"In the Boat" presented by Jewel Bait Company |
Tournament: Monticello Bass Club
April 26, 2008
Dumas Pool of Arkansas River
Anglers: Jeremy Risley
Place: 14th place – 5 fish – 13.03 pounds
Background: This tournament was originally scheduled to be fished on Lake Ferguson or Morgan
Point but it was moved to Dumas Pool due to unsafe conditions those two lakes.
Practice: I didn’t practice for this tournament because I had a pretty good idea of where I was
going to fish and what lures I was going to use.
March 29: Derby day began with me being a little nervous because I knew the fish were biting
really well. I knew that there was going to be lots of people catching fish so I needed to catch some
fish to stay in the mix. After my recent bad performances in the club, I really needed a pick me up
tournament. At blast off, I ran to Coal Pile and starting throwing the black and blue Jewel Eakins' jig.
I fished down a bank and caught several short fish off the rocks. Then I ran over to the trees and
started cooking with grease!!! The first tree I pitched to I caught a short fish. The next cast, I have a
fish come unbuttoned that felt like a good one. Several casts later, I hooked a 15 inch keeper that
was really skinny. About two casts later, I hooked a good one that just bull dogged me and came
off. I continued to catch several short fish. I move to another group of trees and boat a good solid
keeper. Then the bite started to fall apart. There was a front that went through just before blast off
and it had completely moved through by this time. At this time, I noticed most the boats were
throwing jigs. So I figured I could catch them on a Senko. I began throwing a black and blue flake
Senko and on the first cast, I boated another solid keeper. I worked the senko around isolated
groups of trees or on the point of a group of trees and boated several more short fish and two more
keepers. I knew I needed to get rid of the skinny keeper I had. I was going from one group of trees
to another with my trolling motor on high, when I picked up a topwater lure. The first cast out to the
middle of nowhere, I had a solid keeper blast my topwater. This allowed me to cull the skinny
keeper. After about noon, everything just fell apart and I only boated a couple short fish the rest of
the day.
Keeper count:
5 /16 Jewel Eakins Jig (Black/Blue): 2 Keepers
Yamamoto Senko (Black/Blue Flake): 3 Keepers
Storm Chug Bug: 1 keeper
Final thoughts: After how I have been fishing in this club this year, I was glad to have what I had. I
just stayed in Coal Pile and grinded out a limit of fish. I wish I would have got to see the two fish that
came unbuttoned but that is what happens when you are fishing with the jig. I’m just happy that I
have moved up in the club standings and I’m making my way to my goal of placing in the top 10 at
the end of the year. This should be the final slugfest tournament for the year and the grind
tournaments are going to start. This will allow me to have a better chance to compete and move up
in the standings.
See ya’ at the next tournament,
Jeremy Risley
April 26, 2008
Dumas Pool of Arkansas River
Anglers: Jeremy Risley
Place: 14th place – 5 fish – 13.03 pounds
Background: This tournament was originally scheduled to be fished on Lake Ferguson or Morgan
Point but it was moved to Dumas Pool due to unsafe conditions those two lakes.
Practice: I didn’t practice for this tournament because I had a pretty good idea of where I was
going to fish and what lures I was going to use.
March 29: Derby day began with me being a little nervous because I knew the fish were biting
really well. I knew that there was going to be lots of people catching fish so I needed to catch some
fish to stay in the mix. After my recent bad performances in the club, I really needed a pick me up
tournament. At blast off, I ran to Coal Pile and starting throwing the black and blue Jewel Eakins' jig.
I fished down a bank and caught several short fish off the rocks. Then I ran over to the trees and
started cooking with grease!!! The first tree I pitched to I caught a short fish. The next cast, I have a
fish come unbuttoned that felt like a good one. Several casts later, I hooked a 15 inch keeper that
was really skinny. About two casts later, I hooked a good one that just bull dogged me and came
off. I continued to catch several short fish. I move to another group of trees and boat a good solid
keeper. Then the bite started to fall apart. There was a front that went through just before blast off
and it had completely moved through by this time. At this time, I noticed most the boats were
throwing jigs. So I figured I could catch them on a Senko. I began throwing a black and blue flake
Senko and on the first cast, I boated another solid keeper. I worked the senko around isolated
groups of trees or on the point of a group of trees and boated several more short fish and two more
keepers. I knew I needed to get rid of the skinny keeper I had. I was going from one group of trees
to another with my trolling motor on high, when I picked up a topwater lure. The first cast out to the
middle of nowhere, I had a solid keeper blast my topwater. This allowed me to cull the skinny
keeper. After about noon, everything just fell apart and I only boated a couple short fish the rest of
the day.
Keeper count:
5 /16 Jewel Eakins Jig (Black/Blue): 2 Keepers
Yamamoto Senko (Black/Blue Flake): 3 Keepers
Storm Chug Bug: 1 keeper
Final thoughts: After how I have been fishing in this club this year, I was glad to have what I had. I
just stayed in Coal Pile and grinded out a limit of fish. I wish I would have got to see the two fish that
came unbuttoned but that is what happens when you are fishing with the jig. I’m just happy that I
have moved up in the club standings and I’m making my way to my goal of placing in the top 10 at
the end of the year. This should be the final slugfest tournament for the year and the grind
tournaments are going to start. This will allow me to have a better chance to compete and move up
in the standings.
See ya’ at the next tournament,
Jeremy Risley