Post Norman BFL Report

Practiced yesterday and fished the BFL today at Norman...quick recap of practice first.
As I wrote last week, I had a great practice last Saturday and was expecting great things. My practice plan was to fish the areas I fished last week but fish different structure with different baits and try to find the best area to concentrate on. After about an hour i reached down to pick up a rod and my back went out. I fought it for a half hour and decided there was no way I could fish Saturday if I didn't do something. I have had back issues for years but it has been awhile since it went out this bad. I finally got back to the ramp, crawled out of the boat, and got things loaded up. (Another shout out to Trick Steps - was a life saver while loading) I went to Mooresville and checked into the hotel, unhooked the boat, and came back home and got medicine and my Tens Unit for my back. Spent the afternoon in the hotel.
Got a great draw - a fine young man from Grover, NC who is a good fisherman and is experienced. I made one stop in the back of a pocket and then went straight to my best stuff. I had about 10-12 places to crank a square bill and was sure they would be on several of them. On the second stop I hooked up with a good fish only it turned to be a catfish. Caught another that almost kept, had several touch my bait but not get it, and that was it. Stayed down the lake until after lunch and then came back to mid-lake and hit places that both me and my co-angler liked. Neither of us boated a keeper today.
Looking back, my back issue did not affect me today but it did affect my ability to practice yesterday. There are a few fish on the beds down the lake and I was wanting to try a technique that pays off a lot of times as they are going on the bed. (Saw 68 water temp this morning in Ramsey) I feel like I might have figured out yesterday that things had changed had I been able to fish. But, the Lord kept us safe and I guess I have caught my share over the years so I am thankful I was able to go play in the rain today.
Wylie is next in 3 or 4 weeks. Not sure yet what I will do there but I hope it doesn't involve throwing a square bill several thousand times! Practice will start in two weeks - we have the annual Car Show at Swofford Career Center next week so I will be at work next week.
Want to give out a shout out to Jody Wright for a great third place finish today. Jody is a great local fisherman and I sure am glad to see him have a great tournament today.

Ready for the Day

Ease of Loading with Trick Step

Just a quick video showing how much easier the Trick Step makes loading the boat. They have them available for most models and if yours isn't in stock they can make one to fit your boat. #AnglersChoice is now a dealer for them so stop in next time you're close by and check them out.

Norman Practice 2/16

Final full day of practice at Norman for the BFL. Much better day today than I have been having. Hoping for cloudy weather next Saturday with a little wind.

Mercury Four Stroke

It has been a little over 3 months since I got the #Mercury 4 stroke 225 and I want to give a report on performance. I want to be honest in this blog so I have to say that in the first month or so I had an issue that took time to sort out. Between the quality of the motor and the model being so new, there was not lots of information out there for troubleshooting. Cannot say enough about Eddie Wooten at Anglers Choice Spindale for his relentless work to figure it out. Turned out the issue was not motor related at all, but the throttle cable was in a bind near the back of the boat and I was not able to get the throttle to open 100% all the time.
Once Eddie took care of this there have been no other issues at all, and I couldn't be happier with the performance. Hole shot is perfect and I can't tell any difference in it regardless of whether I have someone with me and the live wells loaded or not. I really don't see how the hole shot could be improved.
Gas mileage is very good, much better than the old EFI I have been running for years. I think about 18 gallons is the most I have used in a day of hard fishing with a good bit of running. Thinking back, I would have used more than one tank in my old boat (22 gallons). I have not made what I would call a long run yet (20 or so miles or more) wide open, but I am certain I will be pleased with that as well.
The power is great with quick acceleration. I am playing with the jackplate (I have a manual 10") trying to find the perfect spot. I have gotten the boat to 72 mph but had some chine walk after I reached 70. Playing with it I have eliminated the chine walk but top speed dropped to 70. 70 is plenty quick enough but like all fishermen I want to get all I can get out of it. At 70 the boat drives outstanding, and I feel very secure in my control of it.
So...I couldn't be happier with the motor and how it performs on my boat. I encourage anyone who is in the market for a new rig or a motor upgrade to take a good look at the Mercury 4 stroke. I am certainly glad I did...and I love not adding oil!

Chatterbait Fishing

Fished Norman today. Had a brief flurry early with a jerkbait and then went to the back of a small creek where a small channel runs along some rip rap. Caught these two on a Katch-Her Lures chatterbait. For whatever reason each year when the water gets to 50 in this place there will always be some fish here. Deepest water is 4 feet right against the rip rap. I was hoping for a whole school - last year there was a large school of fish here in February.

A Rig Box

Getting tackle ready this afternoon for next weekend and did this short video on Alabama Rig storage. If you ever wonder how to store them this is one way to do it and you probably have the things needed at home.

Anglers Choice Open House Is In The Books

Big shout out to Nick, Sandy, Bobby, Andy, and the rest of the fantastic staff at Anglers Choice in Spindale for a great open house. Perfect weather, free food, live music, many vendors, Sir Purr, drawings throughout both days for free stuff, Denny Brauer and Hank Parker speaking, and great deals on boats and tackle. The staff put in a tremendous amount of work to get the dealership ready. About every boat had to be moved and arranged to be sure there was adequate parking for the big crowd. Staff kept the place as clean as a pin throughout the event and each one of them had a smile on their face the entire time. Very happy to be associated with such a great group of folks. Looking forward to next year already...I encourage everyone to come out to the location nearest you next year and see what they have to offer.

Denny Brauer Speaking at Anglers Choice

Short video of Denny Brauer's extensive session on jig fishing. Great seminar and glad to see him at Anglers Choice on behalf of Ranger Boats. Come out tomorrow if you are in the area....Denny will be back from 9:00-12:00 and Hank Parker will be speaking around 2:00-2:30. The event ends at 3:00 tomorrow.