From the perfect morning setting for takeoff, to the crowds of spectator boats, to the actual fishing, it was a great day to be on the water even though it was a little rough out there with all the pleasure boats.

We stopped and took photos with almost every pro, with almost all of them continuing to utilize the drop-shot to its fullest. Pros were spot-hopping like I had never seen during a tournament, with some only spending a couple casts-worth of time on an area before roaring off to another brush pile or tree. However, of all the pros we watched, one of them clearly stood out: Kevin Hawk. We pulled up on him around 10 a.m. and immediately were treated to him landing a giant spot. Thirty minutes later he boated his fourth keeper, and word when we got off the water was that he has a great bag of fish.

Of course, rumors also abound about Cody Meyer, leader National Guard pro Brent Ehler and Chevy pro Larry Nixon all having some good fish in their livewells, too. Nixon actually caught a 4-pound spot on his first cast! He was so excited after the catch that he was shaking, which caused him to backlash pretty bad on cast No. 2. But can you blame him?

That excitement is what the Forrest Wood Cup is all about. It’s an event that has to be experienced by any true fishing fan. And I have to say, Lake Lanier and the state of Georgia were great hosts (the lone exception being the wasp that stung me yesterday morning as I was backing down the boat. May that little pest fly straight into a bug zapper.)

But seriously, from all of us at FLW Outdoors Magazine, thank you for keeping up with our blogs and on-the-water-updates. I hope you enjoyed them as much as we did writing them.

Oh, and be sure to check out our October issue. We will break down the all top six pros’ patterns and let you in on everything that went down at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup at Lake Lanier.

Slam the hooks!