Fall 2018
TEXAS FEST - LAKE TRAVIS - JONESTOWN, TEXAS
This was an event where we weigh the fish on the boat and release them right there – Major League Fishing- style. It was a fun experience.
There were tough, hot weather conditions in Texas; but I had a good practice. I thought I would have a good finish; but unfortunately, I never caught the size fish that I needed in the tournament. Both days, my fished were equal – just two sub-par days. I only got to fish two days in the event. I finished 67th.
I missed the 50-cut by a small margin, and it seems like that has followed suit for the much of the season.
The one positive thing was getting the opportunity to be a boat captain for the Bassmaster High School All-American event that was held on a different lake on the Saturday of Texas Fest.
I fished with Ethan King and we finished 2nd in the tournament. We both caught some big fish that morning and had a great time. It always helps put things in perspective when you take a kid fishing, and this was a fun event.
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SABINE RIVER - ORANGE, TEXAS
This event was postponed from the original dates and we went there after Texas Fest. It was supposed to be an early spring event; but, it turned into an early-summer event.
That’s a really nasty place in the summer when it starts to get hot in that swampy area.
I didn’t have a good practice; so, I was happy with my first day of the actual event. I caught a decent limit on the Sabine river, but needed a better day to make the cut. The next day, I decided my area was getting too beat up and decided to run to a secondary area in another river nearly an hour away.
I caught a little bit better bag over there and moved up to 25th. With that, I got to fish the 3rd day. Unfortunately, that 3rd day, I messed up. I thought I had gotten on a topwater pattern on that river from the day before; so, I tried to run
with that and ended up gambling too much only catching three fish and I dropped all the way to 48th.
I lost 20 something Angler of the Year (AOY) points that day. That was very disappointing.
Looking back at that and where I am in points now, those would’ve been very valuable. I wish that I would’ve been a little more conservative and stayed in the Sabine River to catch a limit.
You never know about hindsight, until after it’s over. I left there still waiting to have a good finish, which has been the moral of my story – all year, this year – struggling and grinding to try for a good finish; but only getting right inside or right outside of the cut. Mostly, outside.
It’s not that I am having bad tournaments or the bombs that really kill you; but I’ve had so many middle-of-the-road finishes that I am sitting right in the middle in 50th in the points – on the bubble for the Classic.
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