A BUSY COUPLE OF FISHING WEEKS
by REX CHAMBERS

The last couple of weeks have had this angler’s schedule set on tilt. Taking a bit of vacation from my real job, I’ve been on the road at tournaments and trying to cash a check or two. It all began with the Bassmaster Elite Series on Guntersville. Fishing as a co-angler with the big boys, I was absolutely SCHOOLED! After a mediocre day on day one of the Elite Series on Guntersville with two fish at 5-4 and still in the top 50, I actually was excited about Friday’s event. As much as I hate fishing from the back of the boat, a day in the boat with Peter "T" Thliveros was something I was chomping at the bits for. So, I was up and at it early Friday and rearing to go.

First stop was interesting. An area that I fish fairly often. Before the sun even got up, I’ve put four fish in the boat on a spinnerbait. None of them kept, but hey, four quick bites on a blade. Peter T lands three in the same area on a C-Rig (who would have guessed that) but all are short fish. Then he gets a keeper. I get another short, and another, then BAM! Big bite with a camera boat looking on. About broke my wrist. That lasted for about three seconds until I felt it wasn’t a bass. Big DRUM! Fix the blade and keep slinging. Peter gets another keeper. Then lands about a 4 pounder. Hey, I’m slow, but not stupid. Pick up the C-rig. Couple of short strikes for us both and move. Next stop he lands another and I’m biteless. Next stop he lands the last of his limit. I’m still biteless on the C-Rig. Get a bit impatient and start throwing some different baits. Fluke, worm, lizard, Yum Dinger, still nothing. Peter culls one and I pick up the C-Rig again. Throwing the same bait in the same areas.

Now it’s just after lunch. He’s feeling sorry for me, so he dips my bait that he gave me in his special dye for some help. Yea, he’s tickled. He’s got a good limit and I’m not hurting his next day’s fish. Still nothing! I can’t buy a bite. Not even a short strike, and he’s jerking on every hole. Pull on a point and see Dean Rojas in the back flinging topwater and culls one. I actually get a bite on the C-Rig. Jumps, comes off. Would not have kept anyway. Peter lands a three plus pound fish. Then another three pounder. Still nothing in the box for little ‘ol me. Ok, it’s after 2pm with check in at 3:30. We pull on a point that I’ve fished a hundred times. Yep, you guessed it. Peter T culls another and I get nadda! Nothing, Zero! And that’s what I end up with on day two. Zero. It was one of those “sell my boat and tackle” days. Peter’s got sixteen or better in the box and I’m fishless. We joked about it all day but hey, a man has to keep some pride somehow, I just haven’t figured out how yet when I’m skunked to magnitude that I was on this trip.

Anyway, no one in this world could have asked for a better partner. All the good things anyone has ever heard about Peter are true. Fished all open areas. No back boating, no bed fishing and got to watch a master of the C-Rig in action. Would have been the perfect day, but the fish thought different for me.

Next is was on to Eufaula for the third stop of the Bassmaster Weekend Series in the Peach State Division. Entered the event sitting in 21st place in the boater division points, just needing to hang on in the top thirty to make the Regionals. Uneventful two practice days on Thursday and Friday. Plenty of alligators to make time pass since the bass weren’t biting. Fished a small tournament on Saturday with a Georgia friend and we took home first place with less than twelve pounds. That’s tough fishing on Eufaula. Sunday’s Bassmaster event brought no rain, but plenty of wind. My co-angler came into the event in 4th place and anxious for a good finish.

First stop produced a couple of topwater misses and one lost three pounder. Next stop was productive. Quick keeper, then disaster. The one and only spinnerbait I was getting bit on decided to break.  A little skirt changing on a different spinnerbait did produce two more good fish, but only two more fish. Co-angler partner landed two that went over seven pounds including one that was just two ounces shy of winning big fish awards at 5 pounds 3 ounces. My three tipped the scales at 9 pounds, 6 ounces and was good enough for a tenth place finish, moving me to 9th place overall in the points standings going into June’s last event on Lake Oconee. My co-angler finished the event in 4th place and boosted himself to first place in the co-angler points.

All in all it wasn’t a bad couple of weeks of fishing. Cashed a couple of checks, learned some good areas on Guntersville and wasn’t having to work at the job. But, that’s over now. Back to the grind, for a while.