It felt great to have notched a sixth-place finish at West Point Lake last week. At this point in the season, I’m really starting to keep a close eye on the competitors who are near me in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year race. As much as anything, you want to make sure you finish ahead of those guys in each event. Fortunately, I was able to do that this week and extend my lead a bit.
Probably the most important thing at West Point happened on Day Two. I had a nice stringer that weighed almost 18 pounds. I caught a really key fish at about 2:30. It was a 6-1. You can always look back at your season after it’s over and pick out key moments that turned it for the better or the worse, and that one was one of those moments that turned it for the better. I’ll never forget that fish.
When it bit, I thought it was a little one, but after I set the hook I could tell it was a pretty good fish, maybe a 4-pounder. So I figured I’d flip it into the boat, and thankfully I was using braided line because it was a 6! That was lucky. Had I known how big it was, I would’ve reached down and lipped it. But, all’s well that ends well!
When I looked at the schedule before the season started, West Point was the tournament that scared me the most. I had zero history on it, and I knew it was going to be tough, and now that I did well it feels like the weight of the world is lifted off of my shoulders. Lake Murray, on the other hand, is a place I enjoy fishing.
I won a Megabucks there in the past, and have led a few others. It’s just a place I really enjoy fishing. I’m looking forward to my time on the lake, and hopefully I can find enough fish to do well.
I haven’t been getting a whole lot of sleep lately; I’m running on fumes and adrenaline. Having a good tournament, like I did at West Point, really got me pumped up to practice hard on Murray. I didn’t feel fatigued while I was on the water on Monday, but now that I’m off the water, I’m starting to feel the fatigue. Hopefully, I’ll be a little bit more rested by tonight. I’m planning on 8 or 9 hours of sleep tonight.
Each day of practice is important, and I need to make the most of them.