10/13/2024
***Regional Recap***
Quad Cities Mississippi River
Pools 13,14,15,16,17
First off, this is NOT the good fishing of the upper Mississippi River. This was a grinder for sure!
Day 1: Game plan was to run down and lock into pool 17. There was a good flipping bite going on down there and a solid limit of 10-12 pounds was very attainable. After running all the way down there with about a mile to go we had the lock in sight and unfortunately the engine shut down. I thought I had hit something but my map was showing I was in safe water. After quick inspection I decided there was no impact and decided to take off again. Unfortunately my trim had stopped working and my engine was stuck in guardian mode. After speaking with my co angler we decided it was best to limp our way back up river because we didn’t know the extent of the problem. Ultimately this resulted in a blank on Day 1. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, I was angry. I ran that Mercury hard 40-60 miles a day during practice and it performed flawlessly. These things happen to everyone at some point. The timing was just awful. I DID NOT want to try to fish the second day but I knew I owed it to my co angler to attempt to put him on fish. So I stayed up all night fixing my motor and getting it in running condition.
Day 2:
I decided to stick with my original Day 2 game plan and lock up 2 pools to pool 14. I knew I was out of the tournament but this would give my co angler the best chance to make the Day 3 cut. So we sent the Falcon Bass Boats on a 100 mile round trip! With limited time to fish because of the long run and locking through 2 dams we managed to get around fish and have a good day. I scraped up close to 12lbs and my co caught enough to make Day 3! The redemption felt good but to be transparent it left me a little sour. Knowing if I could have executed my Day 1 plan I could’ve put my self in contention for the Day 3 cut and ultimately an All American berth. The competitor in me was so disgusted that I didn’t even walk across the stage and weigh my fish. I took a pic bagged them up and took them to the dump tank. After reflecting, this probably wasn’t the way I should’ve handled the situation but my emotions got the best of me. In the heat of the moment we often forget our blessings. My co angler made the day 3 cut. We stayed safe during a long run on a pretty angry Mississippi River with a strong wind blowing against the current and some crazy rough water coming out of overfilled locks! The Falcon was amazing in the rough water! I had a blessed season with 2 top 10 finishes. Sometimes things happen to make us realize there’s so many variables out of our control. Just trust the good Lord and fish through it! I want to thank Still Lake Marine for allowing me to have my dream job and supporting this passion of mine! If anyone needs a boat, rigging or service check us out and come see us! God bless everyone and thanks for reading! Picture of Day 2 fish below!! Congrats to the anglers that caught them. They earned it on this fishery! One last thing, if you ever go up there, pool 16 is not good, lock through to a different pool! lol
