My experience at the SPRO Bassmaster Elite at Lake Champlain was frustrating, but that’s not because I didn’t get bit. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
I had a solid Day 1 with 17-4, and I was right around the cutline. I had the bites to have a really good Day 2, but I lost several key fish. I ended up with four fish for 8-11 and finished 95th.
I was using treble hooks, and Champlain smallmouth are notorious for coming off treble-hook-style baits. I was mainly throwing a Strike King Sexy Dog, and I had multiple 4-pound fish at my fingertips. They would just come off.
After that, I tried to make some adjustments with smaller single-hook baits. I threw flukes, I threw bug-style baits, but even with this change, my second day was a struggle.
They were just nipping at the baits really badly. They weren’t reacting as well as they were to the topwater. I just could not get into a groove no matter what bait I threw.
I tried to make an adjustment around noon on Day 2. I had already lost several good fish, and I just came to realize they were eating the topwater differently. I didn’t have enough time from then on to dial in on what exactly they wanted, because I was due in at 3:30.
Going into the tournament, my goal was to catch mixed bags of smallmouth and largemouth. That’s what I did on Day 1, but I only had smallmouth bites on Day 2.
I fished the Inland Sea and got my bites in areas of mixed rock and cabbage. In practice, I got on these flats, put the trolling motor on 10 and marked the cabbage clumps that were on the rocks in 5 to 10 feet.
I also had a big-fish largemouth pattern, but I never even made it to that pattern. I didn’t need to use that on Day 1, and on Day 2, I ran out of time because I was trying to make the smallmouth bite work.
I will say, with the tournament prohibiting the use of forward-facing, that really changed how you had to fish. We all know if you do have it, you can’t compete strictly shallow. The big largemouth patterns would still be viable without forward-facing sonar, but strictly fishing for shallow smallmouth, you wouldn’t be able to compete.
I enjoy using forward-facing sonar, but it is cool to get some breaks here and there. It definitely changed the outcome of this tournament, for sure.
Looking back, the hardest part of losing big fish like I did is managing the mental game. I had some bad thoughts creep into my head on Day 2, and I had to work hard to overcome them.
You know you’re doing wrong, but you don’t know what the correct adjustment is. Every adjustment you make doesn’t feel right. That’s what I mean by not being able to get into a groove all day.
It stinks when you find yourself in that mindset, but I’m not going to wallow in that misery. I’m doing something about it. I’m staying over at Lake Champlain for the week before the final Elite event at the St. Lawrence River.
I don’t know where I went wrong at Lake Champlain, but hopefully, by the end of this week, I will. I’ll do my best to learn more about the lake and more about what I did wrong so I can be ready to go the next time we come back here.
As for the St, Lawrence, I’ll head into that event sitting right on the Classic line. Obviously, I want to do well at this final event and keep myself in the Classic.
I know I have to catch ‘em, but I wouldn’t say it’s added pressure. I put a lot of pressure on myself, no matter what the stakes are.
I think there is a little more motivation, considering my finish at Champlain. The last time I felt like this was right before the Classic at Lake Ray Roberts. I had started my rookie Elite season with two bad finishes, but then I was able to win the Classic.
Hopefully, I can catch a lot of fish this week on Champlain, get my mojo back and be ready to go at the St. Lawrence. That’s a place where I’m extremely comfortable, because it’s exactly what I grew up fishing back home in Minnesota.
Considering the situation I’m in, I’m happy to be ending the season at the St. Lawrence. Hopefully, I can have a good showing there, maybe make a run at the tournament and make the Classic, which will be held at Lake Hartwell — my favorite lake in the world.
The stakes are high, but I’m looking forward to it.
