I have said for the last 3 years, the years I have been trying through the FLW Costa events, that when I qualified for the FLW tour I would go up and fish it. Been something of a dream for me but I put off trying because I have had a very successful career in the life insurance business for the past 30 years and the time away didn't see to make sense from an economics standpoint. And here, 2017, was my shot. Going into the last event I sat in 8th, I fumbled at Texoma and fell to 16th, I didn't qualify, I hear I can still get in if I want, so I put a pen to it. Everyone on tour talks about making the Forrest Wood Cup, that's the goal, the top 40, the guys that had a great years. Of those 40 guys only 7 guys made over a $100,000 in total winnings, which if you think about it makes some sense, 8 tournaments including the Cup, the top guy in each makes $100k and another $25k if he's in a Ranger, from there it falls off a cliff. Second is $30k, 10th, you make $15,000. From those top 7 money winners for 2017 it falls fast and hard. Even if, from a points standpoint you had a great year, David Dudley finished 5th in the points, but only won $69,000 for the year (likely a net of $30kish, see math below) Of the 40 that made the cup a couple grossed in the $70-$90's, but you have to consider expenses, entry fees alone for 2017 were $31,500, one of the guys that qualified for the Cup didn't even come close to covering his entry fees. Maybe he paid them, maybe he didn't, but I know a bunch of these guys personally, a boat and motor deal is a regular deal for them. But cash sponsors, continued.....

Went down to Rayburn for a little fun fishing and to donate to a good cause for the weekend. We paid-up, even not having been on Rayburn for several weeks, and fished Keith Comb's benefit tournament. The results were extremely impressive, over 28 to win, nearly 21 to get a check. We certainly had our chances even though we hadn't been on the water, we had a couple nice fish dropping a Yamamoto Flappin Hog in the grass on a 1 ounce tungsten weight, I will say, incredibly impressed how well my Lew's rods and reels performed grass fishing. It's been so long since I have done much of it, I paired a BB1 Pro Speed Spool in a 7.1:1 retrieve ratio with two different rods, a 7'4" Magnum Pitching LCLMPS and a 7'6" Magnum Flipping LCLFRH. Both of these are big, meaty rods. I also for the first time flipped Seaguar's 80# Kanzen braid, super strong, super thin stuff. It appears from what we saw, and heard, that the bigger fish were out deeper, mostly on wood. We had our chances, I had two different fish, including one that felt like I hooked a submarine, that I just could not coax out of a 26' deep brush pile late in the day. Really frustrating to know that you had the bites to do well, if not win. But for zero practice, we had the bites, great fun. Also looks like the fish are trying to school some, we didn't chase them as 3 lber's don't help at Rayburn at the moment, but lots of fun if you're just wanting to go fun fishing. If you are heading down you can catch numbers around the abundant grass, I mean matted to the top, we fished from Fire Tower up the west side all the way to the Canyons, and there are acres and acres of beautiful hydrilla, a little more water, and about 60 degree water temp, and it's going to be one awesome trap bite this year!   

The proverbial question of which came first, the chicken or the egg....well in the case of the FLW Costa Texoma tournament for me last week I laid the egg. Texoma has so regularly frustrated me, and this year was no different. Coming into the tournament I sat in 6th place for Angler of the Year and put in so much work. I had multiple piles out, and tons of practice time. But even then the bites continued to elude me even up through the official practice days. Honestly Texoma is a puzzle, that I simply cannot seem to solve. It appears, from reading and talking to buddies, that what I missed was really finding the bait fish, but again, puzzeled, one I'd like to forget, but one that just bugs the crap out of me. Upside is even with a massive stumble I had such a good early  year that I stayed inside the top 20, qualified for the championship on Kentucky lake here in a few weeks, and look forward to going somewhere where I have absolutely no history, so I can just go fishing.

Took my daughter and her husband to Rayburn for a little fun fishing this weekend. First the deep bite...where is it? I have a couple of places that normally i can catch little 12-15" Kentucky's on every cast, but they just aren't out there. We could go shallow and catch fish in the grass but that's hard to do on spinning tackle for non-everyday fisherpeople. So my buddy Clyton Boulware suggested that Saturday afternoon we drive down 69 and fish the moving water in the river below Rayburn damn. Water is beautiful, 78 degrees, very large alligators, tons and tons of little Kentuckies, we had a blast. Had 3 packs of Senkos with us, went through all of them. Then broke out the H&H spinnerbaits I bought at Brookshire Bros in Zavalla, they will absolutely eat them up. If you want something different, or want to teach a kid to fish somewhere that you can get lots of bites.....the river is awesome right now.