Geist - Tuesday Night Tournament 03/06/07

We "Braved the weather" and fished the First Tuesday night tournament (03/06/07) at Geist, all day we both questioned whether we should even go! Knowing that the storms coming in were going to be severe!!... Driving up Emerson Ave heading toward 465, the biggest, brightest, blinding lighting bolt I have ever seen up close - exploded on top of a Rally’s Hamburger billboard sending sparks flying off of the top of the sign!!! We both looked at each other thinking we have to be crazy to even think of fishing in this kind of weather! Listening to the weather radio on the way to the ramp, hearing about +60 mph winds and golf ball size hail, tornado warnings and down pour rains! We laughed at how last year (2006) on an early spring Tuesday evening preparing the boat at the house and getting ready to leave to go to the tournament, a storm came through before we left and the wind was so strong it split several large tree limbs that fell onto the parked boat in my driveway! That day we decided not to fish the tournament! Then the next day found out the tournament was not cancelled and several nice bass were caught! Let me tell you the "Die Hard Locals" that fish these Geist tournaments are very good fisherman!! It is amazing to see that even on our toughest days; these guys are bringing big bags of fish to the scales! And Geist a large portion of the time is a very tough lake to fish! But someone always wins!!!.... So today we decided to at least go to the ramp and check out the conditions. Pulling up to the ramp there was only two other boats in the parking lot!!.. The rain was pouring down!! Lighting darting across the sky frequenting! Gary was sitting at the weigh in station talking to the few brave souls that were going to fish! His van did not have his boat attached! We figured he was not going to fish! We were still thinking we have to be crazy to fish in this weather! A fourth boat finally pulled up! It is now 4:45PM and still raining, we pulled the truck up to the weight in station and asked if they we still going to have the tournament and Kenny said yes! I looked at Terry and said what do you think?? He said let's try it!! So we untarped the boat and launched.

Before I go any further talking about the tournament, I want to say how nice of a day it was, before the storm rolled in! Sunny and 70+ degrees! Beautiful! I dropped my son off at school at 7:30AM and decided to fish some local ponds on the southside. I started with a small crank bait! The action was slow! Fished the edges at a slow retrieve and managed 6 bass and one big black crappie in the first hour and a half! The sun is now up and the action was slow. Thinking the morning bite is over, I decided to head back to the car and go home! On the way back to the car, I decided to refish a stretch of bank I fished earlier! Bang, bang, bang, three fish on back to back cast! Then three more on every other or every third cast! Now that was fast action and two of them were keepers 14-15”. I continued to fish some other areas and caught a lot of fish! Finally finished after 3 ½ hours, 11:30AM with a total of 24 bass, 1 crappie, and the best 5 keepers that went just over 9 or 10 pounds! I was thinking the whole time; I wished I could catch these fish tonight in the tournament!

Back to the tournament, I can not give to many details as my partner would shot me! We launched the boat; it was still raining pretty good! We went to our first area and only caught a few small fish! But nothing to write home about. It was now 6:30 and time was starting to become of an essence. Left that area fished another area; my partner took over the bow of the boat and cranked up the trolling motor! We were moving pretty good, but still not catching any thing! Finally using a search bait, I caught a 2 pound keeper from the back of the boat! Then took over the reigns at the front of the boat, slowing down just a bit, but still fishing pretty fast! Nothing happening, but felt there were fish in the area! Chasing bait fish and occasionally jumping out of the water! Changed to a slower moving bait! And on the first cast nailed a 5.25 pound fish! It felt like I was pulling in a log or limb at first, until the fish got to the boat and the short lived fight was on! We were pumped! Slid her in the live well and got back at it! My partner changed to a different color of the same bait and just a few minutes later, nailed a 3+ pound fish! Then another 3+ fish! Twenty minutes later, a 2# fish! In a matter of one hour we boated 15.98 lbs!!!.... Unbelievable! This area which I can not divulge, was loaded with big fish, we spooked several big fish and felt after the fish got accustomed to the bait we were using, if we could have made one more adjustment to something different (bait) we could have had over twenty pounds! But we could not figure it out and time ran out! We won the tournament!

We have only been fishing these tournaments for three years and were always amazed at how these guys catch these big bags of fish in four hours! But it can be done! It is a matter of being in the right place at the right time and making adjustments in presentations! This time we had everything going in the right direction, full moon, low barometric pressure front, evening bite, the right adjustments and LUCKY to be at the right place at the right time! I never have been a fair weathered fisherman and now will brave even the worst conditions for action like we had last night!

Here are some good and bad pic's,:

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u286/Malachi_1961/4-3-2007-4.jpg
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u286/Malachi_1961/4-3-2007-3.jpg
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u286/Malachi_1961/4-3-2007-1.jpg

See you next Tuesday!

Malachi

Wow, congrats, we were going to fish but chickened out. How many boats ended up fishing?

[QUOTE=bassman409;292303]Wow, congrats, we were going to fish but chickened out. How many boats ended up fishing?[/QUOTE]


Unfortunately, there were only four boats attending the contest! But it will still be a memorable evening in our minds for a very long time!

;)

[QUOTE=Malachi;292195]We "Braved the weather" and fished the First Tuesday night tournament (03/06/07) at Geist, all day we both questioned whether we should even go! Knowing that the storms coming in were going to be severe!!... Driving up Emerson Ave heading toward 465, the biggest, brightest, blinding lighting bolt I have ever seen up close - exploded on top of a Rally’s Hamburger billboard sending sparks flying off of the top of the sign!!! We both looked at each other thinking we have to be crazy to even think of fishing in this kind of weather! Listening to the weather radio on the way to the ramp, hearing about +60 mph winds and golf ball size hail, tornado warnings and down pour rains! We laughed at how last year (2006) on an early spring Tuesday evening preparing the boat at the house and getting ready to leave to go to the tournament, a storm came through before we left and the wind was so strong it split several large tree limbs that fell onto the parked boat in my driveway! That day we decided not to fish the tournament! Then the next day found out the tournament was not cancelled and several nice bass were caught! Let me tell you the "Die Hard Locals" that fish these Geist tournaments are very good fisherman!! It is amazing to see that even on our toughest days; these guys are bringing big bags of fish to the scales! And Geist a large portion of the time is a very tough lake to fish! But someone always wins!!!.... So today we decided to at least go to the ramp and check out the conditions. Pulling up to the ramp there was only two other boats in the parking lot!!.. The rain was pouring down!! Lighting darting across the sky frequenting! Gary was sitting at the weigh in station talking to the few brave souls that were going to fish! His van did not have his boat attached! We figured he was not going to fish! We were still thinking we have to be crazy to fish in this weather! A fourth boat finally pulled up! It is now 4:45PM and still raining, we pulled the truck up to the weight in station and asked if they we still going to have the tournament and Kenny said yes! I looked at Terry and said what do you think?? He said let's try it!! So we untarped the boat and launched.

Before I go any further talking about the tournament, I want to say how nice of a day it was, before the storm rolled in! Sunny and 70+ degrees! Beautiful! I dropped my son off at school at 7:30AM and decided to fish some local ponds on the southside. I started with a small crank bait! The action was slow! Fished the edges at a slow retrieve and managed 6 bass and one big black crappie in the first hour and a half! The sun is now up and the action was slow. Thinking the morning bite is over, I decided to head back to the car and go home! On the way back to the car, I decided to refish a stretch of bank I fished earlier! Bang, bang, bang, three fish on back to back cast! Then three more on every other or every third cast! Now that was fast action and two of them were keepers 14-15”. I continued to fish some other areas and caught a lot of fish! Finally finished after 3 ½ hours, 11:30AM with a total of 24 bass, 1 crappie, and the best 5 keepers that went just over 9 or 10 pounds! I was thinking the whole time; I wished I could catch these fish tonight in the tournament!

Back to the tournament, I can not give to many details as my partner would shot me! We launched the boat; it was still raining pretty good! We went to our first area and only caught a few small fish! But nothing to write home about. It was now 6:30 and time was starting to become of an essence. Left that area fished another area; my partner took over the bow of the boat and cranked up the trolling motor! We were moving pretty good, but still not catching any thing! Finally using a search bait, I caught a 2 pound keeper from the back of the boat! Then took over the reigns at the front of the boat, slowing down just a bit, but still fishing pretty fast! Nothing happening, but felt there were fish in the area! Chasing bait fish and occasionally jumping out of the water! Changed to a slower moving bait! And on the first cast nailed a 5.25 pound fish! It felt like I was pulling in a log or limb at first, until the fish got to the boat and the short lived fight was on! We were pumped! Slid her in the live well and got back at it! My partner changed to a different color of the same bait and just a few minutes later, nailed a 3+ pound fish! Then another 3+ fish! Twenty minutes later, a 2# fish! In a matter of one hour we boated 15.98 lbs!!!.... Unbelievable! This area which I can not divulge, was loaded with big fish, we spooked several big fish and felt after the fish got accustomed to the bait we were using, if we could have made one more adjustment to something different (bait) we could have had over twenty pounds! But we could not figure it out and time ran out! We won the tournament!

We have only been fishing these tournaments for three years and were always amazed at how these guys catch these big bags of fish in four hours! But it can be done! It is a matter of being in the right place at the right time and making adjustments in presentations! This time we had everything going in the right direction, full moon, low barometric pressure front, evening bite, the right adjustments and LUCKY to be at the right place at the right time! I never have been a fair weathered fisherman and now will brave even the worst conditions for action like we had last night!

Here are some good and bad pic's,:

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u286/Malachi_1961/4-3-2007-4.jpg
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u286/Malachi_1961/4-3-2007-3.jpg
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u286/Malachi_1961/4-3-2007-1.jpg

See you next Tuesday!

Malachi[/QUOTE]


OUTSTANDING report! Your story was better than any TV fishing show or bass magizine write up.

Please keep posting,, for us that are land locked,, till summer