After waking up early and driving up to Nacimiento for two days I finally got some time to sleep this afternoon. It's midnight now and I can't sleep (go figure) so I finally have some time to report how I did.
-On day one we launched at around 6:35 I started throwing a crankbait and wasn't getting anything. At 7:30 I switched to a splitshot baby brushhog and managed to get two keepers, a couple dinks and missed a couple fish. That bite lasted until 9:30. I headed further into the marina cove, but I just couldn't make anything happen back there. For like five hours I only got a few bites and farmed a keeper. At about an hour before weigh in I was working some areas near the marina, still with the brushhog, and picked up my third keeper and then a keeper smallmouth. I was happy about getting 4 fish, although I felt I could've had five with that fish that I lost. For 4 fish I weighed in at 4.17 lbs (I think).
-On day two, I woke up and the rain was coming down pretty hard. When I got to the lake the rain had let up a little, but the wind was brutal. Being in a tube, I made a decision to stay close to the marina and not get to far from shore. I stayed with the baby brushhog with three splitshot and suprizingly had a good feel of the bait, despite the wind. I was basically just casting out dragging it while I kicked against the wind. At about a medium effort kicking, the wind was still pushing me forward, but that was ok, I wanted to move a little. At around 11:30 I was kicking back to my truck and was thinking about giving up, when finally I got bit. I missed that fish, but landed three more right after, all keepers. I couldn't get that area to produce anymore fish, but I knew they were biting now. I let the wind push me a little ways off of that spot until I found a point that I decided to fish (good idea). In 4 casts I landed two more nice keepers for a limit. One looked to be around 2lbs and the other 1.5. I wanted to work that area some more and maybe cull some fish, but I had some wind to fight if I was going to get back in time for weigh in. For five fish I weighed 6.8 lbs and the kicker fish I estimated to be around 2lbs was actually 1.9 (close guess) and turned out to be big fish of the day. My total weight for two days was 10.9 or so which I took third place for. My goal for the weekend was to just have fun fishing, so I was totally stoked with third place and big fish. I was really proud of myself for sticking with one technique that I knew could produce some fish. Like I said, I went for five hours yesterday with no fish and five hours today without even getting bit, but I stuck with it regardless and it paid off in the end.-Phil