8/13 South Central Iowa

[Hooligan]

We had a tournament on a lake in SC Iowa yesterday, and did pretty good, all things considered. We started the day fishing on top, trying to put five in the box fast, and upgrade from there. A pattern that had been very consistent for the past three weeks, nearly every day. That didn't pan and it was a definite harbinger of what the day was to bear. Both my partner and I know the lake very well, so we thought we were going to be able to recover nicely; it took a bit but we made it work.

After spot #1 failed us, we tried another tactic, working a large grass bed that was out of the wind because of a point, but the point still let current in the area. We fished the whole area with nothing coming, a real let down. We moved slightly up the same stretch with an old creek channel and some timber shallow, close to a main channel swing with 30' of water less than 10 yards off shore. Immediately caught two keepers, then had nothing but 10"-13" fish. We knew we could probably sort through to find a limit but the time that it was likely to take doing it would mean that we weren't going to upgrade man, another move in store. We ran down lake to a spot that had fished very well in the past, but we were both leery of it as soon as we see three other boats in the same area. We were pretty sure that they hadn't hit the actual spot, because of its location. Many won't find it except by complete accident. We started working the area with a jig, and within two minutes we had both caught a couple of fish but neither measured. We continued through the area, and I hooked a very nice fish, very easily in the six pound range, got her boat side and we failed to connect on the net. I knew I didn't have her hooked well, and I couldn't move her around the boat because of a tree that was in the way. Win some, lose some but those sorts of big fish hurt when you lose them. We fished through the area for another hour and a half, not a hit, didn't mark any fish on electronics, either. This left us somewhat stumped, because we'd now fished three types of water that traditionally holds better fish this time of year on the lake.

We decided to move to another area with a solid amount of structure and cover, thinking that the recent rains may have pushed fish into different water than we'd find them for the usual patterns. Immediately upon moving into the area, we noticed a huge number of suspended fish, with a thermocline at the 14' mark. We knew that that was going to eliminate a lot of the structure in this area because of the depth it was at, but we also thought that it may push the fish up onto flats and points that were above that mark. We first started casting jigs and plastics to the areas we thought likely to hold fish. We connected, but lost them immediately. Not a good sign. Seeing the number of suspended fish we both thought a crank might be just the ticket. I started cranking the area with a Little John MD, and got bit off the bat. I landed four fish, none of them keepers. My partner started throwing a NorthStar 3/4 ounce in Bluegill and started getting bit left and right, but couldn't keep the hooks in them. He jumped off two fish that were well over five, and one that was an easy seven. It was the stuff of nightmares.

We continued to fish the area, and I wasn't getting decent fish cranking, so I tied on a Northstar 3/4 in New Gill and went to town. With under two hours left of fishing time, we were talking about making a move, until I landed the first fish out of the area, 5.65. We weren't going anywhere, now. It took all of that time but we eventually landed the remaining fish, and swapped in a couple bigger fish. I was ready to drop the spinnerbait five separate times, and each time was telling myself not to do it. It's a good thing, too, because on the next cast I'd connect. The fish came from a very specific area, with very, very specific depths and structure. We'd initially talked about moving out of the area because of the water clarity, but that is what saved us in the end. The dirty water was what was actually keeping the fish there, and it was keeping the larger fish in pods roaming a small flat between two sets of channels where a point pushed in. It was so specific that you'd fish for 15 minutes or so and not get hit, like they were making a circuit of the area and falling back in and you'd hit another. We lost another big fish at the boat, but caught four that we weighed.

In the end we weighed over 17lbs and had two over five. It was enough to give us a first place check, and one of the best lessons we've had about adjusting to change.

[Big-O]

Excellent write up Hooligan and you detailed the reasons for your success extremely well. Congratulations on the WIN!

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[Fat-G]

You gotta post pictures man!

What setups were you using as well?

[Hooligan]

I'll get some pictures when they're posted. We took some with the winning bag this time, too; usually just take one with the check presentation.

We both fish Curado/Core/Chronarch on NRX/Cumara for bottom contact. Partner throws either Outlaw or Cumara for reaction baits, and I throw Loomis, St. Croix, Cumara or Lamiglas for reaction baits. Yesterday, I think a lot of my success with keeping fish pinned on the spinnerbait was due to the fact that I was throwing it on a 7' Heavy Cumara Reaction. The softer tip allowed me to put a little more power to the fish to move them out of cover without worrying about ripping hooks out of them. Made a big difference in getting them landed.

[Fat-G]

Sweet - check out this Core 50: http://www.tackletour.net/TTForums/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=34332

I think the black spool looks way better than the red. If he had the Power Grips I think that would be a reel I would definitely buy and customize the same way. I would love to have an NRX/Core or Steez combo. Maybe for graduation...

[Hooligan]

Ha! That's pretty slick. I dig the look of the new Chronarch. Worth every penny, man.

[Fat-G]

Yeah it's definitely better than the Curado looks wise! How much smoother is the Core 50 than the Curado 50?

[Hooligan]

It's noticeable, to say the least. One of the big things, though, is the weight. Personally, I'd take a Chronarch 51 MG over the Core. I've just got an odd affinity for that little reel.

[Bluebasser86]

Nice job man! Nothing like the feeling of sticking it out all day and feeling like you really earned it at the end of the day!