Head, cold, sore throat, no fun, so far.  Spent all day Easter Sunday, flying from Oregon, to Little Rock, Arkansas.  From there it was about a four hour drive to Table Rock.  Actually I am feeling a little "jet lagged."

Fishing today was good.  I was able to catch several keepers, (I didn't count,) and feel confident about what I have going.  Last year when I was here, I had a good worm bite, and maybe those of you that read last year will remember, the story for me at Table Rock, was the number of good fish, in the 4-5 pound range, that either broke me off, or jumped my line.  I remember this tournament clearly, because I had the kind of fish going that could have allowed me to make a real run.

I caught a lot of fish on rip baits, but only a couple of keeper size, they must be 15" so of course the number of 14 1/2" fish in this lake is amazing.  Later I decided to run to the worm fish that I had last year, and that paid off well!  I think the spotted bass could be ready to spawn, they always spawn before the largemouth at Lake Shasta in Northern California.  The water temperature is right, and I think that could happen later in the week. 

We are supposed to get a little rain on Thursday, it wouldn't be a tour stop without rain would it?  The good news is that it looks like a mild storm and I think it could actually turn the bite on, so we will have to wait and see.

Windy today, it blew at 30 MPH today, a lot like we get on the Columbia River or Lake Mead, back home.  I was determined to find a reaction bite, and while I did catch a whole bunch of fish, they were all 13-14 inches, and not keepers.

Later in the afternoon I went to an area to check out the worm pattern that I got on yesterday.  Again, I caught a couple of keepers on that worm.  Considering how little I fished it, and the bites I got, it is encouraging.  I also like the fact that I caught those fish in a different area of the lake on similar cover.  To me that has pattern written all over it.

We didn't get the rain that we were supposed to get, in fact it looks like it could miss us completely.  I think if the sun is out, it could help the bite that I seem to be on.

Today, I fished reactions again, caught a lot of fish, but I couldn't catch anything over 15".  I checked the worm bite again today, and bingo!  It seems like the worm bite is going to last.  Each day I am catching keepers on the worm.  I have pretty much decided that every time I throw that worm, I catch a 15" spotted bass, and those fish will weigh about 2 1/2 pounds. I would think that if I could catch 13 pounds each day that I would be a lock for making the cut.

I hate to have to count on that worm thing, I would rather fish reaction lures, but I cannot deny that it producing better fish.  I am at peace, I have a pattern that is working in several different areas.  Let's go fishing.

Tomorrow I am out in the 2nd flight and will weigh in at 2:40.  If I had my choice, I would rather be in later, but if I can have a decent day tomorrow, I will have the later weigh in on Friday.  The later weigh in is an advantage because the bite seems to get better as the water warms.

I broke into the BassFan world ranking this week, which I am excited about.  I knew that I was due to be in there at some point, because I have been on tour now for over two years.  I debut in the rankings at #39, which, all things considered is pretty good

Late flight out today, afternoon bite might help me, lot's of fish, only three on the worm.  I am actually throwing an Alabama special, the shakey head worm, which is actually a jig head with a longer, extended hook shank.  I probably went through 25 to get the keepers I was able to get.  I am in place to make a check if I can get a few of those 15" bites.

As I continue to explore the difference between those who do well and those who don't, it seems like the guys who throw caution to the wind are the ones who find the gold.  I need to be careful about that line of thinking because it certainly is more than just going and fishing blind in another area.  To me it is more about fishing a big fish technique, in an area where I know some bigger fish are.

Tomorrow, I am going after a big bite early.  I will head in the opposite direction from where I fished today, and hit an area that I had some good bites on during practice.  I plan to throw reaction lures a good part of the morning.  It is starting to rain tonight, and is supposed to rain throughout tomorrow.  The reaction thing could pay off with the weather system.