Well as you all know, I came in dead last in my first forrest Wood Cup.
On day 1 I had 9 hours to fish and on day 2, I had 10.5 hours to fish.
The total number of bites I got in a total of 19.5 hours of fishing was a big fat ZERO.
So what happened? Honestly, not much.
I'll first start out by saying that I drew two really good guys to fish with. I had a great time with both and feel that I have made some good friends.
My day 1 pro was Mike Tuck from California. His goal was to cover more water than anyone else. With the trolling motor literally on high, he was targeting shallow shoreline structure and docks burning a 10" swimbait.
He said his pattern was a one cast deal, either they were there or they weren't. I basically fished with my lifevest on the whole day as we were up and down so many times, I couldn't count.
My day 2 guy Nate Wellman started the morning off telling me that we were going practicing. He said we're going to an area that he's never fished before, but he has crossed it every day going back to his hotel and he said it looked very good. Nate started out paralleling the bank with a buzzbait and got three bites in the first 20 minutes. Two of which he landed, a 3.5 and a 1.5.
The rest of the 10 plus hours we spent fishing gave me plenty of oportunity to get a bite, but it just never happened and Nate only had two bites the rest of the day himself. One was a 1.0 he put in the boat and he broke off a 4-6.
I can honestly tell you that I never had so much fun getting a zero as I did with Nate. the guy is a maniac, (I'm sure he'll take that as a compliment) and was appreciative of the fact that I was not one of those whining co-anglers who did nothing but complain all day because the fishing was tough.
To recap, I know the rules, written and unwritten. These guys are out fishing for a Million Dollars. They have their deal and know how they need to fish to try to make it to the top ten. In no way do I put any blame on these guys. It is not their job to get me fish.
These are just the brakes of being a co-angler, and believe it or not, I have come home with more confidence than ever before.
I have seen the best of the best, and learned that there is no magic tricks, big secrets or mystical way of catching fish that the rest of us don't know. The hardest thing to accomplish is the time on the water it takes to get to their level and the extreme amount of money it takes to do so.
This is the hurdle that separates most of us from them any given day of the week. But the real key is to take those days and string them along far enough to make it into a career.
Thanks to everyone for their support.
Thanks goes to my wife especially... she got up a 4:00 every morning to take me to the launch and see me off, in practice and the tourny. She supported me everyday and told me that I could do it.
Thanks to Rudy and Karl of Karu Lures, who has done the same. I'm looking forward to another great year with them next year.
joshimoto son ;D
Well said Josh. Life's a journey and you went on a great ride. Your attitude reminds me of my favorite quote (Lt. Dan, I finally found the source. It's a quote from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) "Not in the clamor of the crowded streets, nor in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but within oneself lies victory and defeat." Your trip to the cup has us all dreaming, and you got to live the dream, so in my book your a big winner!
Congrats Josh on an awesome learning experience. The time and money thing is definitely the deciding factor not only in fishing, but in most arena's of life. I still plan on getting up there soon and hitting the water with you if you have the time. Congrats again on making it to the big show.
1Jav
Thanks for the kudos Joshi!!! I will always be there to support you and cheer you on...even at 4:00 am!!! It was my pleasure to see you at the tourny of a lifetime!! I am so proud of you....There are so many more things in your future as an angler. This is just the start...
Mrsjoshimotoson
Congrats Josh on a fine season! I saw you weigh in both days and you handled yourself very well. The guy's at Ka-Ru should be very proud of you and your accomplishments, there are more great things ahead for you I'm sure. Hopefully I'll be able to meet you face to face some time.
Doug