If you looked at the leaderboard yesterday you may have noticed Idaho pro Darrell Ocamica had a zero for the day. That was particularly surprising since most of the field had a limit, with only two weighing in with four fish. I wondered if Ocamica, who qualified for the Elites via the B.A.S.S. Nation, had mechanical problems. It turns out that wasn’t the case. Ocamica was the first to weigh in today and started by apologizing.
“You know Gerald Swindle has his thing with ‘Positive Mental Attitude,” he said. “Well I had a Bad Mental Attitude yesterday. I had a really tough day and only caught 7 pounds. I was so frustrated when I got to the dock, I dumped my fish in the water and went to the hotel.”
He got to thinking about things last night and realized he let some people down. People that supported him like the B.A.S.S. Nation, his family, and his sponsors. “I owed them to at least show up on stage and show my face,” he said. Ocamica felt bad for his decision not to weigh-in, and said he was sorry several times.
Today was a better day. He weighed in 14 pounds and 7 ounces, and maybe salvaged a little pride. Earlier in the year he made two top 51 cuts, at Cherokee Lake and Ross Barnett Reservoir.