"In the Boat" presented by Jewel Bait Company |
Tournament: Vince Miller's Super Team
March 7th, 2010
DeGray Lake
Anglers: Frank Leone and Jeremy Risley
3rd place - 5 bass - 17.48 pounds - $800.00
Practice: I met Jeremy at 8:00 AM at Arlie Moore and we were both ready to go. Although we were
nervous about this one, it is March and you never know what is going to happen. We headed to a
cove where we had caught them last year. Jeremy started cranking a DLN and I started with a Big
Bite Baits Kriet Kreature (6-inch; Green Pumpkin) on a Carolina-rig. It wasn't long before my
Dobyns Rod was bent and we had our first fish of the morning, a good 3.75 pounder. Felt good to
get one so quick. From there we headed to another location where we had caught them before,
and Jeremy nails one on a Yozuri Rattlin' Vibe. The fish were starting to fire, which felt awesome
after the long cold winter we have had. Our next move put us up the lake a bit and we started
throwing Jewel Jigs. It was on!!! We started nailing keepers at every stop! Although we figured we
would have to cull through several small fish, we thought we had a pattern that might get us in
check range with a little luck..........
Tournament:
March 7th: What a beautiful morning! Although it was starting to cloud up, it was warm - It just felt
fishy! We made the run to where we had caught them the day before and started pitching Jewel jigs
towards the bank. On our first stretch we missed 3 fish, they just seemed to not want the jig. Jeremy
started commenting about shad activity in the back of the cove. Instead of rushing back there we
decided to fish the bank on the other side of the cove. It wasn't long before I put our first keeper in
the boat. It was a dinky spotted bass and although I am usually pumped about the first fish of the
day, I just wasn't pumped about this 12-incher! Anyway, as we made our way to the back of the
cove we picked off 3 more keepers. We were getting close to where we had seen the activity, so I
decided to dig my Redeye Shad out of the rod locker. On my first cast, one bumps it. On my third
cast I hooked up with a 2.5-pounder and get it in the boat. It felt good, but at that time neither of us
knew what was about to happen. I cast again and bang another fish. This one was just short. By
this time Jeremy is scrambling for his Rattlin' Vibe! I cast again and hook up with our best fish of the
day, a chunk that would go almost 4-pounds. I put the fish in the livewell and cull our 12-inch dink.
Then pandemonium sets in. Jeremy catches 5 straight keepers and I'm stuck in the back of the boat
culling!!! These are all solid fish anywhere between 2.75 and 3.25 pounds! He was casting at the
same spot and smoking them. This went on for a good 20-minutes and I honestly lost count of how
many keepers we caught out of this spot, but I am guessing it was around 20. We had found a
"Glory Hole"!!! After a while the madness died down, but I'm telling you it wore me out!!! The rest of
the day was pretty mundane. We caught a few keepers here and there but nothing to get excited
about until about 2:00 PM. We moved down the lake and Jeremy foul hooked one which culled our
smallest fish (which was about 3-pounds). We were pumped, but figured surely there would be a
couple of 20-pound sacks...........
Keeper Count:
Yozuri Rattlin' Vibe: 15 keepers
Strike King Redeye Shad: 6 keepers
Jewel Eakins' Jig (3/8 oz, 7/16 oz. Black/Blue Flash and Missouri Craw): 4 keepers
Equipment: Lipless Cranks: Dobyns 705 CB
Jigs: Dobyns DX 704 C, 736 C, and 704 C
Final Thoughts: WOW!!!! Although I have had several occasions over the years when I have
caught this many fish from a single spot, it has never happened during a tournament!!! It was just
an awesome experience. We got close to the W, but it just didn't happen. We exceeded our
expectations and were happy with 3rd..........
See Ya' on the Flip Side,
Frank Leone
March 7th, 2010
DeGray Lake
Anglers: Frank Leone and Jeremy Risley
3rd place - 5 bass - 17.48 pounds - $800.00
Practice: I met Jeremy at 8:00 AM at Arlie Moore and we were both ready to go. Although we were
nervous about this one, it is March and you never know what is going to happen. We headed to a
cove where we had caught them last year. Jeremy started cranking a DLN and I started with a Big
Bite Baits Kriet Kreature (6-inch; Green Pumpkin) on a Carolina-rig. It wasn't long before my
Dobyns Rod was bent and we had our first fish of the morning, a good 3.75 pounder. Felt good to
get one so quick. From there we headed to another location where we had caught them before,
and Jeremy nails one on a Yozuri Rattlin' Vibe. The fish were starting to fire, which felt awesome
after the long cold winter we have had. Our next move put us up the lake a bit and we started
throwing Jewel Jigs. It was on!!! We started nailing keepers at every stop! Although we figured we
would have to cull through several small fish, we thought we had a pattern that might get us in
check range with a little luck..........
Tournament:
March 7th: What a beautiful morning! Although it was starting to cloud up, it was warm - It just felt
fishy! We made the run to where we had caught them the day before and started pitching Jewel jigs
towards the bank. On our first stretch we missed 3 fish, they just seemed to not want the jig. Jeremy
started commenting about shad activity in the back of the cove. Instead of rushing back there we
decided to fish the bank on the other side of the cove. It wasn't long before I put our first keeper in
the boat. It was a dinky spotted bass and although I am usually pumped about the first fish of the
day, I just wasn't pumped about this 12-incher! Anyway, as we made our way to the back of the
cove we picked off 3 more keepers. We were getting close to where we had seen the activity, so I
decided to dig my Redeye Shad out of the rod locker. On my first cast, one bumps it. On my third
cast I hooked up with a 2.5-pounder and get it in the boat. It felt good, but at that time neither of us
knew what was about to happen. I cast again and bang another fish. This one was just short. By
this time Jeremy is scrambling for his Rattlin' Vibe! I cast again and hook up with our best fish of the
day, a chunk that would go almost 4-pounds. I put the fish in the livewell and cull our 12-inch dink.
Then pandemonium sets in. Jeremy catches 5 straight keepers and I'm stuck in the back of the boat
culling!!! These are all solid fish anywhere between 2.75 and 3.25 pounds! He was casting at the
same spot and smoking them. This went on for a good 20-minutes and I honestly lost count of how
many keepers we caught out of this spot, but I am guessing it was around 20. We had found a
"Glory Hole"!!! After a while the madness died down, but I'm telling you it wore me out!!! The rest of
the day was pretty mundane. We caught a few keepers here and there but nothing to get excited
about until about 2:00 PM. We moved down the lake and Jeremy foul hooked one which culled our
smallest fish (which was about 3-pounds). We were pumped, but figured surely there would be a
couple of 20-pound sacks...........
Keeper Count:
Yozuri Rattlin' Vibe: 15 keepers
Strike King Redeye Shad: 6 keepers
Jewel Eakins' Jig (3/8 oz, 7/16 oz. Black/Blue Flash and Missouri Craw): 4 keepers
Equipment: Lipless Cranks: Dobyns 705 CB
Jigs: Dobyns DX 704 C, 736 C, and 704 C
Final Thoughts: WOW!!!! Although I have had several occasions over the years when I have
caught this many fish from a single spot, it has never happened during a tournament!!! It was just
an awesome experience. We got close to the W, but it just didn't happen. We exceeded our
expectations and were happy with 3rd..........
See Ya' on the Flip Side,
Frank Leone