Hastings and Watson Bank 10K+ in the LOM Big Fish Tournament

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Permalink Reply by BigBass Dez on June 15, 2015 at 9:42am

Congrats Mike & Tag !! Big Thanks to LOM for putting on another fun event ! 107 boats , wow !!

Permalink Reply by Ryan Higgins on June 15, 2015 at 10:42am

Heck yeah, thats one hell of a catch!

Permalink Reply by Steve Hastings on June 15, 2015 at 10:45am

Way to rope'm guys! Not really a surprise, both these guys know how to get it done.

Permalink Reply by Chris Blandi on June 15, 2015 at 11:30am

Nice work  !!!!  Couldn't have happened to two more deserving guys.  How big was the celebration when it hit the net?  Can't wait to read the story too.

Permalink Reply by Chad Simon on June 15, 2015 at 12:53pm

Nice work gentlemen!

Permalink Reply by Sparkles on June 15, 2015 at 5:57pm

Awaiting the good read. ..Big Congrats guys!

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on June 15, 2015 at 9:53pm

Congratulations Mike and Tag! Not a bad day at the office when you bank $10,000! I am also looking forward to the details.

Permalink Reply by Willie Parsons on June 15, 2015 at 9:55pm

Way to go T dub and Mr Mike!

Permalink Reply by Tag Watson on June 16, 2015 at 6:36pm

Thank you very much for the congratulations and kind words, gentlemen.  Mike and I had a lot of fun exploring and learning more about this vast and dynamic reservoir.  We knew going into an event like this that pre-fishing/practicing right before the tournament could definitely be a double-edged sword, because the possibility is there that while “sampling” the quality of the fish in a promising-looking area by sticking one, you could potentially hook a big fish that could really come in handy for the weekend.  If we had intimate knowledge of this reservoir going in, both navigating certain areas, fish migration tendencies, spawn progression timing and how the new areas we explored laid out, I would personally opt not to pre-fish for a one fish big bass event.  At the most, perhaps one short day to confirm a few things and just shake off any bites.  However, without the understanding and experience on this reservoir like many of the dialed-in Potholes fishermen in attendance, we decided to spend some time on the water before the tournament to see what we could learn that may point us in the right direction.  The fact the water level was falling like a rock each day added another dimension as well. 

 

Our decision to practice turned out to be a good one because we found several areas that laid out in a promising fashion where we could catch some respectable numbers of fish, but they seemed to be primarily 2-3 pounders, with only the occasional fish in the 4+ lb. class.  By covering a ton of water and looking at different things, we did find a few areas that appeared to hold better quality and fortunately managed to only stick a few fish over 5 lbs. in the process of learning, and only one that weighed 5-1/2 lbs.  From a confidence standpoint, it was nice to confirm there was some potential for quality post-spawn females in these areas, either residing or migrating through, while avoiding the gut punch feeling of hooking a real big fish before the weekend when it would have counted.  I stumbled onto a 5-1/2 pounder in a new area shortly before we left to go back to the ramp on Friday and that fish helped put a few key pieces of the puzzle together for us. 

 

On Saturday morning, we did a fair amount of running and gunning early before hunkering down in a large area a couple hours into the day. We went to work trying to expand on what we learned the previous afternoon and specifically key in on what we felt would give us the best chance for a big bite, knowing that we could potentially go hours in between bites with certain techniques.  To our surprise, we got more bites than we expected the first few hours in this large area, but nothing much over 4 lbs.  No help on this pond! 

 

We decided to head back to where we had found the 5-1/2 pounder the day before and work nearby locations that appeared to have the same ingredients.  After finding a few of the types of scenarios we were looking for, but no big fish to show for our efforts, we were about to pull up the trolling motor and make a move about a mile away.  But right before we did, we decided to check one little spot that looked promising, at least from a distance.  We put the trolling motor on 100% and zipped over there.

 

When we arrived, I was on the bow at the time working the cover/structure a certain way and Mike (my jig fishing mentor) was going to work with his jig.  There was a willow/grass combo with some good depth and Mike made a long accurate pitch to the premium part of the shade right where the two types of cover converged.  Mike got bit on the fall and put a good hookset on the fish.  She went barreling into the nearby cover but Mike maintained good pressure and got her into the net.  We were pretty pumped because we could tell this was the biggest fish we had caught over the past few days and it looked like it could likely be an hourly winner if weighed in at the right time.  At the time, I don’t believe either of us even considered it could make a run at the overall big fish.  Honestly, with the quality of the fishery and the caliber of fishermen at this event, our weight didn’t feel safe until after 2 pm on Sunday. 

 

In a one-fish event like this, you have to get fortunate and have some luck on your side.  We just went in with the intention of having fun and doing what we thought could give us the best opportunity for some good fortune and a big bite.  We feel blessed that it worked out and it’s not lost on us that we were in the process of pulling up the trolling motor before we decided to go check that small, intriguing spot off in the distance where Mike ended up sticking that nice fish.

 

Congrats to all the hourly winners and the junior winner.  Many nice fish weighed in under what I perceived to be less than optimal conditions for big fish.  We would have been thrilled to just win an hourly pot against this field to help fund a fun getaway.  I hadn’t made a cast in about six weeks so it was great to just get out on the water.  Mike took the passenger console out (one latch – takes just seconds) in his new 920 Phoenix and I felt like I was riding around in a Cadillac all weekend.  I’ve driven and ridden in a number of different bass boats, and the ride of that Phoenix is absolutely phenomenal.     

 

Huge thanks to Mike for an amazing vacation, lots of good laughs and a wonderful memory.  Special thanks to the Limit Out Marine crew for putting on a great event: Russ and Debbie, Chris, Nick, Kelcey, Larry, Josh, Heather, the Vance’s and everyone else who helped make this event happen.  Going to try hard to make it work with my business travel schedule to participate in the series next year.  Sounds like a blast.

 

Take care and hook ‘em hard,

 

TW       

Permalink Reply by Russ Baker on June 17, 2015 at 12:54pm

Here is the picture of the winners!!

Attachments:

• lombbcwinners.JPG, 6 MB

Permalink Reply by Jake Anderson on June 17, 2015 at 8:03pm

For my X-treme Netman... I choose Gladiator.