dartag gives me a White Lake Workout!

[djkimmel]

Wednesday, July 6th I get up a little earlier and drive over towards Pontiac to fish White Lake with dartag. He's talked me in to entering a Big Bass 4 Brianna (I think that is how you spell it) event so I've come out of 'retirement' for a few hours this morning.

It cost $25 to enter and they are put on by dinkfinder (Michael Ray). I get there as dartag is running out to fish a spot for a few minutes. He sees my car pull up and runs back to get me at about 7:45am. I can already feel the additional pressure and tension of a bass tournament - different than just going fishing for fun with no care about whether or not you catch a bunch of bass though you always want to! Real bad in my case, actually!

Today is different because the money is on the line. The competition is there already running out to fish. 6 total anglers including some good ones. One angler in particular I'm told fishes docks 90 miles an hour and wins most of the tournaments he gets into! This is like slapping me in the face with a white hanky and challenging me to a duel!

But first I have to have some more coffee! Have to wake up all the way. The drive accomplished some of it but I'm a slow starter some mornings.

We fish a point and dartag is catching a few on his 'Stevie' Rig - a kind of a drop shot. We finally move to a deep drop off and dartag is putting them in the boat with the Stevie Rig while I am dragging a jig and pig. I get a hard bite on it and set the hook. A small keeper comes up out of the water and throws my jig back to me!

dartag has already culled several times and has a 3 pounder in the livewell. This BB4B event is a one bass winner takes almost it all kind of event. dartag thinks it will take 4 pounds to win and I have nothing so far!

Finally, while dartag is still catching and culling I switch my Carolina-rigged large black and blue Nemesis Baits Bullet Craw. Mostly because dartag says 'I see you have a Carolina Rig rigged up, why don't you throw that.'

So I start throwing it. On the first 2 casts I catch 2 keepers. So now I'm on the board and I've culled once! Yes! dartag is still kicking butt with the 'Stevie' Rig. A few minutes later I set the hook and feel a good one fighting really hard so I call for the net! My blood is coursing through my veins and I can feel the extra anxiety of tournament competition.

I manage to get the bass into the net generously held in the water by dartag and land my 3+ pounder. It may not be big enough to win but now I'm in the hunt! Thanks to dartag's good spot and his electronics!

The tournament lasts about 3 hours I believe so during those 3 hours I take it seriously enough that I'm not stopping to take pictures so I have none from the morning.

We fish several other spots shallow and deep, alternating. We are trying hard to find a bigger bass. I take dartag to a spot of mine that usually produces keepers and had a key spot that has produced some bigger bass but we catch nothing but dinks and little pike.

Finally we run in to the weigh in late morning. Time to tell the tale of the tape. Time to find out who has put the bass in the boat and who was just casting! One angler is leading with a 3.47 pound bass when dartag and I go up to weigh in. The best news is the guy who wins a lot of tournament only has a small bass to weigh in and one other angler is skunked.

dartag weighs his biggest bass and it goes 3.2 pounds. I pull out my bass and I don't know if I'm nervous or what but I can't hold on to the darn lively bass (those Ranger livewells you know). Michael Ray runs over with a mesh bag for me to put it in before I lose the darn fish over the side. I'm pleasantly shocked to find out my bass goes 3.57 pounds and the other bass to weigh goes just over 3 pounds.

I WIN!!! I can't believe it. dartag suggests I donate some of my winnings to the cause which I do though I'm still in shocked surprise. I try to thank dartag for putting me on the bass AND suggesting I pick up the Carolina Rig. Not sure I did enough thanks. I should have bought him lunch!

The best part of the day is we go back out fishing again!! Yes! Now this my idea of a bass tournament. Go fishing twice including after you get the win!

We went back out for some 'fun' fishing now. dartag got a few bites on his Stevie Rig and had some good bites shallow on a topwater bluegill. I lost a decent swamp bass on a hollow frog out of some lily pads!

Eventually we traveled back to the deep break where we caught our bigger bass and we hit it again. We fished it hard but they were on to us. We did catch a few more. Here's a couple pictures of two of the bass we caught out there!


My bass hit the Stevie Rig I'm still trying to learn to throw. dartag netted it for to make sure I got it in so I can count it towards my learning curve.


dartag catches another nice bass deep on this Stevie Rig drop shot. He likes to throw it a lot and he catches them on it!

[dartag]

That is sure better than my reports of.  Went Fishing, Caught Fish, Went Home.

Although it was mentioned about a " Jack Potter " coming over to our side of the state and taking the money home.  Oh wait that was me that said that.

It was a fun day on the water.  And we raised some money for a family in need.

Thanks for tagging along.   More trips to follow.

[djkimmel]

Okay... sounds good.
-Jack Potter

[21XDC]

Great read... Congrats to Dan...

Steve needs to put me on some fish one day... 8^)

[djkimmel]

He's good at it!

[Team houston]

Nice job guys. When is the last time you won a tourney Dan?

[djkimmel]

I haven't even fished a real money tournament since about 2006 I think or 2008. Been awhile... like I said I think I'm back in retirement. Lots of pressure in those things!

I don't really count the MadWags or Frogs Only events. They are too much just for fun and exempt from counting I think.

[dartag]

Great read... Congrats to Dan...

Steve needs to put me on some fish one day... 8^)

We will have to do that this fall. Plus I owe ya lunch.