There has not been any big tournaments as of late, so I’ve had some time to reflect on my year so far. There’s no great finishes to speak of besides some small local tournaments.
It’s my first year fishing the BASS Opens and I think I just blew it on the first two. I should’ve been punching matt the majority of the time in Okeechobee and didn’t fish the conditions…. although if it warmed up a little quicker, I’m sure I would’ve caught them. At Smith Lake, I should’ve moved out as they pulled water out but did not adjust to the falling water like I should have.
The one thing I’m learning this year is adjusting. When you find a group of fish, they don’t go very far. They’re somewhere nearby and I need to learn to figure out where they go. I need to look for places where fish might go if conditions change. Usually I’m so worried about finding a stack of fish that I’m not worried about where they might go but I’m thinkin you gotta keep that in mind the entire time.
The last Open is on Lake Seminole in October, and I’m already researching spots and patterns. There’s been so many big tournaments here that there’s a lot of stuff to decipher, but I think I’ve zeroed in what to do. I like to flip and will probably focus on flippin and possibly froggin in the hydrilla. I like to go in with an open mind but it’s one big place and you can’t cover everything. It’ll take a lot of time just figuring out how to run the place without killing yourself.
This is going out on a limb, but I think I’ve had enough learning this year and due for a good finish at Seminole. We’ll see if my premonition is right. As long as it doesn’t rain for a week straight prior to the tournament, I believe I know what the fish are going to be doing.
I’d like to report otherwise, but my first BASS Open was a complete disaster. I weighed in only 2 fish over 2 days for a whopping 3.5 lbs. I’ve fished in a lot of tough conditions and it’s definitely the worst I’ve ever done in any tournament in any condition.
I was catching literally 50 fish a day the week before the tournament and then one of the most severe cold fronts in Florida history blew through Okeechobee. The weather forecast was for warmer weather during the tournament but it wasn’t enough to warm the 40 degree water quick enough to make a difference.
The text book says you should punch matt during these conditions but I figured the water would warm enough to turn my shallow fish on. Well from the results you know those shallow fish never turned on.
I remember watching the Art of Angling by Rick Clunn before I left town and I should’ve followed his zen philosophy he spoke of in the show and looked at every day of practice as if it was the first day on the water.
Almost all of the top 30 punched matted hydrilla along the Moore Haven canal and I should’ve joined them. I figured there were 50 boats in there already and those fish were getting pounded but they all caught fish in there.
I’ve said it before on this blog and I’ve gotta learn to punch matt a little better. The next time there’s a severe cold front, I’m gonna go out to Lake Cypress and punch matt until my arms fall off. This is one technique I don’t have a lot of confidence in and it’s the best way to catch big fish when it’s super cold and super hot.
I went out on Saturday to see where the leaders were fishing and they were still along the Moore Haven canal punching matt so I know that it’s the way I should’ve fished. I watched Chris Lane yo yo a bait 15 to 20 times before he pitched to another spot. Also watched Russ Lane punch a matt for an hour without moving his boat. Randall Tharp and Larry Cahan were doing the same thing but moving around a little bit more all within 50 yards of each other. I saw Terry Scroggins the first 2 days of the tournament and he was punching matt along with everyone else but he took off along with Chris Lane towards the Sportsmans Channel. That Randall Tharp guy is one good fisherman and I’d love to be half as good as he is. I was shocked to hear he didn’t do better on the final day.
I wish I would’ve followed Chris Lane and Scroggins once they left Moore Haven but I’m pretty sure they went to some other matt or some shallower fish because the water had warmed enough by late in day 2 and second half of the final day.
It seems like you’re always learning something and I now know that I gotta get better at punching matt. All you had to do was catch 12 pounds over 2 days to make the top 30 and punching matt was the way to do it.
I guarantee you that the next time we get a severe cold front during a tournament in Florida, I’ll be dang good at pulling those suckers out of the matt.
This tournament sucked for me but at least I know where I need to improve.
The next time there’s a severe cold front around the spawn in Florida, I’ll have two rods to punch matt with and a flippin stick with a 3/8 ounce sinker to fish in water deeper than 3 feet and perhaps a skinny dipper and a fluke if the water temperature gets warm enough in shallower water.
I’m packed up to go down to Clewiston this weekend for the Gambler Tournament on Lake Okeechobee. I made a trip down there last week and caught a couple of dinks and saw an 8 pounder on bed near Turner’s Cove but that was it.
Launched the boat at Harney and worked down to the West Wall. So far, Fisheating Bay, Twin Palms, and North Shore area looks the best out of that section of the lake. To be honest, I don’t know why the fish wouldn’t be there all the time. It’s freakin beautiful. Clear water, plenty of depth, eel grass, hydrilla, bait everywhere… what more would a bass need?
I’ll be checking out Chauncey to Eagle Bay on Friday and Pelican Bay to East Wall on Saturday.
The Big O is one big ole lady.
I keep hearing about people catching 20-30 pound sacks the past few weeks so I’m sure this weekend is gonna be a slugfest. I’ll be happy just to find some fish for the Open but it’s always nice to win.
I sure hope I come across a few big gals the next few days. They should be on bed or on the outside of hydrilla lines in deeper water staging up, or somewhere in the weeds in 3 to 4 feet of water.
I realize that describes half the lake so it’s gonna take a little time. Will report back here shortly.
