April 15 through 18, 2004
This is a special report from the Professional Muskie Tournament Trail.
My partner Dan Peckels and I recently got back from the PMTT event in Kentucky, Cave Run Reservoir. We made it to the reservoir on Wednesday early afternoon and got down to business. First thing we did is talk to the local bait shops to see what the weather has been for the last couple days. After getting the scoop we learned that a cold front came in Monday and Tuesday and the water level came up about two feet. With that info we decided to work the outside edges of the flats that were holding fish. Previous reports and three years of spring trips to the cave helped us to isolate certain spots to target.
We started slowly with only a few fish spotted on Wednesday. Thursday we had some better luck, the best fish of the day was a giant 23-inch Smallmouth Bass that ate a Shad Rap off a small flat close the main river channel. Friday we worked some of the areas we were going to start with in the tournament. A 43-inch muskie was the big fish of that day. Plenty of largemouth bass were mixed in along with a short muskie.
Saturday, 6:45am and the anticipation to start the 2004 PMTT season was setting in. The 7AM start was close and we were the 6th team out of 118 to leave the starting location. Starting early in the pack has its advantages, Dan's first cast on the first spot was perfect, "fish on" he yelled as I was reaching for my rod to start fishing. I turned to see his rod bent and quickly grabbed the net. That's the way to start a tournament, a 32 1/2-inch muskie before the field was even completely released. Soon after I had my first tournament fish on, a 30-inch muskie was in the net and the judge boat was on his way for the second time in the first 1/2 hour of the tournament. (Legal size is 30-inch for Cave Run) We caught and released 11 largemouth bass and a short muskie before the 4pm finish. Day one was over and Dan and I were excited to see who was on the leader board. Too our surprise we were in second place, a brief stage appearance and we were out of there before too many questions were asked.
Sunday we were released about 60th boat due to the reverse of the trail teams the second day. As we got to our spot I realized it was so full of boats that we had to go to an alternate spot. After a quick pass with no action we headed back to the spot we caught our fish the day before. Back in our comfort zone we got back to work and scored a 5# bass on our first pass. About noon I scored a muskie that was just short of legal, talk about excitement, my hands were shaking as I released the fish, yes, a short fish. That's what big money tournaments do to me. 1pm the tournament was over and we packed up the boat and went to tournament central to see how day two turned out.
19 total fish out of 236 fishermen were caught and released. Dan and I finished 6th place, received a nice check, a plaque and some very good points toward the prestigious "Top Gun" award at the end of the year. The next qualifier will be May 15th and 16th at Lake Shelbyville. The baits we caught our fish on were 5-inch Slammer Deep Divers and Shad Raps. The pattern we used was working the 10 to 12ft breaks off the main lake flats. This is where the weeds stopped and the fish were holding off the edges. Some warmer weather and the fish will be back up on the flats again.
The Wisconsin opener is coming May 1st and things are looking great for a successful opener if the weather holds. Look for my weekly reports on my web site and BI-weekly reports in the SE Wisconsin Outdoor Guide this season.
If you're thinking about learning some of the spring patterns that will put more fish in your boat, keep reading my reports and maybe I can help you catch a couple more fish this season. If you would like to learn some of the tips and tricks used by the Pro's, lock up a day or 1/2-day on the water with me before the good dates are booked up. An outing with a guide can make your next trip out more successful. I can teach you patterns and tactics that took me years to develop. Learn the seasonal patterns that work from spring to fall and when to use them. Maybe you can catch a fish big enough to put on the web site, you will definitely have a learning experience and will be a better fishermen on Pewaukee Lake after we are done with an outing. I will be glad to save a spot on the calendar for you. See you on the water !!!
More pictures to come soon. I am working on the new design. Some old pictures will be replaced as soon as I get the new tournament pictures.