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 3rd 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 4th 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 3rd 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!
Excellent article! Winning is subjective – sometimes a 10th place finish a can feel like a win, and sometimes a win can leave you feeling like you left something on the table. Glad you gave it your all and look forward to seeing your name on the leader board for many seasons to come 👊
Thanks my friend! Looking forward to competing against you once again.