When I arrived in Paducah I found that river was 19 feet higher than when I was there two weeks earlier. The big parking lot on the river where I launched was completely underwater - we used the roads leading to it as launch ramps. Rockpiles I had found in six to eight feet of water were now 25 to almost 30 feet deep, and the very tops of 15 foot tall trees standing near the bank when I was there earlier were now just visible under the water.
The Thursday before the tournament Frank Harris took me out to show me some of his hot spots. Frank’s son Mike lives here in Georgia now and is featured in this month’s GON fishing at Oconee. Frank was very knowledgeable about the rivers and showed me several excellent places to fish. On one we caught 4 keepers, including a 4 pound largemouth, and I told him that was where I would start the tournament. (The picture at the right shows Frank with the largemouth and the spot where the tournament was won.)
During the next five days of practice I never caught a keeper. It seemed nothing I did worked. I saw boats fishing the holes where I wanted to fish in the tournament and knew I would have to race them to get there the first morning.
The 12 men on the Georgia team got together starting Saturday and met each afternoon at 5:00 PM to discuss tactics. Team member’s weights are combined and teams earn money - up to $26,000 for the top team. We hoped to get some of that money. Even with all that help, I still could not catch any fish.
The night before the tournament started we had a meeting to go over the rules and draw partners. They kept calling boaters and non boaters and my name was not called. Finally, on the very last boat called, I got my turn. I was to be in the last boat out the first morning - there went my hope of getting to any of my favorite spots.
My partner from Tennessee that day had not been catching many fish either, so we started fishing anywhere we could find to stop. When we got to the place I had wanted to start, there was a boat sitting there, just like on my three other top picks. Neither of us caught a keeper bass that day and the Georgia team was sixth out of seven teams.
At the drawing that day my partner was from Alabama. He told me he and his partner had 14 pounds of fish the first hour that morning and felt we could do the same the next day. I did not realize he meant they had 14 pounds EACH and both were in the top ten.
Guess where we headed the next morning? Yep, the place Frank had showed me, the place I wanted to start. My partner caught a keeper, then I got one. I broke off and he caught another keeper. While I was re-tying he broke off and picked up a second rod, rigged and ready, and caught a third keeper. I broke off again and he caught his fourth keeper while I was re-tying again.
We stayed around there for another hour and caught some small keepers, he finished out his limit and I ended up with three. He ended up in 1st place at the end of the second day and held on to win the tournament - off the place I had wanted to start. The Georgia team moved up a notch to 5th place.
The third day my partner was from Florida and wanted to try some small creeks up the river. He had been catching fish there and so had my team members. They told me what to try, and I did. I never caught a keeper although team members fishing the same creek caught a good many. I found out second and third places were taken of my third and fourth spots I wanted to fish. I knew where the fish were, I just could not get to them!
Although I did not help at all and zeroed the third day, the Georgia team moved up to third place and got $10,000 to split. I made some friends on that trip and learned some things about fishing, and now, over a week later, I am finally getting over the terrible fishing. Maybe it will be better next time.
