Paducah/3 Rivers Elite 50

I went to the same (bay) I started in (previous days) and caught two pretty quickly – one on a beetle spin and the other flipping Sweet Beaver (watermelon red). Then I went out on the main river and jumped one about 3 and caught one about 3, flipping the Beaver. I spent rest of the day back in the bay and never caught any more. They were all over in there, but I just couldn't catch them.

The E50s were a great experience -- the best experience I've ever had in bass fishing. But I'm glad they're over with. Four rivers were tough on us. If you don't throw a shallow-running crankbait a lot, you were hurting in these, and I don't. But I learned, though.

I got five bites and only caught two keepers. The only fish that I know was a keeper that I lost was about a 2 1/2-pound smallmouth. I fished the same water again, and they didn't bite again (laughs). Dustin Wilks caught them pretty good the first 2 days there, but I think he struggled today. Bu out of the 4-5 guys fishing the area I was fishing, I probably did next to the worst. I think Kenyon Hill did the worst. But he came back down here (toward the ramp) and caught them today.

I was catching them on a Mann's Super Finesse Worm (green pumpkin) and a Mann's Classic spinnerbait, 1/2-ounce with two gold blades, a Colorado and a 4 1/2 willow.

I liked the E50s a lot. I think it's a neat deal. I think they're on the right path, and are taking the sport to the next level.

I had an almost identical day to yesterday. I had four for the same weight. I never had the fifth one on or anything, but I caught a lot of weird fish: an Asian carp, a catfish, a white bass, but no bass.

The water came up this morning, and really slowed the morning bite down. It started falling abut mid-day, and they bit a little bit, but they sort of quit biting late. I ended up catching a couple on a Sweet Beaver, then I dropshotted a Roboworm to catch my last two. They're there. It's just a matter of timing, as usual.

Tomorrow I'll pretty much do the same thing. I'll try a few different baits – I know a lot of guys are catching them on tiny baits, bluegill baits, so I'll go with that and see how that works.

I'd love to leave (the tournament) early (to go to the Champlain FLW), but I'll stick it out to the end. I'll still get 2 days of practice up there. I'm not in real good shape in the (FLW) points, so I'll just go have fun next week.

I fished my rear end off and only had two bites all day long. I don't know what the deal was. I just couldn't get bit. Me and Swindle were swapping the same water and he only had two bites too.

I think it's all the current. Some people caught them up there (in the current), but the way I'm fishing I'm not using a very heavy weight. I had to go to heavy weights because they were letting so much water out of Kentucky Lake, and I probably lost $100 in weights today. All the guys fishing the side of the river I was fishing didn't do anything. Mike Wurm was fishing that side and zeroed (and fell out of the cut). Jim Bitter was fishing that side, swapped over (to the other side) and caught 8 or 9 pounds (and got into the cut). He said the current wasn't as bad on that side. I thought it would be worse because that was the side the current was coming from.

I think I'm safe making the Classic, but I'll have to look at it closer.

I'd like to be able to leave for Champlain, but I'll stick it out and try to catch a limit.

I caught three that weighed 5-14. A local was sitting on my spot when I got there this morning, and he said he'd caught 8 or 9 fish. I pulled up there and caught one, fished pretty hard and then left. I eased down to let it rest, and then Kenyon Hill came in there before I could get back and caught a 3-pounder. When he left I went up there and caught another keeper. Then I caught a 3 1/2-pound smallmouth, and lost another one about that size.

Tomorrow I'll do the same thing. I got messed up today because when (he had to switch back to his boat after using a loaner in practice), I didn't put my dropshot stuff in there. Mike Wurm and Dustin Wilks were around me and were catching them on a dropshot, but I didn't have any dropshot stuff. I had one rigged up, but I broke it off and didn't have any more.

I'll catch a limit tomorrow.

I had a fun day. I had four keepers, just under 7 pounds. But I was fishing right across the bay from Hackney, and he whacked them. I watched him catching them all day. So it was a good and bad day.

I had four largemouths by 3:00 and like an idiot I decided to go catch big smallmouths. By the time I got up there, the guys were on them pretty tight. I never got on them, so I sort of scrambled.

Tomorrow I'll just fish largemouths try to catch five. I'll stay in the bay all day. I know they're in there. I just have to catch them.

I had one good day of practice and that was the first day. I caught a nice 4-pound smallmouth and had quite a few other keepers, but the other days have been pretty tough. I've scraped up a couple here and there, but they were little ones.

I've been running around, up and down all over, and covering lot of the river. It's a little tough. There's a lot of dead water, and there doesn't exactly seem to be a lot of fish.

Tomorrow I'm going to stick with largemouths and try to get a limit. If I do, then I'll go fish for big smallmouths.

The first day of practice I did all right. I had about 9 pounds. Yesterday I had some boat problems and only fished for 2 hours and got one – I'm waiting on lightning to hit me, so much has gone wrong for me in these E50s. And today I only had three bites.

Today I went and checked where I thought I could catch them, and got two bites pretty quick but I didn't set the hook. I think if I'm the first one there I can catch a limit, but it depends on how many people go to that spot. It's an obvious place, but I'm the seventh boat out. I don't think they'll weigh much, but think I can catch a limit.

Tenth place at the Federation tournament here last week was around 21 pounds (21-04) so I think 7-8 pounds a day here will be pretty good.

I just hope at least four (potential double-qualifiers for the Classic do double-qualify so he can get in).