Boyd Duckett – Delta Day One Could Have Been Worse, But…

For me, the first day of our Elite Series event in the California Delta could have been a lot worse. It also could have been a lot better.

I said coming into today that 14 to 15 pounds a day would probably be enough to make the cut. I caught 14-3, and that put me 55th out of 113. So I figured right on that.

But in the back of my head, I thought I was going to have a good first day, because in practice I found a stretch about 200 yards long that had five beds. This was in a canal an hour and 45 minutes from the launch ramp.

So I launched this morning and I tore down the river. I couldn’t have gotten to that canal one minute faster. And when I turned in to the canal, there were seven Elite Series anglers sitting on that 200-yard stretch.
I didn’t see one of those guys during practice. But, I swear, if there’s a fish between Sacramento and San Jose, these guys are going to find it.

Again, I didn’t see any of those anglers during practice. They’re like ghosts. They just show up out of nowhere.

Anyway, when I saw all those boats, I just idled out and headed for some of the lesser areas that I had found.

I started slow. I didn’t catch my fifth fish until about 11 o’clock, and they were all small. Later in the day, though, I caught a five-pounder and a seven-pounder. So think about that. Those two fish actually weighed more than 12 pounds, and I finished the day with 14-3. Those other three fish were tiny.

Like almost everybody else, I spent a lot of the day looking for bedders. I was throwing a weightless Senko.

The highlight and the heartbreak both came when I hooked a 10-pounder. I saw her and worked on hooking her for a solid hour. I finally got her, and I wrestled around with her for awhile, but she broke my line.

So, as much as I hate that, at least I know that I actually could have had 23 pounds or so.

If you ask me how I’m feeling now, I’m just tired.

I ran the boat, including gassing up, for five hour out of our eight-hour day. I fished for three hours and spent one of those hours chasing that 10-pounder.

I wish I had a good plan for tomorrow.