Bassmasters Central Open

[OldMillRoad]

Fished as a co for the first time in a big time derby.  What a great experience it was, but I learned quickly that I was going to fish used and abused water.  So, I changed my mindset to absorb as much information as I could.  Both the pro's I drew were extremely nice young men and on the bubble to qualify for the elites next year. Thursday was a good numbers day but no size, countless 14 1/2 inch fish.  Both he and I wound up with one keep. We definitely didn't target the bite I had been on in previous days, but there were fish on his stuff.  Friday I knew right out of the gate I would have little water to fish as he was running and gunning specific targets he had waypointed in practice.  He was on the same pattern the top 12 guys were on and he ended up getting his largemouth limit by 3pm.  I tried to capitalize on the opportunities I had but ended up losing one in a brush pile on a jig and another came unbuttoned on a crankbait,  The fish were keying on gizzard shad shallow but they were few and far between,  

I went out Sunday morning and ran his pattern on different locations and caught 5 before 11 o'clock.  What a difference having control of the front of the boat makes.  I doubt I will ever do the co thing again, but what a great experience it was.

[moguy1973]

I'm guessing with you being the co you don't have much to say in the matter or is it not in the rules that you can give advice you have from being a local?

[Bill Babler]

Clunn and his Am were throwing the Whopper Popper.  I think Watson threw it a little, but threw the toad the most.  Wheeler said he had it figured out after the second day and could have continued catching 14 to 18 pounds a day.  He caught them on a toad and a flutter spoon.

I missed the winning weight by 1 pound and 8 oz.  That was a pretty good guess for a 3 day Fall derby.  I gave a range up to 48 pounds and lots of you thought I was crazy.  My middle was 44-46 so it was a fair educated guess.

Wrong bait however.  I thought it would be on a big jig.  The crankbait bite was just getting hammered everywhere and unless you had some unused water that deal was drying fast.  There were also lots of fish caught on a buzz bait.

We got to visiting among the guides and those folks coming in saying they were catching 30 shorts a day did not have a snowball chance in a hot tube of making it.

I believe the guy that won on the co-side just drug a jig the entire 3 days.  That is what I would have done from the back of the boat.

[Fishin Hodge]

I was wrong for sure.

[pantera2]

I personally watched Watson catch his 5 lber and the majority of his weight on a black toad, and the last day I watched wheeler throwing a spook. I got wore out just watching him for 15 minutes lol. The dude walks one faster than anyone I've ever seen.

[Bill Babler]

One of those Co-Anglers did have some input as he stated he fished his best set of docks for 2 days.  Said he had also caught them on the same docks during the CPA, so if you got fish, they will listen.  Believe he said 28 keeper bites off that row of docks.

[Bill Babler]

I personally watched Watson catch his 5 lber and the majority of his weight on a black toad, and the last day I watched wheeler throwing a spook. I got wore out just watching him for 15 minutes lol. The dude walks one faster than anyone I've ever seen.

Great stuff thanks.  Wheeler mentioned that he caught his fish on a topwater prop bait, a topwater walking bait and a flutter spoon off dock corners.

[big c]

Thanks for the info/insite as to how they fished. Very interesting indeed.

[Alex Heitman]

I'm not saying they didn't throw and catch some of their fish on different lures but if you look at the photos on bassmaster.com, almost all of Watsons and Clunn's fish were shown being caught on the plopper. 

[abkeenan]

How many guys here have an order placed with Tacklewarehouse for a Whopper Plopper? If I was a betting man I would put my money on the first order in was Quillbacks.