Last Sunday was the first tournament of the year for the Flint River Bass Club. Only six members showed up at Sinclair on a cold, cloudy day. There was only one limit but everyone caught at least one keeper. The 18 bass we brought to the scales weighed about 29 pounds.

After fishing from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM Lee Hancock won it all with a limit weighing 9.63 pounds and big fish with a 4.15 pound largemouth. My three keepers weighted 6.27 for second, Don Gober had four at 5.15 for third, and Jack “Zero” Ridgeway had three at 4.89 for fourth.
I started the day fishing a crankbait on a steep rocky bank. After an hour I was ready to leave but saw some brush sticking out of the water ahead of me and fished to it. I’m glad I did. A 3.7 pound bass hit by crankbait by the brush.

After fishing that area hard without any more bites I moved to a cove with docks in it. There is a rock pile between two docks where I have caught bass this time of year. The very first cast I made to it with a jig head worm I felt a tap and my line started moving back to the boat. When I set the hook my line broke.

After saying some choice words and trying to retie, my line broke every time I pulled it tight. Something was wrong with that line, I guess it had deteriorated on the reel. So I switched to another outfit and tied the jig head on it.

The next cast to the rocks produced another hit. My line started moving out, I set the hook hard and my rod bowed up on a heavy fish, and the hook came out of its mouth. That happened on four consecutive casts! I never hooked a fish there. I have no idea why I could not hook those fish unless there was a school of gar there and I could not get a hook in their bony snout.

After noon I ran down the lake to another place and caught my other two keepers by docks, then broke my line when I got a hit on some rocks. This time it was my fault, I had been fishing rocks and had not checked my line.

The Sportsman Club meets this Tuesday and our first tournament in this Sunday at Jackson. Time to join us!