Opening Day - Badwater Bass Club - Watkins Lake

The Club (nice sponsor/ad placement there)

Opening day, it doesn't get any better. Just like baseball, the Badwater Bass Club's opening day is a dawn of a new era with a clean slate for everyone, even 2011 basement dwellers Raj and myself. At 6 AM on Watkins Lake yesterday morning, I was in a 16-way tie for first place. After a pretty productive spring training, this is going to be the year when I make the standings!
After catching my limit (way to put us on the fish Captain Doke), the victory cigar was ready to come out. Even though Al also got his limit in our boat and had more overall poundage, the top four spots get points and a fourth place/one point finish would have suited me just fine. This was going to be the day.
Well, guess who got fifth? Oh, so close. Like Ricky Bobby says though, "If you ain't first, you're last." We're just going to have to try a little harder next weekend at Pettibone Lake. 

A fine lake Watkins was is in terms of production though. With the Bass Club rule change this year to only include bass species, it was ironic that there were so many pike being caught yesterday.
An exciting season it will be.

Trail Head

Team AMSOIL

 

reward for the millionth cast at Dunham

You know how some stores celebrate when customer number X comes through the checkout line? I think that is what Doke got yesterday for what was probably the millionth cast on Dunham Lake. And quite a celebration he received in the form of a 27 inch, six pound walleye, a nice pike, and an assortment of fat bass. Pike slayer Gus took in three of the toothy kind when the weekend was complete and Raj worked the bobber/hook/worm game for a handful of panfish. A tasty fish fry it was later that evening.
Let the countdown begin for the upcoming Mother Cup in early June!
Trail Head

another panfish for Raj

2012 No-Mo - I got to use my ruler this year!

Proud Lake - about 6:30 AM

After getting skunked at last year's No-Mo (non-motorized) fishing tournament, there was only one way to go but up. After playing around early on with a carp who I think caught his tail on my hook and catching a few Dunham lakers, I thought I was in for a re-do. At least I was catching something this year. I literally did not catch a fish at last year's tournament. Tough love there.  The key to winning this tournament is not to catch the most but to catch a little of everything, ugly carp and drums included. You can catch 20 bass but only your biggest is counted. Four categories; bass, teeth, pan fish/perch, and miscellaneous. The ugly, but monster, carp and drums get equal love in this tournament.

official No-Mo ruler

At about 10 AM, my luck turned as the pink wacky brought in a nice 18+ inch bass. I then went back looking for that carp that was jumping around earlier and bam, on comes a 25 inch pike. With last year's tournament champion having a little over 50 inches for the victory, I felt like Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber, when he says, "So you're saying there's a chance!" Well, my celebration was short-lived at check in as the guy in front of me was deciding which pike, which bass, and which drum to choose from of the twelve or so that he caught. While I was fighting for a few fish on Proud Lake (no complaints - great atmosphere), this guy was on Lake St. Clair, the home to MANY fish. The rules are any public access body of water in Michigan so I can't complain. That early carp I had on, however, could have been the difference in putting me over the top. Waaaaaa.... 

Thanks go out to fishing scouts Raj and Slick for making it out today. A fine day's catch there.

Trail Head

Saturday registration - Wyandotte