BassAttack 2nd season event July 26th 2014

It was HOT!!!! Water temps were in the 90's and the heat index was 101 by noon. We had a 28 boat field, and everybody gave it all they had, some even zeroed out at the 3:30 weigh in. The fishing was hard and the temperatures were borderline brutal. Our game plan of throwing top water was quickly shot down. Four weeks(9 different trips to develop a pattern) gone!!! We just had a massive thunderstorm the night before, and the water went from slightly stained to murky. After 1 1/2 hours in our "spot" that had showed great promise, we had yet to even get a bite, less the baby alligator that wanted my Lunkerfrog. We strapped everything down and across the lake we went. Now looking at labyrinth of Kissimmee grass and lillypads we decided it was time to throw swimbaits and work them deep, shallow, top water, and any other way you could imagine trying to get an idea what or how they wanted it. I want to say JACKPOT, but it wasn't quite that good, but we started getting fish in the boat. A few 1lb fish blew up a top water presentation through the Kissimmee grass. Then we had a solid 3lb blast it as soon it it cleared a lillypad. These are anything but typical lillypads. Some of the ones in this spot were 3-4 feet across. Things were starting to look up, we had found our rhythm and a storm from was on the horizon. We worked the grass, looking for every little pocket we could find. As the wind picked up and we got into a shallow cove I decided to throw my favorite top water popper, just to see what the cove had hiding in it. So wind to my back I fired off this 1/4 popper, all the way into the bleachers. Snagged at the shoreline. Strike one! Ruining a great chance to fish this cove, strike two. Watching my partner pull another bass in while I was trying to get my lure undone, strike three!!! I took a few minutes to settle down and regroup. Picked up my swimbait rig and cast towards the edge of a small, isolated cluster of lillies. Bringing just along the outside edge until I cleared them, there it was, a massive wake just behind my bait. I dead sticked it for a second, twitched the rod and saw a huge white mouth swallow my bait. Slowly lifting the rod, waiting to feel the tension as I watched the massive bass making her way towards the bow of the boat, there it was. The moment of truth. As I went to set the hook she decided to blow it out. As she went under the boat, and parted the grass swimming away, I felt sick to pit of my stomach. I had just lost a beast and cost us the tournament. While we had our limit, we only had two of size. The storm finally made its way to us, as we headed towards the scales. Five fish, 2.97 big bass and our total weight of 7.36lbs after a 4oz deduction for a dead fish. We had 1st place and tournament big fish at that moment. Only 9 boats left to weigh in. A few came up, looked at the board and shook thier heads, saying it had been a rough day. Waiting and watching the last boats pull up and weighing in their days work, we trickled down to fifth place. The winning bag was 15.04 with the big fish being 5.15. We were pleased to be in the top five, as I reflected on my giant that swam away. A friend fished a different tournament on Sunday, the 27th and the winning bag for that was just over 5.5lbs and I never heard what the big fish was. That made me even more thankful that we made the top five, and also keeps me waiting to go back there later in the season, to get a second change at my big one. Until next time, be safe have fun and tight lines.