Bitter...and Sweet

Last weekend marked the end of my tournaments for the 2012 fishing season.  It is always bitter-sweet when the time comes each year to realize that I won't be competing in any more bass tournaments.  I will still, of course get out and go fishing, but tournaments and the competition have helped make me the angler I am today.

My tournament season was a good one, several top 5 finishes and a couple of wins, I organized about a dozen bass tournaments as well, and they went off without a hitch.  So all in all, a good tournament season.

Bitter, that the competitive fishing season is done.  The 10-hour days on the water, the adrenaline that kicks in on tournament morning, and all the friends I see out on the tournament trails.

Sweet, that there will be no more 3am drives to the lake, I will be able to just fish for "fun", looking ahead to next years' challenges and the ice fishing season.

I guess one more sweet thing about the season coming to an end was that it occurred on my favorite body of water, Pool 9 of the Mississippi River.  I spent two days with good friend Don Henry chasing bass on the northern part of that pool both days.  We had to of caught around 80 or bass in two days, and I squeaked out the tournament win, and big bass.  Don and I also won the team portion of the event too.  The event was a small club tournament, but we couldn't have done much better, which I am proud to say.


It only took two keeper bass to win my last event of 2012,
but after driving 7 hours, and awake at 5:30am both
days, I was very pleased with the outcome.

Another bass tournament year is in the books, and after I make it out on the ice a dozen or so times fishing, then I will look forward to the 2013 bass fishing season.  Until then, it will be all about fishing for fun!