"In the Boat" presented by Jewel Bait Company |
Tournament: Mr. Bass of Arkansas
July 18th, 2010
Angler: Nick Warden - 5 bass - 12.52 pounds - 5th place
I fished the White, Mississippi, and Arkansas Rivers to catch my fish. I started prefishing in a spot
in Post Lake were I had caught them a few weeks earlier. I fished hard all day Friday and caught 1
keeper and had several blow ups on a frog. I didn't leave there with a good feeling. That night, I
pulled out maps and google earth to start over. I decided at daylight, that I would run up river and
fish jetties that have paid off in the past. I fished several and by 9:00 I had boated one keeper on a
Spro Little John and a small Kentucky. That's when I decided to abandon the pattern completely
and load up and drive to Dewitt to fish the White River. I arrived at a backwater lake at 11:30 and
started fishing. My third cast caught a keeper Kentucky then in a hurry threw a crank to some
schoolers and landed in a willow branch, not my intended target. I went to jerk it out and the bait
came at me and stuck in my cheek. The hook was buried past the barb and my fishing partner
Justin hake took one look and said I can't deal with this. I'm the one with the crankbait in my face
and he's having coping issues. I finally get him to help I push the hook back through and he goes to
cut the barb and again says I can't. Well I explain that my Basscat didn't come with a mirror and he
was all I had. He picked the pliers up once again and cut the barb and I pushed it through. Then it's
back to fishing. I pick up a safer bait, the Jewel Spider jig in the pbj and start goin to work on them.
every flip was a nice fat Kentucky. In 3 hrs we caught 40 to 50 fish, it was awesome! We loaded the
boat and went to pairing stoked.
Tournament day rolls around and I drew boat number 7. Went to lock and called the lockmaster,
he said it would be 9:00 before I could go down as he was locking a double threw and then I would
have to lock through with a dredge that was also waiting so I start fishing the canal and boat a
pretty good keeper on a topwater. Then about 9:00 I boat another sqeeker. I go in the lock finally
about 9:45 and come out and lock again into the Mississippi at about 10:30. Now I know I would be
pushing it to go to my honey hole so I look at gps and find a lake much closer and we head that
way. To my surprise the white is completely out of the banks and debri, stumps, logs, everything is
all over the place. I go to this lake right out side of jacks bay but can't figure out how to get in to it
there is a rock levy all around it. By now, my coangler probably thinks I'm crazy. I tuck tail and head
back thinking I'll run up the Mississippi once again. I drove around to no avail, but we did manage a
school of white bass. At about 1:00 I called the lockmaster and said of you let me through Ill never
call again so he did. I started fishing a crank bait in the canal between lock 1 &2 were I caught
several, but no keepers. I made my way to lock 2 and fished a drain while waiting on lock master,
then boom one choked it about 2 3/4 lbs. Of course then the horn sounds and I have to go back
through. I get to the other side and there's a series of pilings I think hum, they were on trees
yesterday I pick up my jewel spider jig and make my first pitch boom 3 pounder. I move to next
pilling and boom again 3 pounder. Now I figure I've got about 12 lbs with a squeeker I need to cull
next pitch boom a 12 inch Kentucky. No help, but I head to the weigh in were I hear the weights are
low. Until Matt Lea brings in his sack. I fished well enough to capture 5th and bring home a check. I
spent all day wanting to be somewhere else. But I kept my head in the game and made the best out
of a bad deal.
July 18th, 2010
Angler: Nick Warden - 5 bass - 12.52 pounds - 5th place
I fished the White, Mississippi, and Arkansas Rivers to catch my fish. I started prefishing in a spot
in Post Lake were I had caught them a few weeks earlier. I fished hard all day Friday and caught 1
keeper and had several blow ups on a frog. I didn't leave there with a good feeling. That night, I
pulled out maps and google earth to start over. I decided at daylight, that I would run up river and
fish jetties that have paid off in the past. I fished several and by 9:00 I had boated one keeper on a
Spro Little John and a small Kentucky. That's when I decided to abandon the pattern completely
and load up and drive to Dewitt to fish the White River. I arrived at a backwater lake at 11:30 and
started fishing. My third cast caught a keeper Kentucky then in a hurry threw a crank to some
schoolers and landed in a willow branch, not my intended target. I went to jerk it out and the bait
came at me and stuck in my cheek. The hook was buried past the barb and my fishing partner
Justin hake took one look and said I can't deal with this. I'm the one with the crankbait in my face
and he's having coping issues. I finally get him to help I push the hook back through and he goes to
cut the barb and again says I can't. Well I explain that my Basscat didn't come with a mirror and he
was all I had. He picked the pliers up once again and cut the barb and I pushed it through. Then it's
back to fishing. I pick up a safer bait, the Jewel Spider jig in the pbj and start goin to work on them.
every flip was a nice fat Kentucky. In 3 hrs we caught 40 to 50 fish, it was awesome! We loaded the
boat and went to pairing stoked.
Tournament day rolls around and I drew boat number 7. Went to lock and called the lockmaster,
he said it would be 9:00 before I could go down as he was locking a double threw and then I would
have to lock through with a dredge that was also waiting so I start fishing the canal and boat a
pretty good keeper on a topwater. Then about 9:00 I boat another sqeeker. I go in the lock finally
about 9:45 and come out and lock again into the Mississippi at about 10:30. Now I know I would be
pushing it to go to my honey hole so I look at gps and find a lake much closer and we head that
way. To my surprise the white is completely out of the banks and debri, stumps, logs, everything is
all over the place. I go to this lake right out side of jacks bay but can't figure out how to get in to it
there is a rock levy all around it. By now, my coangler probably thinks I'm crazy. I tuck tail and head
back thinking I'll run up the Mississippi once again. I drove around to no avail, but we did manage a
school of white bass. At about 1:00 I called the lockmaster and said of you let me through Ill never
call again so he did. I started fishing a crank bait in the canal between lock 1 &2 were I caught
several, but no keepers. I made my way to lock 2 and fished a drain while waiting on lock master,
then boom one choked it about 2 3/4 lbs. Of course then the horn sounds and I have to go back
through. I get to the other side and there's a series of pilings I think hum, they were on trees
yesterday I pick up my jewel spider jig and make my first pitch boom 3 pounder. I move to next
pilling and boom again 3 pounder. Now I figure I've got about 12 lbs with a squeeker I need to cull
next pitch boom a 12 inch Kentucky. No help, but I head to the weigh in were I hear the weights are
low. Until Matt Lea brings in his sack. I fished well enough to capture 5th and bring home a check. I
spent all day wanting to be somewhere else. But I kept my head in the game and made the best out
of a bad deal.