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Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Looks like mother nature is refusing to let up her FRIGID strangle hold on the PWT contestants. Possible snow and highs in the thirties for today! Another cold day at the offoce!
Sure is a tight race! Anyone can still win. Will someone be lucky and catch another 9 pound hog! That one fish weighed more than the entire basket of the 12th place Pro!!! Talk about a money fish!
Also heard that 2/3's of the field was up by the dam. Can that area continue to produce limits with all that pressure?
Looking forward to Troy's updates throughout the day.
ONE BIG QUESTION?
What's your guess on why so many contestants came in SO early? Keith K came in at 9:30 am (is this true?) There's a lot of tournament fishermen on this board, is that what you would have done? It sound like very conservative thinking. My guess is that ALL fish caught prefishing were cookie cutter size and he never saw anything larger. OR did the fish come in the wrong order and he had to make decision very early on over the slot fish?
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Posts: 714
| Dennis,
I would guess that after fishing for 5-6 days and knowing the size fish that was the average, Keith and many others were worried about the bite shutting off with the cold front and kept the first 5 average fish they had and called it a day. I know many of them head out each day with an idea of what weight they would like to have that day, and maybe they reached that weight and called it good enough.
I read a post on another thread (somewhere else) that Keith put up last night where he voiced his suprise that so many weights came from the dam area. He knew there were fish up there, but did not think so many boats would be able to find limits weighing what they did. He doubts that bite will last for all three days. That much pressure in that small an area will most likely scatter those fish pretty quick, especially with the cold front.
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Posts: 3899
| I'm willing to bet that there will be fewer early weigh-ins today. With all but the top 3 at least 5 lbs off the lead, I suspect the guys will stay out to the very end, in search of that important kicker.
I also predict that one of these tournaments is going to begin, and end with a few days of stable, nice weather. Or, maybe not!
Great reporting, photo's and video Troy! If you see Rick Franklin, tell him I'm rooting for him. |
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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Fishing below a Dam in a severe cold front would be exactly what I would try first. The consistant/stable water temperature being drawn and released from the deeper/upper side of a dam, would have less of an effect on the fishes biting mood in a severe temperature change.
Edited by walleye express 5/13/2004 10:56 AM
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Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | I would absolutely HATE fishing this tournament. 3 fish 15 to 18 inches and 2 over 18 inches. There is absolutely no culling and no upgrading allowed. That's why I think so many came in early yesterday. Today more will have to gamble.
Shep,
You and I could very easily be in that same kind of situation some day where we do not get the fish in the right order. Make a judgment call my friend, the first fish is 18 1/4 ", what do you do? Okay, you kept it right?  Now the second fish is 18 1/2", what decision do you make? I’s a gamble, a hunch, or educated guess from prefishing experience on what should be done.
Remember me Shep? I was the guy that DIDN'T make the cut to day two of the RCL super tournament last year. I had to make one of those decisions in the first half hour of fishing and threw back a barely legal fish that would have allowed me to make the cut. It still haunts me, not just because it cost me money but for two other reasons as well. I didn't learn from that lesson and would do the same thing again. My prefising told me that I should upgrade (we were allowed 6 in boat and weigh 4 if I remember correctly) 17 inchers and that was the rule I followed. We caught all kinds of 17 to 18 inchers in that spot the day before. How was I to know that the wind would die 1/2 hour later and kill the spot? Oh well, you can see that I've overcome my anxiety 
The last reason that I still think about that tournament is because of the couple of comments that I received from fellow competitors. I was appalled when a few laughed at me and told me I was stupid for not keeping the fish in hopes that I could dump/throw it back later. That hurt knowing that I was up against a few others who would bend the rules to win. Winning that tournament by bending the rules would have been too shallow of a victory to me and it would have meant nothing. In fact, I would have had a hard time dealing with myself.
Thanks for letting me vent. It was good therapy. 
I feel much better now
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The only way I would have come in early had I caught my two slots (18inch and longer) right away and filled out the rest of my limit with fat 16-18, check that, 17.5 inchers. |
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Posts: 1406
| I'm proud to be a part of all these ethical anglers here! The culling rule is a difficult one to say the least and the fact that you guys follow it to the letter of the law is comendable! I hope your behavior rubs off on the rest of the guys and some enforcement is done to weed out the violators. As for changing the rules............well lets see how the B.A.S.S and FLW address that in the coming months....By the way..the C&R study in MN looks promising! Look to the news trawler for the latest story on this 6 figure study being done! It will go along way to promote tournament fishing!
Good Luck
Tyee |
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Posts: 538
| Dennis,
Whoever laughed at you and stated they would have cheated (not bend the rules) should be outed and publicly humiliated. For anyone to be so blatant and ignorant to openly express their own lack of integrity is incredible. I hope that the cheaters you mentioned did not profit from their lack of integrity.
Take care,
Jim O |
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Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | No, they were looser too |
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Location: Collins, WI | If I remember correctly, you could keep 7 or 6 and weigh 5. That is what someone told me after the event was over. I think lots of fish were thrown back that day that anglers wish they would have kept. |
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| I think the rule for that tourney was keep 6, and weigh 5. Seems to me Dennis, I think I remember what I said to you. I hope you didn't take it as me laughing at you. I felt your pain, as we only caught 4 fish, and needed just one more to make the cut. It is a tough decision to make. My personal experience is to be conservative the first day, and make sure you put your 5 in the box. Make the decision to keep the kicker later on. Granted, I have not fished as many tourneys as you. However, those I have been in, the fish weren't exactly jumping in the boat. When I grow up, and get better, I may change my theory on this. Even Lake Erie had me advising to follow this strategy this year, although that was a cull tourney. It does make a difference. |
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Posts: 194
Location: Northern Illinois | MAN; no culling, tight slots, lousy conditions, high pressure community spot...why wouldn't you stay out and scout out other options? As stated, the weather may change, but more probably, the dam bite from pressure will die out. Essentailly, pre-fishing during the tourney, with your livewell at spec? WM |
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Location: Rhinelander | The weather look like it improved some for taday. It will be interesting to see how the bite goes post front! |
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Another COLD day at the PWT