02-24-2009, 10:00 AM
Sunday - February 22, 2009 - Day 53<br /><br />Spalding County Sportsman Club February Tournament<br /><br />February 22, 2009 - Bartlett’s Ferry - 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM<br /><br />Cloudy, cold and windy at 7:30 Blast off<br /><br />Clouds blew out at 1:00 PM - water temps 49 - 51<br /><br />Clear to heavy stain<br /><br />Three weeks ago I fished the lake on a rainy day for a magazine article and we caught about 20 keepers around docks and on rocky banks on jig head worms. Water temp about the same. At blast off we ran to a series of docks around a small cove where we caught several good bass three weeks ago, including our two biggest. Started throwing a spinner bait and jerk bait, also jig head worm. I had one small worm on 12 pound Pline fluorocarbon and another bigger worm on 15 pound, both on 3/16 ounce jig heads.<br /><br />We worked around the cove without a bite, took about an hour. Ran up the the next area we caught fish, starting on docks in a small cove and then a rocky point. Not a bite. Kept fishing that area, working several main lake points and pockets. Nothing.<br /><br />At one dock I got my jig head on the 15 pound line hung in brush and reeled down to it trying to get it back. Pulled the rod tip off one of my favorite St. Croix rods. Put it down under the strap.<br /><br />At about 10:00 it was getting pretty bright, high thin cloud cover was all. I went down one bank with the spinner bait and felt and saw a fish hit it but missed. Flash looked like a good keeper.<br /><br />At little before 11 we ran to the first secondary point in a small creek, good rocks and a drop. Worked it but nothing. Headed back into the creek, down a shallow bank. Told my partner it was probably too early for them to be this far back, water was 51. <br /><br />Off a small seawall with the boat in 6 feet of water I was working the jig and pig back when it seemed to go sideways. Thought a gust of wind hit my line but then it started the other way. Set the hook and landed a solid keeper largemouth. One in the boat at 11:10.<br /><br />A few feet further up that bank I cast to the shallow corner of a dock walkway and one almost jerked the rod out of my hand. Managed to land a 12.5 inch keeper largemouth. Two in the live well at 11:15.<br /><br />Fished up a little further and turned and went back. Off the end of the dock where I got my second keeper my partner got a solid keeper largemouth. Worked past it, turned and headed back into the creek. <br /><br />I wanted to throw a jig head but had 12 pound test on the rod and wanted something heavier around the docks and brush so I took the reel off the tipless rod, it had 15 pound line, and put it on one of the St Croix rods that I had rigged for crankbaits. I like the Avid AVC 70MF rod for several kinds of fishing and have three.<br /><br />Went a good bit further and told my partner it was probably too shallow - we were sitting in 3 feet of water. Threw a jig head up by a dock and it started swimming off. Another keeper largemouth - three at 11:30.<br /><br />Fished back down the bank and partner got another keeper just past where I got my first, then I got a throwback near the point. Worked around it and up the other bank, and partner missed a fish. A little later I got a bass that just barely touched, four in the live well at noon but really did not want to keep that last one.<br /><br />Back across the creek ;my partner got his third near where he got his second, then got a fourth at the dock where he got his first. Two of them were spots. All hit a jig head with a ribbon tail worm, I was using straight tail worms.<br /><br />Clouds blew away about then, near 1:00, and I was afraid the bright sun would turn the fish off. A little later partner partner got his fifth off the end of that same dock and I got one, too. Both of us had limits at 1:10 but I was really worried about one of mine, a spot that just barely touched.<br /><br />We discussed trying something different but stayed there. At 2:40 on another pass by that dock I got a solid keeper - relaxed a lot. Decided to run to some deep brush on the way to weigh-in, a known big fish hole, and fish the last 30 minutes.<br /><br />Got on the brush at about 2:45 and worked it, both of us broke off. Stayed there till 3:20 without any hits then ran in to weigh in <br /><br />At weigh in two guys told about their boat not starting this morning so they fished around the ramp with trolling motor. One had five largemouth at 8.75 for first. His partner had two weighing 7.09 for second. Billy had five including a very fat spot weighing 2.75 pounds and got third with 7.03. My five weighted 6.30 and got fourth, fifth was five at 6.08 and my partner’s five weighed 5.73 for sixth. <br /><br />Boy that usually fishes with me had one at 4.83 for big fish and got it on a jig and pig. He fussed a lot last year about me catching fish on the jig and he could not catch any and I told him to keep chunking it. He did.<br /><br />We had 6 limits and no zeros out of 14 fishermen.<br /><br />Got home and went to get my rod without the tip to take to get one on Monday. Rod was gone. I guess without a reel on it it worked out from under the strap and blew out on the way home. Terrible ending to a decent day. Gonna get two more of the St. Croix rods today.<br />