Day on the lake: Carl Jocumsen

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Carl Jocumsen is the best bass angler on his home continent. This is a pretty amazing statement. Still, the Austrailian-born pro isn’t satisfied. That’s why he came to the U.S. His goal is to make a career out of tournament fishing and that simply can’t happen Down Under. He qualified for the Elite Series through the Bassmaster Opens, went to FLW for a short stint, and now is fishing the Elites again. He remains the only Austrailian ever to qualify for the biggest stage in bass fishing and is focused on staying there. Here is how Jocumsen’s day unfolded on a steamy day in June, which, by Austrailian standards, was quite pleasant. <p> <b>6:39 a.m.</b> Fog shrouds the water as Jocumsen and I arrive at Lake L’s deserted boat ramp. <p> <b>7 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>6:45 a.m.</b> We launch the Bass Cat. Jocumsen checks the lake temp: 83 degrees. What pattern does he foresee being operative today? “Summer bass normally relate to deep structure and shallow vegetation. I’ll need to take a tour of the lake to check out those options, but I want to first try some topwater before the sun burns off the fog.” As Jocumsen pulls an assortment of Miller rods equipped with Shimano reels from storage, I ask him about the bass fishing scene in his native Queensland. “I competed in Australian bass tournaments for 10 years before moving to the States. The Australian bass is totally different from the American largemouth; a really big one weighs about 5 pounds. Australia is best known for its amazing saltwater fishing, but there are many exciting freshwater species there, including the Murray cod, which can weigh over 100 pounds. The various species I targeted back home all required different lures and tactics; this combined experience helped me adjust to American bass fishing surprisingly quickly. One thing I had to learn from scratch, however, was jig fishing — I had never fished a jig, nor pitched or flipped, before I moved here.” <br> <b>6:53 a.m.</b> Jocumsen idles to a nearby shoreline and makes his first casts with a bone-colored Reaction Innovations Vixen topwater stickbait. 
Carl Jocumsen is the best bass angler on his home continent. This is a pretty amazing statement. Still, the Austrailian-born pro isn’t satisfied. That’s why he came to the U.S. His goal is to make a career out of tournament fishing and that simply can’t happen Down Under. He qualified for the Elite Series through the Bassmaster Opens, went to FLW for a short stint, and now is fishing the Elites again. He remains the only Austrailian ever to qualify for the biggest stage in bass fishing and is focused on staying there. Here is how Jocumsen’s day unfolded on a steamy day in June, which, by Austrailian standards, was quite pleasant.

6:39 a.m. Fog shrouds the water as Jocumsen and I arrive at Lake L’s deserted boat ramp.

7 HOURS LEFT6:45 a.m. We launch the Bass Cat. Jocumsen checks the lake temp: 83 degrees. What pattern does he foresee being operative today? “Summer bass normally relate to deep structure and shallow vegetation. I’ll need to take a tour of the lake to check out those options, but I want to first try some topwater before the sun burns off the fog.” As Jocumsen pulls an assortment of Miller rods equipped with Shimano reels from storage, I ask him about the bass fishing scene in his native Queensland. “I competed in Australian bass tournaments for 10 years before moving to the States. The Australian bass is totally different from the American largemouth; a really big one weighs about 5 pounds. Australia is best known for its amazing saltwater fishing, but there are many exciting freshwater species there, including the Murray cod, which can weigh over 100 pounds. The various species I targeted back home all required different lures and tactics; this combined experience helped me adjust to American bass fishing surprisingly quickly. One thing I had to learn from scratch, however, was jig fishing — I had never fished a jig, nor pitched or flipped, before I moved here.” 6:53 a.m. Jocumsen idles to a nearby shoreline and makes his first casts with a bone-colored Reaction Innovations Vixen topwater stickbait. 

<b>6:58 a.m.</b> Jocumsen rounds a point leading into a cove while dog-walking the Vixen. <br> <b>7:03 a.m.</b> Jocumsen ties on a blue and white Molix WTD weedless surface rat. <br> “Molix is an innovative Italian lure company; this is a prototype frog-type lure I’ve been testing for them. WTD stands for ‘walk the dog,’ which is easy to do with this cool bait. I’m still tweaking it, but I’ve already caught some monsters on it.” He retrieves the buoyant lure through a patch of emergent grass, then pauses to squeeze water from its soft, hollow body. “You need to get that water out straight away every time; otherwise it won’t have the proper action.” <br> <b>7:10 a.m.</b> Jocumsen rounds the point and enters a cove with several docks. Here he tries a shad colored River2Sea Whopper Plopper, a noisy surface bait. <br> <b>7:15 a.m.</b> Jocumsen switches to a shad colored 3/4-ounce Bassman spinnerbait with a Molix swimbait trailer. “I’ve won a load of money back home on this Australian lure; it’ll catch anything that swims and is ideal around deep docks like the ones on this bank.” <br> <b>7:24 a.m.</b> Jocumsen moves to Lake L’s dam and tries a Molix RA Shad, a small swimbait with a 3/8-ounce head and a belly spinner. A bass bumps the lure as he retrieves it out from the riprap. “The dam is always a good bet on a strange lake because there will usually be fish somewhere close by.” <br> <b>7:28 a.m.</b> The RA Shad dredges up a wad of grass. “There’s a shallow ledge jutting out from the riprap, then it drops off into 22 feet.” <br> <b>7:33 a.m.</b> Jocumsen tries a purple pumpkin 3/8-ounce Molix jig with a craw trailer around the riprap. “I’m seeing a few fish on my electronics, but they’re really scattered.” <p> <b>6 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>7:45 a.m.</b> Still hitting riprap with the jig. “I saw some baitfish surfacing earlier, but there’s been less activity since the fog lifted.” <br> <b>7:52 a.m.</b> Jocumsen rockets uplake to a tributary arm, where he finds an abundance of pad cover. He begins casting the weedless rat to the vegetation, shaking his rod tip while reeling to dog-walk the lure across the cover. “The water up here is just 78 degrees, so the fish should be active.” <br> 8 a.m.</b> As Jocumsen retrieves the rat across some pads into open water, a bass sucks it under but doesn’t hook up. “That was a good fish!” <br> <b>8:07 a.m.</b> Jocumsen bags his first keeper of the day, a 1-pound, 4-ounce largemouth, from the pads on the rat. “This skinny guy was way back in there. If he’d been eating properly, he’d weigh 3 pounds!” <br> <b>8:10 a.m.</b> Jocumsen resumes casting the rat to the pads. “I’m all about a stealthy approach, and when fishing pads, I’ll move to the spot I want to fish with my trolling motor on low, then wait to cast until the boat is sitting still. Besides being less obtrusive, this keeps my line dead straight during the retrieve instead of in an arch, which guarantees more hookups because there’s less slack.”
6:58 a.m. Jocumsen rounds a point leading into a cove while dog-walking the Vixen. 7:03 a.m. Jocumsen ties on a blue and white Molix WTD weedless surface rat. “Molix is an innovative Italian lure company; this is a prototype frog-type lure I’ve been testing for them. WTD stands for ‘walk the dog,’ which is easy to do with this cool bait. I’m still tweaking it, but I’ve already caught some monsters on it.” He retrieves the buoyant lure through a patch of emergent grass, then pauses to squeeze water from its soft, hollow body. “You need to get that water out straight away every time; otherwise it won’t have the proper action.” 7:10 a.m. Jocumsen rounds the point and enters a cove with several docks. Here he tries a shad colored River2Sea Whopper Plopper, a noisy surface bait. 7:15 a.m. Jocumsen switches to a shad colored 3/4-ounce Bassman spinnerbait with a Molix swimbait trailer. “I’ve won a load of money back home on this Australian lure; it’ll catch anything that swims and is ideal around deep docks like the ones on this bank.” 7:24 a.m. Jocumsen moves to Lake L’s dam and tries a Molix RA Shad, a small swimbait with a 3/8-ounce head and a belly spinner. A bass bumps the lure as he retrieves it out from the riprap. “The dam is always a good bet on a strange lake because there will usually be fish somewhere close by.” 7:28 a.m. The RA Shad dredges up a wad of grass. “There’s a shallow ledge jutting out from the riprap, then it drops off into 22 feet.” 7:33 a.m. Jocumsen tries a purple pumpkin 3/8-ounce Molix jig with a craw trailer around the riprap. “I’m seeing a few fish on my electronics, but they’re really scattered.”

6 HOURS LEFT7:45 a.m. Still hitting riprap with the jig. “I saw some baitfish surfacing earlier, but there’s been less activity since the fog lifted.” 7:52 a.m. Jocumsen rockets uplake to a tributary arm, where he finds an abundance of pad cover. He begins casting the weedless rat to the vegetation, shaking his rod tip while reeling to dog-walk the lure across the cover. “The water up here is just 78 degrees, so the fish should be active.”
8 a.m. As Jocumsen retrieves the rat across some pads into open water, a bass sucks it under but doesn’t hook up. “That was a good fish!” 8:07 a.m. Jocumsen bags his first keeper of the day, a 1-pound, 4-ounce largemouth, from the pads on the rat. “This skinny guy was way back in there. If he’d been eating properly, he’d weigh 3 pounds!” 8:10 a.m. Jocumsen resumes casting the rat to the pads. “I’m all about a stealthy approach, and when fishing pads, I’ll move to the spot I want to fish with my trolling motor on low, then wait to cast until the boat is sitting still. Besides being less obtrusive, this keeps my line dead straight during the retrieve instead of in an arch, which guarantees more hookups because there’s less slack.”

<b>8:13 a.m.</b> Jocumsen gets a solid strike on the rat. He leans on the fish to get it on top of the pads, then swings aboard his second keeper, a fine 4-pound, 15-ounce largemouth. “All right, mate! This fish was on the edge of an isolated clump of pads. I’ve learned that 5-pounders don’t lie, so I’m going to keep hitting the pads because I have confidence that more big fish are in this cover.” <br> <b>8:18 a.m.</b> Jocumsen is methodically walking the rat over the pads. He’s using a 7-10 frog rod with an 8:1 reel and 50-pound braided line. <br> <b>8:30 a.m.</b> A lunker bass swirls on the rat; Jocumsen swings and misses. “Did you see that? Its head came all the way out of the water!” <p> <b>5 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>8:47 a.m.</b> Jocumsen moves 50 yards to a spot where larger pads mix with the small “dollar” pads he’s been fishing. “Those big pads are tougher to get your lure through. You need to keep your rod tip elevated so your line doesn’t tangle in them.”
8:13 a.m. Jocumsen gets a solid strike on the rat. He leans on the fish to get it on top of the pads, then swings aboard his second keeper, a fine 4-pound, 15-ounce largemouth. “All right, mate! This fish was on the edge of an isolated clump of pads. I’ve learned that 5-pounders don’t lie, so I’m going to keep hitting the pads because I have confidence that more big fish are in this cover.” 8:18 a.m. Jocumsen is methodically walking the rat over the pads. He’s using a 7-10 frog rod with an 8:1 reel and 50-pound braided line. 8:30 a.m. A lunker bass swirls on the rat; Jocumsen swings and misses. “Did you see that? Its head came all the way out of the water!”

5 HOURS LEFT8:47 a.m. Jocumsen moves 50 yards to a spot where larger pads mix with the small “dollar” pads he’s been fishing. “Those big pads are tougher to get your lure through. You need to keep your rod tip elevated so your line doesn’t tangle in them.”

<b>8:55 a.m.</b> “There’s less activity the deeper I move into the pads,” Jocumsen observes. “I’m going to key on pads nearest to the entrance of this creek arm.” <br> <b>9:11 a.m.</b> Jocumsen approaches the opposite shoreline of the creek entrance. “The bank looks deeper there, and there are some laydowns mixed in with the pads.” <br> <b>9:20 a.m.</b> I complain about the oppressive heat and humidity as Jocumsen continues probing the pads, but he just laughs. “Compared to Queensland, this is like being in air conditioning!”
8:55 a.m. “There’s less activity the deeper I move into the pads,” Jocumsen observes. “I’m going to key on pads nearest to the entrance of this creek arm.” 9:11 a.m. Jocumsen approaches the opposite shoreline of the creek entrance. “The bank looks deeper there, and there are some laydowns mixed in with the pads.” 9:20 a.m. I complain about the oppressive heat and humidity as Jocumsen continues probing the pads, but he just laughs. “Compared to Queensland, this is like being in air conditioning!”
<b>9:24 a.m.</b> Jocumsen casts the frog to a shoreline log. Its hooks hang in the laydown; repeated rod shakes fail to pop it free. “I’ve only got two of these lures, so I’m going in after it!”
9:24 a.m. Jocumsen casts the frog to a shoreline log. Its hooks hang in the laydown; repeated rod shakes fail to pop it free. “I’ve only got two of these lures, so I’m going in after it!”
<b>9:24 a.m.</b> He jumps into the lake, wades to the log and pulls the lure free. “I wouldn’t risk doing this in Australia, what with all the crocs and snakes!”<br> <b>9:32 a.m.</b> Continuing past the pads, Jocumsen retrieves a bluegill colored 3/8-ounce Bassman swim jig with a generic paddletail trailer around a laydown tree. <p> <b>4 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>9:45 a.m.</b> Jocumsen heads straight across the creek mouth while casting the swim jig around the edge of the pads. “I’m seeing some clumps of hydrilla out in open water.” <br> <b>9:52 a.m.</b> He swims a crystal shad 3/8-ounce Bassman bladed jig with a Molix RA Shad trailer across the hydrilla. A 5-pound bass shoots out of the grass and nips the lure’s trailer. “Wow, that was a good fish!” <br> <b>10:04 a.m.</b> Back where he caught his two keepers, Jocumsen resumes walking the rat across pads. <br> <b>10:16 a.m.</b> Jocumsen vacates the tributary and moves to an isolated patch of pads on the main lake. Some cloud cover is starting to move in as he tries the rat. <br> <b>10:21 a.m.</b> He moves out from the pads and swims the bladed jig across a submerged hydrilla bed. <br> <b>10:26 a.m.</b> Jocumsen Texas rigs a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver creature in the California 420 color on a stout flipping hook with a 1-ounce pegged sinker, then proceeds to flip it into the hydrilla. “I bet this grass never gets fished. Most local anglers hate this stuff.” <br> <b>10:34 a.m.</b> The pads are calling, so Jocumsen resumes casting the rat to the vegetation. <p> <b>3 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>10:45 a.m.</b> This spot fails to pay off, so Jocumsen moves a quarter-mile downlake to another stand of waterlilies, which he hits with the rat and the swim jig. Storm clouds are building up around us and thunder rolls in the distance. <b>10:49 a.m.</b> He swims the bladed jig across the top of a submerged hydrilla bed. “I can’t believe I’ve only seen one fish around this grass.” <b>10:52 a.m.</b> Jocumsen retrieves the swim jig over the hydrilla. A fish rolls on it. “False alarm; that was a gar.”
9:24 a.m. He jumps into the lake, wades to the log and pulls the lure free. “I wouldn’t risk doing this in Australia, what with all the crocs and snakes!”9:32 a.m. Continuing past the pads, Jocumsen retrieves a bluegill colored 3/8-ounce Bassman swim jig with a generic paddletail trailer around a laydown tree.

4 HOURS LEFT9:45 a.m. Jocumsen heads straight across the creek mouth while casting the swim jig around the edge of the pads. “I’m seeing some clumps of hydrilla out in open water.” 9:52 a.m. He swims a crystal shad 3/8-ounce Bassman bladed jig with a Molix RA Shad trailer across the hydrilla. A 5-pound bass shoots out of the grass and nips the lure’s trailer. “Wow, that was a good fish!” 10:04 a.m. Back where he caught his two keepers, Jocumsen resumes walking the rat across pads. 10:16 a.m. Jocumsen vacates the tributary and moves to an isolated patch of pads on the main lake. Some cloud cover is starting to move in as he tries the rat. 10:21 a.m. He moves out from the pads and swims the bladed jig across a submerged hydrilla bed. 10:26 a.m. Jocumsen Texas rigs a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver creature in the California 420 color on a stout flipping hook with a 1-ounce pegged sinker, then proceeds to flip it into the hydrilla. “I bet this grass never gets fished. Most local anglers hate this stuff.” 10:34 a.m. The pads are calling, so Jocumsen resumes casting the rat to the vegetation.

3 HOURS LEFT10:45 a.m. This spot fails to pay off, so Jocumsen moves a quarter-mile downlake to another stand of waterlilies, which he hits with the rat and the swim jig. Storm clouds are building up around us and thunder rolls in the distance.
10:49 a.m. He swims the bladed jig across the top of a submerged hydrilla bed. “I can’t believe I’ve only seen one fish around this grass.”
10:52 a.m. Jocumsen retrieves the swim jig over the hydrilla. A fish rolls on it. “False alarm; that was a gar.”

<b>11:02 a.m.</b> Jocumsen decides to shift gears and fish a nearby main-lake point. The structure is shallow on top, studded with stumps and drops off into 16 feet on either side. He pulls out several crankbait boxes and selects a crawfish colored Molix Sculpo deep-diver. “I caught lots of fish on this bait at the 2016 Bull Shoals [Arkansas] Elite tournament, so I’ve got confidence in it.” He casts the plug to the end of the point and dredges up a wad of grass. <br> <b>11:06 a.m.</b> Jocumsen switches to a shad pattern Strike King 6XD crankbait and grinds it off the side of the point. <br> <b>11:09 a.m.</b> He replaces the 6XD with a perch-colored Molix F Crank DR. “I’m seeing some suspended fish on my electronics, but so far I haven’t found the right trigger for them.” <br> <b>11:11 a.m.</b> A bass bumps the F Crank but doesn’t hook up. Jocumsen immediately casts the swimbait with the belly spinner to the same spot. No takers. <br> <b>11:14 a.m.</b> Jocumsen opts to try a finesse worm off the point. He rigs a Roboworm in the margarita mutilator color on a No. 1 drop-shot hook, attaches a 12-inch drop line with a 3/8-ounce sinker below the lure, then drags it across rocks on the bottom. He immediately detects a bite, tightens down on the fish and swings a nonkeeper aboard. “I’m seeing several fish on my electronics, and they don’t all look this small.” <br> <b>11:17 a.m.</b> A good fish picks up the Roboworm. Jocumsen sticks it momentarily, but it comes unbuttoned. “That one felt solid.” What’s his take on the day so far? “The early pad bite looked promising, but it died off quickly and I’ve been struggling ever since. There are some big fish in this lake, and I’m hoping I can get something going. I’ll fish out this point, hit a couple other deep structures, make a quick pass through some more pads, then hit the dam once more in my remaining time.” <br> <b>11:20 a.m.</b> Jocumsen catches a microbass on the Roboworm. <br> <b>11:21 a.m.</b> Another tiny bass eats the Roboworm. “I’m still seeing some big fish down there on my electronics.” <br> <b>11:24 a.m.</b> Jocumsen casts the spinnerbait to the same spot and slow rolls it through the water column. As it nears the boat, he marks a big fish moving up from deep water toward the bait on his graph, but it doesn’t strike. <br> <b>11:27 a.m.</b> Having followed the point toward shore, Jocumsen switches crankbaits to a shad colored Lucky Craft 2.5 squarebill and retrieves it parallel to the edge of the structure. <br> <b>11:40 a.m.</b> Back to the Roboworm on the point. A bass strips the worm off the rig. <p> <b>2 HOURS LEFT</b><br> <b>11:45 a.m.</b> The squarebill dredges up a wad of snot grass. <br> <b>11:51 a.m.</b> Jocumsen makes a short hop back to the pads where he caught his two keepers and drags the rat across the cover. <br> <b>11:59 a.m.</b> He moves to a point at the tributary entrance and tries the swim jig around submerged hydrilla.
11:02 a.m. Jocumsen decides to shift gears and fish a nearby main-lake point. The structure is shallow on top, studded with stumps and drops off into 16 feet on either side. He pulls out several crankbait boxes and selects a crawfish colored Molix Sculpo deep-diver. “I caught lots of fish on this bait at the 2016 Bull Shoals [Arkansas] Elite tournament, so I’ve got confidence in it.” He casts the plug to the end of the point and dredges up a wad of grass. 11:06 a.m. Jocumsen switches to a shad pattern Strike King 6XD crankbait and grinds it off the side of the point. 11:09 a.m. He replaces the 6XD with a perch-colored Molix F Crank DR. “I’m seeing some suspended fish on my electronics, but so far I haven’t found the right trigger for them.” 11:11 a.m. A bass bumps the F Crank but doesn’t hook up. Jocumsen immediately casts the swimbait with the belly spinner to the same spot. No takers. 11:14 a.m. Jocumsen opts to try a finesse worm off the point. He rigs a Roboworm in the margarita mutilator color on a No. 1 drop-shot hook, attaches a 12-inch drop line with a 3/8-ounce sinker below the lure, then drags it across rocks on the bottom. He immediately detects a bite, tightens down on the fish and swings a nonkeeper aboard. “I’m seeing several fish on my electronics, and they don’t all look this small.” 11:17 a.m. A good fish picks up the Roboworm. Jocumsen sticks it momentarily, but it comes unbuttoned. “That one felt solid.” What’s his take on the day so far? “The early pad bite looked promising, but it died off quickly and I’ve been struggling ever since. There are some big fish in this lake, and I’m hoping I can get something going. I’ll fish out this point, hit a couple other deep structures, make a quick pass through some more pads, then hit the dam once more in my remaining time.” 11:20 a.m. Jocumsen catches a microbass on the Roboworm. 11:21 a.m. Another tiny bass eats the Roboworm. “I’m still seeing some big fish down there on my electronics.” 11:24 a.m. Jocumsen casts the spinnerbait to the same spot and slow rolls it through the water column. As it nears the boat, he marks a big fish moving up from deep water toward the bait on his graph, but it doesn’t strike. 11:27 a.m. Having followed the point toward shore, Jocumsen switches crankbaits to a shad colored Lucky Craft 2.5 squarebill and retrieves it parallel to the edge of the structure. 11:40 a.m. Back to the Roboworm on the point. A bass strips the worm off the rig.

2 HOURS LEFT11:45 a.m. The squarebill dredges up a wad of snot grass. 11:51 a.m. Jocumsen makes a short hop back to the pads where he caught his two keepers and drags the rat across the cover. 11:59 a.m. He moves to a point at the tributary entrance and tries the swim jig around submerged hydrilla.

<b>12:13 p.m.</b> Jocumsen rounds the point and begins casting the swim jig to a channel bank with scattered wood cover. “This spot is totally different than what I’ve been fishing, and there’s deep water close by.” <br> <b>12:18 p.m.</b> Jocumsen drags the Roboworm across a sand point and bags a 10-inch bass. <br> <b>12:24 p.m.</b> The Aussie pro zips straight across the lake to a pocket choked with pads and hydrilla. Neither the rat nor the bladed jig work here. <br> <b>12:36 p.m.</b> Jocumsen races to the extreme upper end of Lake L, where he fishes a submerged ditch with the drop-shot worm.
12:13 p.m. Jocumsen rounds the point and begins casting the swim jig to a channel bank with scattered wood cover. “This spot is totally different than what I’ve been fishing, and there’s deep water close by.” 12:18 p.m. Jocumsen drags the Roboworm across a sand point and bags a 10-inch bass. 12:24 p.m. The Aussie pro zips straight across the lake to a pocket choked with pads and hydrilla. Neither the rat nor the bladed jig work here. 12:36 p.m. Jocumsen races to the extreme upper end of Lake L, where he fishes a submerged ditch with the drop-shot worm.
<b>1 HOUR LEFT</b><br> <b>12:48 p.m.</b> Jocumsen follows the ditch into a shallow, pad-choked pocket. He casts the frog to the edge of the pads and catches his third keeper bass, 2 pounds, 2 ounces. 
1 HOUR LEFT12:48 p.m. Jocumsen follows the ditch into a shallow, pad-choked pocket. He casts the frog to the edge of the pads and catches his third keeper bass, 2 pounds, 2 ounces. 
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<b>1:10 p.m.</b> Jocumsen races downlake to a main-lake point. He hits it with the swim jig, spinnerbait and Roboworm. <br> <b>1:17 p.m.</b> Moving farther downlake, Jocumsen probes an offshore rockpile with the Roboworm. “There’s a load of fish here, but they’re all suspended.” <br> <b>1:21 p.m.</b> Jocumsen tries the underspin swimbait off the rockpile. “This usually works well on suspended fish.” But not today! <br> <b>1:30 p.m.</b> Jocumsen has returned to Lake L’s dam and is retrieving an 8-inch Megabass swimbait around the structure. “I’m going for the 12-pounder!” <br> <b>1:45 p.m.</b> Time’s up! Jocumsen ends his day on Lake L with three keeper bass totaling 8 pounds, 5 ounces. <p> <b>THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE</b><br> “I thought I was onto something when I caught that 4-15 out of the pads early, but I couldn’t get on any more big fish on that pattern,” Jocumsen told Bassmaster. “I had a lot more bites off deep structure than I did in the pads, but they were mostly from very small fish. Still, I didn’t move out deeper until 11 a.m.</b>, so I didn’t have much time left to locate more deep places that might have held bigger fish. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d head straight to those tributary pads and hit them hard until the bite tapered off, then I’d nose around offshore and look for more deep spots instead of rehitting the pad fields that didn’t produce for me today.”  <p> <b>WHERE AND WHEN CARL JOCUMSEN CAUGHT HIS KEEPER BASS</b><br> 1 pound, 4 ounces; blue and white Molix WTD weedless surface rat; lily pads near tributary mouth; 8:07 a.m. <br> 4 pounds, 15 ounces; same lure and place as No. 1; 8:13 a.m. <br> 2 pounds, 2 ounces; same lure as No. 1; lily pads in upper end; 12:48 p.m.<br> TOTAL: 8 POUNDS, 5 OUNCES
1:10 p.m. Jocumsen races downlake to a main-lake point. He hits it with the swim jig, spinnerbait and Roboworm. 1:17 p.m. Moving farther downlake, Jocumsen probes an offshore rockpile with the Roboworm. “There’s a load of fish here, but they’re all suspended.” 1:21 p.m. Jocumsen tries the underspin swimbait off the rockpile. “This usually works well on suspended fish.” But not today! 1:30 p.m. Jocumsen has returned to Lake L’s dam and is retrieving an 8-inch Megabass swimbait around the structure. “I’m going for the 12-pounder!” 1:45 p.m. Time’s up! Jocumsen ends his day on Lake L with three keeper bass totaling 8 pounds, 5 ounces.

THE DAY IN PERSPECTIVE
“I thought I was onto something when I caught that 4-15 out of the pads early, but I couldn’t get on any more big fish on that pattern,” Jocumsen told Bassmaster. “I had a lot more bites off deep structure than I did in the pads, but they were mostly from very small fish. Still, I didn’t move out deeper until 11 a.m., so I didn’t have much time left to locate more deep places that might have held bigger fish. If I were to fish here tomorrow, I’d head straight to those tributary pads and hit them hard until the bite tapered off, then I’d nose around offshore and look for more deep spots instead of rehitting the pad fields that didn’t produce for me today.”
 
WHERE AND WHEN CARL JOCUMSEN CAUGHT HIS KEEPER BASS
1 pound, 4 ounces; blue and white Molix WTD weedless surface rat; lily pads near tributary mouth; 8:07 a.m.
4 pounds, 15 ounces; same lure and place as No. 1; 8:13 a.m.
2 pounds, 2 ounces; same lure as No. 1; lily pads in upper end; 12:48 p.m.
TOTAL: 8 POUNDS, 5 OUNCES