The first Elite tournament of the year didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped it would go, but it really came down to timing — specifically, how it didn’t work in my favor.
It went kind of how I thought it would. I was focusing more on the clear water, and I was getting some bites in practice. Solid bites, nothing outstanding, but I was getting 10 to 15 bites a day.
I was content with where I was, but I got on some fish late on Day 3. They were solid fish and I’d have 19 to 20 pounds in just a little while, but I didn’t spend enough time in that area. That’s where several of the Top 10 anglers were fishing.
I didn’t feel comfortable trying to expand around those guys once I got down there. I didn’t feel right moving around. I didn’t keep going and finding more grass.
I just had little tiny areas, and I just didn’t want to get in the way of boats that had been there before me. I just don’t do that, even if I know that’s something that could play.
On Day 1 of the tournament, I went to what I had found on the third day of practice, and when it didn’t start firing right off the bat, I just started running around to the stuff where I had caught them earlier in practice.
I ran south and went toward the clear water, but I ended up coming back to what I’d found in practice and they started biting in the afternoon. I had three or four bites in the last 30 minutes, and I really thought that was gonna keep playing on Day 2.
Unfortunately, it was already torn up. So many boats had already beaten around on it, and there was eel grass floating everywhere.
I caught all of my fish on a BOOYAH Hard Knocker rattlebait. I had a bunch of bites on the second day, but they just wouldn’t commit — they would just push it.
I think the area had been hit so hard, and I just didn’t adjust to it. That’s how it is when I get something locked in my head — especially a rattlebait, which is my favorite way to catch them. You rip it out of the grass, and you just can’t wait for that next one to bite.
Hindsight’s 20/20: I wish I had gotten in an area and just worked it, instead of trying to run all over. When you start running all over, you can burn an hour of your time, and it can go down in 20 or 30 minutes. Five casts and you can have 25 pounds.
I really wish I had settled down and said, “This is what I’m gonna do.” I should have rotated a few different baits in that area and made those fish bite. You can be doing the right thing in the right area and miss it by five minutes or due to a different casting angle.
It’s a timing thing, and running around kills you when you start doing that.
As everybody saw, this was a really cold tournament — especially the first day — but it really didn’t bother me. I actually enjoyed fishing in those conditions because it’s something we don’t do too much.
The only real issue was the rod guides freezing up all day in practice and then the first tournament day until 11 or 12 o’clock. It wasn’t that I was cold, it was just frustrating digging your rod into the water every other cast.
Honestly, fishing that event was enjoyable. It’s kinda weird saying “enjoyable” about that, but it was fun, kinda getting back to that stage of fishing, remembering the old-school days of Bassmaster and watching that stuff.
