I want to
start off with a couple of observations. First, what an
impressive showing for Jack Curtis and his non boater
Dwayne. two limits that went 19 pounds between the two
of them is great on Pomme. Very well done guys!
Secondly,
there is a definite pattern emerging this season. That
being that you want Ed Fisher in your boat if you plan
on winning a tournament. Jack was fishing out of Ed's
boat to take the win on LOZ and Ed was in my boat this
past weekend. I have dibs on him when we go back to LOZ
in March.
I was
fortunate to get to pre fish on Friday and had one the
best days I have experienced on Pomme. I found three
patterns I hoped would hold together on Saturday, but
wasn't holding my breath with the weather change that
hit Friday night. Fortunately, two of the patterns held
and I was able to cull through 17 keepers through
Saturday. On Friday I found that the fish favored a 5/16
Eakins style in green pumpkin jig that I put together
myself over a larger 1/2 jig. My three largest fish on
Saturday came on this jig, paired with a 3 inch Berkley
critter craw, inside three different coves spread out
over about an eight mile stretch. The primary pattern I
found on Friday was to get on a bluff line, position the
boat only 10 or
12 feet off
the bank, and cast my wiggle wart as far down the bank
as I could. I tried to put the bait as close to the bank
as I could and retrieve it as slowly as I could.
This allowed
me to cover depth from one to nine foot. On Saturday I
caught fish on three different colors of wiggle warts
(phantom green, purple back chartreuse, and shad).
All but one
of my fish came on the Lindley side of the lake.
I believe a
large measure of my success came from my move to using
fluorocarbon line this past season. I had avoided its
use because of the price, but have found the extra
sensitivity, strength, and durability made it a
worthwhile investment. Particularly, fishing everything
as slow as I was, I KNOW I was feeling bites I
previously would have been unaware of.
The one
pattern that didn't produce on Saturday was that on
Friday if I could find small shad breaking the surface
on windblown banks the fish would hammer a jerk bait. I
couldn't make this produce on Saturday, but as it turned
out I wouldn't need it. I, however, remain frustrated
with the fact that I couldn't make a spinner bait
produce on Friday and John Drury did on Saturday (as he
did on LOZ the month earlier). There is certainly
something to be said for having a lifetime of experience
with a particular bait and style of fishing. My hat is
off to you John.
Finally, I
want to thank Ed Fisher for a cold, but wonderful day on
the water. Ed has been a friend and colleague for 25
years and I always enjoy the time I get to spend with
him on the water. This past weekend was extra special in
that my first tournament with tri-county was fished in
Ed's boat on Pomme. It was fun to replay that day as I
caught my two largest fish in spots he took me to during
that first tournament. He was nice enough in that first
tournament to put me on the fish that allowed me to take
second. As I said earlier, I have dibs on him in March.
