Skeet’s Beat – Missisissippi River

It’s been a little while since I made an entry into Skeet’s Beat.  There’s been some hectic goings on at the house, and then we had our sixth event of the year in Lacrosse, Wis. and it started well, but with the heavy weather we got, it slowed down for me a little.

Things started good.  I ended the first day tie for ninth with 14 pounds, then slipped to 15th on the second day with 12 pounds.  I could tell that things were getting blown out, and in the end, I punted on day three and slipped a little further in the standings than I would have liked.

I initially wasn’t even thinking of going to Pool 9 for the event but when I saw that the majority of the field was staying up in Pool 8, I decided to try the area that I fished last year while I was practicing.  I ended up having a pretty good practice round and figured that I could do pretty well in Pool 9.

I got 30 to 40 bites a day, and decided that it was worth going through the lock again, and it worked out on day one.  I caught a bunch of fish, and a couple of good ones that put me high up in the standings.  Then, part way through day two, I started seeing the muddy water coming through the area from the heavy downpours we had in the area, and after catching 12 pounds, I decided it was best to go ahead and call the audible and stay in Pool 8.

I figured I could maximize the fishing time and put enough together to catch another 13 and a half pounds and make the top 12.  I kept going with my swim jig pattern and only managed to put together 10-12 for the day and slipped to 30th place.  That’s still a decent finish, but when you’re battling for an Angler of the Year title, you want to do better.

Edwin and I basically traded places on day three, and he was able to keep his lead going into the last two events of the year.  It basically will be five of us knocking heads for the Angler of the Year title for the rest of the season.  Edwin, myself, Aaron Martens, Kevin (VanDam) and Alton (Jones).  Edwin’s got a strong lead, and things are tight between us in second through fifth place, so it’s certainly going to be an interesting last two events of the year.

For now, I just got home to my family yesterday, and Kim and I are taking the girls on vacation for our mid-year break while they are out of school.  We decided to give Hawaii a try this year.  It’s the first time we’ve gone to the islands, so it will be interesting.  We’re excited about it, and looking forward to some uninterrupted time together.

Speaking of that, I’m taking the girls to the beach, so, leave me alone – Just Kidding.  We’ll be back in a few days and be getting ready for ICAST.  A little more than a week and all of the new fun stuff from all of my sponsors will be on display.  ICAST is always a cool time; I’ll be busy with the media, and you’ll see all of the cool new stuff from the show then.

Later,  and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and my fan page at Facebook