Dinks on Docks with Dingers And 1 Toad On Mad Maxx Tonight

 

3.46lbs/18.25" Mad Maxx (Bluegrass)

11.39 for Best 6 

6:30-9:30PM Docks Across, East Of GOMH, Intersection, River Mouth, SPSI

70-80℉, PC, 0-2mph SW

Water low, and so is visibility. The weed-killing killed visibility.

I finally got a reel put on my Abu Veritas 6'6" MH. I bought a rod to replace the Fenwick Techna AV that I busted a couple of years ago to use primarily as a dock skipper. This was also my inaugural trip with the Arsenal Neko Tool. I spent the first hour skipping Neko Rigged Yum Dingers. I lost the first one to a pike, then the next 3 to small bass when they jumped, sending the Dinger to the depths. I lost the fourth Neko Dinger to a snag way under "the dock."  With that, I had enough and didn't retire. I did catch 3 bass to the East of "the dock" on a Texas Rigged Dinger. When I got home, I watched Hellabass's video on the Neko Tool, something I should have done. Now I know, weighted Dingers are something I should probably leave to tournament day as they are notorious one-fish baits. At 7:30, I headed for the rice East Of GOMH. It wasn't happening there, and I quickly made the call to head to Sullivan. I made a cast to the rice line on my way out, and the 18-incher jumped all over Max. I managed to get a good hookset because of the angle of the cast even though I was moving on high in the direction of the fish. I didn't get the motor turned off until I was practically to the rice line. I ended up spending another 15 unproductive minutes in Platte probing the rice line. I then went to SW Intersection rice. I got a 15-incher there and missed a couple of other bites. I went into the reeds and missed a good bite because I just couldn't get enough on the hook set because I was moving straight at the fish, my hook setting form was perfect, and I was ready for the bite. I quickly made my way across to the NE Intersection Point and got a 14-incher in some thicker reeds on the far reed line. I then ran to the River Mouth as it was getting dark. I lost one bite in the river. Not sure what it was, but it felt good. It thrashed on the surface and got off. I hit SPSI on my way in and didn't get anything, too dark. Not a bad night, but not great either. I think fishing will be even more of a grind this year unless we get some rain.

12 Bass 

Snatcher Rabbit Lake Tourny

Typical Rabbit 2lber caught Pre-fishing in the Pads

Conditions: 83-65℉, Partly Cloudy, 3-12mph WNW
WT: High 70's

The Day:
We blasted off 4th right behind Chuck Fields and wouldn't you know it he went right to our starting spot as well which was off of the big point on the North of the pit side of the lake.  Darren set us down to the West of Fields and we started working towards him.  I had a 1.91lb bass jump on my 3/8 black/blue jig pretty much immediately.  I got it in the box and it was a repeat performance with a slightly smaller fish.  The fished seemed to shut down on the jig after that. I threw out a Neko rigged Yum Dinger and got a 1.30lber on that immediately.  I think Darren got his first fish shortly after that and I got a short.  We worked back over where I got the fish to start and didn't get anything, Fields worked to the East so we went to where he started and I got 1.70lb fish that hit my jig on the fall.  After maybe an hour and a half we went to our second spot which was in the NE section of the pit lake.  I made the mistake of checking our fish while we were running and I shut the livewell on one of my rod tips breaking it, doh!  I got a 1.19  and my 2/8 lunker to fill out my limit on the jig.  I then culled up with 1.71lb fish on the jig.  Darrin was getting a little better quality of fish on a blue/black craw tube, so I started throwing that and I got a  1.63lb fish on that;  I thought the fish was a weed at first.  We were just about to leave to go fish the pads when I got a 2.05lb fish on the jig next to a dock.

The pads didn't even yield a blow-up for me, but Darren got a couple of fish there and missed some solid blow-ups.  Next, we went out and worked the roadbed.  I think I got a 2.13lb out there along with a couple that didn't help.  We went back to our second spot and I got my last fish of the day there on the craw tube (2.20).

Results: My fish weighed 13/02 with 2/8 big fish which beat Hammers 2/06 big thus putting me in 12th Place.  Darren's fish weighed 14lbs with 3/04 big which put him in 10th Place.  The tournament was won by Jim "Smitty" Smith 17/03.  Lunker weighed 3/14 and was caught by Mick Ziebell.

My thoughts: I don't think I lost any fish that hurt me.  I just didn't have a shot at a kicker that would have put me in the top half of the field.