I've spent the last three days trying to put together something for this tournament. It's colder than I thought it would be so that's changed my strategy somewhat. Monday was tough. I really didn't develop much of anything out there. It's a good thing the event didn't start on Tuesday. I'd have been in big trouble.
Tuesday was better, though. I found a few areas that I think will produce the kind of fish I'll need this week. And I think I was able to isolate enough structural formations to narrow down my pattern. Even better, I found several areas that were about the same, so I have a number of places to fish if my pattern holds.
Along with finding those areas I was able to narrow down my choice of baits. I think I know what they want and how they want it. Of course, we all know that bass can change their preferences in a New York minute. For cold-blooded creatures with a brain the size of a pea they seem to do pretty well when it comes to outsmarting me — and a lot of other guys, too.
Wednesday was a typical last practice day. I tried to find something totally different so I had something to fall back on if my primary pattern crashed. I've talked about that before, but it's worth mentioning again. Don't limit yourself to just one or two patterns that rely on the same basic factors.
Always try to have something in the hole that you can turn to if things get tough. That'll do two things for you. First, it'll help you relax mentally on the water. You won't feel so vulnerable. The second thing it does is obvious. It helps you catch bass.
Other than that things have been going along fairly normal for Becky and me. We had a flat tire when we got out here, but that turned out to be no big deal. I have custom rims. In some parts of the country a flat on one of them can be a nightmare. Once, in Alabama, Becky spent five hours in a shop while the guys tried to figure out what to do.
Out here — everybody has custom rims in California — they were able to change the tire in about a half-hour. It was in and out. Becky really liked that because she had to take care of the tire while I got my tackle ready. She said this is her kind of place.
Speaking of Becky, Thursday is her birthday. I was hoping to make something special out of it, but, with two events back-to-back, I'll probably have to wait until we're headed home. I'll have plenty of time then.
That's all I have for now. Hopefully, next week I'll be able to tell you about my strong performance on the Delta and about all the giant bass I caught.
