Ronnie Garrison, Oconee, bass, June 20, Ted

[FishNews]

Sunday - June 20, 2010 - Day 147 - 24 days missed<br /><br />Spalding County Sportsman Club Tournment<br />Lake Oconee - 5:30 AM - 1:30 PM<br />Sunny and very hot - very light breeze around noon, water clear and 87 degrees<br /><br />Ran to my favorite area in the dark and started working a seawall with a Chatterbait - still very dark. Lots of shad dimpling off bank as it got a little lighter and a big fish hit right on the bank but nothing on our baits.<br /><br />When it got light enough I thought topwater would work i started throwing a popper. Saw some activity on the seawall, almost like a few shad spawning - and got a bare keeper 14 inch largemouth on the popper at 6:05. A few casts later, following the shad down the bank, got a good solid keeper at 6:15. Worked around a pocket and got a short fish then another good keeper on the popper - three in the livewell at 6:30. Another short fish hit the popper as the sun came over the trees on the far side of the lake.<br /><br />Met another boat working toward us and they said they were not in tournament and would get out of way - told them no problem. They had about the same luck as we had. As I turned out on the point we met on I threw a jig head worm on it and got a good keeper - four at 6:40. Went back across the cove and worked out the seawall and missed a hit then caught a warmouth. A few casts later missed another fish then had one pick my Texas rigged Mag 2 worm and swim out with it - landed a solid keeper at 7:00 and had a limit. About the same time my partner got a keeper on a jig head.<br /><br />We fished several places hard to 9:00 without any more bites. While fishing a jig and pig in some brush on a rocky point felt a hard hit and set the hook. Nothing moved for a second then it pulled me down into brush. I worked back and forth for a while and the fish came out and swam off, with me following. I was using 15 pound PLine Fluorocarbon and knew it had to be frayed bad. <br /><br />I couldn't do anything with that fish - could feel it throbbing on the line and a heavy solid pull. Had my St Croix rod bent double. After about 15 minutes I startd to gain some line and saw bubbles - told my partner a sure sign of a cat. When I finally got it to the top it was the biggest flathead I had ever hooked - My partner got a rag and I was going to try to "lip" it but it kept shaking its head and finally broke the line. I could have put both my fists in its mouth side by side! Was shaking after all that!<br /><br />We worked hard in the miserable heat but had not had another strike at 1:00. I stopped on a dock on the way to weigh-in and got a throwback, then my best of the day from some brush in front of it. Got another throwback there before we had to leave, all three on the RedBug Mag 2.<br /><br />At weigh-in my five weighed 10.19 for second. First had five at 10.72 - only other limit. Third was four at 9.79 and his 5.49 was big fish. Fourth was was three at 7.26.<br /><br />Ronnie<br />fishing.guide@about.com<br />http://fishing.about.com<br />