Ronnie Garrison
Well-known member
Sunday - 1-6-08 - Day 6
Jackson Lake Flint River Bass Club Tournament
January 6, 2008 - 7 AM to 3 PM
I heard the warm weather had bass still hitting on top as last at last Sunday but the cold front this week surely changed that. Also the rains we had stained up the water pretty badly - it has been very clear and in the mid 50s. I could not get on the lake before the tournament although I had fished it four times in November and December. Won a November club tournament with five at 11.8 and big fish with a 3.7 pound spot, then two weeks later in my other club got a 5 pound largemouth for big fish. Last time I fished the lake in a two club tournament the first Sunday in December caught three and came in 8th - had been going down hill.
Air temp was 38 with no wind but some thin clouds. Warmed up to 68 by quitting time and clear skies after about 9 AM.
Putting the boat in we could see it had really stained up. Water temp was 47 - too low for my liking, especially with the stain. Dropped as much as 10 degrees this week! 15 fishermen showed up and talk was fishing had been tough since Thursday.
Ran up to my favorite rocky point and started throwing a couple of different crank baits and a jig and pig. Partner tried jig and a jerk bait. I told him I didn’t have much confidence in a jerk bait in heavy stained water but it might work. He said he had heard the bass were on rocky banks as well as sand around shad. He had read the same reports as me.
A boat pulled up on the point across from us and we saw the guy in the back put one in the live well at about 7:15 so we knew the fish would hit. I knew it was caught on a jig head worm - that is about all Zero throws.
We fished for about three hours, trying different types of cover and structure and baits. Nothing. At about 10 we fished the rocky point and rock pier where I had caught several bass including a 3.75 pound spot last November. Nothing. At a ditch that had filled in with sand my partner caught a solid 2 pound largemouth on a Texas rigged Zoom Green Pumpkin lizard. It hit in about six feet of water. I dug out my Caroliana rig. Had been throwing a brown Rattleback Jig with a brown Zoom Chunk but thought they might want something slimmer. Had a black Trick worm on the rig.
The next sandy patch we came to I felt weight on my Carolina rig and realized a bass was swimming with it. I dropped the rod tip and set the hook - to nothing. Fish made a fool of me, as usual. We fished about two more hours hitting sandy pockets but no bites
Just after lunch we went into a major feeder arm and into a smaller creek off it and started working a deep bank, fishing blowdowns. Water was clearer here, could see a bait down about two feet here compared to less than a foot where we had been earlier. I was back on the jig now. I told my partner I never fished past a ditch we came to but there was some sand on the other side and the sun had been on it all morning so we kept going. Nothing on the sand. By the next dock I pitched the jig and it did not seem to fall far enough. When I tightened up a fish was going sideways with it. Dropped my rod tip and set the hook - to nothing. Still playing that stupid touchy-feely game the bass always win!
Next dock I pitched under it and my line moved. Immediately set the hook and landed a 3.4 pound largemouth. Finally one in the live well at 12:30.
A few yards down the bank I pitched to a seawall and something distracted me. Felt a fish pull - but then it was gone. Another stupid mistake.
We hit all the docks in that small creek without another bite. It was now about 1:45 so we ran back to the bank where my partner caught his keeper and I missed one. Nothing hit in those spots. We worked toward the rock pier and met one of our club members coming toward us. He caught one near the rock pier. He left and we started to but decided to fish it anyway. I got no bites but my partner was reeling his lizard in and a suicide spot grabbed it and he landed his second keeper. He was reeling over a brush pile that is in six feet of water - didn’t even know it was there.
We kept talking about how slow the fishing was and how many people hit this spot and trying to come up with a good place to hit. Kept talking about sand. I mentioned a pocket across the creel where a friend got three over 8 each many years ago in March but felt it was too early. It is a small sandy pocket and good spawning area but I don’t fish it much.
We kept fishing an talking about where to go. We discussed several spots but every time I looked across the creek I thought more about t hat little pocket. Finally at 2:20 I told my partner we were going there and had 30 minutes to fish it.
Started on a dock at the mouth of the pocket. I had picked up a Strike King crank bait in Sexy Shad color - several people said it was good. Bass were supposed to be on shad on sand so it seemed to be the right bait. Water was stained and had warmed up to 52. Could see the bait down just a few inches. This sandy pocket gets sun all day and had a fairly deep channel going in and a good sandbar near the back.
I was telling my partner how we used to expect to catch six to eight pound bass at Jackson in all winter tournaments but it had been a long time since one over seven was weighed in and very few over six. Told him about one January tournament there where I had a 8.25 and got third biggest bass for the day.
Almost in the back of the creek we were sitting in 7 feet of water and I threw right by a seawall. As soon as I moved the bait I felt weight and though I hit bottom, but it moved. I pulled hard and realized it was a fish, not a limb. Started cranking and felt the fish shake its head and told my partner it was a good one, get the net.
The fish came toward the boat and partner asked which side. Told him the outside then the fish decided the other side. It was not fighting real hard but was heavy. Partner moved over with the net and we saw the fish flash - it was big. Got to the boat and made a strong run. Scared me bad. I was fishing the crank bait on 15 pound Pline and afraid I would pull the hooks out.
Turned the fish and got its head up and partner netted it. Got it in the boat and noticed the crank bait was not in the fish’s mouth and the fish’s head was half way out of the net through a hole. My heart was pounding - biggest bass I have caught in a while, figured between 7 and 8 pounds.
We didn’t stay long, headed to weigh in a little early. I am secretary of the club so I record weights and was sandbagging it a little, I am usually one of the first to weigh in. Couple of people brought up 3 pound bass and tournament director kept saying better weigh it for big fish but I think I have one a little bigger. At one point I said I had one that was probably a little bigger than the 3.2 that was being weighted, too.
Partner got his fish and they weighed 4.5 together. I went and got mine and everybody got real quiet. Big one weighed 8.80 and two went 12.18. Tournament director said oh well - he had been sandbagging too. Went and got his 3.8 pounder. Look on his face was priceless!
Second place was five spots at 9 pounds, then 5 spots at 6.80 for third. We had 28 keepers and 10 of them were largemouth, 6 were over 3 pounds each including my big one. My second bass was third biggest bass at 3.38. Two five fish limits, four zeroes.
Strange but the two guys we saw catch fish during the day had only one each - those were the only ones they caught. Several people talked about how fast the fish spit out baits today - if you felt them it was almost too late to set the hook. Guy that came in second said that happened to him all morning but about an hour before quitting time they started holding it good.
Good start for the year - just like last year. I won the same tournament last year with five just over 13 pounds and had a 5.5 pounder. Hope I can keep it up.
Jackson Lake Flint River Bass Club Tournament
January 6, 2008 - 7 AM to 3 PM
I heard the warm weather had bass still hitting on top as last at last Sunday but the cold front this week surely changed that. Also the rains we had stained up the water pretty badly - it has been very clear and in the mid 50s. I could not get on the lake before the tournament although I had fished it four times in November and December. Won a November club tournament with five at 11.8 and big fish with a 3.7 pound spot, then two weeks later in my other club got a 5 pound largemouth for big fish. Last time I fished the lake in a two club tournament the first Sunday in December caught three and came in 8th - had been going down hill.
Air temp was 38 with no wind but some thin clouds. Warmed up to 68 by quitting time and clear skies after about 9 AM.
Putting the boat in we could see it had really stained up. Water temp was 47 - too low for my liking, especially with the stain. Dropped as much as 10 degrees this week! 15 fishermen showed up and talk was fishing had been tough since Thursday.
Ran up to my favorite rocky point and started throwing a couple of different crank baits and a jig and pig. Partner tried jig and a jerk bait. I told him I didn’t have much confidence in a jerk bait in heavy stained water but it might work. He said he had heard the bass were on rocky banks as well as sand around shad. He had read the same reports as me.
A boat pulled up on the point across from us and we saw the guy in the back put one in the live well at about 7:15 so we knew the fish would hit. I knew it was caught on a jig head worm - that is about all Zero throws.
We fished for about three hours, trying different types of cover and structure and baits. Nothing. At about 10 we fished the rocky point and rock pier where I had caught several bass including a 3.75 pound spot last November. Nothing. At a ditch that had filled in with sand my partner caught a solid 2 pound largemouth on a Texas rigged Zoom Green Pumpkin lizard. It hit in about six feet of water. I dug out my Caroliana rig. Had been throwing a brown Rattleback Jig with a brown Zoom Chunk but thought they might want something slimmer. Had a black Trick worm on the rig.
The next sandy patch we came to I felt weight on my Carolina rig and realized a bass was swimming with it. I dropped the rod tip and set the hook - to nothing. Fish made a fool of me, as usual. We fished about two more hours hitting sandy pockets but no bites
Just after lunch we went into a major feeder arm and into a smaller creek off it and started working a deep bank, fishing blowdowns. Water was clearer here, could see a bait down about two feet here compared to less than a foot where we had been earlier. I was back on the jig now. I told my partner I never fished past a ditch we came to but there was some sand on the other side and the sun had been on it all morning so we kept going. Nothing on the sand. By the next dock I pitched the jig and it did not seem to fall far enough. When I tightened up a fish was going sideways with it. Dropped my rod tip and set the hook - to nothing. Still playing that stupid touchy-feely game the bass always win!
Next dock I pitched under it and my line moved. Immediately set the hook and landed a 3.4 pound largemouth. Finally one in the live well at 12:30.
A few yards down the bank I pitched to a seawall and something distracted me. Felt a fish pull - but then it was gone. Another stupid mistake.
We hit all the docks in that small creek without another bite. It was now about 1:45 so we ran back to the bank where my partner caught his keeper and I missed one. Nothing hit in those spots. We worked toward the rock pier and met one of our club members coming toward us. He caught one near the rock pier. He left and we started to but decided to fish it anyway. I got no bites but my partner was reeling his lizard in and a suicide spot grabbed it and he landed his second keeper. He was reeling over a brush pile that is in six feet of water - didn’t even know it was there.
We kept talking about how slow the fishing was and how many people hit this spot and trying to come up with a good place to hit. Kept talking about sand. I mentioned a pocket across the creel where a friend got three over 8 each many years ago in March but felt it was too early. It is a small sandy pocket and good spawning area but I don’t fish it much.
We kept fishing an talking about where to go. We discussed several spots but every time I looked across the creek I thought more about t hat little pocket. Finally at 2:20 I told my partner we were going there and had 30 minutes to fish it.
Started on a dock at the mouth of the pocket. I had picked up a Strike King crank bait in Sexy Shad color - several people said it was good. Bass were supposed to be on shad on sand so it seemed to be the right bait. Water was stained and had warmed up to 52. Could see the bait down just a few inches. This sandy pocket gets sun all day and had a fairly deep channel going in and a good sandbar near the back.
I was telling my partner how we used to expect to catch six to eight pound bass at Jackson in all winter tournaments but it had been a long time since one over seven was weighed in and very few over six. Told him about one January tournament there where I had a 8.25 and got third biggest bass for the day.
Almost in the back of the creek we were sitting in 7 feet of water and I threw right by a seawall. As soon as I moved the bait I felt weight and though I hit bottom, but it moved. I pulled hard and realized it was a fish, not a limb. Started cranking and felt the fish shake its head and told my partner it was a good one, get the net.
The fish came toward the boat and partner asked which side. Told him the outside then the fish decided the other side. It was not fighting real hard but was heavy. Partner moved over with the net and we saw the fish flash - it was big. Got to the boat and made a strong run. Scared me bad. I was fishing the crank bait on 15 pound Pline and afraid I would pull the hooks out.
Turned the fish and got its head up and partner netted it. Got it in the boat and noticed the crank bait was not in the fish’s mouth and the fish’s head was half way out of the net through a hole. My heart was pounding - biggest bass I have caught in a while, figured between 7 and 8 pounds.
We didn’t stay long, headed to weigh in a little early. I am secretary of the club so I record weights and was sandbagging it a little, I am usually one of the first to weigh in. Couple of people brought up 3 pound bass and tournament director kept saying better weigh it for big fish but I think I have one a little bigger. At one point I said I had one that was probably a little bigger than the 3.2 that was being weighted, too.
Partner got his fish and they weighed 4.5 together. I went and got mine and everybody got real quiet. Big one weighed 8.80 and two went 12.18. Tournament director said oh well - he had been sandbagging too. Went and got his 3.8 pounder. Look on his face was priceless!
Second place was five spots at 9 pounds, then 5 spots at 6.80 for third. We had 28 keepers and 10 of them were largemouth, 6 were over 3 pounds each including my big one. My second bass was third biggest bass at 3.38. Two five fish limits, four zeroes.
Strange but the two guys we saw catch fish during the day had only one each - those were the only ones they caught. Several people talked about how fast the fish spit out baits today - if you felt them it was almost too late to set the hook. Guy that came in second said that happened to him all morning but about an hour before quitting time they started holding it good.
Good start for the year - just like last year. I won the same tournament last year with five just over 13 pounds and had a 5.5 pounder. Hope I can keep it up.
