I just got back from the first FLW tourney at Lake Shasta, CA. Fishing for spotted bass is definitely not a strength of mine, but I can tell you this....it certainly created a challenge inside to strive to do better next time at that lake! Even though, I didn't catch the weight I had hoped for the 2nd day to carry me
, overall I learned some very valuable information about spotted bass that can help me in the future.
Water temp was about 50 degrees, the weather was rainy almost everyday. The fish seemed to be deep, some days the fish were very close to the bottom and other days suspended a few feet up. Pre fish and during the tournament seemed to produce a higher percentage of bites and fish on a drop shot. I had a few baits that seemed to be catching larger fish...one of which is Salt & Pepper Shad paddle tail (Maverick) and another was just a single tail grub. I was averaging about 7-20 fish a day.
So what happened? Well I guess we never know 100% but I have my own theory. First off, I struggle sometimes when conditions change. I try to change, molding to continue catching fish, but sometimes it seems that anything I do isn't working.
The first day I drew Ed Arledge, we both came in with a limit. I only had 6 lbs 5 oz but I was comfortable with that believing that with that weight and a few more days left in the tournament, I should be able to cash a paycheck (based on how my pre fish went).
Day 2, my partner was Daniel Frost from Cottonwood, CA. He definitely had it dialed in. He fished predominantly with one rod that day, and most every fish he caught were solid keepers. By 1:00 I still did not have any fish in the live-well, at this point I was quite concerned and very FRUSTRATED! No matter which bait I used, it seemed that none of my baits that were doing well for me the other days were working. Looking back now, many of the conditions were different and that can affect things. I believe that I should have tried to change to darker colors with more action to the baits. I did manage to catch 3 decent fish weighing 4 lbs 2 oz. Not bad weight for 3 fish.
Day 3, I fished with Billy Skinner, a very versatile fisherman. The conditions were very tough that day also and he was able to change things up to figures things out. I enjoyed his style of fishing as it enabled me to fish for suspended fish (has been one of my favorites ways to fish for years now). Even I was able to weigh just shy of 8 lbs, it was not enough to make up for the previous day.
Even though I feel like crying, I believe that I am going away from this tournament with valuable insight to the lake, and more knowledge about spotted bass. I am really looking forward to next tournament there.
