Let me start off by giving thanks and credit to God, without him it wouldn't have been possible and the story will once again prove it!
Also let me say that Sebago lake in SW Maine is a very beautiful lake, wonderful resort, nice people, fishery......not so much!!!
Got there Saturday around 2pm and had to buy a milfoil sticker for a lake that already has milfoil. ??? Once you got it....you got it! Anyway we spent 3 1/2 days hauling water during practice. No weeds, tons of structure and a very tough bite. But like I told my wife before I left (as was the case when I won in NH in '08) when we travel to a lake that is very tough, I always do well.
I located what I thought to be 3 individual largemouth on 3 seperate docks. A pattern that never fails me anywhere in the country at any time of year.
Our team was really unified this year and included some very strong anglers. Including Bobby Williams a former Classic qualifier and touring Bassmaster pro. Tom Luciano, Ryan Latinville (a young but defending state and divisional champ) Dan Murphy from NJ to name a few.
Day 1: Ran to my 1st spot and promptly caught a quality keeper. Co caught a nice one then I caught another nice keeper so fast we had to use the net with his fish still in it to get mine. Then back around just in time to see a hog go under a dock. Couldn't get him to bite. Ran across the bay hauled water only to come back and catch the hog on the 1st cast back on the spot. (Being intentionally vague about spots for the sake of future teams that may fish here)
Then ran to spot 2 where I had had a 4 lber try to eat a 6" smallie I had on in practice. Suffice it to say, I never got that fish to bite all tourney long! Think someone plucked him.
Ran to my final spot of day 1 to another dock I had shaken a fish the day before. Very quickly caught my 4th fish, another solid fish for that lake. I then ran back to spot 1 for nothing. Then went to weedy bay my co wanted to try and lost a 1 1/2 lber on a frog. With an hour to go I ran back to final spot and with 1/2 hr to go felt my line tighten up. Thought maybe the boat drifted but then realized the boat was drifting towards the dock! Pulled back to find I was snagged.....of maybe not. The snag started swimming. At first I thought I had to have a carp or catfish because it was way to big to be a bass. Then realized that Sebago has neither species and as the fish ran towards a lower unit pulled him up enough to see the 6-7 lber spit my bait!
:wacko::angry:
Never got him to bite again!
Weighed in 4 fish for 10 lbs 14 oz, 2nd place to Ryan who had NOT prefished but only showed up the night before to register and fished from the back of someone else's boat. A testament to the kid's skills. He is only 20. Had run out of my go to senko and the only way to get them was the guys on my team put together 14 in a bag for me. Just enough as it would turn out.
Day 2: Ran back to my "pig" dock from day 1 which was only 1/2 mile from take off and my co promptly catches a 3 1/2! Damn! Kept grinding away all day for 4 fish. On fish number 4 I feel a heavy thump and set the hook. The fish immediately runs me into the prop of a moored boat. Somehow I managed to get him out. He then ran into my trolling motor prop. Got him out of there then and he's bogged in the weeds way under my boat. NO WAY I should have landed that fish, but God had other plans and I boated the 4 lber! Ran to a boulder on an island and lost a 1 1/2 lber again!!!!
Weighed in 4 fish AGAIN but this time only 9 lbs 1 oz to take the lead for NY by just under 2 lbs and 9th overall in the tourney.
Day 3: Woke up to 35 degrees and wind all day! Boat #4 out of launch and 1 minute later I was at my dock. I was sure my dock was fished out....I was right! Never got a bite there. Ran 1/2 way down the lake to a smallie flat I hadn't been to all week and got my 1st keeper - a squeaker 13" smallie.
Ran back to my bay but worked the other shore of docks and got a 1 3/4 largie. Turns out that those 2 fish would have been enough for me to win the state, but I wasn't done. I promptly fell in the water! Yup, @$$ over tea kettle into the lake and my 6'5" 400 lb co who delivers kegs for a living reaches down 1 handed and yanked me into the boat.
Called the tourney director and got approval to go change into what little dry clothes I had which included white socks in flip flops.
Then as I came back out past the 5 boats fishing released fish just outside the off limits I figured about where the released fish would stage going back to my kicker bay.
I got 2 fish that went about 3 lbs each and then AS I was singing the senkos praises to my co I felt that thump again and nailed a 4 lb 2 oz kicker. But he had a 5-6 lb buddy under him that I never got to bite.
Anyway, finally weighed a limit (2nd largest of the day) on a day when most struggled and moved up to 4th overall and top of my state. Missed Ranger cup by 1 oz! Had I landed all fish I had on the line, I would have won, got lunker, Ranger cup, and Cabelas cash. But that's fishing.
Anyway, hope to do y'all proud at nationals this coming year!
Also let me say that Sebago lake in SW Maine is a very beautiful lake, wonderful resort, nice people, fishery......not so much!!!
Got there Saturday around 2pm and had to buy a milfoil sticker for a lake that already has milfoil. ??? Once you got it....you got it! Anyway we spent 3 1/2 days hauling water during practice. No weeds, tons of structure and a very tough bite. But like I told my wife before I left (as was the case when I won in NH in '08) when we travel to a lake that is very tough, I always do well.
I located what I thought to be 3 individual largemouth on 3 seperate docks. A pattern that never fails me anywhere in the country at any time of year.
Our team was really unified this year and included some very strong anglers. Including Bobby Williams a former Classic qualifier and touring Bassmaster pro. Tom Luciano, Ryan Latinville (a young but defending state and divisional champ) Dan Murphy from NJ to name a few.
Day 1: Ran to my 1st spot and promptly caught a quality keeper. Co caught a nice one then I caught another nice keeper so fast we had to use the net with his fish still in it to get mine. Then back around just in time to see a hog go under a dock. Couldn't get him to bite. Ran across the bay hauled water only to come back and catch the hog on the 1st cast back on the spot. (Being intentionally vague about spots for the sake of future teams that may fish here)
Then ran to spot 2 where I had had a 4 lber try to eat a 6" smallie I had on in practice. Suffice it to say, I never got that fish to bite all tourney long! Think someone plucked him.
Ran to my final spot of day 1 to another dock I had shaken a fish the day before. Very quickly caught my 4th fish, another solid fish for that lake. I then ran back to spot 1 for nothing. Then went to weedy bay my co wanted to try and lost a 1 1/2 lber on a frog. With an hour to go I ran back to final spot and with 1/2 hr to go felt my line tighten up. Thought maybe the boat drifted but then realized the boat was drifting towards the dock! Pulled back to find I was snagged.....of maybe not. The snag started swimming. At first I thought I had to have a carp or catfish because it was way to big to be a bass. Then realized that Sebago has neither species and as the fish ran towards a lower unit pulled him up enough to see the 6-7 lber spit my bait!
:wacko::angry:Never got him to bite again!
Weighed in 4 fish for 10 lbs 14 oz, 2nd place to Ryan who had NOT prefished but only showed up the night before to register and fished from the back of someone else's boat. A testament to the kid's skills. He is only 20. Had run out of my go to senko and the only way to get them was the guys on my team put together 14 in a bag for me. Just enough as it would turn out.
Day 2: Ran back to my "pig" dock from day 1 which was only 1/2 mile from take off and my co promptly catches a 3 1/2! Damn! Kept grinding away all day for 4 fish. On fish number 4 I feel a heavy thump and set the hook. The fish immediately runs me into the prop of a moored boat. Somehow I managed to get him out. He then ran into my trolling motor prop. Got him out of there then and he's bogged in the weeds way under my boat. NO WAY I should have landed that fish, but God had other plans and I boated the 4 lber! Ran to a boulder on an island and lost a 1 1/2 lber again!!!!
Weighed in 4 fish AGAIN but this time only 9 lbs 1 oz to take the lead for NY by just under 2 lbs and 9th overall in the tourney.
Day 3: Woke up to 35 degrees and wind all day! Boat #4 out of launch and 1 minute later I was at my dock. I was sure my dock was fished out....I was right! Never got a bite there. Ran 1/2 way down the lake to a smallie flat I hadn't been to all week and got my 1st keeper - a squeaker 13" smallie.
Ran back to my bay but worked the other shore of docks and got a 1 3/4 largie. Turns out that those 2 fish would have been enough for me to win the state, but I wasn't done. I promptly fell in the water! Yup, @$$ over tea kettle into the lake and my 6'5" 400 lb co who delivers kegs for a living reaches down 1 handed and yanked me into the boat.
Called the tourney director and got approval to go change into what little dry clothes I had which included white socks in flip flops.
Then as I came back out past the 5 boats fishing released fish just outside the off limits I figured about where the released fish would stage going back to my kicker bay.
I got 2 fish that went about 3 lbs each and then AS I was singing the senkos praises to my co I felt that thump again and nailed a 4 lb 2 oz kicker. But he had a 5-6 lb buddy under him that I never got to bite.
Anyway, finally weighed a limit (2nd largest of the day) on a day when most struggled and moved up to 4th overall and top of my state. Missed Ranger cup by 1 oz! Had I landed all fish I had on the line, I would have won, got lunker, Ranger cup, and Cabelas cash. But that's fishing.
Anyway, hope to do y'all proud at nationals this coming year!
