My first two BASS Elite Series events are in the books, and I’m not having the start that I wanted, but I am incredibly grateful to be fishing at the level that I am at.
Lake Okeechobee in Florida was a complete bomb and it just wasn’t my week. The main thing that I learned from that event is always to trust your gut. I think I let some of the nerves get the best of me and in turn, it clouded my decision-making. However, having such a bad event put a fire under me to do better at the next event.
I had a terrible practice going into Lake Seminole, but instead of being negative about it, I decided to trust what my gut told me to do instead. I had to grind for every bite, but put together a solid 42nd-place finish and a good and much-needed paycheck.
On the first day of the event, I caught them swimming a worm on a 7’2” Voodoo II Heavy rod with 20-pound fluorocarbon and a Yo Zuri 110 jerkbait on the Surman 50G 6’10” Medium action rod with 14-pound fluorocarbon, both of these lures I fished over the hydrilla. I made a great adjustment the second day and switched up to throwing a drop shot around lilypad stems with a Shaman 7’2” medium-action spinning rod. My main line was a 10-pound braid with a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader.
One of my realizations after these first two events is how unbelievably good these guys are. They catch them even when the fishing is tough, and you have to be on your A-game at every event if you want to cash a check. This is a challenge that I look forward to facing head-on for the rest of the season.
Photo Credits: BASS
