Huge topwater blowup at 1:10
Striped bass caught on topwater at 2:35
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Lures Used:
-War Eagle buzzbait (1/2 ounce, black/gold)
-Heddon super spook 4.5″ (1/2 ounce, used to be G finish shad, now considered pearl after losing 90% of the “G finish”

Rod/Reel/Line used:
-Shimano Antares DC ( 5:8:1 – 30 lb suffix 832 braid) with a G Loomis GLX mbr783c 6’6″ MH/fast
-Lew’s BB-1 Pro Series Speed Spool (7:1:1 – 30 lb suffix 832 braid, 20 lb suffix siege monofilament leader) with a BPS Johnny Morris Carbonlite micro 6’6″ med/fast

Location: Leesylvania State Park, Woodbridge, Virginia
Date: September 26th, 2015
Primary Pattern: Fishing walking baits in shallow grass ~3-4 feet of water
Time Fished: 7:00 am – 3:00 pm
Air Temp: High of 69 degrees, low of 55 degrees
Water Temp: 69 degrees
Water Clarity: 2 inches to 48 inches – clarity varied greatly depending on the presence of grass (to filter the water) and if we were near the main lake (“fetch” is greater creating more wake and stirring up the bottom)
Conditions: Cloudy with winds from the ENE up to 11 mph
Hatcam Used: Gopro hero 4 silver (1080p, 60 FPS, medium FOV) – chesty + external audio

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Overview – Rough day to be in a tournament! The winds were strong creating massive amounts of wake. Joel’s converted jonboat did not fare will in the choppy conditions due to its flat hull construction. Right after we launched we were faced with a tough decision. Try to tough it out and slowly make our way to Joel’s “spot” or save time and fish close to the launch at a nearby creek.

Joel decided to YOLO it and we slowly traveled across the ferocious river to spot A. At first Joel tried gunning it and skipping over the 3-4 foot waves. That lasted about 10 seconds because it wouldn’t have been long till either the boat broke or our backs in which case we’d be heading straight to the chiropractor 😛 The run was long and grueling but as we inched our way closer to the creek Joel wanted to start at the waves gradually dissipated.

Amazingly, as we made our way about 3/4 down the creek, the protected area was as calm as a baby’s bottom! It’s truly amazing how 4 foot waves can turn into glass thanks to the presence of trees to block the wind. The area looked extremely fishy, there was grass, pads, and a bottleneck leading into a small cove. We fished it for 30-45 minutes using topwaters, plastics, and bladed baits, but there didn’t seem to be any bass around.

We decided to abandon that spot and to fish our way out of the creek. As soon as we moved away and started covering water, we caught a pair of dinks within the first 15 minutes or so on a buzzbait and spinnerbait. Our hopes up high, we covered a ton of water going all the way to the mouth of the creek throwing frogs, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, senkos, brush hogs, and jigs but didn’t even get a nibble in those 2 hours.

Plan A didn’t work out, so we decided to try plan B and try another creek that was nearby. This next creek was littered with pads and shallow water (2 feet or less). Apparently, it’s a well known hot spot because I spotted over 10 other boats crowded in the creek. We spent about 30 minutes fishing behind various boats until we determined this area was going to be extremely difficult to fish and wasn’t really worth the effort.

Plan C was up next. We made a run to the area where we caught our only fish the last team tournament (a 3 lb bass on a buzztoad). As we arrived at the cove, there were about 5 boats already fishing the area. What the hell, its like everyone had our same plan memorized to a T. In reality though, all the other anglers were trying to get shelter from the winds and fished all the protected coves and creeks around the river.

Finally, after fishing for about 20 minutes, I hooked into a solid 3.4 lb bass on a spook. The fish absolutely annihilated the boat, jumping 100% out of the water to smash it! Now, my reaction to this strike was a bit excessive, but after not catching a single keeper for 4 hours, you can imagine my excitement when this chunker shocked me and exploded on my bait.

About the second or third cast after putting the bass in the livewell, a striper hits the spook about 10 feet from the boat! It looked as though we were on a pattern, and about 30 minutes after that fish, I watched a monster snakehead easily over 10 lbs play with my bait.

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