Santee on to the Basin

I went to Santee Cooper with very little practice time available but also with some previous experience on the reservoir, albeit not in the fall. I kinda relied on my strategy of picking apart an area somewhat close to the ramp, so I could spend the maximum amount of time with a hook in the water. Reports on Taw Caw, Wyboo and Potato creeks were promising prior to my arrival and I made the decision to spend most of my practice period in those creeks fishing boathouses with deeper water out in front of them. I did practice up in the stump hole swamp area for two half days knowing that the resident fish population is pretty stable but I had mixed results and stayed with the boat dock pattern on day one. I had a half dozen bites day one and luckily one was close to 4 pounds with another bump fish that is all I put in the jug on day one. Day two rolled around and I decided to take a chance and run to the swamp knowing the pressure on the docks would have to increase as weights were way down after day one. Pitching nail weighted senkos to cypress knees boated lots of bump fish but never a kicker so I put 5 swimmers in the jug for just around 6 lbs. As it turns out the winner of the event was fishing the swamp the entire time just doing something different than I was. Pitching blades and square bills in between select cypress was his pattern fishing for 5 key bites a day and it worked out for him to the tune of 17lbs on day 3. I learned to broaden my bait selection per area after learning the winning pattern and technique. Kinda makes me a little sick knowing I was practicing in the right area and also that 8lbs a day would have put me on the bubble come cut day but I could not get that done. I also learned a great deal regarding fishing cypress and I hope to utilize that in the upcoming event at the Basin.

Toledo Bend wrap up and Santee upcoming

OK, so yesterday we what I consider to be ideal conditions for active bass on a big bass lake. Big time pre-frontal conditions, overcast skies, brisk S-SW wind, and clean water around hydrilla you dream about, green crisp and crunchy. I had a limit spot and went to it first thing, maybe an hour, hour and a half, caught 8-10 sub keeper fish and left it. The rest of the day I sat on my original group of fish, clean deep grass lines in 14-20 ft, lots of wood and one other boat in there. Ideal, I was psyched up. My non boater and me both hooked one keeper apiece.....zzzzzz.....

Weights that day were way under expectations. Approx 8lbs was in like 30th place..

Today, the front had passed, a stiff north wind was howling, 2-3 footers, high blue and 20 degrees cooler. In my mind, a drop shot would never leave my hand and I would sit on my deeper school fish associating to the bait mainly and loosely to break lines near ridges and underwater points. I netted no keepers in a half days effort and only 3 fish over all running 4 separate spots 3 times over. I went to the back of Palo Gaucho and started junking my butt off trying to save some face but to no avail, no keepers were found. Over all today I had 6 bites, terrible.

I really felt lost out there today. I really need to get keen to fish in transition and in a hurry. These last two derbys I have been burned by moving fish, or at least I believe that is the issue. Next comes Santee, and only minimal practice time, to me this whole event will be in practice/search mode.

Final Stren of the year

So tomorrow I get to take on the fish on this big momma.

Reports prior to me arriving at the border were good, fish holding to deep grass lines and 16-18 lbs was not a huge effort. Through the week though, the weather conditions have been all over the map and recently stabilized into just a lot of rain, and I do mean a lot, lake rose a reported 12-14 inches over night. So fishing has been rather tough. Just trying to find a group of fish to present to has been really difficult. Yesterday and today I have managed to locate a couple of 'loose' groupings which I plan to go to. Thankfully they are spots I can hit no matter the wind direction but there is a catch, they are 15 miles apart easy. I do need some breeze but not while I am driving the boat lanes.

One group of fish are relating to a grass flat along a deeply wooded bank, kinda spread through out. Depending on the daily kinda pattern going on all I know is there are fish there, around at least. Most in the 3-4 lb class and I hope to get into a mess of those time and weather permitting.

The other group of fish are just south of the Pendelton bridge and they are roamers relating again loosely to a point coming up to 12 foot of water right in the middle of a boat lane. Wave as you go by... Schooling action is there and you can sight fish some targets with your graph on a shot as well. Fish in the 1.5 to 3 lb class are abundant and I hope to score 5 of those first thing and then head south in search of a kicker or 3.

Every rod is gonna be on the deck and it is trash fishing mania, but I really do have confidence if I can get to my fish and actually work em regardless of the weather going on around me.

The Bend In Fall Mike Haggerty

Well the Bend in transition at least. Finally, finally I am headed to east Texas once again for an event on Toledo Bend. The last time I fished here I had a terrible time just putting 5 fish in the boat. Guess what,...the lake was in transition then too. Joy. I DO realize that a lot of this anxiety going on for me right now is a mental thing and maybe some handle it better than others but...for me....it is hard to get previous bad experiences out of my melon and get a fresh outlook on a lake, add the fact that I am not the best angler when it comes to fish moving around quickly, I am not talking about moving around seasonally but more like daily or hourly even. I do relish the opportunity to refine my tactics in just such a situation and I have been practicing these scenarios here on Old Hickory. The weather has been swinging pretty much every day going from high skies and wind to all day rain and calm conditions just about every 18 to 24 hours. Results mixed lol, Old Hickory is Old Hickory period, hell I think the entire lake is in transition all the time. So the initial strategy going in is to pare out as much water as I can and really try and pick apart a specific region of the lake and follow those fish around day after day treating every day kinda like my first day at the lake, no expectations or memories as to where the fish were yesterday, just try and find a region with a big population and look at it with an open mind every morning. I know it sounds simple but I expect it to be more difficult than stated as I am really in the habit of building on a previous days work. Let's see how it goes.

Bass Central Opens 2010

Mike Pharr: I am so excited about the BASS Central Opens next year. They cant get here fast enough. I have had some success at Amistad and know how to pattern and locate the fish there, have won on Red River, and had a 9Th at Texoma that should have been a solid 2ND the same time of year in 2008. Now I know past success is no guarantee that I will do good but it gives me a leg up on confidence going into the year. I have only fished 4 tournaments at the Pro level but I have learned that consistency is the key and over this last year have really worked on settling down and trying to not make the mistake of "putting my eggs in one basket" if you will. I am certain that if I go out, keep my head down, put all distractions aside I could really do this but if I am not careful and let the ole negative Nancy get the best of me after a bad start or bad practice this will be the first step to defeating myself. You see, consistency is the key but to be consistent you have got to be ultimately prepared for the mental game. I have got listen to my own preaching here and "GET IT DONE"! If I can somehow put it all together though I am worried about the decisions I may have to make the next year. Elites? Am I really ready for that? Maybe we will see...............