Off the Chains Excited for the Columbia River
With September passed, I should have been out on my boat every spare moment I had. Instead, more time was spent getting my boat ready. I thought I had gotten everything done by this point but the cranking battery will not keep a charge yet.
The saying, “Washingtonians don’t have umbrellas, they have jackets with hoods” ran all too true while working on this boat. I would be out there, it would pour rain, I would clean up, it would stop raining, and repeat. It would take forever to get even some of the smallest tasks done.
Things have been a little more stressful than usual at work. There is a government realignment which will hopefully wrap up soon here and I’m looking forward to moving past that.
I made it one step closer to Nationals! I thought I was being pranked when I first got the call. The Vice President of the club had called and informed me that the club had elected me to go if I wanted to fish. I love this club. Even before this, I knew this was the best group of guys I could have aligned myself with. I jumped at the offer.
My travel partner made it as a co-angler last year, and was selected as a boater this year. We plan to share both a room and gas. I am already all rigged up and packed up. We are going to practice both Thursday and Friday. For practice on Thursday my plan is to read my electronics, find the strongest current, and find the best structure.
I have six rods all rigged up so I can easily switch from one to the next. I started my career as a co-angler in California and learned to be pretty efficient while packing. I don’t take too much so I don’t clutter up my options and make it hard for myself on the water. I turned a sports bag into a co-angler bag which has worked pretty well this season.
The morning bite is going to be key. I have to make a run at it and start fast right from the launch - a lesson I learned during my football days. The lake is further south and it is not getting really cold yet. The tournament is running on the Columbia River. There is a major river pool below the dam where we’ll be fishing out of.
Through researching past tournaments, it looks as though drop shotting will be good this time of year. I packed spinnerbaits which are often off the hook in the fall as well. Part of my plan is to throw a spinnerbait around ambush points like current breaks. I also made sure to have tubes that are great in the fall - I even packed a 5” Havoc tube I haven’t used since New York. I wanted to be sure to have a diverse arsenal. Depending on the current, I intend to make the US debut of a technique I learned in Korea. It is just a little bit different from a drop shot; but just enough to make a difference and keep the fish interested.
The positivity is already pouring in. I had e-mailed Ron Lappin, from FLW, to let him know the news and he congratulated me and wished me luck. I’m feeling confident - but not overly confident. One of the biggest lessons I have learned through fishing is that you have to be ready to adjust. I think a lot of us forget that. Myself and so many other anglers put in a lot of time off the water to be prepared once we hit the water. That can sometimes make us rigid and stick to a pattern that isn’t working.
At any rate, I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. After being overseas in Korea being away from the US tournament scene for awhile, I can’t be more grateful to be fishing this event.
