[slimecoat]

Conditions: surface water temps. - 57 to 58 dgerees
air temp.- 55 degrees
winds - very light to none, 5 mph max
overcast with plenty of rain showers all day

We fished 7am to 3 pm. We noticed as soon as we launched the boat that the water was more algae stained than we had ever seen it here. Our day started off slow without any rain for the first half hour throwing a black and blue jig, a topwater popper, a watermelon tube, and a rattle trap working our favorite spring bank from 2 to 8 feet of water trying to figure out what they wanted and how slow or fast they wanted it. The rain started and I decided to throw a black neon senko in about 3 feet of water, and almost immediately set the hook on the first keeper, a 1 -3/4 lb. largemouth that came unbuttoned at the side of the boat as he jumped away from the net. Not a good start but that fish would not hurts us as the day went on. About 10 casts later I skip my senko way up underneath an overhanging mountain laurel bush (god I love skipping a senko way up under things), I gaff my 2nd bass from under this mountain laurel. But this time I put a really good hookset on her and I can tell that it is a much better fish. Pointing dog nets her like a pro and we have officially gotten the skunk out of the boat with this 2.5lb largemouth.

Pointing dog has also seen enough, he immediately cuts off his black and blue jig and ties on a black neon jig, and I give him a black neon chigger craw for a trailer to go with it. 10 casts later he hooks up with our biggest fish of the day a 3.5lb largemouth on the jig. We then proceed to milk this bank for 4 more fish in the 1.5 to 2lb range. It's nice to be culling fish by 8:30 to 9am in the first tournament of the season. We decide to let this bank cool off and replenish itself with fish moving up, and hit another bank with the same looking shallow terrain and overhanging cover. I proceed to pick up another good bass on the senko, this fish goes about 2 3/4lbs. We also boat another 2 fish, 1 short and 1 about a pound that won't help.

We head across from our first spot and fished the bank there to allow our first bank to continue to replenish. As we fished along this bank, I watched the flasher on the dash drop in depth as we drifted over a 4 foot deep shelf and it dropped into 7 feet. I cast back to the break line, I dragged the senko 3 feet and got bit, another good fish about 2.25lbs, so we cull 1 of our 1.5 pounders. I immediately cast back to the same break line and get pronged again, this time the fish is taking a little grag, and P dog nets this spunky chunky 2 3/4 lber. Now we cull the last 1.5 pounder.

We head back to the first bank we started on , and pointing dog catches 2 more 2 lb bass that won't help at this point. Then I skip my senko under the same mountain laurel bush that I picked up the 2.5 earlier on, and smack a big fish blasts my senko, I set the hook good so I think, move the fish about 5 or 6 feet out to open water, the fish turns rolls and give a big open mouthed head shake and comes unbuttoned. That fish was 4+ pounds maybe even 5, and definately moved us from 2nd to 3rd place without her. The worst thing was that I lost her right in front of another team that was coming in from our left, and they witnessed the whole thing. After hitting this bank hard and not picking up any more fish after a couple of passes, we decide to let it rest and head down to the other end of the lake. We junk fished some docks and laydowns with nothing to show for it, and we are getting discouraged with this end of the lake when I get bit on a shallow point and pick up another fish in the 2.5 range that culls up for a few ounces. Then P dog gets a bump and doesn't hook up on the black neon tube, I follow up with the senko and the fish is gone. We hit a few more docks and shallow areas with no success, then P dog get slammed by a big fish and the line breaks. He thinks it was a big pickeral that bit him off, until he reels in and checks his line to find out that it was not a slimedart at all, it was a weak knot.

That was the last decent fish we would see, I got a couple more fish on a black neon chigger craw texas rigged, one was a short. All in all a great day, every boat brought fish to the scales. Fish were caught on all kinds of baits from jigs, tubes, senkos, rattle traps, drop shots, spinnerbaits etc.

The winning weights were as follows:

1st place - emptylakebassman and his partner John with 18lbs -11oz.
Emptylakebassman broke his personal best twice in the same day with sisters which was also the days lunker, 1 fish weighed 5lbs. -8oz and the other weighed 5lbs. 7oz. Congrats on those 2 beautiful fish!!

2nd place - Pete & Ryan with 14lbs - 6oz. and a 3-10 lunker
3rd place - was yours truely and Pointing dog with 13lbs - 15oz.

Total = 35 fish caught from 8 boats for a total of 96lbs. - 6oz. of bass all returned to the lake to get their groove on in the next couple of weeks.

Our next tournament is at Beseck Lake on May 16th......

Slimecoat
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Life's Short - Fish Hard - Take a Kid Fishing

[DirtyDawg10]

Nice job!! Sounds like a great day. Congrats on placing 3rd. If you don't mind me asking, were those senkos texas rigged too?

[slimecoat]

Yes texas rigged. I was skipping them up under overhanging bushes quite a bit. Too risky to wacky rig them with all the gnarly twigs and branches.
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Life's Short - Fish Hard - Take a Kid Fishing

[billybass]

good report, sounds like it was a blast

[slimecoat]

It was a blast, it would have been much different if it was 10 degrees colder, with a stiff wind, and the fish were reluctant to bite. But that was not the case and we were on em early.
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Life's Short - Fish Hard - Take a Kid Fishing

[emptylakebassman]

Here is a picture of the 5-8 and the 5-7 caught by me at Amos. Have to say it was the best tournament day of fishing I've ever had.

[Justin Tralli]

sweet nice job dude you should make that your avatar
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