Last update:  June 20, 2008

2003 B.A.S.S. Season Update

What: BASS Masters Classic

When:  August 1-3, 2003

Where:  Louisiana Delta, LA

Finish:   5th Place

Winnings:   $25,000

The vast Mississippi River Delta both excites me and intimidates me at the same time.  Most anywhere that we go for a tournament the competitors typically congregate where the best fishing can be found.  But in an area as vast the Delta there were so many square miles of tidal marsh that we rarely bunched up.  In fact I only saw two other boats anywhere close to where I spent all three days.  It’s intimidating to realize that anybody could have won in any number of places that probably weren’t even fished. 

 I spent virtually all of my time during our official pre-practice period in the Venice area.  What I found convinced me to spend my tournament time there as well.  I found that the fish were in areas with a mix of clear water and stained water.  Typically, the best areas were a mix of milfoil and Roseau Canes.  The canes typically held the bigger fish but they did the most feeding on adjacent milfoil flats.   

My tackle choice was as simple as the style of fishing:  a Tactical Assault Curt Lytle flipping stick, 25# Berkley IronSilk, and a 5” Berkley Power Hawg.  The Power Hawg is a great choice for flipping into heavy cover and the bass truly loved the scent in the Power Bait.   

I found three large areas with quality bass in pre-practice but during the tournament only one still had fish.  The other two areas had either become too salty or otherwise couldn’t support fish life.  Unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way.  On the first day I had caught a limit of fish and then went to another area that apparently had turned too salty.  Three of the fish in my livewell had died – which ultimately cost me $10,000. 

 On the second and third days I got more focused on picking apart my favorite area.  Each day I would quickly cover a number of banks with various structural features and the fish were in different locations each time.  On one day they were in lighter current and closely related to cane banks near the milfoil flats.  Multiple presentations were needed to draw strikes from the lethargic fish and several times fish came back to bite more than once before being caught.  I learned how to get the fish out of the canes on the second day.  The key was not to pull the fish into heavy cover but to let them swim freely and use the trolling motor to get close before pulling them out by hand.  I was rewarded with my biggest fish of the tournament – a 5 pounder. 

 On the last day I discovered that the bass had become more aggressive when the first fish hit when I was swimming the bait back to the boat.  I adjusted by making faster pitches to cover near heavy current and the fish would charge out to intercept the lure.  I capitalized further on their aggressive feeding by fishing outside of my favorite area and continued to catch numerous quality bass by carefully reading how the current pushed on the cover.  These last couple of adjustments to my technique had brought my final finish up from 18^th place to 5^th.  I was so glad that Brandy and my parents were there to watch the final weigh-in.

What: BASS Open

When:  July 17-19, 2003

Where:  Potomac River, MD

Finish:   59th

Since the earliest days of fishing the tidal Potomac River in high school I’ve always been baffled by fish behavior on high tide.  High tide typically means lighter sporadic feeding instead of more concentrated periods as on lower tides.  But I’ve always felt that if I can get near a concentration of bass that they’ll have to feed sometime so I would simply wait them out.  On the first morning I ran my Ranger straight to my favorite milfoil bed and found the fish to be heavily feeding.  After catching my limit in the first 45 minutes with a Berkley Power Hawg I experimented with various lures and different areas and caught numerous bass but never found the bigger fish that I needed.  I had fished throughout the entire high tide but the feeding slowed as the day wore on.  I’m a firm believer in learning during tournament hours and not just in the practice period.

 The second day I started on the grassbed that had produced so well the day before but it seemed that all that were left were smaller bass.  I quickly changed tactics by running far downriver to where the tide would be at a lower stage.  I continued to catch lots of bass but had bad luck with losing several big fish.  The fish that I caught were scattered because I simply never found a concentration of bigger fish.  The winner found a concentration in the D.C. area and stuck with them every day.

 Can anybody tell me what happened to the milfoil and hydrilla bed around the Wilson Bridge ?  It suspiciously died about a month before the tournament which seems strange because it’s been the thickest grassbed on the river since the late 1970’s.

What:  BASS Tour

When:  May 22-25, 2003

Where:  Alabama River, AL

Finish:   23rd Place

Winnings:   $3,000

I try to talk to locals before a tournament on any kind of river because each river has a different personality and frequently changes from year to the next.  I heard about the big spotted bass upriver where bass boats could not go so I came prepared with a borrowed Lowe aluminum that had a four-stroke Yamaha jet outboard.  When I arrived I found the rivers to be twelve to sixteen feet high and traded back to my Ranger boat.  I concentrated on the dependable largemouths downriver and found enough fish that would have easily made the cut.  They all bit a Berkley five inch Power Hawg but half of the fish pulled off of the hook.  I had better experiment with different hooks before the Classic!

What:  BASS Tour

When:  May 1-4, 2003

Where:  Lake Hamilton, AR

Finish:   12th Place

Winnings:   $10,000

The vast majority of the bass were in a post-spawn stage with the smaller catchable males guarding fry.  The bigger fish, however, were a different story.  They were on offshore structure but were rarely feeding.  By switching between deep diving crankbaits and a Carolina-rigged lizard I found a couple of key areas with a combination of moss, sand and gravel bottoms.  Though I caught fewer fish than most competitors, the fish I caught were the "right" kind.  On the second day my amateur partner caught a six pound bass-the biggest of the tournament for an amateur.  On the third day the fish I had found quit feeding completely and I had to settle for twelfth place. 

What:  BASS Tour

When:  April 9 - 12, 2003

Where:  Clear Lake, CA

Finish:   51st

This lake puzzled me because it has an outstanding reputation but cool weather kept the big fish from biting.  Worst of all, I kept seeing huge fish suspended under docks that I could not get to bite.  So, I started with sight fishing during the tournament but conditions were difficult due to high winds and the water muddied up in all of the areas where I had found spawners.  In desperation I drop-shotted a seven inch power worm around the docks where I had seen fish and caught a six-pounder and serveral keepers the second day.  

What:  BASS Tour

When:  April 3 - 6, 2003

Where:  San Joaquin, CA

Finish:   67th

My first fishing experience in California I used a borrowed truck and Ranger boat.  The California Delta felt just like the Potomac River - which I had fished all through high school.  I focused on the lakes (called "tracts") and found spawning fish.  In the tournament however, I failed to execute well and made several mistakes on fish ranging from four to eight pounds.  Motor trouble added to my frustration and I weight in late on the second day.

What: BASS Tour

When:  March 20-23, 2003

Where:  Santee Cooper, SC

Finish:   157th

This is one tournament that I wish that I could do over again.  I enjoyed a tremendous practice with a defined pattern for bass over 5 pounds.  I believed that I could catch 30# each day of the tournament.  The night before the tournament rain and heavy winds muddied the water and ruined the fishing in the best areas that I’d found.  Ultimately, my worst BASS finish this season was the result of a terrible decision.  Instead of taking a long boat ride to the “second best” water that I’d found I decided to try new areas.  I should never have gone looking when I’d already found them somewhere else. 

What:  BASS Tour

When:  March 6-9, 2003

Where:  Lake Eufaula, AL

Finish:  50th 

Winnings:  $2,233

It seems that whenever BASS comes to town the rain and cold weather follow.  The cooling water temperatures and dropping water levels were perfect conditions to create tough fishing.  I found fish to be bunched on steep rocky banks, but they were in a finicky mood.  The fish had to be triggered into biting.  The best presentation I found was a small crankbait that ran from 5 to 8’ deep.  A light feel was needed to feel the strikes as the crankbait was bounced repeatedly among the rocks.  Most fish were barely hooked and several were lost at the side of the boat (no nets allowed).  Despite the lost fish I am still happy with another solid tournament finish.

What:  BASS Tour

When:  February 20-23, 2003

Where:  Toledo Bend, LA

Finish:  60th 

Winnings:  $1,800

This is one of the country’s best bass lakes but the cool weather kept the fish from getting too active.  In cold conditions I always prefer to fish around hydrilla or other submerged grass because the fish are more numerous and remain fairly aggressive.  I caught the fish on a combination of three lures:  Berkley Rattl-R, spinnerbait, and a shallow-running crankbait.  The spinnerbait was best early in the morning and during heavier rains, and the other two lures were dependent on the depth of the grass.  Each one produced about equally.  Staying open-minded and covering new water each day were critical to finding fish that periodically turned on.

What:  BASS Tour

When:  February 6-9, 2003

Where:  Lake Seminole, GA

Finish:  22nd

Winnings:  $4,600

This was a cool weather tournament where a limit each day was crucial to scoring a high finish.  I found a backwater area up the river where I was able to catch a small limit by using a 7” Berkley Power Worm and a spinnerbait.  After catching my limit each day I fished the main lake around two areas with hydrilla that were holding fish.  Apparently nobody else found these fish because strikes came quickly after I arrived each day but I couldn’t catch any real number.  I caught these bigger fish with Berkley Frenzy Rattl-R’s and a shallow-running crankbait – both painted orange.  Towards the end of the second day I caught a 5# plus bass that nailed my crankbait right next to the boat.  The combination of the Tactical Assault S-glass rod with Berkley Big Game line gave just the right stretch to handle the big fish close to the boat.  This tournament was won by flipping hyacinths again.  This has increased my determination to improve my mat-flipping skills for next season.

What:  BASS Tour

When:  January 16 - 19, 2003

Where:  Lake Okeechobee, FL

Finish:  70th

Winnings:  $1,550

Several days of warm weather following last week's cold got some fish in the spawning mood.  I sight-fished the first day and weighed in a decent limit.  The only problem was that there were too many fishermen for too few fish.  I knew I could not do it the second day.  The second day was windier and made the already difficult sight-fishing more difficult so I went to South Bay and started flipping in an area that my buddy Sean Hoernke had told me about.  The fish were in the thickest reed clumps.  Berkley's IronSilk monofilament proved to be tough enough to get every fish out.  I could only catch four keepers but found out later that leaders were flipping hyacinth mats.  

What:  B.A.S.S. Tour

When:  January 9 - 12,  2003

Where: Harris Chain, FL

Finish: 22nd

Winnings: $4,600

This was one of those tournaments where the fishing was so tough that keeping a positive attitude was critical.  The few fish that I found in practice were mostly relating to current caused by wind.  Obviously this wasn't a dependable pattern because the first tournament day was calm.  I scrambled around and constantly tried various tactics.  First I was cranking a medium running crankbait through scattered eelgrass.  Since that did not work I tried carolina-rigging further offshore.  The bright sun got me thinking about flipping and I caught one keeper in the last 15 minutes of the first day.  The second day started out windy.  So I used a Berkley Frenzy Rattl'R and caught a 6 pounder that barely bumped the lure.  When the skies cleared I started flipping again.  By the end of the day I had caught two quality fish by putting my bait into the snaggiest and most difficult places.  Both fish were in heavy cover and took some time to get out.  The new Flipping Stick is great!