I recently had the opportunity to fish my first major tournament as a co-angler at the FLW Series Lake Havasu event. The story that follows describes the experience which turned out to include some fishing, some new friends (see “Behind the Story” coming soon), and some memories of a lifetime.
It all started in mid 2006 when I heard that the FLW Series trail would be coming to the west. I quickly signed up for the Delta and Clear Lake since they”re so close to home. As the Havasu event drew near my good friend and fellow CBAF member John Harper mentioned he was looking for a travel partner for Havasu. I”m originally from Arizona and try to grab every opportunity to study quality anglers like John in action so decided to give it a go.
John and I met on highway 5 near Tracy at o-dark thirty the Friday before the event would begin. A quick 9 hour drive and we arrived at Havasu ready to begin our 4 day practice period the next morning. As we crossed the Colorado River into Arizona I was reminded of the beauty and diversity of the desert lakes. From the highway I could see the Topoc Marsh at the north end of Havasu which was filled with tules and shallow backwater flats… it reminded me of the Delta. Through the beautifully rugged mountains of the Topoc Gorge and southward along the river we went where I observed a spectacular sunset over the main lake… a sight that is now permanently etched in my memory. We pulled into the hotel at the base of the London Bridge where the first thing I saw was the very spot where John Billheimer Jr. won the Stren event the year before. It wouldn”t be the last time I saw this stretch of now infamous water.
Our practice days were long and tough as would be true with most anglers. I only had two bites in the four day practice period… good fish… both quality Smallmouth. But I cherished each day on the water as every rocky bank, sandy cove, grassy flat and marshy backwater creek was a new experience. Most areas were covered by crystal clear water where we occasionally saw 3 pound Smallies chasing our bait to the side of the boat but unwilling to bite. The end of our practice days found John and I hopefully optimistic but lacking confidence going into day 1 of the big dance.
The FLW registration and pre-tournament draw meeting was one of the most professional and friendly events I”ve been to. Each angler was greeted, signed in and photographed. The entire process was computerized making it appear easy to process the 400 anglers present. After introductions and appearances by FLW legends Charlie Evans and Chris Jones, the day 1 pairings were announced. As names like Jimmy Reese, Gary Dobyns, Brent Ehrler, John Murray and Jay Yelas were announced, I couldn”t help but get a little excited about whom I would draw. I was shocked when my name was drawn with John Billheimer Jr., the previous year”s winner.
Day one began like no other tournament I”d been to. 200 boats, many wrapped in full sponsor colors, covered the launch ramp. Cameramen were filming the ramp, satellite uplinks, National Guard helicopters swooping over the pre-launch flotilla, a heartfelt morning prayer and National Anthem… it was almost surreal. John B. and I headed straight for the London Bridge as our boat number for the day was called. We weren”t there 10 minutes when John was hooked up on a lively Smallmouth. A quick fight, a little tail dancing, and the first fish was in the net… a nice 2.5 pounder. “We”re going to whack “em today” John said confidently. Eight hours later and that fish would be the only one taken to the scales between us. I can”t say I wasn”t a little disappointed. I looked forward to crossing that stage in front of the large weigh-in crowd with an opportunity to say “Hi Mom” over live FLW podcast. As it turned out this would be common for many as almost 75% of the co-angler field would blank day one.
My day two draw was Brian Noller… an accomplished angler and repeat winner on Havasu. Brian began by telling me I would only need one rod and could leave my tackle box closed for the day. Brian makes his own lures and would be fishing only one technique… a method I had never used until Havasu. I obliged. Tough conditions the day before only served to make me even more focused. I concentrated on making every cast as precisely as possible, taking care to let Brian pass through each area first and not encroach on his casting range. At 10am while working down a steep, rocky bank on the main lake it happened. Brian had worked through an area and I followed behind him using a little different casting angle and targeting a slightly shallower depth. My bait settled to the bottom, I lifted gently, and thump. “Fish on” I said… a scramble for the net ensued. After what seemed an eternity, the scrappy 2.4 pound Smallmouth was in the net. I was elated and relieved all at the same time. My only thought was “Podcast here I come”!
Day three I met my pro, Pat, who promptly informed me we”d be rippin” all day. I was excited at the prospect of reaction fishing as I felt it gave us a good opportunity to provoke a strike from the finicky, clear water bronzebacks. Recognizing that Pat was an accomplished rip bait fisherman, I made the decision to follow him with the lure and technique I used the day before (my day two pro had been gracious enough to give me a handful of his homemade lures even though he had blanked that day). As Pat worked the large sandy flat on the shallow side of the boat, I cast to the outside in deeper water… again careful to keep my casts out of his way. At 9:30 I noticed a small dark patch in the water through my high visibility amber lenses. I felt the vibration of the lure as it descended vertically on a semi-tight line to the center of the dark spot that would turn out to be aquatic grass. Before the lure came to rest, “Bang”… I swung hard. The 3.5 pound Smallie came straight to the surface… the fight was on. Pat did a good job with the net and the fish was in the live well. I was on cloud nine the rest of the day and have been ever since.
At the weigh-in stage I was thrilled to make a repeat appearance. It never crossed my mind that my three day weight could amount to much. I was completely satisfied with the chance to have Chris Jones call my name, weigh my fish and shake my hand. As I left the podium I was surprised at the stage-side well wishers (including Charlie Evans) ready to congratulate me. It was then I began to realize I might actually be in paycheck range. In the end I would be in 36th place and earn enough to cover my expenses for the week (including entry fee).
The trip back to Sacramento seemed to go quickly as John and I recounted the events from our week. While the fishing was tough by most standards, the experience will not soon be forgotten for either of us. There were many stories within the story that are yet to be told… perhaps I”ll jot a few of them down as I anxiously await the next FLW Series event on the Delta.
For now,
Tim Dotson – CBAF staff.
