John Buck
John's Club Report
Covering The Pensacola Hawg Hunters
2006 Season

Email: John Buck

Founded In 1975

Lake Martin
Total Fish Caught 109
Total Dead Fish 13
Total Limits 10
Big Fish
3.69
Total Fish Weight 131.92 lbs

Total Year Standings
Total Fish Caught 325
Total Dead Fish 13
Total Limits 21
Big Fish
6.25
Total Fish Weight 453.04 lbs
Place Name Fish Weight
1. Pete Potter 10 16.74
2. Ron Fairbanks 10 12.65
3. Brian Metcalf 10 12.32
4. John Buck 9 11.16
5. Paul Sullivan 9 10.82
6. Jeff Weaver 8 8.84
7. Dave Dyess 8 8.70
8. Lee Brannon 6 7.06
*** Tournament Winner ***
Pete Potter
10 Fish - 16.74 lbs

Big Fish Winner
Pete Potter
Place Name Fish Weight
9. Jere Jaillite 7 6.92
10. Dwayne Kimbro 7 6.57
11. Frank Kelly 7 5.98
12. Terry Smith 4 5.86
13. John Gasparak 5 5.58
14. Mark Churchwell 5 4.86
15. Jim Bailey Sr 3 4.36
16. Ken Repine 1 .90

PENSACOLA HAWG HUNTERS
TOURNAMENT REPORT
APRIL 22-23, 2006

Wind Creek State Park on Lake Martin in central Alabama was the site for our April tournament. We have fished there every spring for the last several years and had good success every time. Everyone was looking forward to fishing the pretty water and beautiful setting that are found on this lake. Lake Martin is a large lake with over 700 miles of shoreline and thousands of coves and pockets among the steep hills that surround the lake. Kentucky spotted bass are the predominate species, but there is a good population of largemouths to be found also.

The weather conditions were quite varied with rain and wind off and on throughout the morning as a front was passing through. By midday the skies had become partly cloudy with brisk winds and temps ranging from about 60 in the AM to near 87 in the PM on Saturday, and on Sunday we had high blue skies with brisk winds, and temps ranging from about 53 in the am to 87 by midday. The water temps were in the mid 70's and were really pretty clear all over the lake.

Sixteen fishermen (8 boats) were participating this weekend. As usual this time of the year the lake in nearing full pool and the water is generally clear in the main upper lake and extremely clear in the lower portions of the lake. John Gasparik and I were paired in the draw, and we decided to fish the upper to mid-lake areas early on Saturday morning looking for a top water bite. We couldn't get any rise at all and switched to a C-rig and started catching a few fish. We saw many fish just swimming and cruising around both days but could not get them to hit. Many fish followed up our lures only to turn away at the boat. We were able to entice a few to bite by working a fluke really quick and even then most would only nip at it. We saw some really big fish and that only added to frustration. By the end of the day one we each had four little fish to show for our efforts but we did form a plan for the next day.

On a humorous note, I made a big goof when launching the boat. I put the plug in the livewell intake so within about 2 minutes of launching I heard water running in. It was sort of funny because I knew instantly what the problem was and with some help from Frank Kelly we quickly got the trailor backed down to the water and were able to drain the water and replace the plug in the drain. I have wondered if that was just a part of fishing with John Gasparik after the adventure he and Dan Nash had last month at Miller's Ferry.

At the weigh-in we found that everyone had fish to weigh. Everyone except one person mentioned that it was a tough bite. Most fish were caught on crank baits, c-rigs, flukes, and worms. A few caught some on top water. Pistol Pete Potter brought a nice limit weighing over 8 lbs to the scales. He said that he culled at least 5 limits but couldn't get a big bite, however he did have the lunker for the day, a 3.69 lb spot! You know that you have fun when you can catch 30 or more keepers per day.

On day two, my partner and I started c-rigging a point near the state park and I caught a nice spot on the first cast. About 15 minutes later we saw shad jumping near the shore and found bass working them. I managed to take 3 on a fluke and missed at least that many. The bite was really soft, they certainly weren't slamming it, and we couldn't buy a hit on top. My partner had tough luck here as he caught the shorts, and I had the keepers. Later on when the sun came up our bite really shut down. Once again we saw many nice fish but couldn't get a bite. We finally caught a few more c-rigging deep points, and I managed to get a limit.

Not to be denied, Pistol Pete brought in another 8lb plus limit including the lunker once again. This time the fish had a transmitter sewed in its belly. That probably added a half pound or more to the weight. I'm sure that the trackers will have fun when they review the GPS signals to show how the bass moved about 15 miles in one morning*at about 65 MPH!!! Pete secured the tournament win with his stringer on Sunday. It was a great weekend for him*.big fish both days, 30 keepers on Saturday and another limit on Sunday! His total weight was 16.94 lbs. Ron Fairbanks was second with 12.85 lbs. He said they never went more than about half a mile from the launch, and that they caught most of their fish on top waters and crank baits. Third place was Brian Metcalf with 12.32 lbs. Brian had limits both days on flukes. I wound up 4th with 11.36 lbs after a good day on Sunday.

Overall it was a good tournament as everyone caught fish and most caught fish both days. We had 6 limits on Saturday and 4 limits on Sunday. In total we weighed 109 fish for a total weight of 131.52 lbs. We all ate plenty of Sho Nuff Bar BQ and enjoyed the friendship. The Lake Martin trip is always one of the most enjoyable trips we make. Good food, good fun, the Bob White Motel with its own personality, a great launch facility, a beautiful lake, and a lot of fish, even the gas was .20 a gallon cheaper than in Pensacola! It's now time to turn Lake Martin over to the summer crowd and thousands of jet skis*.hopefully we'll be back next spring.

Our next tournament is a one day tournament out of Upper Bryants on the Tensaw. Make plans to attend. Now is the time to make sure that your livewells are good working order. With the hot weather upon us we really need to keep them running throughout the day. Also it's a good idea to use "catch and release" or "fish saver" or some type of livewell treatment to help the fish during the summer months.
Till next time*.


Keep
your hooks sharp!

Creek Chub

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