Tough Heartland Tourney

[Tom Spence]

Fished Lead Hill area Thursday and Friday then the Theo arm on Saturday trying to put something together for the Heartland. Man was it tough. Had pretty good topwater bites all four days but very few keepers. Tried to flip on the flooded bushes but they are all full of green vegetation and when I wasn't losing a jig or shakey head on a vine it was getting pounded by blue gill. Finally Sunday rolled around and we had blue bird skies, wind out of the northeast, and again, tough conditions. I decided not to make a long run and stayed within 12 miles of the take off to try and maximize the topwater bite. Got my first keeper largemouth at 6:45 on a spook over flooded bushes on a 2ndary point. Several shorts followed the rest of the morning. As the sun got higher I tried shakey heads and split shot rigs outside the brush line. Caught two smallies that I swore were gonna keep when I was fighting them but when I got 'em in the boat they were each 1/4 inch short. Finally got another keeper largemouth at 12:30 over flooded bushes again on a point with a spook. This one went about 3 pounds and was the last keeper of the day. I beleive the LM were buried in the green bushes and just had to be coaxed out with alot of work. Had a real hard time finding spotted bass. Turns out pretty much everybody had it rough. 1/3 of the field blanked and there were only 3 limits weighed in. My 4.63 pounds was good enough for 15th place. Couldn't believe that. I've never fished that end of the lake and was amazed at the water clarity. I've heard people talk about it before but to see rocks on the bottom in 20 feet of water was a little mind boggling to me. Absolutly beautiful lake though.

[Ham]

Yeah the post spawn females will strike the spook, but they ain't eating it great yet. You guys had tough conditions for a TW bite. Spots seem to like the dingier water. AGFC studies show spotted bass to be the least of the three black bass species in number. LMB> SMB. spotted bass. LMB are everywhere, but th smallies and spots have semi-specific places they like to live in or at least that has been my experience.

[motoman]

That's a tough go Tom, but like you said, the rest of the field had trouble, so you shouldn't feel too bad.

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I've fished the Heartland event at Table Rock a couple times, and that's a tough bunch!

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I think I've seen you post on the Table rock forums before? And I'll be heading down to the lower end of Bull Shoals in august, and was curious; it sounds like similar tactics are used at Bull Shoals, to those tactics used at The Rock?

[Troy Gregg]

That's a tough go Tom, but like you said, the rest of the field had trouble, so you shouldn't feel too bad.

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I've fished the Heartland event at Table Rock a couple times, and that's a tough bunch!

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I think I've seen you post on the Table rock forums before? And I'll be heading down to the lower end of Bull Shoals in august, and was curious; it sounds like similar tactics are used at Bull Shoals, to those tactics used at The Rock?

Motoman, I am no pro, but I fish the Heartland circuit as a co-angler. Of all those guys in the heartland tourney at Bull shols, Pro and co-angler both, there were 8 limits of fish weighed in. To date this was the toughest tourney I have had to fish in.

I will go ahead and say that what works on the rock will also work on Bull shoals. Bull shoals is gin clear on that lower end, at least it was during that tourney, you could count the leaves on the green bushes in 15 feet of water.

[motoman]

Motoman, I am no pro, but I fish the Heartland circuit as a co-angler. Of all those guys in the heartland tourney at Bull shols, Pro and co-angler both, there were 8 limits of fish weighed in. To date this was the toughest tourney I have had to fish in.

I will go ahead and say that what works on the rock will also work on Bull shoals. Bull shoals is gin clear on that lower end, at least it was during that tourney, you could count the leaves on the green bushes in 15 feet of water.

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Yikes, only 8 limits, that must've been a tough one.

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I was guessing Bull Shoals would be similar to Table Rock, but 15 foot water clarity; now THAT'S clear water!

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I'll be checking back here when the time gets closer for us to leave.