03/30/2026
FISHING TOURNAMENT RECAP- ELMER LAKE Cool conditions and water temps in the mid-50s. I committed fully to one lure all day—a squarebill crankbait in a shad pattern—working the main channel edges, drop-offs, and cuts despite the wind picking up by mid-morning. The first few hours were brutally slow with no bites at all, testing my patience. Then around 10:45 AM, the first bass finally slammed it along a channel stump. Sticking with the same crankbait, I picked up the second around noon followed by my third and final bass at about 1:20 PM. All three bass came strictly on that squarebill in the channel, giving me a limit of 4.7 pounds total.
It wasn’t the best showing but I left proud for grinding through the long stretches of frustration and staying disciplined with one lure from start to finish. This tournament delivered plenty of ups and downs, reminding me that bass fishing rewards persistence more than perfection. Some days the crankbait shines, other days it’s a tough grind, but those three solid thumps made every empty cast worthwhile. I learned to trust the process, read the water better, and stay patient when bites were few and far between. Next event is already on the calendar—I’ll be back with the same crankbait rigged and ready, a little wiser from the experience. Tight lines to all the anglers out there. After the event we did a lake cleanup and made sure we left the lake better than the way we found it!