Clarks Hill Bassmaster

Thursday, Day 1 (5, 10-08): Today was a good day. I caught about 8 or 10 keepers but lots of small bass. I was throwing 4" watermelon and green pumpkin Senkos on 2/10 Power Pro line with a small Sugoi 6-pound fluorocarbon leader. I had to make extremely long casts to the clear water. The bites were light and I missed some good fish right off the bat because I was setting to soon.

Later in the day I developed the 5-second rule and would only set the hook after 5 seconds. This helped out big-time as I was able to keep more fish on the hook. I believe that I spent my water today and am a little scared for tomorrow. I'll have to go prefishing and try to locate new water.

Tomorrow's weather will be sunny with light winds and I believe that will hurt the reaction-bait fisherman with clear skies and ultra-clear water. Will it help my bite? The big bags are coming on cranks and jigs in the muddy water. The weather tomorrow might help the shallow mud bite.

My pattern in prefish revolved around fishing clear-water pockets near the dam, dead-sticking small Senkos. There's a lot of grass in these cuts and I believe that many anglers have fished right past these fish with larger lines and lures. Tomorrow will be a challenge for me.

Well, we're off to the fellowship of Christian anglers meeting where tonight professional angler Mark Rose will share his testimony. Wish me luck.

Friday, Day 2 (5, 8-15 pounds): I finished in 41st place and cashed $2,500. Today was tough with no wind and constant sunlight pounding the ultra-clear water. I stuck with my gameplan and only had six keeper bites all day. Today I fished new water, which actually saved me on landing a few extra fish.

As predicted, the weather hurt a lot of the clear-water areas and the check weight cut actually dropped from its normal double standard. Many top finishers are throwing mid-depth crankbaits and large suspending jerkbaits over the grass, rocks and wood.

The water temperature increased from 48 to 50 degrees today and I put on my Solar Bat mossback green lenses and went sight-fishing. I know it sounds crazy and all, but I actually caught a few of my keeper bass today that were up shallow warming up. It took multiple casts with the Senko, but they'd eat it if you got it near there face

Also, today they would not eat the watermelon, so I switched up to color No. 150 on, which is smoke with black flakes, to trigger the strikes. There were a lot of baitfish in the area, so I believe this color was important.

Another key to success at this event was my rod and reel. I had to make extremely long casts, so I used a St. Croix medium-light Legend Elite 7' spinning rod with a matching Avid reel. The key was to overfill your spool with line so you could gain more casting distance. Also, the medium-light rod is a great choice for casting small weightless baits. A great combination for clear-water fishing.

Rebecca and I will be at the BASS expo working for sponsors the next few days, then off to North Carolina to get ready for the Lake Norman Bassmaster event. Thanks again for reading. Have a safe weekend.

I'm tired, and it was real cold this morning. There was ice in the reels and guides.

Day 1 was bad for me. I caught three for 3 pounds, and lost a couple more. I didn't really get on much, and today wasn't much better. I caught five for about 6 pounds. I caught all my fish today in about the first hour – that's it.

I was throwing a jighead Fluke like they throw here, and yesterday a I also dropshotted a Yamamoto worm. I was fishing in 5 to 15 feet of water.

Nobody did too well in the area I was in. I don't know where the fish were. They bit early real easy, then they quit.

I covered only about a 5-mile stretch in a day and a half of practice, and I stayed there for the whole tournament. I just tried to do the best I could in the area. There were a couple of big ones caught on jerkbaits near me yesterday, and both of my partners caught 3-pounders.

It's been pretty tough. On Monday I had three or four bites, and only a few on Tuesday. I'm switching around with what I'm doing. It's 43 degrees and very cold right now. The big problem with this lake is you don't know what to expect. I'll try to fish hard and go for five fish. Five fish a day – that's all I want.

It's not a famous place, but I know it's a good fishery. It has too much grass not to be. I think 20 pounds a day will be big-time good, and 7 to 12 pounds will be really good.

Yesterday I didn't get a single bite. I fished deep all day – trying to find some real deep fish, and that pretty much eliminated them for me. I'm going to fish shallow on day 1. Sometimes the best prefish is not catching them, I guess.

The bites I've had have been fairly shallow. I think the wind messed me up. For day 1, I'm just going to pick an area and fish everything I own in that area. I'll see if I can catch a couple.

Wow, what a long day for both Becca and I on Sunday. We stayed behind at Guntersville to help out with the sponsors at the BASS expo, and also because Becca runs the clothing trailer for Triton Boats. Needless to say, it was an exciting weigh-in with my friend Morizo (Shimizu) taking 2nd place with an amazing catch over 30 pounds.

Guntersville was tough on me, but I look forward to trying to catch up this week at Clarks Hill in Georgia. We just arrived here in Augusta at about midnight Sunday, after a 6-hour rainy drive. It'll feel good to get to bed. Good night.

Monday, practice day 1: Today was freezing cold and as crazy as this sounds, it'll be the warmest day this week. The weather this week is frigid with lows in the lower 20s, plus rain and 30-mph winds. Just when you thought you were having a bad day at the office. I mean, it's cold here.

Today I managed some bites basically fishing a normal winter/early-spring technique – fishing a small suspending jerkbait with about 10-second pauses. The bites were sluggish, as the water only warmed up to 48.5 degrees. I caught myself fishing the jerkbait at a normal cadence, and had to force myself to fish slow. I'd put my hand in the water to remind me of how chilly the it was.

I talked with a few other anglers and it seemed to be a tough day on the pond, but it's early, with 2 more days to go. I have to go and do a radio interview with Tri-State radio in Colorado, but I'll keep you posted.

Tuesday: Wow, today it rained, sleeted and hailed with winds up to 35 mph and blowing at 25 pretty consistent. It was a miserable day just trying to position the boat, let alone trying to navigate from bay to bay. I had some decent bites today, but I'm actually kind of scared with this gigantic cold front that's coming through. Tomorrow morning will be in the 20s with more wind and a little sunshine.

Rumor has it that many anglers are catching them up in the muddy cold water. I'll try to stay away from that stuff and concentrate on the clearer water with grass. It's a gamble, but hey, this entire fishing industry is.

When I got off the water today I received some more horrible news. Our past truck driver for our demo bass tank business died today in a plane crash in Colorado. My parents' house is located right at the Del Norte airport and they saw him take off for another beautiful early morning flight. May God be with Bob Brunette and his family.

This business can be so crazy at times but everybody must remember that life is so short and nothing is certain. Hearing of this tragic accident really reminds me where my priorities are. I thank God to be alive.

Wednesday: Today the wind blew hard again and stupid me, I forgot to drop by the gas station and get some more fuel. I thought that I had a half-tank, but I was wrong. I only had a little gas, so I played the card I was dealt and stayed local.

When I got to the first bank I was in trouble because all of my rod and storage boxes were frozen solid from last night's freeze. I waited a few minutes, thinking they would mysteriously thaw out, but I was wrong. After a long fight with the rod lockers, my numb fingers and I decided to try to tear them open. Even though it was a long fight, I eventually won – even though it cost me some carpet.

I got about five bites today throwing plastics to the shallows. The thing that concerns me about this pattern is the weather. I'm not able to get bit until the afternoon – after the water warms up a bit. I'm confident though, and will fish hard to the last minute before weigh-in. I could be totally wrong on this one, but I have to fish my confidence. Wish me luck.