with the best 5 I could come up with. My weight was 19-9 and was good enough to maintain my lead wihich had now shrunk to 9 ounces.

I was relieved to have what I had, but the days events had really whipped me. My co angler weighed in 21-10 but had one die and lost 4 ounces. This was the third largest bag weighed in for the day of either the boater or co angler side. This at least gave me the confidence that I was still on the winning fish and if everything went right I was going to try to knock their heads in on day 3. My co did give me the remainder of his hot tube color. He ended up finishing the tournament in 51st place and was 5 pounds exactly out of the money. As I stated, he was a good guy and a great net man, I only wish he would have slacked off a bit until I had my fish. He did not and I do not hold that against him. He paid his entry as everyone else did and had every right to fish. Could I have had more weight if he had not fished, I will never know. It was still a good day on the Triton and I was still in the lead. This tourney was mine to win or lose.

The third and final day, only the top 10 fish, and I was now guaranteed at least $2500. It was now time to get a good night's sleep. The "pressure" was off. The top 10 co anglers and boaters in the order they finished were now paired together on Day 3. My partner would be Jim Hippensteel. A guy I already knew and had drawn years ago in a BFL. He is a great fisherman. He is a quiet guy who takes his fishing very seriously. I was looking forward to attempting to get us both the win. Day 3 is coming so stay tuned!!!

Everstart Detroit River Day 3 (Final Day)

The third and final day of my first Everstart event. Only the top 10 boaters and top 10 co anglers fish this last day. I was leading, but even if I ended the day in 10th I was guaranteed $2500 + $230 for day 1 big bass. I slept very good this night and was very refreshed in the morning with a clear head. I really thought leading one of these things would wreck me, but I think I was as calm as I possibly could be.

The weather forecast from the day before was not looking good as it called for SSW winds 25-30 mph with gusts to 40. Well, where the entire top 10 was fishing this was not going to be good. When I arrived at the ramp I noticed the flags flying, but it was maybe a 15 mph wind. I knew it was going to be rough, but not bad enough to keep us from heading out there. This kind of wind usually produces a 3-4 footer. Unpleasant to fish in, but manageable. I checked the weather again and it still insisted badddd weather was coming. I considered strongly to go to the back up fish that the Coach and I had found about 15 miles south of the ramp. If the weather got like it said there would be 7-8 footers on the north shore, but the backup area should have 3-4 footers on it. I decided to start heading to my glory hole first and if it was too bad change my mind and head south. Fighting my way south would be tough, but the ride back would be a lot easier.

After the prayer and national anthem I blasted off as boat 1. Heading out into the river mouth it was a tad rough with 3 footers rolling in. A south wind backs the current up and makes navigation in the current very difficult. After we cleared the river mouth and started heading down the north shore we were able to trough the south waves and it was actually pretty good going. The waves were 4 footers, but they were very consistent. I had the boat running 25-30 mph and did not hit anything hard. It was a very wet ride, but a good ride. Nine of the 10 boats were right on my tail, and no one was turning back. I do need to mention that I knew everyone in the top 10. One of the top 10 had a Ranger 621 Walleye boat. He was boat 7 and not far out he quickly passed us. Ten miles into the run he was but a dot in the distance. He had to be running at least 45 in that stuff. Those walleye boats are amazing under bad conditions.
After about an hour run, I pulled into the glory hole. I pulled up on the south side of it so that the wind would push me right to it. Jim and I got set up and by the time I was on the trolling motor, we were on it. I put the Foretrex on 100% and as best I could, held on the spot. On his first drop, Jim's rod buckled. I did not know he had a fish as he never called for the net and we both had our rain hoods tightly pulled around our heads. I happened to glance back just in time to see him netting a 4 pounder. I hollered back at him to yell if he had another one on to which he answered you just worry about running the boat in this stuff, I will net my own fish and yours . Now this was truly a co angler who understood what we were fishing in.

I was surprised to see that I was able to hold in this stuff. I had to watch the waves carefully and zig in and out of them, but I was managing. I started with a tube, but even with a 1/2 ounce weight I could not feel bottom. I quickly switched to a drop shot with a 3/4 ounce sinker and was now feeling bottom. In the next 20 minutes I had 3 bites, all of which quickly pulled off. They felt solid, but I can't say in the rough weather how big they were. It was at about the 20 minute mark the wind got realllllyyyy bad and the waves started to build even more. The weather service had nailed it. My boat was quickly loosing position and I could not hold. I tried idling past it and control my drift, but the spot we were fishing was only 52 feet by 66 feet (I measured the area with my GPS:). We would quickly go through it and after 5 attempts had no more bites, that we knew of!!!

I told Jim we were going to move to a spot about 1/2 mile away. It was a larger area that would keep us in the strike zone longer. Two passes across this area with no bites and I looked at Jim and told him it was time to pull the plug. I was going to try and get to the area where I thought about starting. We headed off down the shore with 7-8 footers blasting into the side of the Triton and soaking us, and filling the boat ankle deep in water as the bilge continued to run. As I passed 5 of the boats, they all decided it was time as well, and they all started to follow me. Just under halfway back a wave hit the boat so hard that my butt seat on the front flew out of the pole holder, 5 feet straight up in the air and landed on the deck. Jim quickly jumped up and grabbed it and put it under the passenger console (this guy was good!!!).

We never broke 16 mph all the way back and most of it was 12 mph. After a 1 1/2 hour plus run we finally made it back to the somewhat sheltered mouth of the river. It was still bad, but the slight amount of west in the wind had the waves in the 3-4 foot range. I rounded the corner to try and run the shore south, but the going was slow and my head was spinning. It was now 10:30 and I knew this run would probably take me an hour. We had to be checked in at 2 and it was now I had to decide whether I wanted to go for the win or try to put as many dollars in the livewell as possible. Knowing I would only have and hour and a half to fish if I went south, I made a decision to head into the river and the protected water to see what I could come up with. I love fishing the mouth of the River, but actually in the river is not my strong suit. I do know some stuff, but not enough to make me "dangerous" this time of year.

Our first stop was in a trough than runs through a large flat that is loaded with weeds. I have caught many good smallies over the years off this, but it has always been inconsistent. I was throwing a swimbait and Jim was throwing a spinnerbait. It didn't take long and I connected to my surprise with a 2 3/4 pound largemouth. I turned around to hit it again and Jim connected on another 2 3/4 pound largemouth and instantly caught another 2 1/2 pounder. I switched to the spinnerbait and after thoroughly combing the area we continued up the trough. Jim now had 3 and I only had 1. There was a lot of bait along the edge of the trough and this was encouraging, but the bites weren't coming fast. My head began spinning and as is my custom, I began to "spin out". I felt the tournament slipping away. I had 3 different 3 to 3 1/2 pound smallies follow my spinnerbait in and would quickly turn the boat around to try to catch these fish with follow up baits to no avail. Jim watched one bust way up on the flat and a perfect cast gave him a 2 pound smallie and his 4th fish. We continued to fish hard in the now hard rain and after another 30 minutes without a bite I made a decision I did not want to make. I have a special little place in the river that I save for these emergencies.

It was now 11:45 and time was running out quickly. I told Jim that pounds equaled dollars and I really felt that I could quickly get a limit in my special spot although I knew it would not be a large limit. Jim seemed a bit dejected and I told him that under the conditions if he just had a limit I really felt he had a chance at winning. I knew my chances to win were slipping away, but my chances at a top 5 were still in the realm of possibility. I headed to my special place and grabbed my wacky rigged Senko. This place was very protected so wind was not an issue. After arriving I quickly began catching fish although they were all only 11 inches! I continued on and after 15 minutes I was ready to pull the plug. It was then that I felt a solid tap and I was able to put a 2 pounder in the boat. A few casts later and another 2 pounder came aboard. Within 15 more minutes I had my limit and I have to say that the incredible head spinning was come to a halt.

Jim still had only 4 and 2 of my fish were only 14 1/4. I know this place very well and I told Jim that just up ahead there was a place that always held a solid fish and I told him that I would give him the first cast to see if he could finish off his 5. Sure enough his first cast in there and a solid 2 1/2 pounder finished off his limit. I told him that as soon as I culled my 2 dinks with at least 15 inchers. This only took another 10 minutes. It was now time to try and upgrade with significant weight. We headed back towards the ramp to try a few places where I thought there may be a few retreads leftover from day 1 or from the BFL 2 weeks earlier. I had about 9 1/2 pounds in the well and Jim had at least 13. I grabbed my swim bait expecting better than average bites here. I had 4 largemouth and 1 smallmouth in the well and I can't remember the last time I weighed a largemouth at a BFL.

Most of the area around Elizabeth Park was off limits with well marked signs to show where we were not allowed to fish. We stayed well south of that on the edge of a flat area where I have had success before. Just as I trolled up to the sweet spot I told Jim this was the cast. I immediately got blasted and put another 15 inch largemouth in the boat. He didn't help much, but at least I got bit. A few casts later and I got slammed by a 3 1/2 pound smallie which got rid of one 15 inches. We only had 30 minutes to fish when we pulled in, so time was running out quick. I noticed a little back from where we started that the seagulls were diving shallow on bait. We fired up the boat and ran back to them and literally watched three 4 pound plus smallies coming clear out of the water chasing bait. My first cast into them produced a hard hit and to my surprise a 2 1/2 pound largemouth came aboard. Not what I was expecting, but it did upgrade. I fired another cast the wrong direction as they started busting again and instantly hook up on another fish. This time it was only a 2 pound smallie which did upgrade a few ounces.

I checked the clock to see we now had only 10 minutes to fish. I held my swimbait waiting for the next activity and the birds showed us where they headed. My first cast to the area produced a very hard slam that I missed. The next cast I hooked up on a solid fish and about 10 feet from the boat, I watch a 4+ smallie shake his head and come unbuckled from my swim bait. We now only had a couple minutes. I made 2 more casts and missed another solid hit and we had to head in. This ended my day. I felt that tourney was no longer mine, but hoped I had at least kept myself in the top 5.

The weigh in was to be held at WalMart and after our fish were checked we all headed over. The co anglers weighed in first. Jim was very nervous and had really thought he had lost this one. The day 1 leader sits in the "hot" seat until he is unseated. It took a couple anglers but he finally lost his seat. No one had weighed a limit yet and 1 or 2 fish seemed to be the norm. Finally, a good friend, Brian, who was in second place was up before Jim weighed his bag. Brian to me that they had pulled the plug when we did and headed all the way up to St Clair! He told me he had a limit, but it wasn't large. Jim held a 1 pound 2 ounce lead over Brian. This was the first limit to be weighed so only Brian and Jim had limits. The scales for Brian settled at 13-2. I knew Jim was in this neighborhood too so I felt he had the win, but only the scales would tell. Jim placed his fish on the scales and they settle at 13-1 and enough for the win!!!!!

I had heard through the grapevine (we are not supposed to talk about our fish before weigh in) that Mike (the guy in the walleye boat) had sacked em pretty good so I was not feeling the win. The emotion of Jim winning hit me and I let out a war hoop for him. He was a great guy and very deserving of the win. It was now the boater's turn. I sat in the hot seat just long enough for my buddy Matt to unseat me with a 11-11 limit. Mike who was in 7th stepped up to the scales and took the hot seat with a 21-6 bag!!!! He indicated that he got real nervous when he was the only boat left on Erie, but was able to stick it out with his boat. His co angler actually never made a cast all day because he got sea sick and was so deathly ill he just layed in the boat and quivered. Mike actually came in very early because he was worried about him and checked in a noon. No one was able to unseat Mike after this and the largest limit after that was 14-5. Rick, the guy who ran to St Clair after pulling the plug on Erie was in 2nd behind me by 9 ounces and weighed in a 14-4 sack. I was finally up and weighed in a disappointing 13-4, but was good enough for me to end the tourney in 3rd place and cash a check for $8440.

It was a blessed week and one I will never forget. Thank you to everyone for going on the ride with me and God Bless!