Santee Cooper Bassmaster

It was pretty bad today. I fished all over and caught three little fish in one creek on Senkos. I thought I was onto something, but that was it. I found a few bed-fish, but my partner wasn't too wild about that and it didn't really matter, so I didn't do it too much. I looked at new water and tried to stay out of everybody's way.

I learned a lot. The three tournaments I did well in the past were my three worst this year because I pretty much fished what I knew instead of current conditions. I worked with Skeet (Reese) and Brett (Hite) here and both had good bites, but I didn't. I don't know. I'm trying to put it out of my mind as fast as possible.

I'm looking forward to getting to Beaver and fishing a different style. I don't know anything about the lake except that it will be tough and the fish will be small. But maybe it'll fish a little easier than how I've been fishing.

I didn't do any good. I caught two fish. I doubt I'll stay in the E50s. I'm down in 50th place (in the points) or something.

I got 3 bites all day, and committed the mortal sin of bass fishing: I tried to swing a 4-pound fish and knocked it off on the boat. I hooked it on a spinnerbait, and I've been swinging them in that size all year, but I just didn't time it right. I was a little excited. It was my first bite of the day, one of those deals. Other than that I just had two fish that weighed 5 pounds. That fish is probably really going to cost me.

I was fishing cypress trees in the upper lake with a spinnerbait and jig, and was keying on trees out in front of spawning areas. That just died for me today. I understand other guys were catching them off cypress trees, so I must not have been in the right area. And I might not have been throwing the right bait. They didn't want that spinnerbait today.

I'm really not looking forward to the drive to Beaver. But I am really looking forward, after that, to going home.

I was very fortunate. I went in that one creek where I got 3 bites quick in practice, fished in there until 10:30 and had one 3 1/2-pounder. I ran down to the lower lake, killed 3 hours and didn't get a bite. So I came back to the creek, and at 1:00 I caught four fish and had one just annihilate a spinnerbait. It was a big one, but it didn't touch (the hook).

I just had those six bites all day, and tied Gerald Swindle for big bass.

Tomorrow I'll go back there. I know there's one left in there, but I don't know if there's any more. I'll have to do that, and I think I can catch some more doing it somewhere else. On the upper lake I think the bigger fish are just now making a move into the shallows. So hopefully I may be able to catch some tomorrow.

I had one fish, and it was a 15-ouncer. You just have to shake your head sometimes.

I fished the lower lake half a day, and then gave up on it, came up north and just picked a bank and went fishing. They were there, but I couldn't catch them. I saw 5 or 6 on beds and had a couple hit, but they wouldn't hit again. They were sight-fish – not big ones, around 2 pounds – and I couldn't catch them. It was frustrating.

I should've stayed down the lake. Brett Hite caught 23 down there, so they started biting. I left too early.

Tomorrow I'll stay out of people's way again. I'll be in the lower lake. It's the only place I know how to catch them.

The only good thing about this is that you know you'll soon have a good tournament again.

I had one bite. I fished down low and didn't see much. I'm a little lost about what's happening here.

Tomorrow I'm going to where I had a 3-pounder and another big one bite the first day of practice. I know some big ones are there, and I'll see if I can catch couple. After that I have no clue.

I'll start on the lower lake. I think if you've fished here before, you almost have to go there mentally because you're worried they'll turn on – although it doesn't look like it.

The history of this lake is so great that it's hard to settle for thinking you're just going to catch 2-3 fish a day. You want to be culling big limits. But I think I'll regroup and just go for 3-4 fish (and consider that) a good day. I think if you get 5 you'll be a hero tomorrow unless they really turn on.

I never had a bite. Yes, I was trying. I stayed in the upper lake until 11:00, and then went down to the lower lake for about an hour just to check one area where I got a bite the other day. I didn't get bit in there, so I came back up and fished 90 minutes in the upper lake. I didn't get a bite.

Everybody's talking like they're not doing well, but I heard some sight-fishermen are seeing some fish.

I don't know where I'm starting yet. I got 3 bites one day on the upper lake, so I guess I'll just start there. I haven't been back there. I tried to expand on it, but couldn't. I feel like I'm in deep trouble.

Today I checked out some pretty remote areas. I drove my truck around and looked for some glory in the upper end of the lake, but I never found it. I had two bites and saw few on the beds. I didn't figure anything out.

I drove to three different launch ramps and checked out stuff that traditionally hasn't done well here but can. It was good because I've wanted to check some of these areas out for a while, so I got it out of my system.

Today it was in the 30s in the morning, but warmed up pretty nice and there wasn't as bad a wind as yesterday. Hopefully tomorrow the weather should stabilize a bit. I'll probably checked my best areas and see if they're coming back around.

I got four bites all day. It's hard on me. I hope everyone else is having a hard time.

I actually fished the upper lake some today. I only fished an hour and a half, but got three bites. So I may have to really contemplate tonight whether I want to go back on that lower lake or not. Then again, the same thing happened last year: The fish didn't bite down there, and then the first day of the tournament they exploded. I'll really have to give it some thought. I'll probably have to split my day up tomorrow.

A creek I got in was 58-59 degrees, so the water temperature is coming up. It will take another hit tonight, but I'm sure it will turn on. This lake has quality fish too. If you catch five, you'll have 17-23 pounds.

The weather was a little cold today, and the fishing wasn't as good as it was last year for me. I caught 2-3 keepers – they were all nice ones, 3-pounders – but it definitely wasn't like the lake I left last year. It's a little lower, about a foot low, and quite cold and windy. I definitely think some different patterns will be needed unless the weather changes.

It was a little slow today. Tomorrow I'm going to go to some areas I've never been to and see if I can figure out some other patterns.

It was pretty tough today. It was cloudy and the wind blew like hell. I caught two fish, a 5-pounder and a 12-13 inch fish, and that's about if. I covered a lot of water too. A couple of other fish came out and swatted a spinnerbait, but didn't take it. Everybody I talked to said they had 2 bites or 3 bites.

The lake is about 6-8 inches lower than it was last year, and clearer. There's some spawning fish on beds, but they're really shallow and real skittish. I heard several guys say that.

Tomorrow will be just like my first day of practice because I haven't found anything out yet.