Bradley Stringer
Harris Chain-BASS January 31-Febuary 6
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1-31-05 Day 1 Practice- When I was up here a month ago, I found a lot of likely looking spawning areas.  Today, I spent my time checking these out and what I found was just a ton of fish up on beds, many locked on solid.  I saw fish in the 6-7 pound class, and many more in the two and three pound class.  These fish are kind of a tease because if you get drawn out late, there will already be boats on them, I wasn't the only one here, I had at least ten other boats with me, so my area isn't a secret.

I am not going to fall into that sight fishing trap, I will spend the rest of the pre fish, trying to establish a "plan B," probably will involve some flippin, a spinner bait and maybe a rattle trap.  I want to be able to get something going early in the morning on reaction baits.

I have two areas that are loaded with fish.  I need to establish where they will go if a cold front comes through, and again, what I can do, if the bed fish are taken when I get to my areas.

2-01-05 Today I concentrated on grass for the first half of the day, I slowed rolled a spinner bait and hooked a real nice one that got off, but it was a good one.  After that nothing.  I should have caught more doing what I was doing around the grass.  On the first day of the tournament they are calling for rain, that spinner bait thing might be the ticket if the rain comes.

Later in the day, I checked out some canals that I found last month and the fish are everywhere.  Today I saw one about six on a bed and I must have seen a dozen or so more in the 2-3 pound class.  It is really going to come down to being able to get in there on these fish.  Everybody knows about them, when I would come out of a canal, another angler would be coming in, I saw Aaron Martens and Alton Jones in my area today.

I have one more day of pre fish, I really want to work on that back up plan, that involves the grass on the outside.

2-01-05

I started out this morning on the Hydrilla with a spinner bait and caught a two pounder, we are going to have rain tomorrow, and with cloudy sky, it only makes sense that this will work.  I also went back to my canals today and am stunned to see how many fish have moved up, they are all over the place.  It is going to be crowed, but the spawn is in full glory

I am 146th out, so I won't be the first into the canals, but I am going, and the way I see it, even if the whole tournament is there, guys can only fish for one fish at a time, and there is no way that they can block the entire canal, I will just go around the boats, there are plenty of fish to go after.

I have five canals that I will go to.  Even with the rain, the water is 64-66 degrees and these fish are locked on.  I won't mind fishing used water because even if a fish is caught off a bed, other fish are moving up and will use the old bed.

I spent some time with Rick Clunn tonight at the meeting.  He is an old family friend and I have always waited for the time that he and I could stand on common ground.  His words were very calming to me, he basically told me that those canal fish belong to everyone, and to go get my share.

2-01-05

I caught one fish today.  I was very late out and when I made my canal run, all that was left was scraps.  I did sit on a four pounder today for an hour and half and couldn't get it to go-frustrating.  I did find a lot of fresh ones that had just moved up but they were skitish.  I believe they will be better tomorrow.

I am going to fish Big Lake Harris tomorrow, up North, flippin and throwing spinner baits.  It is going to be overcast, but if/when the sun comes out, I will but looking.  I can save this tournament with a good bag.  The sight fishing guys who were out early yesterday will be out late today, so maybe the leader board will flip-flop a little.

I am #12 out tomorrow so I have a shot at some of those fish that are locked.