HIGHs & LOWs (Tournament Fishing)

So bass season is finally here in full force and I can safely bet that most bass guys (and gals) have been out hitting up all the hotspots. Some of us have even participated in a number of tournaments and experienced those “oh so real” highs and lows. Personally, I had experienced one of the most extreme HIGHS to a crashing LOW during the Sturgeon Lake CSFL event last weekend. Our tournament day was going pretty well, we had two 4 pound smallmouth in the live well, and a low 3 pound largemouth (along with two 13 inchers to round out our limit) as the day progressed we found some quality green weed growth in about 6 feet of water, that was perfect for working Rapala Xraps and RipStop over the top of. It didn’t take long for the HIGH to happen…..that familiar strike, followed by that BIG FISH fight! My partner grabbed the net, I worked the fish to the boat, noticed a gold flash (thought to myself, “sure thought I had a largie on, oh well a big smlallie is fine with me”) but then the crash to the LOW !!! The gold flash turned out to be a big Walleye. Its funny how in a tournament, such a beautiful fish can feel like a punch in the gut. But those are the HIGHS and LOWS of tournament fishing. BUT it does not take long for any true angler to be thankful for such a great catch…..smile for the camera, soft release, BACK TO FINDING BASS!! Can’t wait till the next tournament!!