BFL experience

Well, finally finished the transition from Rochester to LaCrosse and just now got the new computer up and running! I had the opportunity to fish the BFL this past weekend as a co-angler and it was an awesome experience! Fished with Darren Zumach on day 1 and Chris Welch on day 2. Both of these guys are, in my opinion, the absolute class of the field. Both were extremely helpful and I learned a ton from each of them. Also, they both seemed genuinely happy for me on the rare occasions that I actually caught a keeper. The fishing was pretty tough both days and it was a real education to see how these guys adapted. All in all, it was a great experience!! Ended up with 3 for 6-1 on day 1 and 5 for 9-2 on day 2 (less 8 oz for a dead fish that I hooked bad ). A lot of the other co-anglers struggled on day 2 so I actually got to sit up on stage in the leader’s chair for a while! Ended up 7th for the weekend and a pretty decent check. Much more important than the money though was a chance to meet these 2 guys and learn from them!
Steve

Well now that it’s said and done, care to share on the adaptations, conditions your faced? preso’s? anything of that nature?

Congrats on a job well done

My first BFL as a coangler was with Chris Welch. The guy is a class act.

Thanks,

OnTheWater

I learned a bunch of stuff as well, even on my home water of Lake Onalaska . We were fishing some weed points that consisted of lily pads with some duckweed mixed in . All of my usual slop methods weren’t producing strikes, until we started swimming creature baits over the tops of the cover….That’s what they wanted…The fish keps moving in and out of that area all day, as there was sufficient current coming through the area. I think the wind and clouds effected the bite though, as most of our fish came from deep in the pads…..

Definitly learned a lot, and plan on fishing the entire circuit next year!!

You said it OTW- great guy and a great fisherman. Slop, both days saw us using a bunch of different techniques to put fish in the boat. The most reliable of these was swimming a jig around grass clumps. Color didn’t seem to matter all that much. I also got a few keepers pitching a tube around grass edges when my partner was using a more horizontal presentation. A few fish here and there on traps and spinnerbaits and that was about it. Never really got into a good bunch of fish, it was simply a matter of beating the water and picking them up here and there.
Steve

I TOSSED SWIMMING JIGS 85 % OF THE DAY AND A SCUM FROG THE REST FISHED SCATTERED PADS ON POINTS IN POOL 9 AND 8 BUT MY PRO REALLY STRUGGLED DAY 2 FROM THE STANDINGS. JUST THE WEEK BEFORE HE AND HIS PARTNER PULLED 19 PLUS POUNDS FOR THE TEAM SUPREME FROM SAME SPOT SO HE WAS A LITTLE FUSTRATED AT THE SIZE OF THE FISH.
BUT FOR US COLOR ON THE JIGS DID MATTER I THREW MY NORMAL JIGS WHITE BLUE PURPLE AND SO ON BUT DIDNT START GETTING HIT TIL JEFF RITTER TOLD ME YOU WANT BITES YOU BETTER TAKE UP MY OFFER AND PUT HIS HOMEMADE SWIM JIGS ON AND WHAM I STARTED GETTING BITES JUST COULDNT GET THEM IN THE BOAT.
IM FISHING THE 2 PRAIRIES TOURNEYS AND THE LACROSSE TOURNEY FOR SURE NEXT YEAR AS A BOATER.I MIGHT FISH THE POOL 4 ONE BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE SO IT DEPENDS IF I HAVE ALOT OF FREE TIME TO PREFISH IT.

Did they mention a tenative schedule for the BFL next year?
Thanks

Yes..they handed out tentative schedules at registration….I imagine the website will be updated soon with times…..I’ll post them if i can find the sheet.

Thanks Slop.

some thing like this

may 14 th lacrosse
june freaking 18 th freaking winneconne(notice i dont like this date) i have a off limits during this time for a nationals
july 23 paririe du chen
august i think 20th is wabasha i think pool 4
and the best one
opening weekend of duck season oct 1 and 2 nd super tourney at prairie du chen

i sure hope they change some dates.

i talked to doug the owner of wolf river resorts in winneconne on sunday and already he had 5 calls about that date not being the best. why change the winneconne date now its been the 2 nd weekend of july for over 10 years now. ughhhhhh