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+--- Thread: Tournament Trials and Tribulations (/showthread.php?tid=593841)
Tournament Trials and Tribulations - WET1 - 06-14-2010
Decided to initiate my fly fishing partner into the exciting world of tournament fishing. Wiper Fest 2010 looked like to perfect opportunity, cheap entry fee, one day event, close to home, etc.....
I arrived at his house to pick him up at the appointed time and when I got out to help him load his gear noticed a burning smell. Found my trailer brakes steaming/smoking after only a 1.5 miles drive. Well we tried everything on them over the next couple hours and just couldn't get them to stay released. Finally decided we couldn't drive up like that and we'd need to wait for a Schwab to open up. After 2 different attmepts we got the adjusters totally backed off and all the fluid removed from the system to get them released.
Finally got the boat on the water a little after 10am, blast off was at 7! Weather, mechanical problems, there was just going to be no denying us of a fishing day!
I hadn't been on Willard at all this year so on a wing and a prayer we headed to the south dike. I decided since it had been so cold not to pull cranks and we wen't to my bread and butter, bouncers and blades... We had a hot bite going until the wind stopped blasting about 11:30. My partner put 3 walleye in the livewell between 19 and 22 inches and I put 24 wipers in, 3 of which were good ones and one was a dink. We were getting pretty excited that with all our issues for the morning we might actually have a fuul bag to weigh. We weren't counting the dink (13") as a 4th fish yet. Try as we might though, we couldn't buy a bite after 11:30. Wen't to the boards and snap weights and still no luck. Finally ran out of time. We ended up in 16th place with my good friend Mike Shaffer taling home the big prize.
All in all it was a great day. My buddy really enjoyed the event even though he didn't catch a wiper. We still need to go back and get that done for him. Hard to complain about the quality walleyes he caught though!
Purely coincidentally we got all our fish on hammered gold and silver willow leaf blades around 1.3mph. Very similar to the patter Mike was on.
Great tournament and mucho kudos to the Crazy4 guys. They did a great job and it was very well organized with an excellent payout!
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Re: [WET1] Tournament Trials and Tribulations - Old_Coot - 06-14-2010
I am glad you got in some fishing time before the 2:00 closing bell. It is always a bummer to have mechanical problems on a fishing trip ... especially for a tournament.
I am surprised that after catching 24 wipers that you didn't get into the money. That is quite amazing that you could even fit 24 wipers in a live well!
Hats off to ya man ..
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Re: [WET1] Tournament Trials and Tribulations - PACKFAN - 06-14-2010
I'm thinking you must have a mis-print on putting 24 wipers in your livewell. [crazy] I was like Mike on Friday, got into some good fish in the morning and left the spot, largest wieghed 4 lbs 15 oz. The wife and I hit the same spot Sat. morning and boated 7 wipers and one eye with several lost and 1/2 doz. hit and runs but our fish were all smaller I think we ended up with 12.88 lbs. and finished in 11th. We trolled cranks on two planer boards and two downriggers at 2 1/2 mph. It was nice talking to you Sat. at wiegh in. The wife and I are looking forward to fishing the Canyon Ferry walleye tourney in a couple weeks. We are usually the only team from Utah.
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Re: [PACKFAN] Tournament Trials and Tribulations - WET1 - 06-14-2010
Oops, that was a fat finger job. I mean't 4 wipers, not 24.
Pete, good luck in Montanan. I'll be pulling for you...
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