Ronnie Garrison
Well-known member
Been a while since I posted - not much to say about fishing a tournament at West Point for 9 hours and landing one 11 inch largemouth. I do fish my ponds every day, catching bluegill, cats and bass. But that is like shooting fish in a barrel.
anyway...
The Spalding County Sportsman Club July tournament was at Jackson on Sunday.
We started at 4:00 AM and quit at noon trying to beat the heat and pleasure boaters.
For many years we have fished night tournaments in July and August but for some
reason the club voted to go to day tournaments this year.
Since I am tournament director I let everybody go then headed out myself. For the
past two years I have won the Jackson July tournament by fishing an old railroad
causeway. It is underwater at the dam, just around the point from the ramp where
we took off, and runs out about 150 yards. There is a rockpile on it where it drops
from 6 to 9 feet deep that has been my best spot and there are two more brushpiles
on it further out in deeper water.
Over the years I have told club fishermen about this place and several non-boaters
have fished with me. One club member fishing as a no boater caught a 7 pounder
there in one night tournament. I thought it was a few years ago but after the
tournament Sunday he said it was in 1991 or 92 - his first year in the club. So I
have been fishing it a very long time, first found this place in 1974.
Last year I was the only boat that went straight to this place. One other club member
pulled in there at about midnight and fished for a short time before leaving. Before
blastoff Sunday that same club member asked me where I was going to fish and I
told him. He said he was going to hit the brush out on the end first and I told him he
would be able to get there first since I had to be last.
When we took off the last boat ahead of me was idling out way off the point so I
idled inside him and went straight to the rock pile. When you come around the
point the ramp is on the ridge runs out parallel to it about 50 yards from the point.
When I stopped I was almost on top of it but he had kept going and was about 50
yards out from me, near where there is some brush. The guy that said he was going
to start there was 50 yards further out on the same ridge.
I started throwing a black and blue jig and pig on the rocks. I was sitting in 10 feet
of water, casting back across the ridge, bringing the jig and pig up one side, across
the rocks and down the other, covering about 50 feet of bottom on each cast. At
4:10 I felt weight on my jig and set the hook. Felt like a really good fish but I landed
a 2 pound spot - it really fought hard. After putting it in the livewell I looked at my
watch then looked up. A third boat was fishing about 100 yards back toward the
point, straight across the ridge from me. They had eased out with the trolling motor
and came around the point while I was fighting the bass. All three other boats were
close enough to hear me catch the fish and the lights from the dam gave enough light
for them to see me.
I kept fishing the ridge, casting across it. The boat furthest out on the ridge left and
the one 50 yards out stayed in the same place, not coming any closer. The boat
coming around the point kept coming straight toward me although I was casting
straight toward it.
When one of my casts hit within what looked like 30 feet of that boat and they kept
coming, I said “Please don’t run right across where I am fishing.” They didn’t say
anything but did back off with the trolling motor and left. I never knew who they
were but I am sure they were in the club.
Soon the boat sitting 50 yards out said he was leaving and wished me good luck. I
realized it was the brother of the club member that had caught the 7 pounder with
me 15 years ago. It was about 5:30 by now and the sky was beginning to get a little
light to the east but it was still pretty dark since it was very cloudy. I was able to
start working the whole ridge like I like to fish it now that I was alone.
I missed a couple of bites on a Texas rigged Zoom Mag 2 worm but they were little
pecks, not a solid hit. Right at 6:00 AM when it was getting light enough to see I
worked out to the first brush pile on the ridge and put out a marker on a GPS
coordinate I have marked. The ridge is wide at this point and if I sit on my GPS
spot and cast toward the dam I cross the brush. I am sitting in 12 feet of water and
the brush is on the drop in 16.
I quickly got a bite in the brush and landed another keeper spot on a Carolina rigged
Trick worm. After a few more casts with the Carolina rig I switched and missed
two hits on the Texas rigged Mag 2 in the brush pile but they were little taps like
bluegill or crappie. I decided to work all around the brush and when I got on the
deeper side of it, in 18 feet of water, I saw a cloud of baitfish down near the bottom
with fish under them. I reeled in and dropped the Texas rig straight down. My line
jumped before it hit the bottom and I set the hook on another good keeper spot.
It was about 6:45 now and I had 3 keepers in the boat. I felt pretty good about
getting a limit - should have known better! Right at 9:00 I had not gotten another
bite and the boat traffic was getting bad. I crossed the 18 foot area again and could
still see some fish on the bottom even though the baitfish were gone. I dug out a
Drop Shop rig, put a small hand poured belly shad on it that someone had given me
and dropped it down. Started fishing it very slowly and it got heavy. I set the hook
and brought a good keeper largemouth to the top. Managed to net it, was afraid
since I don’t fish the dropshot much and the six pound line scared me.
I fished the area for the next three hours with all my baits but caught only one small
throwback on the drop shot. Was really rocking and rolling now with the skidoos,
tubers, riders and skiers. Amazing how many boats cruised between me and the
bank or close to me on the deeper side at about half plane off speed.
At the weigh-in the guy that had caught the 7 pounder with me years ago said he and
his partner had a l;imit and his partner had a 3 pounder. Another fishermen pulled
up and asked how I had done. Told him I had four and he said he had caught fish on
top on Friday but that bite was tough today. Figured he had a limit, too. He usually
does and is probably the best fisherman in the club.
I felt pretty bad with my four. I weighed most of the fishermen’s catch - one guy
had a limit weighing 7.4 pounds and was leading and the two other guys fishing
together with the limits had not weighed in but were in line. One of the other
members took my pen and recorded the weighes so I could get my fish. When I got
back my four weighed 5.79 and I was the last one to weigh in.
I was surprised when checking the places. Guy that had the limit and 3 pounder
won with five at 8.21 at big fish of 3.33. He said he caught them on Texas rigged
worms in rocks and brush. The guy with 7.4 was second - caught one on a Pop-r on
a lighted dock, then others on a Spotsticker Jig, mine were third. Partner of the guy
with the big fish had five at 5.46 for fourth. His five were all barely keeper 12 inch
spots. The guy talking about topwater had only two.
Tough tournament but only 3 zeroes out of the 16 fishermen. Had three limits, too.
Water was 85 on the surface and it was cloudy with a light breeze at times. Water
was fairly clear for Jackson, you could see a spinnerbait down about two feet.
anyway...
The Spalding County Sportsman Club July tournament was at Jackson on Sunday.
We started at 4:00 AM and quit at noon trying to beat the heat and pleasure boaters.
For many years we have fished night tournaments in July and August but for some
reason the club voted to go to day tournaments this year.
Since I am tournament director I let everybody go then headed out myself. For the
past two years I have won the Jackson July tournament by fishing an old railroad
causeway. It is underwater at the dam, just around the point from the ramp where
we took off, and runs out about 150 yards. There is a rockpile on it where it drops
from 6 to 9 feet deep that has been my best spot and there are two more brushpiles
on it further out in deeper water.
Over the years I have told club fishermen about this place and several non-boaters
have fished with me. One club member fishing as a no boater caught a 7 pounder
there in one night tournament. I thought it was a few years ago but after the
tournament Sunday he said it was in 1991 or 92 - his first year in the club. So I
have been fishing it a very long time, first found this place in 1974.
Last year I was the only boat that went straight to this place. One other club member
pulled in there at about midnight and fished for a short time before leaving. Before
blastoff Sunday that same club member asked me where I was going to fish and I
told him. He said he was going to hit the brush out on the end first and I told him he
would be able to get there first since I had to be last.
When we took off the last boat ahead of me was idling out way off the point so I
idled inside him and went straight to the rock pile. When you come around the
point the ramp is on the ridge runs out parallel to it about 50 yards from the point.
When I stopped I was almost on top of it but he had kept going and was about 50
yards out from me, near where there is some brush. The guy that said he was going
to start there was 50 yards further out on the same ridge.
I started throwing a black and blue jig and pig on the rocks. I was sitting in 10 feet
of water, casting back across the ridge, bringing the jig and pig up one side, across
the rocks and down the other, covering about 50 feet of bottom on each cast. At
4:10 I felt weight on my jig and set the hook. Felt like a really good fish but I landed
a 2 pound spot - it really fought hard. After putting it in the livewell I looked at my
watch then looked up. A third boat was fishing about 100 yards back toward the
point, straight across the ridge from me. They had eased out with the trolling motor
and came around the point while I was fighting the bass. All three other boats were
close enough to hear me catch the fish and the lights from the dam gave enough light
for them to see me.
I kept fishing the ridge, casting across it. The boat furthest out on the ridge left and
the one 50 yards out stayed in the same place, not coming any closer. The boat
coming around the point kept coming straight toward me although I was casting
straight toward it.
When one of my casts hit within what looked like 30 feet of that boat and they kept
coming, I said “Please don’t run right across where I am fishing.” They didn’t say
anything but did back off with the trolling motor and left. I never knew who they
were but I am sure they were in the club.
Soon the boat sitting 50 yards out said he was leaving and wished me good luck. I
realized it was the brother of the club member that had caught the 7 pounder with
me 15 years ago. It was about 5:30 by now and the sky was beginning to get a little
light to the east but it was still pretty dark since it was very cloudy. I was able to
start working the whole ridge like I like to fish it now that I was alone.
I missed a couple of bites on a Texas rigged Zoom Mag 2 worm but they were little
pecks, not a solid hit. Right at 6:00 AM when it was getting light enough to see I
worked out to the first brush pile on the ridge and put out a marker on a GPS
coordinate I have marked. The ridge is wide at this point and if I sit on my GPS
spot and cast toward the dam I cross the brush. I am sitting in 12 feet of water and
the brush is on the drop in 16.
I quickly got a bite in the brush and landed another keeper spot on a Carolina rigged
Trick worm. After a few more casts with the Carolina rig I switched and missed
two hits on the Texas rigged Mag 2 in the brush pile but they were little taps like
bluegill or crappie. I decided to work all around the brush and when I got on the
deeper side of it, in 18 feet of water, I saw a cloud of baitfish down near the bottom
with fish under them. I reeled in and dropped the Texas rig straight down. My line
jumped before it hit the bottom and I set the hook on another good keeper spot.
It was about 6:45 now and I had 3 keepers in the boat. I felt pretty good about
getting a limit - should have known better! Right at 9:00 I had not gotten another
bite and the boat traffic was getting bad. I crossed the 18 foot area again and could
still see some fish on the bottom even though the baitfish were gone. I dug out a
Drop Shop rig, put a small hand poured belly shad on it that someone had given me
and dropped it down. Started fishing it very slowly and it got heavy. I set the hook
and brought a good keeper largemouth to the top. Managed to net it, was afraid
since I don’t fish the dropshot much and the six pound line scared me.
I fished the area for the next three hours with all my baits but caught only one small
throwback on the drop shot. Was really rocking and rolling now with the skidoos,
tubers, riders and skiers. Amazing how many boats cruised between me and the
bank or close to me on the deeper side at about half plane off speed.
At the weigh-in the guy that had caught the 7 pounder with me years ago said he and
his partner had a l;imit and his partner had a 3 pounder. Another fishermen pulled
up and asked how I had done. Told him I had four and he said he had caught fish on
top on Friday but that bite was tough today. Figured he had a limit, too. He usually
does and is probably the best fisherman in the club.
I felt pretty bad with my four. I weighed most of the fishermen’s catch - one guy
had a limit weighing 7.4 pounds and was leading and the two other guys fishing
together with the limits had not weighed in but were in line. One of the other
members took my pen and recorded the weighes so I could get my fish. When I got
back my four weighed 5.79 and I was the last one to weigh in.
I was surprised when checking the places. Guy that had the limit and 3 pounder
won with five at 8.21 at big fish of 3.33. He said he caught them on Texas rigged
worms in rocks and brush. The guy with 7.4 was second - caught one on a Pop-r on
a lighted dock, then others on a Spotsticker Jig, mine were third. Partner of the guy
with the big fish had five at 5.46 for fourth. His five were all barely keeper 12 inch
spots. The guy talking about topwater had only two.
Tough tournament but only 3 zeroes out of the 16 fishermen. Had three limits, too.
Water was 85 on the surface and it was cloudy with a light breeze at times. Water
was fairly clear for Jackson, you could see a spinnerbait down about two feet.
