10/25/2021
All American Classic Recap
Day 1 started foggy and cold with air temps at 38 degrees. The forecast was sunny and bluebird skies. I arrived at my area an hour before first launch at 5:30am to ensure I had plenty of time to get ready. Not sure about other anglers but I always get a little anxious while getting my kayak unloaded and gear ready in the dark at a remote back county launch and today was no different. I launched at 6:30am and started my quarter of a mile paddle to the back of a creek where I found fish during practice. The creek was loaded with stumps, roots wads and lay downs with bait fish all over attracting the bass in that area. Nothing too exciting about how I caught my fish on the first day. I was throwing 1/2oz Jackhammers around the flickering baitfish as they would show themselves and catch the largemouth chasing them. As the day went on and sun got higher in the sky the Jackhammer bite was fading. I switched to an underspin paired with a 3.5” swimbait and it picked up where the Jackhammer left off. Day 1 was about numbers as I caught well over 20 fish. I did have an 18” kicker to fill out my Day 1 total of 78.75” and was good enough for 6th place and only 3” out of the lead.
Day 2 I returned to the same area filled with anticipation as I knew I had a lot of fish in my area and had a chance win if I could figure out the bigger bite. The forecast was completely different with air temps 15 degrees warmer than the previous day and thunderstorms scheduled to roll through in the morning. Day 2 got a little more interesting as I had another angler launch with me but was gracious enough to give me space as he knew I was in contention. I started the day by making all the same casts I made the previous day with Jackhammers but quickly realized the bite wasn’t the same. In the first hour I only had one 13” on the board and then it started raining. Still throwing the Jackhammer, I finally hooked up with a good fish.. an 18” which was a sigh of relief. Then the lightning show started. I waited out the storms for about an hour on the bank while making a few casts. After the lightning stopped I jumped back in the kayak and resumed fishing in the rain. I picked up a spinnerbait and started catching 12”-14” fish to fill out my limit. I was checking the leaderboard along the way as I was submitting my fish in TourneyX. I had jumped out to an early lead but knew that would be short-lived unless I could find the bigger bites. Once the storms had passed the conditions became slick calm with overcast skies. My Jackhammer and underspin bites were completely gone at this point and I knew I was going to have to grind out the upgrades I needed to stay in the hunt. I decided to pick up a 1/2oz jig with the post frontal calm conditions and on my first pitch to a bush, I hooked up with a 14” that gave me a small upgrade. As I submitted my fish I glanced at the leaderboard and saw I dropped to 3rd place and was 6” behind the new leader. That happened quickly.. Slightly deflated and now feeling the pressure to figure out how to catch bigger fish, I flipped the jig right back into the same bush and felt a thump then watched my line swim sideways again. I reeled down and set the hook and immediately knew it was a Big. BOOM.. 20.25”! It’s now 11:30am and I’m back in the lead by 1”. I flipped the jig around for a while longer in search of a few more inches to help my chances but I didn’t get anymore bites. I started to see the bait fish flicker again and picked the spinnerbait back up. I paddled up to a shallow flat and made a few casts around the bait fish. My rod loads up and it feels like a good one. I net it and it’s another 18”. That’s a 4” upgrade! I’m now at 84.25” for the day and feeling great about my chances. However, it’s now after 12:00 and the leaderboard has been taken down so I have no idea where I’m at in the standings (cue knots in my stomach). I continue throwing the spinnerbait for the next hour without any bites. I decided to paddle back to the “the bush” and see if it reloaded. I flipped the jig to the bush and immediately feel a thump and watch the line swim sideways. Set the hook and fought it into the net. It’s a 17” that gives me another 3” upgrade. I’m now at 87.25” and feeling relieved and somewhat content with my total. I catch a another fish on the jig but no help. With a couple of hours left in the day, I picked the spinnerbait back up and started covering water again. An hour goes by without a bite. I remembered seeing bait fish flickering in a spot where I lost, what felt was a decent one, the day before and decided to give that a try. I paddled over and made one cast with the spinnerbait across a little point. The rod loads up again and it feels like another good one. Get it in the net and it’s an 18.50”! At this point all I could do was laugh in disbelief that I just broke 90” on championship day. I caught a few more small ones that didn’t help and ended the day with 91.75” for a two day total of 170.50”.
It’s not often you catch over 90” on championship day during tough conditions but when you do, it’s probably your day. I’m grateful and honored to be second ever All American Kayak Classic Champion.
