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Sunday 4-9   Time to get after it.  Shake down cruise.  We put the boat in and fished the bay and surrounding areas.  Mono setups, 1 core, 2 core, slide divers, riggers were deployed.  Tackle and gear were on point.  The fish, however were uncooperative-  we scored one steel, one bass and one wiff..

Lake couldn’t have been messier or more muddy pre event.     All week my teammates were on “ tourney detail”  Try to narrow down the best possible place with good conditions, some water clarity.  We were looking for the perfect place to bed down and take a victory.  Unfortunately, that week’s weather conditions ruled out any lake fishing by the creek mouths. We were going to be faced with that brutal bay fishery, with the rest of the fleet.  That’s what is most challenging about this particular tournament.  The time of year. With a long work week and no other pre-fish time, moral was low. 

4-14  Friday was here and no plan was in place for us.  Then my partner in crime, Rhonda called and said  “hey, I’m down here at the marina and the water looks really good” That inner mud line that had haunted everyone all week, mysteriously disappeared over night.  

The choice was made and I blew out of work an hour early, grabbed the boat and off we went.   Leaving the Marina I said   “if we get a fish per hour on an evening troll, we will commit to this spot.”   Two hours later we put the boat back on the trailer with 2 steel, 2 browns, 2 wiffs and a bass.  After seeing this new water, combat fishing in the bay had been erased from our minds.   Needless to say we were stoked.  

We only pestered those fish for one pass…. They all went back in the water.  I wonder, the next morning, if God would  bless us with one of those fish from that night before?

4-15  Saturday fishing the Ditch challenge, we put the boat in and started our day.  With one fish in the box at noon, morale sank.  What the heck were we thinking? We were literally fishing the same water!!   Boy did we blow it.  Then bang there’s a fish, then another, then another.  With a few missed opportunities and some bass mixed in, we went to the scales with 5 in the box taking down the rest of the field of ones and twos. 

The stage was set for Sunday and the gag order was in place. Going to bed with a puffy chest and feeling good.  Right?!!  That changes for everyone. Even seasoned professional Captains swear they know where they are going the night before, yet change their minds tournament morning.

We stuck to our decision.  We sent our papers in, claiming our launch out of NE marina.  Go time!!

4-16  Game day.  Waiting for start time at the marina in anticipation of the field of boats converging on us.  It was nerve racking .   One boat made the run that morning to our side (BiteForce).   We stayed focused during the morning, with the same “grind bite” tactics that was embedded in our minds from the day before.    Bass….. Bass…… Bass,  then….. a few more bass…..   we ground out the day, picking thru the bass- with one steel in the box at 1 pm!!   To say we were nervous, was an understatement.  Our psyche was getting the best of us, but we kept reminding ourselves that “calm and methodical”  would prevail.  

Mid-afternoon, just like clockwork on the day prior, the fish had returned to the kitchen to feast. We had roughly an hour and a half to get it done.  We did.

With ten plus bites, we made up lost time.   

We headed to weigh in, six in the box with Brown Trout dominating the cooler.  Nice to see more brown trout in our system!    

Congratulations to my Team  Rhonda, Steve (aka Dozer) and John (aka JB).   Many things happened and fell into place due to homework, patience, determination-  we stayed motivated and disciplined.   This is what made it all come together to win the EPSFA Spring Trout Challenge and the weekend.