After the road trip to Cumberland, I sure am glad to get back in Carolina for a while.  Don't take it wrong, I completely enjoyed myself in Kentucky.  But the reality is still the same-- there's just no place like SC in the spring.  Its hard to get excited about finishing in the money (23^rd) with 15lbs for three days when you know you're buds are knocking down 25lb sacks at home.    After a little rest it was practice time for the Stren Series tournament on Santee.  I didn't fish the previous events in the series due to date conflicts, so points are not an issue but a good finish equals good press.  Good press equals happy sponsors.   Anticipating closing the deal with Fish Stalker, I really want this to be a good showing. 

 My first chance to practice was on Thursday prior to the week of the tournament.    I settle on a few spots on the lower lake, also considering that my brother-in-law has a camper there and I might just get a rider for the day.  I'm not much for fishing alone.  Besides, without a rider, who is going to hold the camera?  I pull into Blacks Camp and sure enough Rays at the camper.  After some chit chat we hit the water around 9:30.  Our first stop gives away the secret immediately- Big cruisers and a few locked on the bed.   The bedding fish were 4lb class, but the cruisers were nothing less than huge.  Being its six days prior to take off we just cant resist the opportunity to catch a few.  The first fish is a 4 lber, a good fish in most arenas but when the next one is just under ten, 4lbs doesn't get much press!   Feeling that the fishing couldn't be like this all over the lake I listen to the little guy on my shoulder shouting GET OUT OF HERE.   The amount of big fish we saw in this pocket was enough to win any four day event.  Our day does find us a limit that pushes 26lbs but we definitely left the mother load early.   Nothing else we fished could compare to the first stop.

                I skipped Friday and fish again on Saturday.  Knowing the history of the spot we so quickly exited on Thursday, I was confident it would produce sometime during the tournament. This area is usually overlooked by most competitive fisherman and on numerous occasions has produced massive limits. With all this in mind, I decided to check the bite on the upper lake.   Its cold and a front is on the way in.   I start out following up on a tip pointing me to some bedding fish.   The wind is howling, making my first stop, well, less than expected.  Some fish are there and locked on, but the wind makes taking a good look impossible.   With the wind and the cold front coming, the fish should be active on the outside.  I move to the creek mouths, put a spinnerbait in my hand and it doesn't take long, five that would go about 21lb.   The area sets up well for my overall game plan-- Focusing on the fish I found in Lake Moultrie but having fish that can be caught close if the conditions get bad.  This area would be on the way down and on the way back, so if plan A doesn't   produce, plan B can be in action without killing time. 

Monday finds me at Fish Stalker finalizing our deal.  I didn't really want to give up a day of practice, but I feel I have a solid plan and this would be great exposure opportunity for my new sponsor.    Everyone goes over the expectations once more with no changes.  I must say, I could not be happier.  The people are the company at Fish Stalker, they make an exceptional product and that will make my job easy.    With the details settled, we break for lunch and end up at Dixie Embroidery, owned by Toms wife, Margie.  We spend the rest of the day working on apparel.  Margie is very detail oriented and went the extra mile to make sure everything was right.   

Tuesday I'm back at the lake checking my Thursday fish.   The cold front has definitely taken its toll on my area.  A quick pass produces no bites, no cruisers and the beds are empty.  I move around some, but even that is difficult- the wind is really up.   I catch one nice fish, but my confidence is not with the area I'm in.  All of my experience on this lake tells me that the full moon, due on the last day, will push the fish back in before the tournament is over.  I'm practicing on the far end of Moultrie and come across a few competitors.   Turns out they put in at the official launch site, 30+ miles up lake, and drove the boat through the gale.  They were soaked, cold, discouraged and asked if I would give one of them a ride back to Manning to pick up the truck so they wouldn't have to drive the boat back.  It meant cutting practice short but I didn't really see myself learning anything in these conditions so it was fine by me.  Were back at the ramp in Manning by 2pm- just enough time for my new friend to go back for the boat and his rider, and get back in time for the meeting.  I really don't feel Ive lost anything by cutting the practice short.  I needed time to clean up the truck and boat anyway.   I get to the check in site around 5 pm, sign up and fall in on a little parking lot trolling.   There's a guy passing out flyers for a tackle shop in Manning.  He sees Fish Stalker on my jersey and asks if the owner was Tom.    As it turns out, the tackle section of The Ace Hardware in Manning is managed by Mr. Wise and is a customer of Fish Stalker. They moved from Pinewood for a larger location and Tom was unable to find them.   After a little some small talk with some friends, the local press comes over and wants to snap some shots for the paper.  I'm saying to myself can this get any better?   Finding lost customers, press snapping shots- all good for me and my new sponsor.  Check in goes smooth, the meeting starts, and my name is the first out of the hat.  Boat number one, the coveted numero uno!  I've never drawn number one before and not sure if its a good or bad thing!  Anyway, I make contact with my day one partner- a fine young man from Columbia SC.  He's young, excited and ready to go.  Its his first pro level tournament and he has a few jitters.  I tell him just to forget who some of these guys are and fish the best you know how.

Wednesday- Day One- I sleep a little later than I had planed and I get through boat check just in time for take off.  At least I didn't have to sit out there for an hour at 39 degrees!  Yup, its still cold and the wind is howling for the third day in a row. This wasn't part of the plan.  I was hoping this weather would have worked its way through by now.   Coming across the lake, realizing that plan A is not the way to start, I make the Plan B bad weather stop on the upper lake.  Not exactly where I had caught the fish on Saturday, but I have confidence in the area.  Its protected from the wind, and is a common staging spot.  Early morning is uneventful and just about the time I'm about to make a move the first fish comes to the boat.  My first thought is the fish was really shallow.  A fast push to some really shallow brush piles yields three more and two missed fish.  With four good fish in the box, somewhere around 14lbs, I'm hoping for a kicker.  No sooner than the thought crosses my mind there she is.  Six pounds of miss wonderful!  Another two hours and one more cull and its time to hit the scales.  Day one is just over 21lbs

and sets me tied for ninth about six pounds back of the leader.  I knew this would not be enough to lead on day one, but if I put this or more on the scales every day, I will be there by the end.   This is something I have had to learn while moving up to pro level events.   Its not a drag raceits a marathon.  Most guys come up through the ranks fishing one day events and think that success there equals success in pro level events-NOT.  The pros are successful for many reasons and one is learning how to manage fish for 3-4 days.  You cant win the tournament on day one.  The only leader that anyone remembers is the last day leader.

Thursday- Day 2-  With the weather still unseasonably cold at take off we head back to the day one area.  We have company-  my little spot from yesterday is getting picked apart by 5 or 6 additional boats.  I try to remain calm, but with so many guys in this small area it wont take much to kill it.  Remembering how the day developed on Wednesday, I push to the extra shallow water again and manage two fish and a miss.  Its in the back of my head to make the move to the lower lake but I'm hesitant based on the cold morning.  If I pull out now and they're not on, it will be suicide.   Somewhere around noon, I know its time to gamble.  The two fish I have will on make 6.5 7 lbs and probably knock me out of contention or even the money.  I make the run, but instead of stopping on my practice area I go to the bottom where I have a favorite pod of trees.  Lesson, don't fish history,  that was then- this is now.  By 1:30 I feel I have no choice but to gamble on the Thursday practice hole.  It was the right move.   Though the fish were not big, 2.5 lbs each, I did limit out and cull twice in about 2 hours.  The males were back but no big fish yet.  Time runs out and I end up weighing about 14lb.  Its not good but a lot better than 6 ½, now this slips me to 19^th about 15lbs off the lead.  My gamble paid off and with the weather warming up tomorrow- The females should be back.  I cant catch up in one day but if I can put two together, its possible.  It would only take two of the large females from a week ago to catch Mr. Leader.

Friday Day 3- Cut Day I need to pick up minimum of 3lbs on the field or its go home.  A top ten cut for 150 pros is a deep cut.  You're either on them or you're not.   My gut tells me I need a solid 20+ sack to cut and only a 25-30lb sack will put me back in contention.  The plan is simple-  spend an hour on spot B on the way down and fish for the early bite then cut and run for Spot A no later than 8:30- 9am.  Now on this day I'm paired with a much more interesting gentleman than your typical co angler.  Ham as we will call him, has been around the sport just a little bit longer than me.   It doesn't take very long for me to figure out that Ham is a wealth of information on the business side of fishing.   Of course I'm all ears!  And listen I must, Ham can talk!! We get so in depth in conversation (or was that me listening) that I loose tract of time.  We still boat a few fish a piece and Ham breaks a few off.  I see he's a little rattled by the lost fish but let him know the best is yet to come.    We break camp for the lower pond around 9:30 and were fishing by 9:45.   I ease up to casting distance of where I saw the first of the big cruisers and immediately get bit.   The trick Stick never hits the bottom and after a quick struggle I boat a 6lber.  Now my hearts in itI feel them, there back.  In the next 2 hours I boat another 6, 5, and a 3.  20lbsthe magic mark I set that morning.   I'm still worried but know I have a shot to cut and still plenty time to make a move on the lead if the fish keep cooperating.   Its now 1pm and the fishing has slowed. My co has only lost one fish here and I've caught a small one or two that doesnt help me.  I look off to the side and see a bed with what appears to be a 2-3lb fish on it.  Believing it wont help me, I offer it up to Ham.  As it turns out, Ham has limited experience in the bed fishing dept.  I hand him the rod I had rigged for sight fishing and tell him the fish is all his.  He seem a little confused, if that was just not sure what to do next or bewildered that a pro GAVE him a sight fish I don't know and I never asked.  Anyway Ham was having a little problem with the glare on the water and couldn't see the fish well.   Rather than move the boat and mud the water I just become the eyes of this catch.  The fish is obviously ready to bite, he just needs to set the bait in the magic spot.  It goes a little like this - cast- reel, reel, reel- let it drop, now shake it, shake it, --- she's got it! He stalls then the fish runs off and he sets the hook.  A quick fight later the fish is in the net.  A little bigger than I first thought!  Its Almost 5 lb.   I guess that bed was a little deeper than I thought!  I make a few kiddy remarks like dont say I never gave you anything!!!  LOL It was fun and I was happy he got a fish that would potentially get him inside the cut.  Now a lot of guys would be kicking themselves, and the thought did cross my mind, but my reward was soon to come.  With plenty of time to go I boat two more fish and cull up to around  26lb! Now I'm satisfied I've made the cut and most likely moved to within striking distance again.  Its 1:45, I change baits and give my color to Ham.   I'm really not looking to catch anymore myself.  Anything I catch now would be culling 4 ½ lb fish.   If I stick a 4-5 lb fish, its one I cant catch on check day and Ham needs another fish.  His opportunity comes quick.  He sticks a fish, not a large fish but a solid 3lber.  The fish shies the net and runs under the boat.  After a lunge the rod goes slack and the fish is off.  Turns out Ham had a cracked tip and it cut the braid.  Sometimes its just not your day.  Ham is a great fisherman, and does well from the back of the boat.  He just had one of those days.  His sack is still pretty good and he still could make the cut.  Time is running short and with both of us having good bags we don't want cut it too close so we break camp and head for the ramp.  FLW calls our bag number and we make our way to the tanks.   I get a few oohs and ahhs in the weigh in line and from the looks of things the bite is a little off.   I put the two handed bag on the scales and she tips to 27lb 10oz.   This is almost 2lbs more than I gave myself credit for, 

it moves me into second place, and I'm happy to say the least.  My co angler is next and his sack lands him on the bubble-  A Sweat Sack I call it Its just big enough to get you home and you have to sweat out the rest of the weigh in to be  sure if you made it or not.   When the weigh in is all over Greg Pugh has pushed me to third and my co angler got knocked out by the last boat to weigh in and finished eleventh.   I must give credit here to Ham- he spoke highly of me on stage and praised my courtesy to him.   This was unexpected and meant a lot to me.  Co anglers are the hardcore fans of our sport.  Fishing is supposed to be fun- even if you are trying to make a living at it.  If the co anglers of the world don't catch some fish and have fun, they wont come.    A quick peek inside the weigh in trailer lets me know I've closed the gap to 7lbs off the leader, Ott Defoe.  Another good sack and this thing could be a horse race.   FLW has a mandatory meeting for top ten after closing the scales.  A quick run down of the rules, congrats on making the top ten, here's your partner and go to the outfitting trailer.  For those that don't know, FLW has STRICT rules on what you can wear on the final day.    Tomorrow, I will be the Castrol Pro.  This was not a problem for me, though I would love to be in MY sponsors apparel, I knew the rules going in and I understand why they are the way they are.   Now its time for ritual.  When on Santee on Friday, and you want to catch fish on Saturday, you must eat BBQ Friday night!  This area of the world has some of the finest pork BBQ known to man, and if you have never partaken of the pork you have never tasted heaven.    I promised a new friend of mine that I would show him where he could participate in this fine feast.   I call him Wackoman, because, well, thats what everyone calls him!  Wacko came down to fish the co angler side and was kind enough to link with me to insure my participation on the pro side.  Thanks a million Wacko, and I hope you enjoyed the dinner and conversation as much as I did.

Saturday- Day 4- Bidness day Very simple plango back plan A, catch every fish, and let the chips fall where they may.   If I can put another 27lbs in the boat theyll have to earn it.   We take off making a full out run for our honey hole.  On our way out of Taw Caw Creek, the motor cuts power, and terror strikes me.  A quick on/off of the throttle seems to have cured it.  At 50mph I can still feel the beads of sweat popping on my forehead.  I say to myself Please, not today.   All goes well on the run but when I sit down, a local is sitting in the front area starting to fish.  He speaks as we go in, notices the Castrol shirt and asks if we are in the tournament.  We reply that we are and he kindly of his own accord moves out.  I dont remember your name buddy- but I thank you again, I owe you one.

I drop the trolling motor and after about 10 seconds the cable jumps the pulleys!!  Now you know what's going through my mind.  I try to collect myself and deal with the problem.  I am prepared for such an issue so the tools come out and I go to work.  Thirty minutes later were back in bidness.    I take a second to contemplate what has almost happened and notice that we have accumulated a gallery.  They've been watching me fix a trolling motor!  A huff and a puff later we get to work, with two 5lb class and on 3lb fish coming in the first 2 hours.  My partner catches a good one and everyone is feeling good about our chances.  Now my partner today is Larry.  Larry was the day one leader and has a real shot to win.  It takes me no time to realize Larry is an excellent co angler and is making good use of his opportunities.   Larry catches another solid fish- 3lb or so then the bite starts to die down.  The traffic going in and out of our pocket is starting to affect the fish.   I've decided to live or die here, so moving is not an option.  I go two plus hours without a bite and I'm starting to feel the pressure of the clock.  I decide to fish the opposite side of the pocket where I had given ham the bedding fish the day before.  Well look whose home!!   Two bucks and a large female have adopted the same bed. The bucks are 3-4lb and the female is 8+.   A half hour of sight fishing doesn't produce a taker, so I decide to back off a throw from a distance later.  We circle the pocket and I get bit on a cypress tree.  I set the hook and she didn't have it.  Repeated casts doesn't produce a follow up bite so I make the move back for the bedders.    From the back of the boat I hear NET.  Larry has made the right cast as I went by with  another bait and got her to bite.   Its a great fish, somewhere in the 6lb class.  Now Larry's got 3 and all good fish.   Approaching the bed I toss the trick stick in and let it soak.  Sure enough one gets it and its the smaller buck about 3 lb. I back off so the bed can settle, and Larry misses one on the back.  He's upset with himself but quickly settles down makes another cast with the lizard and nails him.  Larry has 4 solid fish, a great bag from the back.  The commotion settles and we circle back to throw at the bedders again.  On the first cast and one has it- I'm praying for the larger female but I set the hook and its the other male, a mirror to the previous fish.   I do have five now, somewhere around 20lb.  I fish hard for the remainder of the day but fail to cull up.  I have to commend the gallery of on lookers we had on the final day.  They never got in the way and were inspirational.  I think they motivated us both to fish harder.  Thank you for your courtesy.  With 45 minutes to go we bust camp and call it a day.   Both of us have mathematical shots, Larry's is better than mine- but all you can do is put yourself in position and hope it happens.  After glancing at Larry's fish during pre inspection (FLW checks your fish prior to weigh in) I really think he has a good shot to win.  The leader must have a decent bag to beat him. I, on the other hand, would love to win, but will be happy if I hold on to third.   After what seems like an eternity, the show is underway.  Co anglers go first- one by one theyre getting closer to Larry (they weigh there fish in order) and no one has topped what I know he has.  Finally its his turn and he has the biggest sack yet and overtakes the leader.  Second place comes up with only a bag of water.   Larry only has to dodge one bullet- but its not to be, the day three leader has a decent sack and pushes Larry to second.  He too would have love to have won, but is happy none the less.    Now its our turn- Ive done the math my total is going to be somewhere just above 80lbs.  The first five put them up and none are even close to 80. They call for the top three to bagum up, and the nerves set in.  A local pro, Lex Costas is next to the scales-- I have much experience getting my butt handed to me by Lex.  If he is in it, Hes in it to win it.  One by one he puts five good fish on the scales, takes the lead with a string that goes 23+ and a total of 78.  I know I have this covered and I wipe the sweat from the forehead.  Next is another long time stick on Santee, Ken Ellis.  It always seems Ken always finds a way to get in the thick of it come check day.  But this is not Kens day with only around 13lb he slips back.   At this point third is a lock.   I bringum up and one by one we get to 19lb, a little less than my estimate.   With a total of 81 and change I know its not going to hold but that hot seat really is comfortable.  Pugh comes in with another good bag and I'm quickly sent to the stands, and Ott quickly disposes of him to take the win.  My hats off to Greg Pugh and Ott Defoe.  Both had good sacks all four days and that is what it takes to win. 

Third is good-    a finish I will take almost every time I pony up to play this game we all love.  If you tell me Brett, stay home this week, we will give you Third I would be board, but I would watch Young and the Restless.  Wins are hard to come by at any level, but I didn't step up expecting it to be easy. My day will come.  I'm hoping soon, real soon.  My next event is the second of three BASS Southern Opens, located on my home waters of Santee.  The Open slipped from my grasp last year and I'm out to redeem myself.