Sunrise YSB & Viking Invitational

Over the last few weeks I fished a couple of open tournaments. There is not much to tell and the outcomes were similar so I thought I would blog about them together.

First was the Sunrise Bassmasters YSB tournament held on North & South Center, this is a annual fundraiser where a portion of the entry fee is donated to the Lakes Area Youth Services Bureau. I did not have a chance to pre-fish since I was on vacation the week prior but my Brother Scott was able to get out and locate some fish holding in pads. Along with a couple of rock spots I have, a plan was set. We started on some pads on South Center that I have done well in the past but had no takers. We then fished the pads by Hazleton and caught a 15 incher on a buzzbait. Next we ran some dock with no bites. We then decided the shallow bite was not happening so we checked both of my rock spots and again no bites. We then ran to North Center to some more pads and managed to catch two more keepers fairly quick on A 3/8 oz FlaMinn Lures jig. We stuck with pads & docks the rest of the day and ended up with no more keepers. With only three fish for our efforts we didn't bother to weigh in.

Next was the Viking Invitational on Lake Minnetonka, another fundraiser, run by the Viking Bassmasters. All contestants are required to bring non-perishable food items which are donated to a local food shelf.
Once again I did not have time to pre-fish, but being the time of year it is, my partner Shawn and I thought we could throw spinnerbaits and jigs around docks, weeds and pads all day, cover lots of water and come up with a limit of nice fish. We started in Black lake where we caught a 12 incher on a dock, next I caught a 14 incher on another dock in West arm. We then went a long time without a bite. Around three o'clock I ran to a weedline spot I know in Spring Park bay and fished for about fifteen minutes with no bites. With only about fifteen minutes until weigh in we ran some docks nearby and caught a 16 incher but by now we were out of time. Again with only three fish it was not worth running all the way back to Excelsior bay so we loaded the boat and headed home.

These two tournaments were very humbling for me. I had a very successful year fishing the ABA, my confidence was high and I thought I knew the tournament waters well enough to do well. I fished hard and stayed positive each day, but after bombing twice I am reminded the importance of pre-fishing.