I think the thing that is really strange is they were only using 3/16th oz weights in that wind. ???  As a result the rig was trailing out behind the boat quite a bit.  I doubt that they ever made bottom contact.

Wow!  That is quite amazing.  This method of fishing sounds like it matches Pat S. oberservations.  It appears the smallies observed on his camera were spooked by sudden movements and just dragging a bait through them this time of year is better than jigging or popping the bait vertically.

Bob,
They were all 5 lb + Smallies that they caught by drifting (being blown by the high winds) with a drop-shot rig.  They would start about mid-way under the I-90 bridge in the navigation channel and let the wind blow them north almost to the 1st point.  Start the big motor and move back south to do it again.
The funny thing is that they did not have the big fish of the day.  That went to Frank White at 5.68 lbs.

Smitty-
Did Brush and Petroski get smallmouth or largemouth Sunday?

Hmmm... kinda surprised they didn't cancel.  B.A.S.S. typically cancels a tournament day if the wind is forecasted to go above 20-25mph.

I agree, Chris, good thing nobody got hurt!

P.S. Jim P - you can make long posts like that anytime!  I got a good laugh out of that one!

Holy Cow! Now that shows a couple of people that can make adjustments, eh? 25 pounds!

I checked on the WSDOT Lake Washington bridges website in the middle of the day, and it reported winds up to 45 mph! It looked totally nasty out there... I'm glad to hear that no one got hurt.

Thanks for the report,
Chris

P.S. Ok Smitty, go ahead and tell the long story 

Well Dennis Brush & Gregg Petroski may have blanked on Saturday, but on Sunday during the 100% Bass "T" they weighed in the largest 5 fish bag ever.  Over 25 lbs, most caught near the East Channel bridge in a howling windstorm.  No one can ever remember of a larger bag of fish being caught in a L. WA. "T".  ???
By the way the storm was so bad that Brian & Lyle got stranded by high waves north of the I-90 bridge and did not make it back in for the weigh-in.
By virtue of winning a coin toss Champ 206 & I finished 4th vs. 5th. 8) (Its a long story)

Shanne, Shanne, Shanne,

You sound a little hostel.  Is there a twinge on guilt there? 

Just remember who introduced you and Ron.

XXOO  Jim

James.....let's just think about why Shanne called 5 times....sure wasn't that I was miss'n you....I can see you any day at 10:00AM when you are getting around to heading to work and I am on my 5th hour of it.....cause like your wife I am awake when Ron wakes up.....I admit, I can't go long without a call to Ron....but Saturday's calls were to insure this City Girl found her way through  "Mo Hole", Moses Lake to deliver Connor, "The Con Man" his very important 10th----yes---he's truly a MAN now Birthday Gift....!  Sure wish I could say the calls were all about you and Ron, but the truth is they were about someone much wiser, cuter  and younger......and if I recollect right, Ron and "The Con" never weigh in a BIG FAT GOOSE EGG! 

Love Ya !

MS. Prez

I must have been sleep deprived last night and I missed one thing.

In all seriousness, Ron is one hell of a fisherman and very patient.  He really took the time to show me the ropes of fishing all day and put up with my million questions. 

It was truly a fun day and well worth being out there.

Ron thanks for letting me fish with you instead of taking someone that is well seasoned in the sport with you.  Hey, maybe you would have even placed in the tourney if I was not there.  Goes to show you that Ron is a true sport.

Jim

JIM... OUCH! I am on the ground laughing right now! I wanna see Ron follow up on that post! 

It sounds like you had a typical first tournament experience. Welcome!

Regarding other results, Lyle L. and Brian W. were out for the Mickleson as well, weighing in around 7.91 pounds (?). They just missed a payout by about .25 pounds. The winners only had a little over 13 pounds, 2nd was around 12, and the other two under them were 9+. Tough fishing! Even the team of Petrotski and Brush blanked... you know fishing is bad, then.

As I sit here writing this, I am feeling sorry for the guys out on the 100% BASS tourney. The wind is blowing HARD, and the rain is coming down. I sure would like to be in a 21' Champ if I was fishing today 

Good luck!
Chris

As they say......The president is mostly a figurehead of the REAL operation.....Thanks for keepin it real Ron....HE HE HE HE...Reality though..sucks dude..

Ladies and Gentelmen,  First and foremost, my apology for the long winded message.  I promise this will be the longest one I will ever leave.

Larry,

"Well" didn't you hear?  Not getting any replies by now must be obvious.  The fish "WELL" was empty on Ron's boat (Except for the Lipton ice tea.  It's kinda nice, fill those big bass boat wells with ice and they keep at lest a case of beverages cold all day and a neat little pump pumps all the water out at the end of the day.  Can I get one of these on my ski boat?).  

I was depending on the guy that has worked with me for 11 years and is my neighbor and is the current "Prez" of the club to fill me in on a few things for my first tournament.  My god, couldn't we have at least landed ONE BASS?  Noooooooooo, it was PERCH all the way.  It's wasn't a PERCH tournament was it ! ! !

Here are a few more observations from the "Newbie" about Ron.  

When Ron says;

1.  "I'll See you in the driveway at 6:00 am" really means "I'll be knocking on your bedroom window at 5:30 am and I'll wake not only you, but also your wife and kids".  Yep, my wife was up for the rest of the day too.  What a joy it was to get ready to go fishing with my wife on my back for getting woken up so early.  Ron, isn't it bad enough that you leave for work at 6:30 in the morning during the week and wake her up with your truck warming up for ten minutes outside our bedroom window?

2.  "I'll make a pot of coffee and bring a thermos" really means "I'll make the coffee and bring the thermos but I forgot it on the kitchen counter" after we are almost to the boat launch.

3.  "If you want to bring lunch that's ok but I usually don't bring anything" really means that after we are done racing up the lake to the "perfect" fishing hole Ron says - "What the hell are those bananas doing in my boat".  Next time tell me bananas are bad luck ! ! !

4.  "It should be a good day of fishing even though it is towards the end of the season" really means that after about six hours of fishing for PERCH Ron says– "Oh, I forgot to tell you that Bass don't bite as well when it is cloudy, raining, the temperature is dropping and the FULL MOON was last night".

5.  "When we go fishing you can't be interrupted because your really have to concentrate and work those fish in order to catch them" really means "Crap, I left my cell phone on the dash of your Hummer" Wasn't that nice of Ron.  I got to talk to his girlfriend FIVE TIMES because she would call MY CELL PHONE to talk to him because his phone was on the dash board of the car.  (Shanne, No harm intended, just a little dig at "Ronny".)  

6.  At the end of the day when all was said and done and we were on our way in to the dock Ron had one last bit of professional advice for me.  "You know Jim, I am actually kind of glad that we didn't catch any fish during your first tournament because if we had you would have gone to the next tournament with the same high expectations".  The good news is that it is true, if I go to the next tournament and get ONE FISH I will be very happy and that will be my NEW LEVEL of expectation . . . . .

Chris, thanks for the tip of not using the Hummer to tow the boat to the lake.  Unfortunately, we did use the Hummer.  The good news is that at the end of the tournament we had NO FISH in our fish wells so we were able to go straight to the ramp and pull the boat out of the water and HIDE IT while EVERYONE ELSE was at the weigh in.  

Larry, if you're ever looking for someone to go fishing with you give me a call.  I'll be in the driveway at 6:00, pay for the gas, pay for the parking and launch fees, bring two thermoses of coffee and lunch. . . .  That is if I can catch at least one Bass . . .

Jim


(Admin note - fixed all the coding errors to make this easier to read.)

Okay, I do'nt see any results here............some of you fished it.....come on......lets hear how ya did.....

Mr. Palzer,

Nice of you to join us all the way from Fairbanks! 

There is a great lure I've been using out on the lake that involves pantyhose and a pear.... uhhh, never mind that! 

Seriously, just be prepared for a slow bite. Considering the good spots that Ron will take you to, the fish that do bite should be good quality! Whatever you do, don't:

1) Let Ron convince you to run halfway up the lake for largemouth on french fries

2) Let Ron start throwing a crankbait when the bite dies, and

3) Let Ron convince you that all he wants to do is go "speeder" in his new boat 

You have to babysit that guy!!! That is job one. I can't believe he thought he could post what he did and not expect to get comments like this back. But, you have been babysitting him for how many years now??? Should be easy for one day.

Oh - and for the sake of Pete, do NOT tow the Skeeter up to the ramp with the Hummer. If you guys don't have a hefty bag at weigh-in and you are towing with a Hummer, you will never hear the end of it!

That is all the important stuff. If you wanna look good, ya gotta back it with BEING good!

You don't need any tips from us, though. You already have an excellent teacher in Ron. Do what he says, and you guys'll be a'ight.

Catch a fat limit!!!

Chris

P.S. Do you know what time weigh-in is? I might head down and check it out...