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Follow my Fish of 2018
It's hard to believe that tournament season is officially upon us. If you've been following along this winter (stats say a lot of you have been), then you know I never quit fishing this winter. Storms, sleet, snow....didn't matter. I made myself push through the weather and, for the most part, it was incredibly rewarding.
In the end, I fished over 48 days in 2018, which is a pretty astounding number of days for a guy with a full time job, three kids, and a lot of other hobbies.
If you read my Alabama Bass Trail Year End Review, you know I was less than happy with how our first season among some of the best sticks in the south went. Bad decisions, bad luck, and lack of preparation kept us from either of our two goals: to break even by hitting a Top 40 in three of the events and/or making the Championship.
Enough on the past. Let's talk the first half of 2019.
I am fishing one club full time, the ABT, and associated wildcats to fill in the limited amount of time. That's basically a tournament once a week. For reference, I fished 48 days last year, at a minimum.
First up is a double shot of Smith over the next two weeks. Brad and I have fished three club tournaments on Smith the last two years and we've won two and had a second place finish in the other. However, those 10-13 pound bags won't hold up in the local wildcats, much less the ABT.
2015's ABT event took 19 pounds to win and 14 pounds to get 40th. In 2016's ABT, there were three bags above 19 pounds with it taking almost 23 pounds to win. The Wiggins brothers had a solid finish in 2016 and they won both the amateur and pro side of a very tough event last summer. Hard to bet against them. It took 12 pounds to cash a check. In 2017, the bags were much lower with Wesley Sams and Jordan Wiggins taking the win with 17. Again, 12 pounds cut a check. If you look at the leader board, you see the same names over and over.
We have yet to find magnum spots, though we've been able to put together consistent 12 pound bags of spots. Water level is going to be a concern, as is the weather instability over the coming days. It's going to take 20 pounds to win and 13 to get a check for the ABT. 13 is a number I think we can hit. That's do-able, though fishing against over 200 boats makes anything tough. For our club tournament, it will take 11-13 pounds to win, I believe. I am going to do a lot of fishing on Smith in the coming week, but my expectations are that I doubt I will get lucky three years in a row for the club tourny, but that's a sacrifice I am willing to make to be competitive for the ABT.
March brings a club tournament on Wilson. Wilson in March has consistently been a fantastic matchup for Brad and I, though 2018 was a bit of a down year, though we did get 3rd in the two tournaments we fished. Those were two of our smaller bags we've had on Wilson. It will take between 20-23 pounds to win that and while 20 pounds is within our grasp, if anyone hammers them, it's not likely to be us. It's more likely we will find ourselves in the 16 pound range. I just don't have faith that we can find a five pound average on tournament day like others have. We just aren't there, yet.
ABT on Wheeler in late March. This is an interesting time of year on Wheeler because fish will be in a lot of different spawning phases and it can be very, very tough. On the lower end, you are as likely to hit 20 pounds as you are to bust completely. The upper end is completely current dominated and more doesn't mean more is better. You are rolling the dice during the month with the most rain. There is a sweet spot in the TVA's flow and that end fishes super-duper small. Don't be surprised if it takes 25 pounds or more to win this event with it taking 15 to cash a check. More likely, there will be one 20 pound bag with a two pound drop per position to the Top 10 with a cluster around 14 pounds.
Historically, it's been quite the spread. It's taken 20. It's taken 30. The spread to get a check is anywhere from 11-14. Barring some crazy event, we should get a check here. I would be really disappointed if we don't, considering how much time we spend up there.
We head back to Weiss in April. That's a month earlier than we made this stop with the ABT last season. With a little less heat than May, this is going to be a numbers game for the majority of the field. Who can luck into those magnum spots? The top, however, has the potential to have the roof blown off, if last year were any indication. Despite being one of the top crappie lakes in the country, Weiss pounded out a 26 pound bag last year. That didn't come to a surprise to many, as Josh and I were told the night before the tournament that it would take 25 or more. The two ABT tournaments have taken at least 23 pounds to win.
The cut line is going to be around the 12 pound mark and fractions of ounces will matter. Though we only had 10 pounds last year, we had on a fish that would have cut us a check. We had only one day of practice and by the end of the tournament, we had learned a great deal. However, what will it being a month early do to what we found? Still, we know how to fish for spots, so I expect us to be in the running for a check.
Check back later with the back half of our schedule.
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