05/07/2024
Hello again!!! Its has been awhile since I’ve posted anything. We’ll set down and take a look at what has been going on in my fishing world.
I have healed from 3 surgeries (knee and both hands) over the past 10 months and am back on the trail with Clarksville Area Kayak Fishing Group. I missed the first tournament but have fished the past 4 tournaments. The first 2 were a learning experience as as trips should be. I got another Meanmouth Custom Rods that I was using and not fishing my strengths. I now have another identical setup being made. I submitted 2 fish each tournament and didn’t adjust well. Then we a little break and I spent time on the water with Caney Fork Outdoors teammates Richard Bartoszek Fishing and TopWater Moon , my oldest and best friend Kirt Pequignot.
I found a shallow bite on Cheatham Lake but was only a few square yards of actual fishing. Finishing 6th out of 29, earning valuable points for the State Team.
I was able to prefish about 4 days on Kentucky Lake in preparation for this last tournament. I caught fish everywhere we went but never really found the juice until Wednesday evening. I hoped the weather coming in for the weekend would not mess up my pattern. Friday I fished the Big Bass Charity by @ TourneyX and come up .25 inches short taking second place. I caught 45 fish looking for the ONE. I went to another creek on Saturday for the TN Hammer event and took 8th out of 49 anglers from the western have of the state. I lost a couple key fish early by breaking off. But my patterns held and the fish only moved a few yards from where I’d seen them on Wednesday. I had a limit early and when the torrential downpour came I went under a dock and slept for almost 2 hours. I woke up and went back to my spot and continued to catch and upgrade throughout the tournament. I caught 23 scoreable fish during the tournament but lost the key fish needed to cash a check.
I really am enjoying fishing different areas and doing it all from my “Kay-toon”. The BlueSky Boatworks 360 Angler from Jackson Kayak Boatworks equipped with a TM is an amazing nimble, responsive, stable, fun and comfortable platform. I now stand most of the time and I have a wealth of real estate to walk around on and be able to keep my lures in the right place. Through the past 2 weeks I have boated over 150 bass, some on beds, but most are post spawn and feeding on everything else that is spawning right now. I have seen a few willow flies, tadpoles, fingerling crappie, bluegill and redear beds, more grass than I’ve seen in a couple of years and the largemouth has been my most consistent bite in the 0-8’ range. Topwater hasn’t produced but it’s time for that bite to really start happening soon. This week I’ll fish Trail stop 6 “little lakes” and see what I find.
If you are looking for a new kayak or to just see what all the hype is about, come out to Caney Fork Outdoors on Saturday for Waterpalooza. Demos, sales, talking with experienced anglers, manufacturers, meeting a family owned business who knows paddlesports!!!!!
Hope to see on the water and Roll Tide Roll!!!
