Friday morning I woke up before the alarm excited about the day of fishing and with some renewed confidence. Must have been from Moe and Warren giving me some tips. Fritz and I got the boat in the water and idled out to the no wake buoy where we thought we were supposed to start. Right at 7:00 we saw several boats sitting back in the cove and heard Dave calling out the time and reminding everyone to be in at 3:00. We saw a jon boat go by and thought Joe and Moe were allowed to leave early - they were going to rent a jon boat since we were short on boats, and Fritz and I left before Justin arrived the night before and helped solve that problem.

As the group idled up to us and took off, we followed. We ran a short distance to a small creek downriver of the marina and we started casting to a bluff wall. When we got to the first little cut I put the troll motor on the lowest setting that would allow the prop to turn, and started throwing a white Fluke. I would cast it or skip it under overhanging stuff and let it sink and sit. Fritz was doing the same with a white Senko. Nothing hit in that pocket so we eased to the next one.

On one of my first cast to the next cut as I raised my rod tip the line did not tighten up and I set the hook. I had to shake my head at the 10 inch smallmouth that had managed to get the hook in its mouth, but it went into the livewell. I made some comment about really hoping I could cull it but kept fishing. A couple of casts later when I tightened up my line it went straight and I set the hook again - this time on a 12 inch spot. Two in the livewell in the first 15 minutes, and they would weigh a good 1.5 pounds together!

A couple of casts later I skipped the Fluke under a overhanging bush and the line was slack when I tightened up after it hit the bottom. When I set the hook a good smallmouth jumped half way back to the boat - it was running fast toward me and I did not get a good hook set. I kept it on top of the water trying to reel fast and get the hook in it, and Fritz almost broke his rods and his neck getting to the net. The fish came off near the boat, I never got it under control. I said don’t worry, it was in the slot, definitely over 16 inches long.

I think it was my very next cast to a tree near the mouth of the pocket I watched my line sink and suddenly it took off. When I set the hook a pretty smallmouth came two feet out of the water and cartwheeled. After a hard fight I landed it and put it on the board - 17 inches long. It weighed 2 lbs. 13 oz. on my DeLiar and really made me feel sick - the fish before it was probably around 15 inches I realized, after seeing and measuring this one. I shook my head as I let that one go, hard to do in a tournament!

I felt real good about what I had caught until I remembered I had to let the big smallmouth go. Kept thinking I had two good fish and two tiny ones, but there were only three in the live well.

About this time my back and shoulder started their thing. After casting the Fluke and letting it sink, I was holding the rod tip up to watch the line, the position holding the rod that made my back hurt the most. I was not sure how much longer I could keep it up, so I took three Advil. They helped a little.

We fished all the way to the back of the creek we were in, around the secondary point and to the back of the next creek. Nothing. Fritz suggested we move and I agreed. He looked on the map for a similar creek facing the same direction with similar cuts. Fritz is a lot better than me at looking for patterns within patterns. He picked one down the lake and I said I wanted to fish the small one just upstream of us, then we would head down there.

We pulled into the small creek at about noon. Three in the livewell and only three hours to go. In the first cut I caught a solid spot about 13 inches long and then Fritz got another smaller one. About that time we saw another bass boat on the opposite side of the little creek, working in on that side like we were. They were seining the water, picking apart the cover with either a split shot worm or light Texas rig. They were using spinning outfits and really covering every bit of the cover.

By the time we got to the last cut on our side they were in the very back of the creek. I cast to a tree in the water and my line took off. I landed what looked like a 14 inch largemouth, the colors were not right for a spot. I would have thrown it back but I noticed the dark spot on its tongue when taking the hook out, and rubbed it. It was a little rough. When I shut its mouth, its jaw was even with its eye, definitely a spot. It had the belly spots like a spotted bass but the lateral line looked more like a largemouth. I understand they will crossbreed and I wonder if it was a hybrid.

I now had five fish in the boat. A grown largemouth, three decent spots and a tiny smallmouth. Any way I can get a limit is good! I told Fritz that I bet everyone was having a good day since I had caught a limit. I have a very positive attitude - I am always positive everyone else is doing better than me!

Near the tree where I caught the last spot Fritz was reeling in his Senko and a spot tried to chase it down. It missed, looked like a good 13 inch fish. Hated that, figured we needed the weight, and I wanted Fritz to catch more. During practice Fritz had one fish hit a Senko, he got it near the boat and it got off. Then it came back and hit the Senko again before Fritz could get it out of the water even after being dragged to the boat. Real aggressive fish. Too bad this one was not as aggressive.

As we met the guys in the other boat I switched sides and started working out, fishing water they had worked. Did not like that and when I asked them they said they had caught a few. About that time I threw the Fluke to a gravel bank near a tree and my line zoomed off. I set the hook and fought a good smallmouth to the boat. As Fritz netted it I kept thinking I could cull the baby I had. Unfortunately, this smallmouth was 16 inches long. The top tail fin was just over the line when it was swept across it. Fanned out it did not touch. Too close to chance! Another 2.5 pound fish back into the water. If I could have kept those two smallies I could have improved my weight by about 4 pounds after culling.

I was real proud of myself for catching a bass behind the other two guys, then I saw one of them set the hook. He landed what looked like a 13 inch spot from across the cove right in the tree where the spot tried to chase down Fritz’s bait. He landed it and let it go. Then the other guy set the hook in the same tree and his partner got the net. They were real careful to keep the boat between us, and kept the fish down as it was unhooked. Then they took a picture of it! Guy catching it kept it near his chest with his back to us. When he released it the fish looked like it might have been 12 or 13 inches long, not sure why they took a picture, but I did not get a good look. I was disgusted that we had left two like that behind us! I HATE leaving fish!

We had about an hour left to fish so we decided to go back to the first creek. I quickly caught a 11 inch smallmouth and "culled" the 10 incher. I had a slam - all three species, but the little smallmouth was still too little!

With ten minutes to weigh-in (3:00 for most of us!) we cranked up. When I hit the gas the motor bogged down - made my heart stop! It caught up after a few seconds and in we went, just in time to get drenched by a downpour at the dock. We got the boat out and pulled around to the dock where everyone else was waiting. As I took the fish out of the livewell, I looked at the strangely colored one again, double checking its tongue and mouth.

After a short delay, we weighed in. I was happy to see the largemouth pull the scales to 4-9 and loved the comments about nice fish! It it the biggest bass weighed in during any of the four ROFB Classics I have fished, I think I was amazed to see everyone had not caught a bunch of fish, and after waiting on everyone else to weigh in, I noticed Warren was waiting. I assumed he had a bunch, then I heard him say he had four. I figured he was gonna take first based on what he had been saying all week, but I had to smile when I saw four small fish!

I had first and big fish for the day and Fritz and I were first place team - a much better start then I ever dreamed possible.

We got back to the cabin and got ready for supper. For some reason I was in a bad mood, sure I would not catching anything the next day. I knew the fish I had caught were scattered and hard to get to bite, and I worried we had caught everything there. And I had no idea where else to try.

We had a great meal of fried walleye, crappie and grilled dead deer burgers. At the draw I was happy to get Kevin "he ain’t heavy, he’s my partner" Hare. We had fished together last fall the second day at the NWC when he was in first and I had netted the winning fish for him. And he had netted the big fish of the tournament for me! I knew we would have a good day, even tho he was hiding and I did not get to talk with him.

I was worn out and my shoulder and back ached, so I headed to bed early again. I did not sleep good, kept thinking and wondering what I could do. Fritz had drawn Warren so he knew he would be going to Warren’s fish and told me to start where we had fished that day. I was very nervous and had a sinking feeling I would zero - tossed and turned all night!