The Lake Erie chronicles, part 2
Oct. 20, 2009
The Lake Erie chronicles, part 2:
The chronicles of nausea
The Lake Erie event arrived with much confusion for me. Not in the form of how to catch fish or even where I needed to finish to win the points, make the Elite Series and qualify for the Bassmaster Classic. Instead, the brain drain came in the decisions on how to play the odds in order to accomplish all three goals: (1) Classic, (2) points title and (3) Elites. I knew all I would have to do is catch five bass each day and I would make it. However, I have never fished Lake Erie conservatively, and I was almost sure this would not be the time for that.
My thoughts wavered, but I figured I would let my practice time dictate my strategy. Off I went to the lake I hate to love to fish. Yes, hate! It makes no sense to hate to love something. Giant waves, unpredictable fall weather patterns and everything on the line is a tough combination. No matter, I am as cool as a fall nor'easter. So why is it every time I launch my boat on Erie, the first song to come to mind is The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald?
Big wind and bigger waves made the going fairly slow for the first couple of practice days. I run a Legend Alpha 211 with a Mercury 250XS. This is a comforting feeling when you are scaling mountains of water, but let's be real. The Great Lakes are nothing to take for granted in a bass boat. Slow and steady wins out there. OK, no more lectures.
Struggling for the first couple of days left me with an upset stomach as well as a bad feeling. I knew I could catch an easy limit of largemouth and pretty much close the door on everyone. To me that would be like giving up ... or at best conceding that I could not win.
I would never do that! At this point, I knew I was in for long days on the ocean prior to the event.
Practice came and went. I found deep fish and super shallow fish. I was ready for the tournament and very confident I would achieve all my goals.
First of all, can I just say that for me the pre-tournament registration meeting is the most anxious and frustrating part of any tournament. This is not a slam on how the meetings are run, I just am not wired for the hurry up and wait program. I am going out at boat number 64 on the first day of competition. My boat draw on Erie doesn't bother me. Most of the time I am fishing stuff other guys are not, and the wind is the great equalizer (or, in my case, advantage maker). I have a lot of experience driving on Erie, and I know my boat and motor will do what I need to succeed.
The wind was moving pretty well when we launched the first morning, which left me a little concerned. My number was called and off we went. The bay itself was a little tricky to run, but, all in all, no great problem. I got about a mile or two outside the bay and could not believe my eyes. Eight or 10 boats were heading back to the bay! How rough was it out there? I kept driving and kept wondering where the big water was. I guess it is that rough water experience thing again; I arrived to my fish no worse for the wear.
Fishing on Day 1 started out just like I thought. I caught six, culled one and left my first spot by 8:30 or 9, then spent the rest of the day looking for more fish. Yes, I found more deep fish. The sad thing was I most likely could have stayed on my first spot and caught 23 pounds. I saw them chasing every fish I landed. The thing was not to burn those fish the first day. I figured I could smoke them on Day 2 and use my deep fish for the final day.
At the time I thought this was a winning strategy. When Day 2 was cancelled due to high winds, I was happy and confused. I just wasn't sure if this was good for me or bad. I knew it would be good for AOY, but at this point, I also wanted to win the event. Not greed, but my competitive nature, left me wanting more. The cancelled day I drove home and spent some time with my wife, Rachel. This was a nice break in the action. Honestly, though, I would have liked to have been in the throws of fishing battle.
The weather had really messed things up for my shallow fish on Day 3. Needless to say, the residual waves I had rolling in on me took their toll. Every time I would get close enough to catch one, a wave would crash my boat into the rocks. After losing the first two fish, fighting them while trying to keep my lower unit from sure disaster, I managed a few shallow fish. Then I left the shallows for something a little more fishable. Going deep saved the day. With some nice bites and some culling, I knew I succeeded. This made the drive back to the bay a little more relaxed. Now, hopefully, I could win.
You all know how that event turned out. My hat's off to Jonathon VanDam for the win, and to Pete Gluszek for taking second. I must also congratulate Kotaro Kiriyama for making the Classic. It was a great fight!
The Bassmaster Classic is the fishing event of all time. I am proud to be fishing in it again and will do my best to contribute to the future of this great sport.
Thanks to all my sponsors: OSI sealants, Mercury Outboards, Legend Bass Boats and Powell Rods. Without these guys, none of my accomplishments would have been possible.
See you next time.
Oct. 5, 2009
The Lake Erie chronicles
I am very sorry it has taken so long to blog again. Well I am back with beer in hand and computer on lap ready to go.
It has been said never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. It's not that I have intentionally been putting off this blog, it has just been non-stop since my last entry.
Looking at the Northern Open schedule, I felt OK about it, with the exception of the Chesapeake Bay. I have never fished there, and in my opinion this was going to be my biggest hurdle. I am not saying that Champlain or Erie were in the bank. With bass fishing no lake is a shoo-in, however, it is a fact that some lakes just fish better for you.
Off I go to the old history-laden Chesapeake Bay. The first thing I learned on the way was you had better have a pocket full of money. Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland are very proud of their highways, as the expense of the never-ending tolls tells you.
Everything I ever heard about the bay was fish the grass, grass, oh yeah the grass. So naturally when I got there, I fished the vegetation. And I fished even more vegetation. The insane thing about it was it all looked good, green, plush and fishy. No dice, not a bass in the bunch.
So I asked myself, what would KVD do? I bailed and went to my strengths. I ran up the river and looked for structure. I found exactly what I was looking for, structure and bass — big bass — both largemouth and smallmouth. It was becoming apparent if I caught five bass a day, the limits would be giant.
Everything about this tournament was shaping up. In fact, I fished the entire event with two rods. (This made rigging easy.) Anyway, you know the outcome. I smashed a lower unit at 8 a.m. on the final day. I limped my boat to my best smallmouth rockpile only to find another competitor on it — one who did not fish it the first two days but watched me fish it. Oh well, I still took third in the tournament. I was pumped. Like I said, this was my hurdle. Let's not pretend. I was disappointed I did not win. Nonetheless, I was on my way.
Fishing Lake Champlain one day, I saw this movement on the water. I did not know what it was, then, just like that, it was gone. Thinking to myself, I got my camera out and patiently waited and waited. Suddenly, out of nowhere, this serpent-like creature appeared, probably 16 feet long and a neck of about 6 feet.
Luckily, I had my trusty camera. I started snapping pictures like crazy. All I could think about was I actually had proof — honest to God proof. Could I be famous? Could I be the first with real proof? I sped my Mercury-powered Legend boat back to the ramp to go down and load the pictures on my computer.
By now, you must be thinking I should have stopped writing this after one beer! Anyhow, this is true. I finally get back to my room. Shaking, I slip the MMC card into the card reader, and unbelievably, the MMC card was damaged! No proof of any lake monster, no fame, no fortune and no one who would take me seriously.
Do you know why every monster story turns out this way?
No lake monster!
Wow! That was fun. I got to pretend I was actually a writer.
Well, by now most of you probably read the tournament news on Bassmaster.com, so I won't bore you with the same details.
I will tell you while I was sitting at the weigh-in on the final day of the Champlain event, the top five were held back to weigh their catch last. (Drama, you know.) Anyway, they asked me to stay in my boat until they call me. Now I am hearing some of the top guys did not catch them as well as the day before. I am really getting jazzed!
Almost the entire field has weighed in, and a BASS official called the top five to go to the tanks. I have already spoken to some of the other top five or six and knew I won! It was all I could do to keep from screaming. Then I heard it.
Chris Bowes shouts: "22 pounds — for a total of 56 pounds, 3 ounces! We have a new leader!"
Well, damn. I did the math and knew I was in for second place. My heart sunk. I was again just shy of the mark. I think Iaconelli sensed my disappointment. He reached into his weigh-in bag and pulled out a 6-pounder. Then he looked and said — with a straight face — "This is my smallest one."
Then we both started cracking up. It was then I realized I was smoking the points race. Thanks to Ike for lightening up an emotional moment.
Stay tuned for part 2 of the "Lake Erie Chronicles — The Chronicles of Nausea."
Thanks to all my sponsors: OSI Sealants, Mercury Outboards, Legend Boats and Powell Rods.
Sept. 11, 2009
To the guys at Sam Rayburn
Leaving Champlain for Sam Rayburn was a long road trip and one I did not want to make. The whole time all I could think about was the upcoming Lake Erie tournament at Sandusky.
Kicking and screaming all the way to Texas I finally made it. Checking into my hotel (Bass Buster Inn) and unpacking left me parched and hungry. So, I did what any red-blooded American male would do and headed to the nearest watering hole (The Stump).
It was pathetically obvious I was not from around there. The table across from me was full of local men, laughing and looking around the room, mostly at me because ... well I was the only one in there at that time. I ordered a Coors Light and politely gave the table across from me a nod. The next thing you know I am joining my new Texas family.
Eddie Stagg is probably one of the most sincere individuals you will ever meet. Despite going through a close personal loss in his family, he still managed to muster the courage to be open and friendly to me. Thanks, Eddie.
Everyone knows Bob Sealy from the McDonalds Big Bass Splash. Keep up the good work!
Brian Branum is a lure designer for Gambler Lures and an engineer. You know he is an engineer in the first five minutes of conversation.
Jim Roman is a mechanic extraordinaire. He can build anything out of nothing. There were others that I met as well, and I am pleased to have met them. They made my stay in Texas a lot of fun. Thanks guys!
The tournament did not go as I had planned. I was catching topwater fish in the grass, but they weren't as big as I had hoped. I went to the schooling fish, and they were not even keepers. I had stumbled onto some deep brushpiles and caught some nice ones there (4 to 6 pounds). I thought if I could catch five a day, I would have a chance to win. The big question was whether I could get five.
I spent a full two days just looking for brush and found plenty. Since I'm leading the Northern Opens, I figured I would take a chance and go for broke at Rayburn.
I committed to the brush and failed. I lost three nice ones the first day and only weighed two. The second day, I lost two and only weighed three fish. I went to the grass to try and get my non-boater a limit before I went to the bush tops. I ended that tournament with my worst finish in a long time.
Look for my next blog — my drive home. I promise this one will be fast and furious.
Now it's time for Lake Erie. Amen!
Thanks to all my sponsors: OSI sealants, Powell Rods, Mercury Outboards and Legend Boats.
Sept. 1, 2009
Holy carp!
I just left Champlain, and I am not so sure everything sunk in yet. I am driving to Sam Rayburn in Texas — no rest for the weary. I am now officially in first place in the points for the Bassmaster Northern Opens. Holy carp!
I have been practicing on Rayburn, but my heart is on Sandusky. Well, let's talk Champlain. I fished all my deep structure spots, and it was hit or miss. So I had to look for the prevailing pattern. Much to my surprise, I actually fished the lake very differently than I usually do.
I wound up fishing shallow — 10 to 15 feet, to be exact. I found the fish on flats relating to grass and rock. The nice thing about this pattern was I was catching largemouth and smallmouth off the same stuff.
OK. Now the realization has set in that I am Classic bound providing I get back and weigh in every day. A top 20 finish should do it. Sounds simple enough, right? Just tell that to the butterflies in my stomach.
Old news: Thanks to everyone who responded so favorably to my "Find Your Own !@#& Fish" blog. I really feel strongly about that one.
Now I have to apologize to one of my sponsors: Powell Rods. Seems I forgot them in my sponsor mentions.
I am exhausted, so this blog will be a short one. Look forward to the next.
Thanks to all my sponsors: OSI sealants, Powell Rods, Mercury Outboards and Legend Boats.
August 19, 2009
Find your own !@#& fish!
I am sitting here with a beer as I write this blog. Very Hemingway, isn't it? Well except for the computer, the blog and the Internet.
Right now, I am extremely aggravated. Doesn't anybody find their own fish anymore? When I was younger, I was very impressed with the idea that a pro bass fisherman could go to a strange lake and then locate, pattern and catch bass. This was, and still should be, the ideal.
Every up-and-coming bass fisherman's goal should be to find and catch bass on any lake, under any weather conditions and in any season.
What a concept! This is why I became addicted to fishing, especially tournament angling.
The sad reality is, though, there are anglers out there who would rather take another angler's fish. I guess they figure it is easier. It's like a fast food mentality. I sure hope they don't think this is OK. It has become commonplace to steal fish and fishing locations.
Where are the ethics? Where is the pride?
I started to practice on Lake Champlain this week. The first day I launched my boat I made a quick stop on a spot and instantly started catching smallmouth.
I have several spots like the one I just fished, so I headed to another spot. While I was running down the lake, I saw a bass boat fishing a popular hump. There was another boat idling right up to the boat that was already fishing there. I assumed they were friends. While I drove past the two boats, I also passed by one of my spots, so they would not see it.
Then I noticed one of the boats take off and start heading my way. I decided to run three miles down the lake and start fishing. When I got to my place I shut the boat down and started working the ledge. Then the bonehead, in his white and red Stratos with red lettering on it, decided to stop 30 feet in front of me and fish as well.
What a bunch of BS! There is absolutely no reason to pull up on anyone and fish. The lakes are big enough. Find another place to fish! Move on!
This is one example of my first half hour on the lake. Unfortunately, I have way too many stories just like this one. I call it "the curse of a wrapped boat."
Unbelievably, while I was getting ready to leave for Lake Champlain, I received a phone call from another angler in another tournament trail. The other tournament's practice starts when the Bassmaster Open begins.
Here's the gist of the phone call.
Other Angler: "I will follow you around and take your waypoints."
Me: Silence.
Why should I put in all the work? I suppose this wasn't so bad since he at least had the decency to call me. What a fast food mentality!
I have a great idea. From this day forth, I will ask the name of the person who feels he has to be on the same spot at the same time as me. Then I will post his name on my blog.
Remember, when you go to the drive-through to order your limit of bass, don't forget to supersize it.
Special thanks to my sponsors: OSI Sealants and Adhesives, Mercury Outboards and Legend Boats.
August 7, 2009
Here's to the first time
Let me start out by saying, "I am not a blogger." However, in this fine world of professional bass fishing, there is a first time for everything.
In 2000-2001 I set my sights on becoming a BASS professional. I qualified for the Tour (basically the Elites Series of today).
In 2002, I fished my first pro season and qualified for the Bassmaster Classic. Like I said earlier, first time for everything.
I have won events, placed in the Top 10 of many and lost many. I hate the latter!
Anyhow, I've fished at the highest levels of our sport for six years and now find myself having to fight my way back into them since I did not re-qualify last year. Or, as my good friend Paul so eloquently stated, I am now an "E-ject." I guess it's that first time thing again.
This will be as personal as I get while blogging, and it's only to illustrate a point. Sometime in the middle of deconstructing my advertising agency of 20-something years to fulfill my dream as a fulltime bass pro, my wife and our four kids needed to find a bigger house. This meant selling our house on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, in search of more room.
I had two requirements — that we not live in Cleveland Heights and that our new home have a garage big enough for my boat. Simple enough, right?
Well, you should know that I'm writing this blog from my Cleveland Heights address while looking at my boat in the driveway! The point is that life — just like fishing — is ever changing. We learn, enjoy (hopefully) and move forward.
So, as you can plainly see, I have been at the top of the fishing game, in the middle and at the bottom. What does this have to do with my blog? Nothing at all.
I just want you to know that I'm going to speak the truth and bring you a dose of reality from the world of high stakes bass fishing. These views will be mine. You may like them or hate them, laugh or get angry. One thing is for sure — it will be real.
By the way, in closing I should mention that it's always a good idea to acknowledge your sponsors: I want to give great thanks to OSI sealants and adhesives; they have been and still are my biggest supporters. Thanks also to Mercury Outboards and Legend Boats.
Well, here's to the first time.
Note: Click here to check out Frank Scalish's angler profile.
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