Tournament Day - Lake Waconia

Going into this tournament I had very high expectations of catching a good bag of fish. When I practiced the week before I had found fish up shallow in the reeds and cattails on the north side of Waconia. I caught a couple 2 pounders a 3lb fish and also a 5lb 2oz piggy. I wasn't pounding these spots either. I would catch one fish, start up the motor move down the patch of reeds 100 yards, catch another one and do the same thing. At times I find there are sweet spots in the patches of reeds, this is what I was looking for, but it seemed like in practice they were just all over the place.

We launched at 7:00 with a little breeze already stirring up the lake. I started the morning in a patch of reeds on the north side and put together a small limit by 8:30. I caught all these fish and the rest of the fish I caught that day throwing a green 3/8oz All Terrain jig with a blk/blue trailer. As the morning progressed I began to upgrade my limit. A half pound here, a couple ounces there. I could never get that big bite! I tried moving to a different patch on the NE side of the lake, but the wind was pounding into this area and the water was pretty muddy. I caught one little fish there, but nothing else. I went back to my starting spot and continued to catch fish but they were all cookie cutter 2lbers.

I tried out deep some, but with the wind and my small boat, I just wasn't being very efficient. I know there are some big fish out deep on this lake, I just didn't have to time to find them. I truly beleive being efficient is one thing that you have to be at all times during a tournament. I constantly ask myself throughout a tournament day whether I believe I'm being efficient with my time. Should I zig or should I zag. Am I around the right kind of fish? Am I giving myself a good shot at winning?

Well, during that day I felt I was around the fish, but they turned out a little smaller than expected. It was really cold the night before and we were left with a sunny, windy, high pressure system during the tournament that I beleive shut off the some of the bigger shallow fish. I just couldn't get even a 3lb bite!

However, to my surprise, most everyone else in my club had a tough day as well. I ended up winning the tournament with 10lbs 6oz. For Waconia, thats not that great. It took 19lbs to win out there the weekend before for a Fishers of Men tournament with many other bags over 10lbs. But, I won't complain about a win. It was a great way to finish off my summer in Minnesota. I really did have a good time out there and caught a bunch of fish, just nothing over 2.5 pounds.

I will now take a little bit of a break from writing in my blog now that school has started up again... If I happen to get on a good bite down here in Iowa, I will be sure to post about it. And make sure to check back in mid September to see how the National Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship is going. I will possilby post about practice and will definately be giving updates during the actual tournament. I'm really looking forward to getting down to Texas. Last year I couldn't have done worse, and I'm looking to turn it around this year.

Thanks to all who have been reading throughout the spring and summer!!