"In the Boat" presented by Jewel Bait Company |
Tournament: Monticello Bass Club
September 26, 2009
Lake Wallace
Anglers: Jeremy Risley
Place: 9th - 4 bass – 7.12 pounds
Practice: This tournament was schedule for Moro Bay on the Ouachita River. I was really pumped
about this because all I had been hearing about this area over the summer was the 50 -100 fish
days. After the last few trips to the Arkansas River, I was in need of a high catch day. Andy went
over there for a couple hours one day and said it was easy. I told him the only thing that could ruin
this tournament was high water. Well I should have kept my mouth closed. Two weeks before the
tournament, it rained hard all week and the Ouachita River started to flood. Andy and I went over
there the weekend before the tournament and literally wasted a half of day. We got lost in flooded
forests and flipped cypress trees that were in 20 foot of water!! We gave up and headed over to
Lake Wallace to at least salvage the day because we knew that was on the alternative lake list. We
didn’t catch much there either but we did find one key thing. The fish seemed to be holding to
laydowns and brush. They were not on the typical tree pattern for this time of the year. At the club
meeting, the tournament was moved to Lake Wallace because of the unsafe condition at Moro Bay.
September 26: It is raining when we launched and headed up to an area we knew had some good
fish in it. We decided to stop just before getting to our best spot and start fishing. Since it was
raining and I knew it wasn’t going to last long, I told Andy we were going to fish KVD style until it
stopped raining. Within 15 min, I have a good one hammer my buzzbait and I got it in the boat.
Another 15 min later, Andy catch 4.14 pound toad on a spinnerbait. Then sun comes out and we hit
a dry spell. I get out the trusty NetBait Paca Craw and start picking everything apart. We worked
down a bank and I get a hit. I set the hook and the fish wraps me up in some brush. I’m thinking it is
a small fish so I take my time over to the fish. Just at that point it comes free from the brush and
jumps. The 1 ½ pounder throws my bait. That really hurts because at that point it was extremely
slow. We head back to where we started fishing. I see a brushpile next to the bank and I pitch in the
heart of it. I set the hook and land a 12 ½ inch keeper. So my confidence is going up. Andy then
catches a 13 inch keeper. We continue down the bank and I get a hit. I set the hook and land a 13
incher. I am starting to get lots of confidence in the Paca Craw in the brush. We continue down the
bank and I get a good hit. This time it is 2 ¾ pounder. I’m thinking one more (sometimes the hardest
one) to make my limit. That is when the wheels fall off for me. I pitch next to a tree and get a bite. I
set the hook and it comes free but makes a splash. I tell Andy it was a bowfin. I was telling myself, I
hope it was one because it looked like a good fish. We continue to work down the bank when I see
a good brush pile. I pitch in the middle of one of the piles and one hammers it. I set the hook and it
feels like a decent one. It makes a run parallel with the bank and comes off. I reel in and make
another pitch to the next pile. I get hit again but miss that one. We continue on. I miss a couple
more that didn’t feel big and Andy is able to get a keeper in the boat. We make our way back to the
brushpile that I lost the decent one in. I make a pitch in the heart of it again and this time I get
hammered but get a good hook in it. It comes up and I see a white belly and thinking alright a good
3 pounder. The next thought was “Dang it, it is a bowfin!!!!” That was the last of our bites for the
day!!
Keeper count:
NetBait Paca Craw (Black Neon): 3 keepers
Buckeye Buzzbait (Black): 1 keeper
Final thoughts: Well the Lake Wallace Curse got us again!!! Andy and I have fished 4
tournaments there. Three of them, we should have got a check but didn’t because of lost fish. That
is just how tournament fishing goes. You are going to lose some if you have poor execution. I’m just
glad to put a decent pattern together but wish we would have had more brushpiles to fish. By the
end of the day, we were fishing the same brushpiles over and over. Well it is off to Dumas to start
practicing for the next two tournaments.
See ya’ at the next tournament,
Jeremy Risley
September 26, 2009
Lake Wallace
Anglers: Jeremy Risley
Place: 9th - 4 bass – 7.12 pounds
Practice: This tournament was schedule for Moro Bay on the Ouachita River. I was really pumped
about this because all I had been hearing about this area over the summer was the 50 -100 fish
days. After the last few trips to the Arkansas River, I was in need of a high catch day. Andy went
over there for a couple hours one day and said it was easy. I told him the only thing that could ruin
this tournament was high water. Well I should have kept my mouth closed. Two weeks before the
tournament, it rained hard all week and the Ouachita River started to flood. Andy and I went over
there the weekend before the tournament and literally wasted a half of day. We got lost in flooded
forests and flipped cypress trees that were in 20 foot of water!! We gave up and headed over to
Lake Wallace to at least salvage the day because we knew that was on the alternative lake list. We
didn’t catch much there either but we did find one key thing. The fish seemed to be holding to
laydowns and brush. They were not on the typical tree pattern for this time of the year. At the club
meeting, the tournament was moved to Lake Wallace because of the unsafe condition at Moro Bay.
September 26: It is raining when we launched and headed up to an area we knew had some good
fish in it. We decided to stop just before getting to our best spot and start fishing. Since it was
raining and I knew it wasn’t going to last long, I told Andy we were going to fish KVD style until it
stopped raining. Within 15 min, I have a good one hammer my buzzbait and I got it in the boat.
Another 15 min later, Andy catch 4.14 pound toad on a spinnerbait. Then sun comes out and we hit
a dry spell. I get out the trusty NetBait Paca Craw and start picking everything apart. We worked
down a bank and I get a hit. I set the hook and the fish wraps me up in some brush. I’m thinking it is
a small fish so I take my time over to the fish. Just at that point it comes free from the brush and
jumps. The 1 ½ pounder throws my bait. That really hurts because at that point it was extremely
slow. We head back to where we started fishing. I see a brushpile next to the bank and I pitch in the
heart of it. I set the hook and land a 12 ½ inch keeper. So my confidence is going up. Andy then
catches a 13 inch keeper. We continue down the bank and I get a hit. I set the hook and land a 13
incher. I am starting to get lots of confidence in the Paca Craw in the brush. We continue down the
bank and I get a good hit. This time it is 2 ¾ pounder. I’m thinking one more (sometimes the hardest
one) to make my limit. That is when the wheels fall off for me. I pitch next to a tree and get a bite. I
set the hook and it comes free but makes a splash. I tell Andy it was a bowfin. I was telling myself, I
hope it was one because it looked like a good fish. We continue to work down the bank when I see
a good brush pile. I pitch in the middle of one of the piles and one hammers it. I set the hook and it
feels like a decent one. It makes a run parallel with the bank and comes off. I reel in and make
another pitch to the next pile. I get hit again but miss that one. We continue on. I miss a couple
more that didn’t feel big and Andy is able to get a keeper in the boat. We make our way back to the
brushpile that I lost the decent one in. I make a pitch in the heart of it again and this time I get
hammered but get a good hook in it. It comes up and I see a white belly and thinking alright a good
3 pounder. The next thought was “Dang it, it is a bowfin!!!!” That was the last of our bites for the
day!!
Keeper count:
NetBait Paca Craw (Black Neon): 3 keepers
Buckeye Buzzbait (Black): 1 keeper
Final thoughts: Well the Lake Wallace Curse got us again!!! Andy and I have fished 4
tournaments there. Three of them, we should have got a check but didn’t because of lost fish. That
is just how tournament fishing goes. You are going to lose some if you have poor execution. I’m just
glad to put a decent pattern together but wish we would have had more brushpiles to fish. By the
end of the day, we were fishing the same brushpiles over and over. Well it is off to Dumas to start
practicing for the next two tournaments.
See ya’ at the next tournament,
Jeremy Risley