Tales of a Co-Angler

Bassmaster Series:
Cypress #2, Cypress #3 & Okeechobee #4

     This is a story of woe and wow and woe again. It covers the Cypress Division #2 and #3 Series Tournaments and the Okeechobee #4 Tournament. I planned these early on and I am about to tell you the results and circumstances that each happened.

     I fished Cypress #2 on the Harris Chain on March 26th . I drew J. Nobel Willits and was fishing out his new Ranger Z19 boat. Beautiful rig, but I found out later on in the day that it has what I would call inadequate live wells. More on that later !

     We began the day on a less than pleasurable note. The boaters have been instructed to at least ask the co-angler if he/she wants a seat in the back of the boats they are drawn in. I forgot to ask and he forgot to provide the seat for me. I have indicated in the past that I have bad knees and that little bit of consideration can go a long way.

     Nobel, as he wishes to be called, is a great fisherman, and he really knows the Harris Chain. We began Carolina rigging, and he lost a good fish on his first cast because he wasn't ready for that first cast first bite first fish scenario. Carolina rig worked wonderful for him all day. I never even had a bite the whole tournament day of fishing. I don't want to harp about that fact that he did not provide me with a back seat, but that could have been all the difference in the world.

     Nobel caught 15 or so fish and had a final five fish limit of 24 pounds 10 ounces and won the boater side of the tournament. He had his five fish split between live wells because he would have had a problem if he had to keep all five of his fish in his side live well.

     We fish with a waiver form that allows us to catch 12 inch fish as the legal size for the tournament. If I had caught one 12 inch fish I would have finished no farther down than fifth place. That one little fish that I did not catch hurt me more than I could have imagined. More on that later !

     Let me interject a lesser known fact that happened the day before this tournament. I fished with a buddy in another tournament on Saturday on the same Harris Chain. I caught four of our five keepers on that day. Two of the fish were over six pounds and I had another fish of three pounds. My partner, Ron Ackerman, and I had 19 pounds and 84 hundredths and didn't even finish in the top five. I figure my top three fish weighed about 15 pounds. If I could have caught one or all of them on Sunday instead of Saturday.... Well, you understand my frustration, but that's fishin'.

     My next tournament, Cypress #3, was on the St. John's River out of Palatka. I had never been on that portion of the river, and was looking forward to it. I drew John Kremer for this tournament.

     John is another in a long line of fine partners that I have fished with as well as an excellent angler. Our plan was to flip docks on the St. John's all day. John had the second big fish in the section which qualifies him for an all expenses paid fishing tournament on Lake El Salto in Mexico, the winner of which gets $25,000.00 worth of return lodging and fishing on El Salto for future bookings.

     We flipped all day and I was lucky enough to catch, not one but, two fish over five pounds. I caught three fish (my limit) that weighed 14 pounds five ounces. This is a shared weight tournament and I get to share John's weight if I catch at least one keeper. John got his five fish limit that weighed over nine pounds, but he didn't have a "kicker" fish for his creel. Together we had over 24 pounds for my creel, but first place went to a co-angler who had over nine pounds, but his partner put him ahead of me.

     I had a blast with Mr. Kremer. I am not one who enjoys flippin', but I had a great time with John and learned a great deal at the same time. If you do any observing at all, you cannot fail to learn new techniques with these anglers. If you don't learn, then it's your fault, not his !

     I finished second in the tournament AND had big fish on the co-angler side with a 6 pound 13 ounce beauty. My booty totaled $1,228.00 which included a $700.00 trolling motor,(click "For Sale" link for details ! - ed.) $413 cash for Second Place, and $115.00 for Big Fish. A glorious day to be sure !

     I went home and toured the Bassmaster website a few days later and learned that I had risen to 21st place in the overall standings in the Cypress division, with one more tournament to go before the final results are tallied.

     The top 30 anglers and co-anglers fish a tournament in November in the divisional tournament. This year the tournament will be on Lake Eufaula in Alabama. I finished fourth in a Southern Divisional Bassmaster tournament on Eufaula in May, so I sure hope I get to fish in that one.

     While I was on that page, I calculated where I would be standing if I had caught that one 12 inch fish on the Harris Chain back in March. I would have been in first place in the overall standings. Ah, what could have been !

     I fished the fourth Okeechobee Division Bassmaster Series tournament last Sunday. I had fished that division last year, and expected no less than 30 MPH winds blowing all day. I was surprised to find the winds at 10-15 and a rather pretty day to be on the water.

     I fished this one with Jim Napier. He lived close by and knew a lot about the lake. He had his plans all set and his eye on the first place trophy and the top 30 finish (he was in 35th before the tournament). He got a "hot" tip from one of his buddies who said the fish were stacked up at a certain location, and that we should start there. They weren't there and we wasted an hour and a half before going back to Jim's original plan.

     At the tournament briefing about the two big bass that would get anglers into the El Salto tournament. One of the big bass was from the Okeechobee Division and was nine pounds 15 ounces. Mention was made that this was the last chance for someone to overtake that fish.

     It happened ! One gentleman came in with a fish that weighed 11 pounds 3 ounces. He displaced the earlier mentioned big fish, and will be going to Mexico to fish in the tournament.

     I caught my three fish, and my angler caught four fish and we both finished in the forties place wise. Not a good tournament for either one of us, but that is fishing and not catching.

     I have one more tournament in September in the Cypress Division, and my goal is to stay in the top 30 so I can fish Lake Eufaula in November. Wish I didn't have to wait so long to get to that one, but I will keep practicing and see what happens.

     People, take time and a reasonable amount of money and fish some of these tournaments. You will get great guide service and maybe even cash in at some of these tournaments. You won't regret it, I promise. Please come and see me with any questions you might have about the how to, where to, and when to get signed up. Take a chance. You'll never regret it, I promise you !

     Enjoy the outdoors and all of God's creatures when on the water.