Smallmouth Time
Here we are, approaching the end of the season and some unfamiliar bodies of water. I’ve really spent a lot of time thinking about both of these tournaments. Probably a combination of salmon season being tough and just excitement for some new water. In the meantime I’ve got some more salmon fishing plus a couple fun goose hunts. I’ll definitely be ready to be in full on waterfowl mode after these next 2 events.
The Big Stack on St Clair is really a big question mark for me. The biggest question I had was what kind of weather were we going to get. Luckily it seems like we are in a calm pocket after the first big cold front of fall. I’m hopeful that there is no danger of the event getting switched to the Detroit River last minute. Practice looks to be nice enough that moving around and exploring will be no problem. However I will look at the winds forecasted for tournament day and let that steer the direction of my practice. As of right now I’m just planning on fishing American waters but that could change if a flat day is forecasted for Sunday.
I’ve never timed a St. Clair trip when moving baits were the deal but I’m hoping to utilize them on this trip (plus everything else in my tacklebox). Luckily I had a couple buddies narrow some techniques and areas down for me before the off limits. I don’t typically seek out information but a little help could go a long way for me here and I really appreciate the advice I got! My goal for this weekend is to catch at least 20 pounds. If I can do that I will feel like I accomplished something regardless of where I fall in the standings. Lucky for me I don’t think there is any lake in the entire country (except the St. Lawrence) where the odds of catching 20 pounds is more in the anglers favor. Not that it is going to be any easy task but I bet if you ran the numbers the percentage of anglers weighing 20+ bags is really high on St. Clair. The added bonus for this one is I will be staying at my in-laws which means no tents and rain storms!
Next up is the D&R Classic on Elk/Torch which happens to fall on opening day of duck season. For the record I am really unhappy about this but we decided to go to the classic. I have a little experience there but it is much earlier in the fall. Brandon Stanley and I came in 2nd in a Never Enough Outdoors classic there many years ago. I expect things to be much different but I am also hoping to build a little bit on what I know from that trip. I’m not going up to practice ahead of time and there is no way we can cover the entire chain in one official practice day. I am a huge fan of having the official practice day and off limits though. I would however like 2 days in this particular instance but at least it is a 2 day tournament.
I know we are only going to have enough time to cover 1 lake and maybe dabble another. There will be a lot of figuring things out on tournament day in this one. I just hope limits will come easy so we can have the freedom to make some moves. I’ll also be waiting to what the forecasted wind is for that tournament and let it dictate where to practice. With not much experience up there I want to try and use it to my advantage.
Stay tuned for the full reports from these events. Hopefully they are good ones but I’m betting they will at least be interesting. I’d like to keep the check train rolling but I at least know I’m going to have some fun. I’m feeling no pressure which I know is going to help me fish free and by instinct only. That’s often the best way to have a good event.