I headed up to pool 10 for my small clubs tournament over the weekend.
I got on the river around 9 am on Friday 
I took a different way out of Illinois and it took almost an hour longer. The first thing I did when I got to the river was check out my normal starting spot. It looked perfect, I made about 25 cast and caught 2 short fish so I pulled out. I then ran down river to check out spot #2 and was not happy when I got there. The water look really wrong for my fishing. I fished a few spot around there and called it a day aound 1:30.
First day of the tournament I drew boat #3 but I had my flatboat with a 40 hrsp so I got passed be just about every boat with in the first 2 min. I get to my spot only to find that another guy from the club had finally found the spot that I have been using to beat them for the last three years. So I got stuck fishing the worst spot in that area. Right away a boat from the big tournament ran right over the weed bed we were fishing. 
He also stuck his boat right after he got past the weeds After everything calmed down I missed 5 nice fish in the first hour 
They would blow up on my buzzbait and I would not get a good hook up and they would come off after two or three cranks of the reel. I fished this spot for longer then I should have and only was able to get on keeper. For the second day in a row I had a huge smallie 3.5-4 pounds come out of the water after my buzzbait and not get it. The fish was all the way out of the water and landed on the bait both times. I started fishing a new spot that I finally found clean water in. Right away I was getting short fish then I finally got keeper number two on a frog. I was also getting ring perch on three inch tubes. I landed three of them. With 1 hour to go and only 2 fish in the box I headed to a spot right next to our ramp. Right away I see another boat from my club in there and they are just landing a fish. I fish up the bank behind them and pick up one keeper and 3 short fish. With 20 min left I hook up with another keeper but lost him half way to the boat. So off to the weigh in and I ended up being the only boat with out a limit. I ended up with 3 fish for 5-12 pounds. I forgot to tell you guys that I was fishing alone in a team event. The top weight was 5 fish for 11-5.5 ( the team that was fishing in my first spot). Big fish was 3.25
Day two I drew the last boat ( the week is just getting better) I went to my starting spot only to find no one else there 
. I put the trolling motor down and hit the button and nothing 
All I can think of is what now!!!. So while I was sitting still I started casting and on the third cast bam 15.5″ bass in the boat. Then the other tournaments started taking off and I got another boat in the area so I had to fix the trolling motor ( kind of). I keep fishing and was pulling short fish after short fish. So I slowed down and started tossing a tube. I flipped it next to some weeds and wham. I get it to the boat and it is the biggest fish I have pulled out of that spot in the three years I have fished it. 17.5″ 3-7.5 pounds. So I am pumped, up now and have forgoten about all the problems that I have been having. I ended up getting one more keeper that was just 14″ before the bite quit. So off to the spot I ended in the day before. I quickly pick up a short and then another keeper. Then about 5 more shorts and the bite quit there. At 11 I decided to try something new and headed over near the river boat and picked up keeper #5 along the rocks 
As soon as I had my limit I went back to were I had just been and sat on one area and tossed frogs for the rest of the time. I landed 5 fish between 13-14″ I just could not get rid of my 14″ fish. Of to the weigh in for day two and I find out there are only three limits brought to the scales. My limit went just under 11 pounds. The other limit went 11.25. That boat had big fish at 3-9.5 pounds.
So after my slow start I ended up 4th overall because two teams had a 0 on day two and one had 1 the leader after day one only brought in 3 fish. If it were not for my bad start on day one I should have been 1st or 2nd.
My fish came on evey bait I used. From tubes and jigs, to cranks and poppers and frogs and buzzbaits. I also got alot of fish on spinnerbaits and swimjigs.
In the three days I caught over 50 bass and alot of pike and dog fish.
Jeremy