SLUGFEST !! @ Cedar Lake

Had to break a little ice for a little 9 boat fish-off on Cedar Lake this weekend. With water temps from 39-41 degrees and a chilly air temp starting around 22 degrees the "FAT GIRLS" were hungry! My partner Darrell Calhoun and I didn't win, but we had a great fish catching day. Cedar has the slot of 14"-18" long, we were able to catch 7 over the slot, 4 in the slot, and 9 under the slot. We weighed in 7 fish for 11.99 lbs. I did weigh our biggest 5 fish on a x-tools scale for 18lbs 14oz. We were allowed to weigh in 2 over and 5 under the slot. The winning weight were 1st. 15.05 lbs and 2nd. 15.03 lbs. Big bass was 5.43 lbs. There was over 50 fish over 18 inches caught by the 9 teams total. I caught my fish using jerk baits on Powell Rods Max 703 cb glass rod.

The Jerkbait bite is here.

Finally after waiting so long I finally caught a few jerkbait fish. Got to go to Cedar Lake on Fri Dec. 10th. I took Jack Harper with me. I the first 15 mins we put 2 around 2.5 lbs each in the boat. Ended up the rest of the day just catching 4 more shorties. We had a blue bird day and a wind of 5-10 mph from the SW. The water temp was around 45 degrees on the air temp got up to around 52 degrees. It was a really nice day for December. There is one thing about Cedar Lake the nastier the weather this time of year the better the fish will bite.

Casa de FAT GIRLS

I have also been building some new brush and stumps for the "FAT GIRLS". Can't wait to catch some off of these after I get them placed in the lakes.

Water temp gettin cooler. Rain please !!

                                                                                                                                                                             

I spent the 6th & 7th of November on Cedar Lake doing some fishing and some searching. The water temp is down in the 50s and the lake is about 4 ft. low. As you can see in the pictures, the water is usually up to the boat dock above the cross member. And up to the grass line above the rocks on the other picture. Monday, the City of Carbondale was at the ramp back filling the 6-10 inch drop-off on the end of the ramp. So I gave them a big "THANK YOU" before I left that day. Was able to catch a few small fish cranking and flipping both days.

October Fishing

   OK Joel, I will update my Blog. Still been doing a little fishing this month on Lake of Egypt. Water level is still 3-4 ft low. What little rain we did get didn't help the drought much. Went to Egypt on the 11th and 12th of Oct. caught a few shorties and a 4lb 4oz beauty on a Carolina Rig.
   I went back to Egypt on the 19th and took Jack Harper with me. We were able to catch 13 fish with 3 lake keepers and the rest were slot or shorties. Those fish were caught on Crank baits and C-Rigs.
   I fished a Club Classic on Egypt on the 23rd and 24th, I was only able to catch 4 club  keepers in 2 days. With the 30+ mph winds and the other tournament pressure I was able to find the bait fish. Hopefully, my little fishing dry spell will be over soon. The water temps continue to fall in the 60s. And with the beginning of November just around the corner. Maybe it won't be long for the jerk bait bite to start. I will try to keep this updated a little more often for you all to read. Thanks !!

USA BASSIN Oct 2,2010

My Dad and I fished our first circuit-style team tournament today. USA BASSIN started having a Southern Illinois fall div last year on Lake of Egypt.  We were boat 7 of a 22 boat field. The day started out kinda slow, the start time was 7:30 am. There was about 3 club tourneys already fishing when we started. We caught 4 keepers for 6.44lbs, including Big Bass of the tourney 3.41lbs, which paid us $210. We boated 9-10 fish all day only loosing a couple more. A cold front move in about 11 am making it very windy and a lot cooler by the end. Our fish were caught on spinnerbaits and crankbaits.

FALL is in the air

My Dad asked me if I would like to fish a team tourney on Lake of Egypt. So, on Friday Sept. 24 I went to Egypt. I caught approx. 12-14 fish. No keepers over 16in. putin the boat. Dad and I went up Sunday a.m. for about 3 hours. We put 4 keepers in the boat for 11lbs and I had another keeper on to the boat. Catching a total of approx 20 fish. it was a cloudy, breezy day and the water temps still ranged in the upper 70s. fish were caught from top water baits to carolina rigs.

I went up Wednesday Sept 29th, to look around and check some water temps as we have had some cooler days. I caught 2 slots and a 4lb 4oz keeper. the water temps had dropped about 6-7 degrees.

Kincaid Lake Club fish-off

My summer fishing luck continued on Kincaid Lake, I fished a club fish-off on September 18th 2010, and I had only 1 keeper, I was hoping for a frog bite this year at Kincaid, but no luck for me. Lack of rain and high temps makes for very little water in the grass mats. Plus my knowledge of  Kincaid Lake is not the best.

Last BFL on Ky Lake

OK, I need to do some catching up. I fished my last BFL on Ky. It was the Super Tourney. The partner I drew wasn't on any kind of a pattern so I really didn't have a good tourney. I zeroed again, not making the Regional on Lake Guntersville. Not a good year on drawing partner this year. So i will try again next year in the LBL div. as a co-angler.

Is Fall upon us ?

The temps have dropped in to the mid to upper 80's. The water temp is starting to fall. Just finished my last night club fish-off last Fri. evening. Still didn't do very good in that little fish-off. Just hasn't been a good summer for me.
Went to Ky Lake with my buddy Joel last Sat. I actually got in on a little fish catching action. We have the final BFL for the LBL Div. this weekend. I am goin to really have to kick it in gear to make the regional at Guntersville. But there is always the Wild card Tourney.
I am so ready for some water temps down in the 40's. Come on Jerkbait weather.

Just a little update...

Been doin some night fishing with still not much luck. It has tried to cool down here in Southern Illinois the last few days. It has been a welcomed relief. Had I pretty good rain last Sunday morn and hopefully they receive that rain up aruond Cedar and Little Grassey. The water temps up there have been in the low 90s and the Lakes looked to be about 2-3 feet low. Hopefully next time I write I will have some actual fish catchin info to put on here...

Can the weather get any HOTTER !!

I have been doin a little night fishin. Very little night fishin. The air temp has been running in the high 90s and the heat indexes over 100 most days. the fish aren't biting and I work in the heat and try to stay cool as much as possible. So, hopefully, there will be a break in this heat and I can get back out there and get a little more serious. No major tournaments lately, just been out fun fishin. Next BFL not til September.

July 17 & 18, 2010

    Not alot of fish catching this weekend, but I did get on the water for a few hours. The 17th, Friday night I went to Lake of Egypt for about 3 hours after dark. I had only 1 bite and it was a short fish. The water temp is in the low 90's. And only had to spotlight 1 pleasure boater to keep him from running over me. He must of had his "beer goggles" on.
    The 18th Saturday night, Jack Harper and I went to Cedar Lake for about 4 hours. I had a few bites but only put 1 in the boat, a 3lb 13oz beauty. Jack caught a shortie and had a few other bites. The water temp at Cedar is also in the low 90's. Next week I have alittle club fish-off on Kincaid Lake up by Murphysboro, IL, so check back maybe a little more fish catching.

Let's catch up on things

    Between working some overtime and the 4th of July weekend, I did get to wet a hook a little. The morning of the 4th, I went to Lusk Creek on the Smithland Pool for about 3 hours. I only had 1 bite and it wasn't a keeper. The river was up a little and they were pulling it down. I never do good on that place when they are pullin alot of current, but I don't fish it very much either.
    On the July 9th, I fish a local bass club tourney on Lake of Egypt. I had a club limit of 8 fish and 292 pts.I got  2nd place and also had 1st and 2nd Big Bass for the tournament. The hours of the tourney was 8pm to 4 am. I caught my fish on a DT14 crankbait using it on a Powell 754cb rod , a sweet beaver on a Powell 764 rod. I did sit under a dock for about an hour until the lightning and the monsoon quit. 

Lake of Epypt, 06/25/10

My team partner, Joel and I decided today we would go to Lake of Egypt and fish around for a little fun and see what is goin on. We started out the morning putting out a little brushpile and goin to deep water. The water temp today was upper 80's to low 90's (bath water). bright skies and light wind. We were able to catch approximately 10 fish over the 16 inch slot limit. I caught my fish today on a Powell 766 rod and 1/2 oz Slong's Fishing Lures footbal jig, a 10in worm on a Powell 764 rod, and crankbaits on a Powell 754 glass &703 glass rods.

Kentucky Lake June 10-13,2010

Joel and I went down to KY to practice for a Lyon County Christmas for Kids tourney and the make -up BFL on the 17th of June. We put in at Paris Landing and fished south towards New Johnsonville area. After finding a few new locations and checking some previous ones, we felt like we could probably catch a decent sack of fish down in this area.
On the 18th, we put in and stayed north of the 68 bridge and really didn't have much luck up here. So we called it a day kinda of early and stopped by the best Cheeseburger stand around Belew's Drive-in in Aurora, KY.
June19th, We launched at approx 5:20 am for the tournament and after a hour run, we stopped on our first spot for 0 keepers. Moved to our second area and caught around 12lbs of fish. With hopes of culling up in weight we decided to move back towards the north and see what would happen. We were able to cull up to 15lb 4oz, but that wasn't enough to get a "sniff " at a check or the win.
June 20th, was the make-up BFL from May that was canceled due to high water. I drew Mike McAtee, a boater from KY. We started fishing on Ky lake where my boater partner caught 4 keepers and I boated 1 keeper. Then we moved to Barkley Lake. The first stop on Barkley my partner finished out his limit. He had 14lb 6oz for the tourney, was unable to cull any the rest of the day. Our 2nd stop I was able to put to more keepers in the boat. I had also caught several short fish here. The 3rd stop I was able to put my 4th keeper in the boat and saw my limit fish follow my worm to the boat. I had 8lb 2oz for the tourney. We did stop a couple more spots on our way back to out 1:30 pm check-in time, but only caught short fish. I put these for fish in the boat on a 11in worm using a Powell 764 rod and a Slong's Fishing Lures 3/4 oz football jig on a Powell 766 rod. Next BFL is not till September. Be sure and check back going to do a little fun and club fishing this summer, including some night fishing.

Been on vacation lets catch up...

  June 7th, went to Cedar Lake for about 7 hours not a bad day caught 2 keepers that went a total weight of 9 lbs 11oz.. Caught a couple of shortie fish and lost another about 4lbs.
  June 8th, went to Little Grassey Lake, took my Dad with me. Only got to fish about 3 hours because of the lightning. Did manage to catch 2 keepers and a couple of short fish. Also lost a good fish on a crankbait here too.
  June 9th & 10th, Joel and I went to Kentucky Lake to do a little fishing and to check out some of the BASS Elite Series Pros. The Elite Series was going out of Paris Landing. Got to see a little action from Tim Horton, Edwin Evers and Kelly Jordan plus some others. Did manage to find a couple new spots and catch some fish both days on the ledges.
  June 12th, I fish a little club tourney on Cedar Lake, where I finished 4th with a total of 195pts. These fish were caught on a Spro Poppin Frog and a Rapala DT14 crankbait.I did take my wife down to Paris Landing for the final weigh-in of the BASS tourney. That was a great tourney and the amount of 20lb plus bags that were weighed in was crazy. But I guess that is why they do it for a living.
Check back next week, Joel and I have a Lyon County Ky Charity Bass Team event and a make-up BFL this next weekend .

June 5, 2010 BFL

Another bad luck day for me this year. Will it ever get better for me in the BFL. I drew a good partner, Mike Cox, boat # 137 out of 144 and was ready to fish ledges all day, with high hopes of catching a limit. We stopped on the first spot just south of the 68 bridge and caught a few short fish. We then left there and went down south of Paris, TN  to our second spot. When my partner put his trolling motor down the cable broke inside the head of the motor. He did go to Paris marina to try to fix it and buy a anchor. Mike worked hard to try and hold on his spots so we could both try and catch some fish. But, no luck for both of us. It was very hard to hold on ledges fighting wind and boat traffic. So, now, I really have to get with it. With some good draws I can still make the Regional.

2 good days on Kentucky Lake

    May 27th,  I had a local club event on Ky, I drew my buddy  Joel.  The Lakes are still just a little high and the current has slowed down. The water is back to that wonderful green color its supposed to have this time of year. We fished mostly ledges all day and caught at least 100 fish or more. I ended up 3rd with 2nd Big Bass and Joel won this event. We did have to dodge a pretty good storm late in the day.

    We have a BFL on June 5th, so, we decided to try again on Friday to see if Thursday was just luck. We had another good day just searching and trying some different things to get bit.   

Kentucky Lake is on its way back to summer pool...

Last Friday, Joel and I went to Ky Lake to see if the "FAT GIRLS" have moved to the ledges or not. The water level was still about 1.2 ft high and the main lake is still a little dirty. We didn't really have any luck out on the ledges but, was still able to catch about 30 -35 fish each with only 4 keepers. The Lakes are getting closer and closer to being back to summer pool just in time for this holiday weekend. Going back this Thursday to get some fishing in before the weekend traffic starts and before the June 5th BFL. Check back later to see how it went.

American Fishing Series

    The BFL for May 8th was canceled due to high water and dangerous current and running conditions. The US Coast Guard closed the Lakes, Kentucky and Barkley, to all pleasure boat traffic. Most of the Lakes had been re-opened by that date, but FLW Outdoors had already rescheduled the tourney for June 19th.
     So, I did get down to the Lakes to practice for the American Fishing Series that was held on May 13-15. With the water really dirty and the water levels dropping over a foot a day and practice didn't go to bad. I practiced with my buddy Joel who was fishing the AFS as a boater. We saw plenty of keepers in practice and the hopes a a good tournament looked promising.
     I drew boat number 134 and boater partner Ryan Chandler from Indiana, who I have fished with before, and great guy to fish behind. The keeper bites just were not there on the first day. I weighed in 1 fish for 2lbs and Ryan had 3 keepers. I caught 15-20 bass all day and the water was really dirty in the area we fished in. We fished mostly south of the Highway 68 bridge. I was in 115th place out of 150 after Day 1. All the bites I had were caught flippin' trees and bushes in the backs of the coves.
     On Day 2, since the boat numbers flip from Day 1, I was boat number 16 and drew boater Ladd Shannon from Arkansas. Ladd was a another great guy to fish with. We flipped trees and bushes in Jonathan Creek area all day. I weighed 4 fish in for a weight of 11lbs 2 oz and had a dead fish for a 8oz penalty, which gave me 10lbs 10oz.  So, I had a 2 day total of 12 lb 10 oz and the check cut-off was around 15.5 lbs. Ladd had 5 fish for 16.5lbs. I did have the chance 3 times for my limit bass but broke off 1 real good fish in a bush and lost 2 other keepers on the way to the boat. You can't cash checks that way. Overall had a great time this week and the weights were unbelievable with the conditions the lakes have been in. I caught my keepers this tournament flipping a Net Bait Mad Paca in a Black/Blue or Bama Bug Red color. I used a Powell Rods 766 heavy Flippin and Punching Rod and 25lb line, probably should have kept the braid on.

Crab Orchard this weekend

I got a chance to go fishing this weekend between storms and a great visit with my "baby girl". Well shes not a baby she will be 16 this year. Ok, so I decided I would give Crab Orchard Lake a little try. a half day both Fri and Sat. Now, I remember why I don't fish that Lake very often too. It was terrible for me as usual no keepers either day. Got a BFL this weekend and the AFL next week.

Cedar Lake April 24 & 25 2010

I fished a little club tourney last weekend at Cedar Lake and a pretty good 2 days. The club I fish, we measure fish 12 inches and over in 1/4 inch increments and release, keeping track in a score book. Each fish is worth so many ounces or points. Example 12 inch fish worth 15 oz, 20 inch fish worth 80 oz. Saturday, fighting the wind and rain with the occasional blow thru thunderstorm, I was able to catch 8 keeper fish, which is a club limit, throwing plastics and crankbaits on lake points. I was in the lead at the end of Saturday with 336 pts(oz). and 2nd big bass a 20.25 inch "FAT GIRL".
 On Sunday, my pattern held up. There was a little more wind and rain with cooler temps. My first bite of the day was a 20.5 in "FAT GIRL", which gave me big bass of the day. I ran from lake point to lake point and was able to catch 5 keeper fish with a total of 337 pts for Sunday and a total of 673 pts and 1st place almost 150 pts ahead of 2nd place. Their were 12 guys who fished this club tourney and everyone had a good time, despite the weather conditions. Water temps were in the mid to upper 60s on Sat., and some areas cooled down up to 4 degrees on Sun. May 8th is my next LBL Div. event out of the Moors on KY Lake, so check back to see how I do. 

Lets get caught up

Ok, I haven't caught up on what I have been doing this month. Let me also say that this time of year when the bass are trying to spawn is not one of my strong points of bass fishing. On April 10th did a little fishing on the Smithland Pool in Lusk Creek. Now I remember why I don't go there very often. Caught 1 keeper 12 inch fish all day. BRUTAL!! Fished the 2nd LBL div. of the BFL's on April 17. My boater partner ran down approximately 15 miles south of Paris, TN not a bad boat ride from Kuttawa on Lake Barkley. He had a limit with 13lb 6 oz for a 10th place finish and I was able to catch 1 keeper, you can't break fish off and weigh them in. I started a week long vacation on the 16th so this wasn't a good beginning to it. April 18th, I went to Cedar Lake with not much luck either. I caught only 1 short fish and had 2 other bites. April 19th, Jack Harper and I went to Cedar Lake with a little better results I caught 3 in the 17inch range plus some other shorties. April 21, Gary "Frog" Scoggins and I went back to Cedar Lake. I caught a 19.5 inch "fat girl" and Frog lost 1 that looked bigger, plus a few other short bass. April 23 Joel and I went to Lake of Egypt for a few hours and only caught 1 keeper and 3 other short fish. The water temps all range about the same mid 60s to low 70s. And your usual spring time weather.

JET A MARINA CLASSIC

Saturday, April 3, 2010, my team partner Joel and I competed in the 22nd Jet A Marina Classic on Ky Lake. The weather started out rough. Rain and a stout wind brought on some BIG waves on the lake at take off for the 305 boat field. In practice we had blue bird skies and 20 mph winds and with water temps in the 60's we had found our fish on shallow running crankbaits in practice on Thursday. Kentucky Lake is back at summer pool which gives you a lot bigger playing field. We made it safely to our first spot and caught several fish including the 3 fish that we weighed in for 11lb 5oz and 16th place. We also ran to several other locations where we had caught some fish in practice, but I suppose the front moving out gave the fish a little lock jaw. It took 16lbs and some change to win. I caught fish using Powell Rods 703cb glass, 754cb glass rods.

IL Bass Federation Lake of Egypt

Sunday, March 28, 2010, was the 1st tourney of The Illinois Bass Federation Open Trail. There was 58 boats on the rainy windy day. My boater partner and I used alot of the main lake area to try and catch ourselves each a limit of bass. He ended up with a small limit and I fell a little short with only 2 fish for 5.10 lbs. I caught 6 fish all day. Water temps were in the low 50's and the water was stained up pretty good for Lake of Egypt. My fish were caught using a Slong's Fishing Lures 1/2 oz black/blue PT jig on a Powell 764m Flippin Stick, spinnerbaits on a Powell 734 rod, and crankbaits on a Powell 703cb glass rod. Goin to Kentucky Lake this week to fish a Team tourney on Saturday, so we will see how this nice weather will help the "Fat Girls" get ready for the spawn. 

Little Grassy

Not a bad day on Grassy today. The bite got a little tough this afternoon, but I still managed to catch 4 keepers. For some odd reason I didn't put them on the scale. I did measure them, they measured 21.75, 19.75, 17.25, 15.25 inches long.  Good healthy "FAT GIRLS". I caught these fish today on jerkbaits and crankbaits, using a Powell 703 cb glass rod.The water is clear and I saw water temps from 48- 51 degrees.

Lake of Egypt

My buddy, Joel, and I went to Lake of Egypt today. What a great day to be on the water. We caught approximately 20 fish today. Had 4 "Lake Keepers" for around 13 lbs. Water is clear and the temp. is 52-59 degrees. Our fish were caught today on crankbaits, jerkbaits and jigs.

Ky Lake BFL...

On Thursday 3/11/10 my buddy Joel and I went to Ky Lake to get some more practice in for the first LBL Div. BFL Tourney. It was a pretty productive day. we caught approximately 70 fish with only 6 keepers on crankbaits and jigs. Friday 3/12/10 we went out for about 5 hours to see if we could narrow the fish down alittle more. Caught around 30 fish with 5 keepers. The water temp. was 55-60 degrees. I drew my partner for the tourney and on Saturday we made a nice run down the Lake, South of Paris Landing in Tennessee to start.  Hello Cold Front, rain and a little wind made for a chilly day and the warmest water I saw was 53 degrees. I caught around 15 fish, no keepers, on Saturday on crankbaits, jerkbaits and jigs, but blanked the tourney. My boater partner had 1 keeper.

Ky Lake and my first day on Grassy Lake

Went to Ky Lake on Friday, March 5th will my buddy Joel. We caught 20-25 bass with only 4 keepers for about 11lbs. Not the day we were hoping for, but any day on the water is a good day. The sky was clear and the wind couldn't make up its mind which way it wanted to blow. Water was 47-50 degrees.
On Saturday, March 6th, I went to Little Grassy Lake to see what the "FAT GIRLS" were doing on this lake. Apparently, they were not hungry as I didnt have a bite all day. The water there was 39-42 degrees and no wind or clouds. I always stuggle a little at Grassy when there is no wind or clouds. Oh well, Iwill be going back to Ky Lake this this week. Saturday, March 13th is the first LBL Div. tourney for 2010 FLW Outdoors BFL's

Ultimatebass.com picture of the week.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=742095&id=208145579944

Is it Spring that I see....

Friday, Feb. 26, 2010, my friend Joel and I went to Ky Lake to chase them "Fat Girls". We had mostly blue bird skies, wind got a little breezy later in the day, water was 43-46 degrees. And what a day it turned out to be. We had 23 lbs 4 oz, on the x-tool scales, with our 5 keepers we caught. Caught a total of approximately 20 fish on jerkbaits and crankbaits. I caught my fish using Powell Rods 703cb glass rod with 12 lb flourocarbon line. I also caught the LARGEST "FAT GIRL" that I have ever caught a 7 lb 15 oz PIG.

The ICE is almost all gone....

Yes, just very little ice left on Cedar Lake. Water temps were 39-43 degrees. Shad are dying everywhere on the  main lake. We did find big schools of shad in the backs of pockets flipping around. This is also where the warmest water was found. The bite was tough for my partner Darrel and I today we had only 1 fish for 2.93 lbs. not the way we would have like to finish the Winter Div, but not unhappy with the way this Div. went. It took 15+ lbs. to win with 2nd place being around 8.5 lbs. Overall, from what I heard from the other teams it was tough on them too. So, now that the Winter div. on Cedar is over. It's time to get ready for the LBL Div. of the BFL's.

Come on SUN melt this ice !!!!!

OK, went to Cedar this mornin. Thought it was goin to be a good day of fishin. PROBLEM, backed boat trailer down ramp at Carbondale and out on the ice. Thats right, out on the ice!! Not much open water out as far as I could see. So, my buddy Joel and I went to Egypt. A little tough today but what a great day. Blue bird skies most a the day and a light breeze. Water was 40-54 degrees. We had 2 over the 16in limit today. And had another swirl on a crankbait at the boat. So the final winter div. TUBFC is Sunday Feb. 21st on Cedar Lake. we will see how it turns out.

Fishing this week...

Well, fishing for me this week was not the best for me. Went to Cedar Lake on Wednesday morning and the gate to the Carbondale ramp was locked. So, drove over to Egypt to fish for a few hours, with no luck, caught 1 shorty fish. On Thursday, My buddy Joel and I went to Kentucky Lake, we had 3 keepers. Well I say we, but he had 3. I caught a shorty and about a 6lb "DRUM". I thought maybe I had him on "BIG DRUM" for the day, But no he caught 1 about 10-12lbs.  Water was a little dirty, Temp was 43-44,Wind east around 10. Not a good week of fishing for me. "Cabin Fever" is gone for now.

TUBFC RESCHEDULED !

Well, got word today that the last TUBFC Tourney has been re-scheduled for Feb 21. Good choice, I measured about 7 inches of snow here today. So, tomorrow I will go back to work on the 3p-11p shift. Some of the guys talking of having a little fish-off, but I think I will save my day-off for a better day. I know the "FAT GIRLS" will probably be eating good, but I will wait. I may get to go on Feb 3rd or 4th, check back may be a new piture or two of some "FAT GIRLS". Stay warm!!

Cedar Lake today

Well ,things got off to a slow start this a.m. Had a liitle truck trouble didn't get to the Lake until 10 a.m. The fishing was also a little slow also. Joel and I only had 2 bites today. 1 over 18 in and a slot fish. The ice is gone, the water temp is around 39 degrees, water was clear up north and a little dirty down south, light winds today and overcast. Air temp was low 40's. Not the kinda day I was hoping for, but thats how the "FAT GIRLS" act sometimes.

The ice has melted. CHASING FAT GIRLS TOMORROW !!

I stopped by the Carbondale,Il Ramp to Cedar Lake today. The gate is OPEN. Also got a texted from a buddy of mine, he said the Pamona Ramp is OPEN too. SOOOO, Tomorrow, Joel and I are goin to see if the "FAT GIRLS" are hungry!! Hopefully they are starving.

Will this winter weather ever go away!!

OK, No fishing this week. Not used to this long cold snap we have been having. It has been below 32 degrees all of this New Year, according to the weatherman this a.m. The last day above freezing was 12/31/2009. So, hopefully, if the weatherman is right I should be able to get out of the house on Friday, 01/15/10. And "CHASE THEM FAT GIRLS!!"

TUBFC #4 Cedar Lake, 01/03/10

Another AWESOME day on Cedar Lake. First, I went up to Cedar Lake on New Year's Day took look around and try to figure out how to catch these under slot fish on Cedar Lake, "No Luck." Not even a bite! So today, my partner Darrell and I fished our 4th The Ultimate Bass Fishing Challenge Tourney for the Winter Div. My "Parents" and my "Wife" questioned my sanity for goin today, because of the temp. Air temp 11-21 degrees. Northerly winds around 10 mph. Sky was clear a.m. cloudy p.m. Water temp ranged from 37.1-39.3 degrees. The water clarity was better in the north end than down south. The "FAT GIRLS" were really eating today. Darrell and I caught 8 fish over the 18 in. limit, 4 in the 14-18 in slot and we still are struggling to catch those under 14in fish. We weighed in 2 fish for 10.73 lbs. We had big bass today which was a 6.31 lb beauty. All our fish were caught on jerkbaits. It took around 13 lbs to win and those guys thanked us for not catching any under size fish. A real bunch of comedians we fish against!!

We will be having our last TUBFC tourney on Jan 31st. I guess if the lake doesn't freeze over.