Guys,
I am at an all time low right now. I just finished fishing a fairly big tournament on our pool of the Mississippi river and got skunked. Being the local Outdoor writer and radio show host only makes it worse. Every year I fish this event and have done okay, but never great, i always have fished the backwaters, this year due to extremely low water conditions and backwater temps at 90 degrees I opted to fish rock and wood cover in the river proper, out in the current. I fished about three hours and caught onkly two non-keeper bass, a white bass and a walleye. We decided to move to the spillway of the dam. A couple of friends were fishing there so we gave them a wide berth. They called us over to see how we were doing. They had five keepers (14" miminum), there was a six fish limit. They showedus they were simply pitchin' a black and blue jig and pig combo right against the cement apron of the spillway and offered to share the area with us. WE pitched and pitched and pitched, I finally caught five more bass all shorts, my partner caught one short, the friends finished their limit and culled two. End of story. No fish for us. How humiliating, and I can't figure out why, they were using mono, us too, 1/4 ounce jigs-ditto, #11 black/blue frog, yep, jiggling the bait, oh yeah, we mimicked everything they did and only caught shorts. Our faces are red and not from sunburn either. Life is just like that sometimes.. Next time you're skunked, think of me, I feel your pain. Johnnie

Johnny, how did the Walleye taste? Just kidding, I feel your pain, my friend, that seemed to be my story last year except for the one big fish! I only caught lots of short fish. Tourney after tourney, this year was better, but my wife had to deploy to the sandbox (we are both active duty), and that ended all of this years tournaments, to make matters worse, I was second in points by 6 with two of my best lakes coming up! I keep telling myself that next year will be my year! Keep your chin up, from here it can only get better!

Jonnie keep your chin up there bud. We can't win them all. lol, I wish we could. Right now the tournament here are over because of the heat its just to hard on the fish.

I am also stuck on Night shift for three months. Talk about a bummer. At least I can go fish a bit in the morning after work. Except the fishing in my home lake that I live a short 5 min. drive from had the algee kill and fish are few and far between. Its been four months since I caught a keeper on it. Man now I depressed Why did I answer this post????


Just kidding!! I have gotten to the point that I just go work on my casting skills here latley. I also go the my box and make sure that all my baits are tuned and ready for the next practise day. lol

I feel the pain of watching every one around you catch fish when you are doing the same thing that they are. There had to be something just a little different were they were casting that was holding those fish or you would of caught them too.

Dont let that one tournmaent get you down for the rest of the year. Use it as a learning experence. Go back to the spot those guys were catching those fish and see what was different there from were you were fishing and that could answer some questions for future tournaments that are held there. Learning by getting our butt beat was the only way my perents knew to teach me so every time I get my butt beat now I learn something from it.

Take care bud and I hope you don't take that the wrong way. I just like to take something negative and turn it posative.

Conley

Guys!

Come on that is why it's called fishing and not catching.

Just when you think you got em figured out, they prove you don't!

The best two days for fishing!
1. The day before you get there
2. The day after you leave

And finally remember at least you got to go!

Sorry you didn't place. Our club classic was last week, we fished Kinkaid which has a three fish limit/over 16". I caught three fish, one 15, two 15.5". The winner came in with just 2. I haven't weighed-in in the last five fishoffs!! That's how my year has gone, and last year I placed 5th! Now that the compitition is over I've been going out and just having fun, guess what, I'm catching keepers now and then! Good luck, Carl