Derby culls

I made it a point to get back out to "Hawg Heaven" on Friday and managed to make a couple of culls for the Bass Pundit Bass Derby.
I was joined my my friend and fellow bass fisherman Sammy Lewis who was as anxious as me to return to the lake.
We started flipping a set of reeds that held a lot of fish on my last visit, but nothing big. My first fish of the day was only a 16 incher, but the next one was a healthy 19 incher that went 4-4 on my scale, giving me a slight cull. I continued catching catching fish most of the morning but nothing big, but after a while the bite just stopped.
I decided to try something different and went to some off shore structure. On about my fifth cast I felt a solid thump, and after a hard fought battle Sammy lipped a bass that weighed 5-10. We continued working the area but didn't get any more bites.
While trolling to the next piece of structure, Sammy noticed bait fish surfacing and started throwing a spinnerbait at them and quickly boated two 14 inchers.
On the next spot, after making a few casts, I felt my lure climb over some brush and then get whacked. I set the hook into the fish but it had me wrapped, after see-sawing a couple times the fish pulled out of the brush and Sammy again lipped another big fish - 5lbs even.
We continued to run this pattern all over the lake but had no other bites.
I was getting close to calling it a day, but on the way in we decided to hit the same reed bed we started on and it was on fire. Lots of fish but all small. After about an hour we headed in.
This gives me three good culls and should move me up in the Derby.