Tourney season ... One week out

     

      Well here I sit one week out from my first tourney out of the Jackson Coosa and I find my confidence in the gutter. We all have those days that we just don't catch fish. No one likes to talk about it but it happens to the best of them. The reason this picture is of the rock and not me smiling and holding a fish up is because I never saw one! Not on my line at least. I decided to go up and prefish this past Saturday. Good weather following a less than ideal week weather wise. Temps were in the low 50's when I arrived at the ramp before daylight. I had been told that the water temps were in the low 50's so I was thinking prespawn pattern. I had my confidence baits tied on, SK 3XD in a custom nasty shad color, Big Bite Baits 6" Kriet Tail in Talapia, a custom double willow spinnerbait in a shad color, and a weightless creature bait.
      I had never seen the lake before other than on Google Maps. I had some ideas where I wanted to fish but I had to contend with a ton of boats. There was a SJBA tourney there that day and they had a good turnout. I waited till they all launched before I unloaded. Once in the water I paddled to the first spot, nothing. Paddled to the next spot, nothing. This was the only pattern I was able to figure out all day long! My track on Navionics said I totaled out on the day having paddled 8.35 miles! (Big props to the Carlisle Expedition!) I got back to the ramp and was loading up when a jon boater came up to do the same. He had fish! Only a couple but there they were on ice and about to head to the frying pan! I took a quick inventory of his rods .... spinning rod, spinning rod, spinning rod ... hmmmm .... I had mine too. The difference was I never threw it! I thought about the way I had fished all day on the way home. I wanted the fish to eat what I wanted them to eat. Stubborn! I knew better, I knew what to fish before I went, I even ordered it all from Tackle Warhouse ... it was right there in my YakAttack BlackPak the whole time!
      I came home dejected, confused, and curious. Curious as to how those SJBA folks had done. I soon found out by way of Facebook and then the SJBA website.... It took 17.74 pounds to win that tourney with the big fish of the tourney being in the 6 lb range... I had done it all wrong. Luckily it was prefishing and not on tourney day. So as I sit here with less than a week before the SKA hits Stone Mountain, I have a game plan.... Let ya know how it goes!