Several years ago six members of the Flint River Bass Club fished the Georgia BASS Federation Nation Top Six tournament at Lake Oconee. There were 13 clubs competing for top club in the tournament and the individuals were trying to finish in one of the top 12 places and advance to the Southern Regional.

In a very unpleasant surprise a cold front came through on Friday and brought record setting cold weather. The bass seemed to go into shock and the fishing was extremely tough. After fishing two days it took only a little over nine pounds to make the state team.

Five members of our team camped and it was all the heater in my little motor home could do to keep it “almost” comfortable at night. Jordan McDonald was my partner and we slept under several blankets. During the days fishing we wore all the clothes we had trying to stay warm.

On Thursday Jordan and I fished hard all day but neither of us caught a keeper bass. We did watch another fisherman catch some fish near us. On Friday it was much colder and the wind was awful. I managed to catch one keeper jigging a spoon in 22 feet of water.

Friday night I drew as a partner for Saturday the guy we had seen catching fish on Thursday. We made our plans for Saturday based on his thoughts we could catch fish on his pattern after lunch.

Saturday dawned extremely cold. We fished hard all day, hitting docks I like to fish until about 11:00 then going to his pattern for the rest of the day. Neither of us caught a keeper.

During the night one of our team members got sick and could not fish. I agreed to leave my boat on the bank and fish with Mike Morris, our sick team members partner for the day. It was a good decision. Mike is an excellent fisherman and had weighed in eight pounds on Saturday. We fished the same areas the same ways I had fished on Saturday but Mike got a limit weighing 9.5 pounds and ended up second overall.

I managed to catch four keepers weighing a little over 7 pounds and came in 22nd overall. To my great disgust I lost a big bass that just pulled off for no apparent reason. That fish would have put me on the team if I had landed it.

To add insult to injury, my partner on Saturday fished with Flint River team member JJ Polak on Sunday. They fished the same places he and I had fished on Saturday but he landed four bass weighing 10.5 pounds and made the team.

It always amazes me how different fishing can be one day to the next and how it changes for me. I will never understand how I can work hard one day and not catch a fish and do the same thing the next day and have a good catch. I guess that is why we call it fishing, not catching!