2008 TOC Day Two from Wabasha
Friday morning was cool and foggy. So foggy in fact that we were held up for three hours. If you have ever sat in a boat for three hours with nothing to do but think about what you have to do, you know how long it can seem. My partner for the day actually retied all his rods first thing in the morning and then retied a couple of them again as we sat in the harbor waiting to blast off.
It was rumored among the boats that drifted around that if the fog didn't lift by 10:00am that they would call the tournament and day one standings would be final. I have to confess that the rumor wasn't too upsetting to me. I would take a second place finish even if it was from a weather shortened tournament. The fog lifted though just before 10:00 and the sound of outboards tearing down river soon filled the air.
I had some decisions to make now. My day had been shortened by 3 hours. The locks were full with barges that had been held for the same fog that we had been waiting on. Going to Pool 5 could be tough and getting back could be even tougher. I knew weights would be down and with my position as it was after day one, all I needed was four legal fish to make the regional team. A couple bigger fish could get me the win. I hadn't had much luck on 4 in practice, but I would decide to stay on pool 4 and hopefully find the few bites I needed.
I probably should have gone to my water on 5. I struggled to get anything going all day. My starting spot from day one didn't produce a single bite. My partner then landed a solid 2.5 pound fish when he threw a top water bait out in the middle of the channel. Shortly there after I started to scramble.
If I was an Elite Series Pro, I would blame my co-angler. He spent a fair amount of time casting in front of me from the back deck and consistently fished faster than me which threw off my timing. I never said anything to him and that added to my downfall. I caught one fish while he managed three by days end.
I finished 35th in the end. Less than 4 pounds from the regional team. Two more legal 14" fish would have gotten me a plaque. Not bad really for fishing just my third TOC and water I am less than comfortable on. All I can do is chalk it up to experience and look forward to next years TOC that I have already qualified for. Next years state tournament is on Pokegama. A clear water lake that sets up well for my finesse fishing tactics.
It was rumored among the boats that drifted around that if the fog didn't lift by 10:00am that they would call the tournament and day one standings would be final. I have to confess that the rumor wasn't too upsetting to me. I would take a second place finish even if it was from a weather shortened tournament. The fog lifted though just before 10:00 and the sound of outboards tearing down river soon filled the air.
I had some decisions to make now. My day had been shortened by 3 hours. The locks were full with barges that had been held for the same fog that we had been waiting on. Going to Pool 5 could be tough and getting back could be even tougher. I knew weights would be down and with my position as it was after day one, all I needed was four legal fish to make the regional team. A couple bigger fish could get me the win. I hadn't had much luck on 4 in practice, but I would decide to stay on pool 4 and hopefully find the few bites I needed.
I probably should have gone to my water on 5. I struggled to get anything going all day. My starting spot from day one didn't produce a single bite. My partner then landed a solid 2.5 pound fish when he threw a top water bait out in the middle of the channel. Shortly there after I started to scramble.
If I was an Elite Series Pro, I would blame my co-angler. He spent a fair amount of time casting in front of me from the back deck and consistently fished faster than me which threw off my timing. I never said anything to him and that added to my downfall. I caught one fish while he managed three by days end.
I finished 35th in the end. Less than 4 pounds from the regional team. Two more legal 14" fish would have gotten me a plaque. Not bad really for fishing just my third TOC and water I am less than comfortable on. All I can do is chalk it up to experience and look forward to next years TOC that I have already qualified for. Next years state tournament is on Pokegama. A clear water lake that sets up well for my finesse fishing tactics.
Comments