Beaver FLW (Wal-Mart Open)

I didn't realize is was that tough today and I kept fishing for largemouths. I caught one solid fish, a 2 3/4-pounder, and the guy with me kept getting these spot bites. I didn't fish for them because I didn't think it would do any good, but turned out all I needed was two of those little old spots to get a check. I thought I'd need at least 9 pounds to get a check, but it really fell off today.

The loaner boat was fine, but after I got it, I took a wrong turn coming back which turned a 65-mile trip into 100. I got back to the room at 11:00, and by the time I was done switching my tackle and everything, it was midnight. It's been a hectic 2 1/2 weeks, let me tell you. I'm ready to go to the house and sleep this one off.

I've been second-guessing going to Beaver all along, but if I had not gone, I would have fallen out of the Top 50 in FLW. So I think I did the right thing. My main regret is leaving the other tournament early. I wish I hadn't done that.

By the way, I checked with Trip (Weldon) before I left (the California Delta). He said, 'I've got two observers, so I'll just need one if you leave:' They always take fewer amateurs than pros so they make sure they don't have someone on the bank. I told Trip that if I was putting him in any kind of bind whatsoever as far as having enough boats to get the amateurs out fishing, I wouldn't leave.

I caught about the same as I did yesterday. Today we had a fog delay until about 8:30 or so, and once that was over I ran up to where I caught two of my fish yesterday and started there. In the first hour and a half, I caught my 3 keepers and lost one that was probably 2 1/2 pounds. It wrapped me around a stickup. After that I fished and fished, but only caught 3 shorts and that was it.

I fished a little differently today. I fished a crankbait and jerkbait more, but I caught them all on a crankbait. Yesterday I caught one on a dropshot and two on the crankbait. I was using a Luhr-Jensen prototype crankbait (white/brown back/orange belly) and was fishing it on the breaks: all the banks are really steep here, and I was just fishing it going down the bank. Some fish were on rocks, some were on wood. I fished it with 12-pound Triple Fish Fluorocarbon line, a Shimano Calcutta 150 reel and Shimano 6' 6" medium-action V rod.

I feel disappointed about this tournament because there was so much money at stake. I wish I would have practiced differently. I think that was my main problem. I kind of had my mind made up when I got here about what I wanted to do, and I didn't let the conditions talk to me. Just chalk another one up to the experience column and maybe I'll do better next time.

(Paul is in 106th place with 4 fish for 4-09.) I had motor problems right at takeoff and had to run the whole day on my trolling motor. I had to run points - - that was my pattern -- and I couldn't do it.

I just picked out 4 little spotted bass, which were the only keeper bites I had. I tried the jerkbait deal in the area I was in, but it was an area I hadn't fished at all. I just beat on boat docks and stuff to catch the four I caught.

I'm driving right now to Kimberling City to borrow a boat. The Triton rep here found me a boat to borrow from a guy. FLW won't help you. They wouldn't help me on the water and they won't help find you a boat. That's their policy. I don't know why, but I guess they have a reason for it. I'm driving 2 hours to get it and I'll drive 2 hours back tomorrow.

(John is in 104th with 3 fish for 4-11.) Today started out really cold. It was in the low to mid 30s, but the wind was blowing 10-15 mph first thing and that wind made it feel cold. It didn't start warming up until after noon, and I didn't have a keeper until about 11:30. Then I managed to scare up a few more, so I had three for 4-11. I had one largemouth and two spots. If it wasn't for that largemouth, I would've really looked bad.

I caught about 10-12 short fish. I thought I'd catch about that percentage of shorts to keepers, but I thought I could catch 20 fish and I was hoping to catch 5-7 keepers out of that.

As far as tomorrow goes, I did the hand-signal thing to one friend I work with in tournaments and he had only one. So he can't help me. I'll go out and fish my spots a little differently than I did today. I also didn't go to some spots because I didn't have long enough day (he was boat No. 5). My co-angler caught two that weighed 3 pounds today, so if I catch those I look okay.

This morning we had some nasty thunderstorms, and the high today was maybe 41 or 42 degrees. The wind has been really strong all day, like 20 mph, and it hailed for a little while. I didn't go out. I wussed out. I felt guilty. It's the first day I haven't gone out. But then in town I saw nearly the entire tournament field. I started to go out this afternoon, but decided to get everything straight so I can spend a long day out there tomorrow.

I did a lot of talking today, went to some tackle stores. There was an 80-some- boat local tournament yesterday, and it took 17 pounds to win and 15 and change was 5th. It blew my mind. Usually I stay away from that talk, but I was just feeling out what everyone else is doing. Sometimes when I do that I feel like, oh no, I'm going to get my butt whipped. But I'm not too worried this time.

Yesterday I fished on the lower end of the lake, close to the dam, and I only caught 2 keepers. I caught 8 fish and had a couple others get off. I was happy with it as far as eliminating water. I'm feeling better and better about where I caught those fish the other day.

Yesterday I did almost the same thing as the first day. I caught 15 and shook two off, and out of those I think I had 7 keepers. Today I only caught 8 fish, and only had 1 keeper. I fished a different area, and I don't like the section of the lake I fished today. I came off the water early because in the past 3 hours I only caught one short fish and I didn't like it.

Tomorrow I'm going to expand in the other direction from where I expanded today. Just kind of look for more of the same. I don't think this cold front coming in is going to affect the fish I've been catching. I might get a few fewer bites, but I still should be okay as long as nothing drastic happens because I'm catching them deep. I've been catching them 3 different ways, and think one way will go bye-bye when the warm weather finally gets out of here. It's basically gone now.

This is my third time on the lake, the second time as a boater. The water's down, and I found the water temperature to be anywhere from 45 degrees to 59 degrees. It's a really wide spectrum. One creek arm that was warmer last year was where the warmest water was. And a creek not far from where the warm one is has really cold water. I don't know if there's a spring in there or something.

I think the fish are just getting ready to spawn. They're not spawning yet. I don't know if they will be by the tournament or not, but they're not anywhere near it right now.

I caught 16 fish today, but only 4 keepers. I didn't shake any off -- I was tearing them up (laughs). The largemouth length limit here is 15 inches and that's what most of the short ones were.