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Date:12/5/2007

Well it's been a few weeks since I competed in the Bassmaster Weekend Series National Championship, the time that has elapsed has given me some time to reflect upon the experience but I still remember each bite as if it was yesterday. The family and I packed up the truck and boat and headed for Clark's Hill Lake on November 9th (Friday) after work. We stopped 30 minutes into the drive and picked up one of my best friends Chris Steimel. Chris had qualified on the co angler side, therefore we decided to split the travel expenses and to work together to find fish on a new lake that neither one of us had been to before. Chris and I had traveled together all year so this was nothing new for us. Normally our other buddy Dale would be traveling with us as well but he decided not to catch any fish in a couple of tournaments just so he wouldn't have to take off work for a full week for this event. Right, Dale?

To make a long ride short one night in a hotel and 1,000 miles later we were there. We arrived at our lake house on Saturday afternoon. We were splitting a nice lake home with fellow Pro's Choice staff members Darin Lankford and Doug Schilling and their wonderful families. We decided to work together as a team and we had a deal that if any one of us would win this event that we had to pay all expenses for everyone in our group. The lake was 12ft low and our dock was out of the water. Fortunately our neighbor loved to bass fish and he had a floating dock. His dock was a life saver for us. There were only two working ramps within 10 miles of the marina that we were taking out of. Unfortunately those two ramps were single ramps and it took about 3-4 hours each morning and afternoon to get out of. So our dock was a god sent and we really appreciated the neighbors generosity.

11/11/2007 Official Practice Day 1 Chris and I decided to prefish together for all three days. I did my homework prior to the tournament. I had a great map. I talked to a few touring pro's that have fished this lake previously. We didn't discuss spots to fish because BASS and FLW normally always fish it in the spring, but we did discuss what typical patterns they should be on and what kind of banks, structure, etc. to look for. We didn't spend much time fishing today. I traveled from the lower dam to the upper dam, which was only 39 miles but it was a little treacherous. Remember this lake is down 12 feet. Chris had a couple of fish on a shaky head and I had a missed fish on a jig. Other than that not much to show for it, but we did learn a lot about the lake. We went back to the house near dark. Darin had a nice limit including one fish that weighed over 8lbs. It was only taking around 10lbs to win the local tournaments, so Darin had a great day.

11/12/2007 Practice Day 2 It was time to get serious. We started out early with top water baits near the grass line. I describe this lake as a comparison to Table Rock Lake regarding its clarity but it is mostly clay and sand. We had nothing on top water, spooks, buzz baits, pop r's, and a horny toad. I then switched to throwing a jig, crankbait, spinnerbait, and a swimbait. I ended up catching one small keeper on a shaky head near the grass line but I couldn't duplicate it. Chris caught 1 keeper and 1 short behind me on a shaky head. We all met again at the house that night and Darin had caught another limit and Doug had two fish, but one of them weighed 8lbs.

11/13/2007 Practice Day 3 Well, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I kept trying the same baits that I was told should work but I couldn't get them to work for me. Chris caught 1 14" fish on a shaky head on a secondary point near the lower dam on a finesse worm. That was the only fish that we boated all day. We left the water around 2:00 to prepare our boats and tackle for the tournament day and to attend our partner pairing and dinner. I drew out in the 2nd flight with co angler Shane Byars from Alabama. I explained to him how tough it had been on me but we were going to do our best to have fun on the water. That was all a lie, I was ready to go home. Someone could have made a great buy because I was ready to sell everything and head back to Missouri. I had it figured and that one 13" keeper that I had caught so far had cost me about $1,200. Pretty expensive fish. As tough as it was I knew that fishing was unpredictable. I knew I was capable of catching fish but I had to figure out a way to catch them and I needed to do what I was comfortable with.

Darrin had been catching the majority of his fish on a finesse worm either with a shaky head or a drop shot rig working it in the grass. Chris had also caught his fish behind me on a finesse worm. Well everyone had been catching fish on it but I was still throwing my big mop jigs and my 6" swim baits and everything else in my boat but I hadn't stuck with a finesse worm. Therefore I decided that I was going to tie on one of my favorite finesse baits. I spooled two Abu Garcia spinning reels with 8# Berkley Trilene 100% Florocarbon, attached them to my 6'9" G Loomis Shaky Head rods and tied on a Eiron Breaker 1/4oz Srew Ball jig head with a green pumkin finesse worm. I also had a fluke ready in case of schooling fish.

11/14/2007 Tournament Day 1 Shane met at the house that morning and as we were preparing for the day I pointed up the river from our dock and I told him that we were going to go there first if there was many boats heading that direction. I hadn't fished it before but the places I had fished I wasn't catching them anyways so today was just another practice day. Well, when they called out our boat number only 3 boats had turned that direction so we decided to try it as well. I idle under the bridge and as I shut down the boat the fish start busting the top. On my first cast I had a keeper fish eat my fluke, half way back to the boat he got off. Just a few casts later I boated my first keeper, a solid 2 1/2 lb fish. The length limit is only 12" so that was a good keeper, almost a kicker. A few casts later I had such a hairy backlash that I had to bite it off and retie. As I was pulling my fluke in by hand I felt weight on the end and I set the hook nearly cutting my pinky finger but it was well worth it as I boat flipped keeper #2 into the boat. I looked at Shane and I said two keepers in 20 minutes, that's more than I have caught the last 3 days.

Shane picked up a small keeper as well. We then chose to leave the schooling fish as it only seemed to be really small fish working now. Shane and I head up near the dam and started working secondary points with wind blowing on them. Within a few casts I caught keeper #3 on a Eiron Breaker Screw Ball jig head with a green pumkin finesse worm. This was the same point that Chris had caught his fish on during the last day of practice. On the opposite side of the point Shane caught a nice 3lb+ largemouth on a shaky head as well. To shorten a wonderful and surprising day I had a 5 fish limit by 10:00 and Shane had his 3 fish limit by 1:00. After I caught my 5 fish Shane and I started hitting banks that I had never been to but they looked a lot like the banks that we had been fishing. I kept the boat in about 15-18 ft of water and made a decent cast to the bank. If there was a little bit of rock transition the better it was, but there was not much rock available.

The fish were holding just outside the edge of the grass line. I had 8 keepers that day and Shane had 5. The only thing that I could think of that I was doing differently was fishing slower with one bait and having the confidence that the fish would eat what I was throwing if I put it in front of them. After day 1 I was in 14th place with 9.23lbs and 11.63 was leading the tournament. Doug was in 5th place, Darin's quality of fish had left for a day and he had around 7lbs, and Chris had 1.56lbs but was still in great shape.

11/15/2007 Tournament Day 2 I drew out with Rick Corbin from Tennessee. I went to the schooling fish again and they were still there. Once again I lost a fish on the fluke but I caught 1 small 13" keeper on it before leaving. The fish were a little less active today and I was ready to start fishing the banks that I left yesterday. As I left the creek I started crossing the lake and the 30-40mph winds had turned the lake into an ocean. My points that I had been fishing were now covered with huge white caps. I tried fishing them for awhile but I couldn't feel my screw ball jig head and I couldn't keep my trolling motor in the water. I started fishing further down the banks just out of the wind. Still plenty of wind blowing on them to work but just enough where I can still control my boat and feel my 1/4 oz Screw Ball jig head and finesse worm. It was now about 12:00 and I only had one keeper to show for it. Well reality was starting to sink in and I was starting to think that yesterday was a fluke. About that time I worked my finesse worm into about 15ft of water in the back of a cove near a dock and I felt a bite, I set the hook and keeper #2 was snatched with the net. I fished the cove out and as I was headed out of the cove back into the wind I caught keeper #3. On the next cast I caught keeper #4. Wow what a difference a couple of bites make. Now I am on my toes and looking for my limit fish. After a couple of more points I still had not found my limit fish. As I reel in my finesse worm I look down to see a monster 6lb+ fish following it. The fish takes off and I lower my rod in disbelief. All of a sudden I felt a thud and I set the hook with my left hand and snap. I broke off my 8lb test line and watched a fish of lifetime swim away with my lure in his mouth. I was sick. I played it through my head over and over but with only 4 ft of line out and light line it would have been very difficult to make this situation a positive.

Well I still needed a fish. I moved to another point and I finally caught my fifth fish. Shortly after my co angler caught his first keeper of the day. I moved to another point and within five casts I caught 2 more keepers. I ended up the day with 8 keepers with my best five going 8.09lbs putting me in 9th place overall and a little over 2lbs out of the lead. Chris caught nearly 6lbs and was now in the top 20. Doug and Darin were both still in good shape. I felt pretty good about the situation that I was in. I had caught several fish in the last two days but I wasn't burning any of the banks. Everything that I caught fish off of today was different from yesterday. Doug and Darrin was trying to prime me for a win but I had really thought that I had blown it by breaking off the monster. But they were right, all of my fish were pretty much the same size. Everyone above me was pretty much relying on at least one kicker to keep them in the hunt. Hopefully they were right.

11/16/2007 Tournament Day 3 - Cut Day Today I fished with Bo Price from South Carolina. Bo had about 4lbs total and needed a good day to get a check. We were in the last flight. After watching about a dozen boats head up the creek that I had been fishing we decided to start out on the main lake near the dam. Within a few casts I boated my first fish but unfortunately it was short. Shortly after I boated another fish but it was short as well. I felt confident that the fish were going to bite today. We had a little bit of wind, which should help the bite. It was 10:00am and neither one of us had boated a keeper. I was starting to get a little nervous. We were in the back of a little wind blown pocket. I was working over a little dock and Bo hooked up with a keeper out of the back. Well at least someone caught a fish. On his next cast he caught keeper #2. He was throwing a watermelon candy finesse worm on his borrowed Screw Ball jig head. It wasn't long before I borrowed one of his worms. Just a short ways down the bank I boated keeper #1 near a brush pile next to a dock. It was the smallest keeper that I had boated all week. Just a squeeker but I was glad to have him. We moved a few times and I kept telling Bo that these fish were going to turn on later in the day. I started working some other points and Bo threw behind the boat with a carolina rigged worm and he set the hook on a nice keeper #3. It was a solid 2 1/2lbs.

Ok, I felt great for Bo but I was starting to get a sick feeling. I kept throwing my finesse worm. All of a sudden I had one kill it and I set the hook and nothing was there. OK, can't do that again. Just a few minutes later I missed another one. OK, $205,000 dollars is on the line and I really can't be missing fish. Well as time went on Bo caught 2 more keepers on his carolina rig. I am pretty stubborn but after he had 4 keepers I started throwing a carolina rig as well. A few casts into it I felt the familiar tug of a fish and I set the hook. My main line broke near the tip of my rod on the hook set. I chased my line down but nothing was on the end. Bo's best 3 fish weighed nearly 5lbs and he ended up in 35th place overall receiving a nice check. Fortunately for him he only had a hour and half trip home. My one fish weighed .73lbs.

Of course Ray Scott had to do his best to embarrass me on stage as I had to show it to the crowd. I missed the top 25 cut by 1.5lbs. I missed over 5 bites today and my co angler caught 5 and broke a good one off. After reviewing my day I think I let my nerves get the best of me and I was pulling the lure out their mouths too soon. G Loomis's are great rods but they are so sensitive that sometimes you have to hesitate a little bit before setting the hook. I finished 39th overall and received a nice check. If I could have only caught 10lbs over the last two days it would have put me in the top 10. But I guess that is why I am an Elementary Principal and not a touring pro.

Everyone in our house received a check. Darin finished 17th, Doug finished 19th, Chris finished 30th on the co angler side and Blake Felix also finished 25th on the co angler side. It was a great experience and I know I learned a lot from it. I was pretty disappointed with my performance and then I thought back to my prefishing. I was ready to pack up and go home. I learned to keep my head up and to have faith in myself and in god. It's amazing how things work out, sometimes good, sometimes bad but I am a firm believer it is all for a reason. It was great to get back to school and to have kids, teachers and parents ask me how I finished.

I had 127 emails from staff and students supporting me on my fishing endeavor. It really put things into perspective. My wife and two boys traveled with me and I couldn't have done it without them. I want to thank everyone for their phone calls and support throughout the tournament and throughout the last year. I am looking forward to fishing the series next year. I had a great experience and I have made a lot of new friends throughout the past year. Don't forget to take a kid fishing as they are the future of our great sport.