Hartwell Reports from 12/14 and 12/21

Fished tournaments the past two weeks on Hartwell. Two weeks ago fished a benefit tournament for a family who lost their home in a fire. Big 20 pound sack took first place and then it fell to 13 and down. We finished 5th I think with 12.51. We were .15 out of the money. We caught quite a few fish but could not get the big bite we needed. Focused on wood cover on the main channel flipping jigs and plastic. Caught fish on Arig as well in some ditches.
Yesterday we fished the second CATT tournament. Fished same pattern and caught fish but once more could not get a big bite. Had a couple of snafus that might have cost us a little weight but those things happen. Had 10.10 as I recall and 15 won and there were lots of 12 pound bags. Been close but haven't been able to seal it yet. Back at Hartwell this coming weekend. Planning to practice this Friday and hope to be able to expand our area. Will report back next weekend. Good fishing!!

Treble Hook in Thumb

Fished solo at Hartwell today and ended up with a treble hook in my thumb. Not the first time this has happened and I tried to explain the process I used to remove it on video but, after reviewing the video, it was apparent I did not do a very job so I am going to explain the process here. Hopefully this will help someone down the road who is not familiar with this method. The first step is the most difficult - removing the hook from the fish. You have a death grip on the fish with your free hand while trying to take the hook out with the hand that is impaled with a hook. Once the fish is free, the next step is to cut the split ring on the hook attached to you to free the hook from the crankbait. Next, cut the two free hooks close to the shank, leaving you with a single hook in your hand. At this point I got a length of fishing line (25lb) and tied the two ends together securely to prevent slippage. I took the line and placed it through the steering wheel, leaving a portion below the wheel. Next, I placed the line between the hook and my skin and pushed down firmly on the hook eye with my free hand. Once I got to this point I quickly jerked my hand downwards away from the steering wheel and the hook popped out painlessly. I have used this method before when my myself and have used it several times on other folks. It has always worked flawlessly.

Lake James Tournament

Fished our club tournament on James yesterday. Ended up with 11 something, all smallmouths, which was good enough for second. Only caught one largemouth the entire day and it was the smallest fish of all. Here are a couple of videos from the day. Water temp was 53-54.

Turning my attention now to Hartwell and Murray for the next two months.