Caddo Lake has been calling my name for a couple of years and I finally answered. Heading up to North Louisiana, I just knew I was in for a good treat being that I knew the fish were spawning on a lake that produces big fish. The drive was awesome because I was accompanied by many memories of my short time that I lived in Natchitoches, Louisiana. My confidence level was right where it needed to be. I did a lot of homework and felt that I figured out enough to have a good run for the 2-day championship event.

Besides the fact that I only got maybe 3 hours of sleep before day 1, (Yeah, I need to improve on that) … I was pumped up and ready to compete. I started off day one fishing as shallow as possible flipping and pitching to every branch, bush, and tree that I possibly could, hoping to get a Bass on a bed. I also mixed in the chatterbait to try and figure out if they were in the mood to chase down anything. A couple of hours went by without any true action, so I knew something had to shake. I decided to downsize what I was throwing and went to a baby brush hog in the purple and black color Texas rigged. It didn’t take long for the action to pick up. As the day went on, I targeted some outside trees in hopes to pick up on a more consistent pattern and bigger fish. I missed a total 5 fish on day 1 and I knew it would come back to haunt me for day 2. At the end of the day, I was only able to get 4 fish on the board catching my fourth and final fish 10 minutes before the cutoff time.

For championship Sunday I knew that I had to change some things around and have a really good day of fishing to have a chance to bring home a check and trophy. I started off the morning fishing where I started on day 1 being that I missed multiple fish in that general area. Within the first couple of hours at my first area I caught 2 fish. It was at that moment, I had a feeling it was going to be a good day. The sapphire blue speed craw Texas rigged was getting the job done along with a brush hog in the mix. Mid-morning the wind picked up big time, which was expected, and I immediately switched over to the chatter bait. On the 3^rd cast, a Bass hammered that chatterbait as I worked it right past a Cypress tree away from the bank. About 15 minutes later the same thing happened so I knew that was a pattern for the day. Most of my big fish came off a chatterbait that day and there was no turning back.

As the day came to an end, I knew I gave it my best shot and I had 5 good quality fish on the board. However, not having 5 fish on the board on day 1 was still in my mind. I ended up finishing in 4^th place against some stiff competition.  After seeing the results, all I needed was one of those fish I missed on day 1 and I would have finished in 3^rd place bringing home a check and a trophy . That is why it’s extremely important to execute and capitalize on every opportunity on the water. Every missed bite, opportunity etc. can easily be the difference between you earning a check or not. Congratulations to the top 3, I had a great time for sure!