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Tournament
Trail for 2004
March
14 - Anchor Marine
North
East River - Susquehanna Flats
This
was our first tournament for 2004 and 15 brave teams came
out to flail the 45 degree water to snag a few basses. The
weather was the usual overcast, damp cold day for our opener.
Several teams had been practicing during the warm week prior
doing quite well but the front that came in the night before
surely would slow the bite.
I
had been on a crankbait and "silver buddy" bite
during my two hour practice the day before (just to see
if my boat would run - I didn't winterize) so I tried to
repeat that program. The three fish I caught in practice
were real shallow on wood in sun warmed pockets in the cuts.
I knew the weather would be different and a front was to
come through so I didn't think this would hold up. I was
right.
My
second cast into a dock I hook a nice fish about 41/2 LB
on the "silver buddy". I hadn't changed the hooks
and put on split rings as Rick Ash recommends and the fish
just turned at the boat and swam off. I hate that! On the
next two casts I caught our one and only keeper and after
that it was dink city. Nothing but shorts from then on out.
My partner Vern tried everything to no avail. I dead sticked
Senkos for quite some time without results. We just couldn't
scrounge up any more keeper bites. The big fish had gone
real tight I guess and we couldn't get our baits in the
right place.
Now
here is the frustration. We were in sight of Millard (the
winner) all day and trading places with them. I saw them
catch their four monsters and couldn't do anything about
it. Their big fish came on a firetiger crankbait dragged
over rocks and the others came on big jigs with large trailers.
They caught only four fish but had 17.76 lb.. Nice job.
- Vern and I threw jigs like they were and to the same structure
but something we were doing just didn't get the bass's attention.
We caught more fish but couldn't get the bigger bites. We
stayed in the North East like most other teams but couldn't
put anything together, and that makes for a long day.(Vern
and I being the "old men in the sea" were not
willing to make any runs in the cold.) Bob and Dan Wright
had a solid game plan but couldn't find the big bite for
second with 13.73. They were fishing grubs and jigs on wood
and docks in the Susquehanna for a limit and second place.
Third
place went to another father and son team Darryll and Corey
Ellis slow rolling spinnerbaits around bridge pilings in
the Susquehanna. Three fish for 10.08. The Angler's Paradise
team of Bob Lengyel and Dan Nichols brought in another nice
fish 5 LB even caught on a "Bass Stalker" jig
on docks in the North East. Another "almost lunker"
was brought in by Mike Ortel for 4.96 lbs on his "Retriever
Lures" jig of his own design. In all 9 boats out of
fifteen weighed fish and that ain't bad for a cold front
overcast day.
Thanks
to all that participated in our opener, see you in April.
Good
Fishing,
John
Uhler
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