Forum | ABA - Choke Canyon 3/27-28

lilmule said:

T shirt would say I rode with the LiLMule and survived.

Ky lake can get ruff real ruff,but a plaeasure fisherman can either go home or launch in or close to where they wish to fish.

Even a 16 ft panfish can be suitable to do that,but a T fisherman cant go home generally and doesnt have that same pleasure of trailering .Next month or so will get testy here as you will be fishing a brushpile and have three guys come up in a john booat and toss in bobbers all around you.

Then come the bluegill bank fisherman shoulder to shoulder,but thats life.

Considering the traffic,it could have been worse.Like as in no $.

At least the loaner worked ok,and anytime one cashes a check they worked ok.

Funny you should mention going home… That is exactly what the guy I shared a room with did Sunday. Ohhhh around 11am he had two dink keepers in the boat. Was battlin' wind if he left the pocket he was in and battlin' with a lot of other boats doing the same as him – tryin' to avoid the wind. Soooo… around that time he said: "Ta'hell'wid'it…. trailered out and went home… I thought about it but I reckon I'm just too stupid to quit when the quittin's good.

Oh n' just fer the record I did not take home any money last weekend… And… the loaner was a problem… Master cylinder started leaking and blew brake fluid all over the back of my truck tail gate. Ford must put on some good paint 'cause it's still there. Just finished yanking the master cylinder to see if I could figure out what was leaking but didn't see anything obvious. Oh.. yeah… I do think I know where it was leaking now if I can get a rebuild kit for it – of course there are absolutely no identifiying marks/numbers on it any where. A call to AmeriTrail tomorrow should get me going in the right direction. I wasn't going to bother with it and give it back like I got it – no brakes. But… I'm gonna use it at least one more time and there's something runnin' 75mph @ 2am that just makes me wanna have brakes on the trailer. Not to mention the clunkin' and clacking it does every time I stop or take off due to the tongue travel…. My o'l boat might be a piece of junk but at least everything worked on it like it's supposed to!

For the district that fished choke last weekend I did manage to improve my lowest score by 3 points 189 to 192. That district on Choke usually pulls a full field but this time only 17 the first day and 16 the second day. At this point I suppose that helps me in the AOY race as I've got 200, 199, 198 and now a 193. With the low turn out max points were 197 and 196 for winning last weekend. If I've got to have a poor showing I suppose it's better to do it with a low turn out.

Hopefully 2 things will happen with our next visit there the second weekend in April. We'll have full fields and I'll fare a tad better then this last time. It's pretty much a given that the AOY race will be decided at the 2 day championship in June. The problem I'm gonna have is it's on Amistad and I have nev'a been there before and won't get to go until the week of the championship. Right now I plan on getting there the Wed. before. If I can swing it I'll go the Tuesday before just to get a chance to look around some.

And the results are in…. and they weren't good for o'l DW….

Friday – Hit the lake just before safe light. Ran across the dam and fished an island starting on the main lake point with deep divin' crank baits. Nothing. Worked the south side of the island with a frog and a 5″ swim bait – nothing. As I got behind the island I was a guy catching fish on just about ever other cast – but they were non-keepers. I thought the FLW, Elite series, Federation, and BassChamps were there for all the boat. It was the worst I've ever seen as far as crowded goes. Not being big on sharing water/spots I moved up lake to a series of coves/points lining the main lake and started chunking a 1/4oz. Trap. Found grass and found fish keepers but nothing to brag about. Ran further up the lake and fished an area called greyhound point – worked about 2 miles of shore line, countless trees and stumps and drop-offs – all for naught. Moved across the lake to rocky shore lines with fairly deep water near by and worked it with a c'rig. Managed one fish that went about 4.5#s. Late in the day ran back down lake and just messing around moved to the middle of a large pocket chunkin' a c'rig in 12-14' of water and started catching fish on just about ever other cast. Nothing big with about every 3rd fish a keeper – 14-15″. In a tournament I would'a weighed in 12-13 #s. Got off the water at 7pm.

Saturday – Started around the mid-lake area chunking the 1/4oz. trap. Had a limit in the boat around 10am. Moved up the lake to the area I caught the 4.5. Started throwing the c'rig. Caught a few keepers and culled again but only ounces – again. Went back down lake camped out on a point and started catching fish on a right regular basis – but nothing big. Then had a boat with three guys move in on me and throwing over my line. Yes – we had a quite a few choice words pass between us. After I won a tug-of-war after snagging one of their lines(gotta love 50# braid!) they decided to leave. I will say Saturday I encountered some of the most rude fishermen I've ever ran across in 20 years of fishing tournaments. At one point I ran way up the river – didn't have a clue as if the fish were active or what up there but I figured I'd at least get away from the A.H. for awhile. At weigh in… 5 fish all alive 10.22 good(for lack of a better term) for 6th place. 17, 14, 13#s took the money. Big fish was 7+. The federation had on tournament on Saturday as well. Took 30#s to win that one. Talked to a guy fishing a club tournament that night he weighed in 33#s. So the fish were there and catchable – just a matter of knowing what and where. This was my second time on this lake. The last time there was grass everywhere this time there was not. Kinna like fishing a new lake. So… while I didn't get the results I wanted it was better than a sharp stick in the eye. 6th of 17 put me in the top 3rd.

Sunday – What a difference a day makes. Wayyyy less boat traffic – but there was a reason – WINDY…WINDY…WINDY…. The day started off well enough. A decent breeze but not bad at all. Then the sun got all the way up n' here it came… Howling. Fishing main lake points I could see approx. 2 miles in either direction – I was the only boat on main lake points. I did work into and out of main lake points with a 3/4oz. trap – first blue/chrome til' I lost that, the black/chrome til' I lost that, then blue/pearl til' I lost that, the an o'l beat up blue/chrome til' I lost that one. By that time I had 4 keeper's in the boat and went to the c'rig and watermellon red baby brush hog. Managed to fill out my limit and cull a few times – fraction of ounces this time. Getting back to the launch ramp required crossing the lake at the dam.  YEEEHAWWWW! every time I tried to get the bow down by accelerating… I'd launch the boat. This is at 12-15mph. The Gambler w/trim tabs will lay over and run on plane at 14/15mph. I must'a launched that boat a dozen times. Never did get it up n' over but did get back to the ramp. Weighed in 7.something stinkin' pounds of fish. 1st place was 14+ and 9+ got the last check. And again I finished in 6th place this time out of 16 anglers.  Next ABA tournament – April 14-15th – Choke Canyon.

Ps think they changed that nonboater stuff as they told us at regional last year if a non boater must stay a nonboater.

And linking with a non boater will guarantee boat usage.

and in the early years they did launch 450 to 500 boats,three flights,noboater had to meet boater elsewhere and not come in a vehicle

paris landing can launch 200 easily,4 lane ramp,when its over each day state police will stoip traffic on 79 to get them all out.

In the morning you will be getting in line once you turn into the drive by the ranger station,one gets out and gets it ready every time the vehicles move up a bit,steady slow drive to the ramp,when you get to it they have it ready to fish and float,anyone who actually takes the time to do it at the ramp would get run over,most likly intentionally.

Yeah, I quit ABA because of the regional concept and the fact that if you fished all year and qualified as a non-boater – at the nationals you had to have a boat. I'm not too fond of draging a boat all the way to Tenn. then have the possibility of not even getting to fish out of it. I fished all year as a guaranteed boater – why change the game at Nationals? I do understand they'd have the possibility of being required to launch 500 boats. Parking and boat mooring would be a nightmare. But… that's why they get the big bucks!

FYI – AOY will also be fishing for a fully rigged boat in the AOY nationals competition - and I'm needin' one about now!

AOY points are awarded on a divisional basis. You can fish as many divisions as you want and then the best 4 of those are used to figure your national points but…  Points won in any division are maintained in that particular division in regards to AOY. Because AOY is a divisional award points earned from other divisions can't be counted in any other division - otherwise it'd almost have to be set up as a regional AOY.

As I understand it…. AOY for a Division allows you to compete for the National AOY title. So it seems Divisional AOY is recognized.

Last year going into the National AOY tournament on Wheeler a controversy took place. After all the district tournaments had been completed and before The Wheeler AOY or Nationals on Pickwick an angler held the top spot in the nation in points. BUT…. he did not win AOY of the year in any division. He was PO'd because he was not allowed to compete for the National AOY on Wheeler. But the rules state you must win AOY in a division to qualify for National AOY.

I've done some checkin' on the history and if one wants to walk away as the chapion at the Nationals on KYL this year… You pretty much are going to have to finish the season with a minimum of 1195 or better AND finish 4th or better at the Nationals on KYL. A combined score of 3185 or better will give you a excellent shot at the National title. That's out of a total possible of 3200 so there ain't a lot of room for screwin' up – 'specially at the Nationals where it's 5pts difference between finishing order.