The Hunt for Big Fish

Swan Island

8-14-2010

Most every angler who hits the water for a day of fishing is hoping to get a big fish for their efforts.  We search for the best lures and presentation that just might be the trick for getting the big one.  The main part of this search though begins with where!

Bobby and I spent several days on the Lower Willamette River looking for smallmouth bass.  We spent time separately and other days on the water together looking, mapping and theorizing on the best places to fish.  Finally, we found just two spots that seemed to hold some decent sized fish (at least 12 inches) that would be keepers for the tournament. 

Bobby had pulled a trick out of his dad’s playbook by using Robo worms of a particular color.  Bob Brown (Bobby’s dad) really likes to use these Robo worms and so we gave them a shot to see if we could entice some nice smallmouth bass.  Sure enough these baits were getting more consistent bites and better bites than anything else we tried. 

On tournament day we were cautiously excited about the day’s events.  We had only the two spots on the river to count on and it was Saturday so we had other tournament anglers and the rest of the public to deal with in keeping these two spots for ourselves. 

At blast off the anglers all headed to their scouted out spots and to our joy no one had set up on either of our spots.  We were really fortunate since Bobby used his magic touch to draw the lowest number out of the hat for blast off (this is sarcasm). J

We did start catching some fish right away but size was a problem with one in every ten fish making the length requirement for weigh-in.  One of our two spots being located directly in the middle of the river was a growing problem of concern.  Early in the morning we combed this area for a couple keeper fish but fewer bites were coming as the day went on.  Bobby stopped to collect his thoughts and had a KFC snacker and an AMP Energy drink, his favorite flavor is Lightning (Carbonated Lemonade).  I was giving him a hard time about stopping for lunch so early and losing focus so quick ( I like giving him a hard time about everything). Then, Bobby picked up his rod and Robo worm and caught the second biggest fish of the tournament.  After the rodeo of us trying to catch this big smallmouth on 6 pound test line and my less than professional netting skills, we were dancing around the boat and acting less than our appropriate ages.  I then quickly grabbed an AMP and KFC snacker! J

We eventually filled out our limit with one 3 pound fish as our big fish.  Our big fish spot in the middle of the river turned off as pleasure boaters were cruising over it every two minutes.  We looked for other places we hoped would have a lunker but we just kept catching small fish. 

When we got back to the weigh-in we found that most every team’s story mimicked our own, as big fish were very hard to find.  Nearly the entire field of anglers was approximately one pound within each other. 

The lessons we learned from this tournament reinforced our beliefs in working hard to locate some areas that provide us with confidence before entering a tournament.  When a tournament angler puts in the time to know where fish can be caught and begins to build confidence in his location, lures and chances of success then, the so called “lucky” happens.  The people that work the hardest at fishing usually are the luckiest people on the water.  Confidence, focus and hard work, are all the ingredients for success.  These experiences are worthy to be put in the anglers “experience”.  When someone says they are an experienced angler, does this experience relate to these three components?  If so, then these experiences will make them a better angler. 

Bobby and I rely on AMP Energy drinks to keep our focus!  And, focus is one major component to working hard or just wetting your line in the water.  Give it a try and let us know how your “experience” is going.