Thursday, September 27
Lake Erie EverStart, Day Two
Dan writes:
The weather forecast was calling for a duplicate of yesterday, but by the time we took off this morning the sun was out and the winds were calm, at least in comparison. I’d already made up my mind though – I wasn’t going out on that big lake today. I considered it though, for all it took yesterday to make the Top 30 was six and a half pounds. A thirteen pound bag today then would probably make it, and I believe I could catch thirteen pounds out on those reefs around Pelee Island. But then I remembered how different conditions were far out in the lake when compared to what we see back here in the river. And I really did scare myself yesterday. And what’s more I promised Annie I wouldn’t go. So today I ran around in the river and in Lake St. Clair instead, and never got a bite all day.
Following the 1000 Islands EverStart tournament back in July, I wrote here in the journal that I had found the fish in practice that could have made the cut for me. I didn’t go out and fish them the first day though, for I felt it was too windy to get out there and back. I went on to say that if I had made the right decision that day – to brave the elements and to fish those fish regardless of the conditions, then there was a good chance that I’d be fishing Top 30, and I concluded by saying that it was “another lesson learned, about toughness, and about doing whatever it takes to be competitive in this sport.”
I don’t know what to say now. If I learned a lesson back in July about being tougher in order to be competitive, then what did I learn this week? I was tough yesterday, and I did brave the elements, and they beat the crap out of me. Had I waited and gone out the second day instead, like I did at 1000 Islands, I could have loaded the boat. My friend caught a 23 pound sack out there today. I just seem to keep doing things backwards.
Perhaps my biggest disappointment this week is that coming into this tournament I was in 32nd place in the year-to-date standings, and was almost guaranteed a spot in the Championship. Catching just one fish here would have left me in about 40th place, but I didn’t fish at all yesterday and today never got a bite, so my Championship berth just disappeared. I didn’t come out here to fish for points – I didn’t need to – even a mediocre finish would have guaranteed my spot. Instead though, now we’re driving home, documenting our experiences in this journal, and making other plans for that first week in November.
Annie writes:
When we left the campsite this morning we both felt better about today than we did yesterday. I launched Dan in the water, unhooked the trailer and left it at the weigh-in site, then Cooper and I went back to the campground and got a couple more hours sleep.
I woke up late morning, showered and started getting the campsite ready to pack up. I did not have too much to do because we decided this morning that we would stay tonight and drive in the morning. After getting organized I went into town, grabbed some lunch and went to the weigh-in. Dan came in at 3:30, and I was on the ramp waiting to pull the boat out. (They are letting them take their boats out before weighing their fish because there is not enough dock parking for the boats.) Dan did not have any fish today but I don’t care. He is in, he is dry, and he is safe.
I know Dan is bothered with the results here. He has not zeroed-in in a fishing tournament in a very long time. I am trying to be the optimistic one, and am just glad that he is unhurt, his boat is in one piece, and tomorrow we go back home to our family.
While this trip may not have been our best, one nice thing to come out of it was that we had at least six new people introduce themselves to us here, and tell us how much they enjoy reading our journal. Two guys came up to me at the registration and actually thanked me for writing. It was so nice to hear. We put a lot of time into this, but after posting it we really have no idea who reads it. Every once in a while though we meet our readers, either via email or face-to-face, and that helps make it all worthwhile. So, I just want to thank all of you who have taken the time to look us up out there on the tournament trail, or email us with your comments, and hope you all continue to enjoy reading.