2005 Bass Master Central Open Norfork Lake Arkansas
I recently returned from participating in the 2005 Bass Master Central Open Tour on Norfork Lake in Arkansas. Competing on the non-boater side was something I usually don't do. I like to fish out of my boat. However, the chance to fish with the likes of Gary Klein, Tommy Martin, Mark Davis, Ben Matsubu, Jimmy Mize, Randy Dearman, Chad Brauer, and, let's not forget, Takahiro Omori, was a rare opportunity to see and learn from some of the biggest names in bass fishing. Unfortunately, I didn't draw any of them as partners during the tournament.
I woke up 1 1/2 hours early on Wednesday morning (I guess 4:00 A.M. wasn't early enough), kissed the wife as she slept, and headed out on the road. After driving from Chicago, I arrived in Mountain Home, AR, and checked into the hotel. Then I went in search of the marina to survey the area.
At the registration and partner pairing, I first noticed all the pros attending. My jaw dropped as I surveyed the room and saw them all. Even Jerry McKinnis was here.
That night as I talked to my wife, I was as excited as a little kid in a candy store for the first time.
Day one started great; I caught two fish in about 5 minutes. Since the water was clear, I started with ¾-ounce Storm wild-shiner swim bait. My first fish was an 11-inch smallie (too short to keep); on the next cast, I caught a 15-inch spotted bass. I thought I was onto an early pattern and would have my limit within an hour or so. Unfortunately, they seemed to not want that bait after catching that keeper. My partner was working on the early top-water bite without any success. After a few hours, we tried some different areas, but they only produced short fish. Finally, my boater was able to put some keepers into the boat.
At the weigh-in, I was again excited to be in the presence of these pros and waited for my turn up on the stage to weigh my only fish. After weighing my only fish, I was ranked 23rd on the non-boater side. This was great but surprising news. I knew the fishing was tough, but surely I'd drop in the standings and have a much better day tomorrow to make the cut and fish on Saturday.
Thursday night, I was talking to the hotel desk clerk and checking the standings. I only dropped seven places and was now in 30th place when up walks Gary Klein. I said hello and congratulated him on being one of the finalists in the greatest angler debate, to which he said it was an honor even to be considered. We talked briefly, and he asked me how I did. I told him I thought it would be a good day but that it went south. Gary then told me how he was catching some of his fish and mentioned I might want to give it a shot if I get the chance. WOW! Gary Klein was giving me advice! This was the pinnacle of the day for me.
On day two, I drew a local, and I thought, "This is great. I would get the chance to move up in the standings." After about a 2 ½ hour fog delay, we finally got to our first spot. My partner told me that a jig and trailer had been working for him the past few days, so I took his advice and tied one on. I lost one fish, broke off another, and only brought in short fish. My partner didn't fair any better. I'm starting to get anxious because I'm not catching any fish, and we lost 2 ½ hours this morning. We made a 30-minute run way north and fished a creek for a while. The water was stained, which is what I am used to fishing. I broke out my trusty chartreuse spinnerbait and worked the shallows where the bass were busting the shad. I landed a 10-inch largemouth, which I quickly released and, a few minutes later, hooked what I thought was a keeper. After bringing him to the boat in record time, I threw him on the measuring board only to find out that he was just barely over 14 ½ inches ( too short ).
We finished up in a little cove about 5 minutes from the marina where with about 20 minutes to spare, my partner finally caught a keeper, and I again caught some short fish.
Disappointed as we headed for the weigh-in, I noticed that today there was no line for bags to weigh your fish and the line at the stage needed to be bigger. Maybe everyone had a rough day due to the fog, and I could make the cut.
I stood around the front of the stage and chatted with some people staying at the same hotel as me. As the anglers were waiting in line, I eagerly held my breath as they announced whether they were boaters or non-boater. On the non-boater side, it was only taking 1 lb 9 oz. to make the cut. I now had to wait for the rest of the field to come in and hoped I didn't get bumped. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they began to announce the names of those that made the cut. When they got down to number 47 and said my name, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I had made the cut, and I get to fish one more day.
