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| This
is the actual Omega 3/4
football jig that Remitz
used to wack 111 pounds |
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Remitz
Staying focused:
“It was always in the back of mind, after what I thought that I’d found in practice, that I would loose contact with the school. I guess I lost track of them, because the first day of the tournament I couldn’t get them to go. I got a little down on myself, but just kept grinding away and ended up with a pretty decent limit.
“I went back to my primary area Friday and got on the school that I’d found in practice and actually learned a little bit more about how they wanted the jig presented. From there, it really just fell into place.” |
Execution:
“I only lost two fish all week, so Sunday when I lost one that would’ve gone around six- or seven-pounds, I really got stressed out. I had a limit at the time, but I could’ve culled with him.”
The Winning Pattern:
“I was running a pretty solid pattern that consisted of a more or less vertical bluffs that were lined with timber adjacent to spawning flats. It was just a typical pre-spawn set up. I only fished eight or nine different spots over the course of the week, but they were all within a couple miles of the ramp.
Boat Handling:
“Boat positioning was everything fishing the ledges like I was because you had to keep lined right up on the edge. Spending as much time in the boat as I have over the last few years really paid off big this week in keeping that boat lined up in all of the wind. You have to know what you can and can’t do in order to work the wind.”
Winning Bait:
“Everything I caught this week came on a ¾-ounce green pumpkin Omega football jig with a green pumpkin Yamamoto Hula grub trailer.
Iaconelli’s Comment:
“What Iaconelli said really hit home with me because I came into the event and was a little bit down on myself for how I’d performed at the Classic. To be contention to win my first tournament out, and to get an endorsement from him was pretty special.”
Fishing Style:
“I’m very methodical I guess – I don’t really like to fish real fast. I would compare my style to something between that of Iaconelli and Jeff Kriet. I fit somewhere in between the two of them in terms of how I fish.”
Ike
His Focus:
“I kept my head on straight all week and really just stayed in the moment, and that’s really critical for me right now. I’m proud of myself for that.”
Second Place:
“I never lost a fish all week, and I made the adjustments when and how I needed to in order to put myself in position to win….I just got beat.
“When you do that, and you still get beat you can’t beat yourself up all…it just wasn’t your turn. I have no regrets about anything at all this week – it was a flawless tournament and a great start to the year.” |
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Kennedy
Key to the week:
“The real key for me this week was the big bag Thursday on the
swimbait. Ironically, it’s probably what cost me the tournament too.”
His Pattern:
“The trees way out on the points in 15- to 25-feet of water that first day were just loaded with giants – particularly on the backside of the tree. The first day, I ran a bunch of trees and pretty quickly figured out how they were positioned and had like 30 pounds by 9:00. |
“The second day, I went out to do the same thing and had two little ones to show for a half-a-day’s fishing. I never got bit the rest of the tournament off the trees, and the only thing I can think of is that they moved Thursday night into the back of the coves.”
Faircloth
The Weather:
“The wind and cloud cover made it real difficult to pinpoint exactly where I needed to cast. I never ran across the bigger school like I did Saturday though. How they were set up in the trees was dependant on the cloud cover.”
The Bait:
“I caught most of my fish on a 6” Yamamoto Senko in watermelon green and watermelon candy, but three or four big ones came on a big swimbait too. I don’t even know who made the
swimbait, but it was a good one.” |
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Accuracy:
“With the swimbait in particular, it had to be thrown right beside the tree. If you made a bad cast and sent it over the top of a tree you’d never get bit, but if you ran it beside the same tree you’d get bit – it was a weird deal.”
The Century Club:
“I can’t believe I caught over 100 pounds of fish in four days. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve really had a great week – one that I won’t ever forget.”
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VanDam
Winning vs. Not Winning:
“I let it slip away Friday, but you do the best you can do everyday. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out for you. For me the real key is if I’m able to figure out a little bit more everyday and capitalize on it I feel like I’ve had a good tournament.
“Don’t get me wrong, I would much rather win than finish fourth, but I really feel like with what I had going each day I did the best that I could’ve done. It’s just a constant learning process, and that’s really what drives us all.” |
Ish
Going for the Win:
“I had the opportunity to make it really interesting Sunday. I had a couple pull off, and a couple that ate the swimbait right at the boat and they turned and pulled loose. But hey, whenever you finish inside the top 12 you can’t complain.”
Retrospect:
“I wouldn’t change a thing really. I had the opportunity to win this tournament with all of the fish that I either missed or that came off. It was the swimbait fish that I was missing because a lot of them would hit the bait wrong, or just bump it. With the Reaction Innovation’s BMF hooks I’m using on the Beaver, I didn’t miss a fish flipping.” |
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Hite
Going for the Win:
“I didn’t have the kind of day I needed Sunday. I knew that it was going to be an all or nothing kind of deal being down in sixth place to start the day, so I went for the win and brought the smallest bag I weighed all week to the scales instead. I gambled a little bit, but at least I was fishing on Sunday.” |
Evers
Going for the Win:
“It wasn’t a very good finish, and I’m trying to be nice, but it wasn’t very good at all. I went did a bunch of wild stuff trying to swing for the fences.
“I tried flipping early but couldn’t get bit, so went and ran some other stuff until around 1:00. I went back to flipping and caught my big fish, so I probably should’ve been doing that all day.”
The Bait
“My main bait was the YUM Vibra-King tube in green pumpkin…it was phenomenal for me. My secondary bait that I used all week was the XCalibur Xr50 in Rayburn Red – they were just absolutely killing it this week.” |
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Reese
Going for the Win:
“The last three of four years I’ve been fishing pretty damn good. I does hurt that I can’t get the win, and in some events you leave in the top 10 and you’re bummed out.
“Finishing here in the top 10 you’ve done pretty well. In the end, it came down to a few big fish that the other guy got. I put myself in a position to go for the win, and came up short. I can’t be unhappy about that…my time will come.” |
The California Swing:
“I’m going to two bodies of water that I have some history on, but I’m not going there thinking that I’ve got this great edge because I know that at Clear Lake and on the Delta, if you have a little bobble you’re done. So if I leave California with two finishes inside the top 20, I’ll be stoked.”
Brodeur
Going for the Win:
“I ran down the main lake where I’d been fishing, but the fish just weren’t there. I think I had two keepers, whereas the day before it was just lock and load. I started looking around for some other stuff but just wasn’t ever able to get it going.”
Key to the Week:
“I was drop-shotting the deep ledges most of the week looking for the big wolf-pack schools of pre-spawn fish. You could usually sit there and catch six or eight before they would move on.” |
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In Retrospect:
“I would’ve spent more time fishing the deep water in practice instead of looking for bedders up shallow. I should have spent more time finding the deep points – it would’ve helped a bunch.”
This Year vs. Last:
“Last year I finished 103rd here, so to finish in the top 12 was great.”
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Kriet
The Bait:
“I spent most of the week throwing a Kinami Flash. The deal for me was getting the big fish up shallow – from four-feet to like eight-feet was were I was getting the big fish. I also flipped a little, but 85% of my fish came on the Kinami bait.”
In Retrospect:
“I think if I could change anything, I would’ve spent more time Sunday winding something. The problem is that it’s just too hard to switch gears on the last day. I might have got a little quick Sunday when the wind died down that morning, but other than that I don’t think I would change a thing. |
“I mean, hey, if they would’ve told me Wednesday that I could finish in 11th place and never put my boat in the water I wouldn’t have batted an eye.”
His Finish:
“This is the right way to start the year off. I had a good Classic, and an 11th place at Amistad. I’m going to win mine – I don’t know which one it will be, but I know that I’ll win…I’ve just got to be patient.”
Murray
Sunday:
“It was really tough Sunday. I must’ve caught 40 fish, but never could hook up with the ones that I needed. If you’re going to have a bad day in a tournament, you want it to be on the last day after you’ve already made the cut.”
The Bait:
“I went old school and threw the old California Reaper all week. I also flipped a Double-Wide Beaver a little bit too for my big fish.” |
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In Retrospect:
“Looking back, I would’ve stayed close instead of making the long run. I was running west and was the only guy out there. Hindsight is always 20/20 though, and you can’t change it now.”
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