|
This fall, Big Bucks anglers were hoping for a rebound
season on Geneva with better weights and a better bite.
Unfortunately, the fishing seems to have gotten even
tougher lately. Leading up to this event, there was a
consensus among the anglers that the fish had a serious
case of lockjaw. High pressure, sunny skies and a
consistently lazy east wind seemed to have put the
entire lake in a funk. However, most Geneva anglers
know that “somebody always catches a big bag.” This
tournament - it was Brad Rubin of Antioch, IL and Matt
Vose of Aurora, IL who had it all come together for a
blowout victory.
On the surface, their day could have been considered a
failure by Lake Geneva standards. Only six keepers in
the boat and having to weigh in a fourteen incher are
rarely a good combination on this lunker-factory.
However, catching four bass hovering at or above four
pounds did the trick this tournament. One key to this
team’s impressive 21.96 pound winning sac, was sticking
to their game plan. The duo had a specific milk run of
spots they had narrowed down through some seriously
grueling practice time. When the fish are as negative
as they have been on Geneva, anglers must be willing to
commit to an area they have confidence in. Mental
toughness is critical when battling long stretches
without a bite. It’s even more important when you
finally get that distinctive “tap” and a quick, powerful
hook set is crucial. That’s just what happened when
Rubin caught the team’s second keeper weighing 4.98
lbs. With a bundle of line out, the angler
instinctively stepped back and “poured the meat” to the
behemoth largemouth which ended up being big bass of the
tournament.
Rubin’s bass came early on a combination of soft
plastics and Dirty Jigs Tackle jigs that have incredible
color combinations, and unbelievably sharp hooks. When
the bite is tough, color can make a huge a difference
and it did for this team on Sunday. Vose on the other
hand proved he is a finisher by filling out the team’s
limit with quality fish. He also used a combination of
soft plastics and jigs, opting to go with another elite
company – Talon Lures. Again, elaborate color
combinations along with laser-sharp hooks made a
difference. When not chunking lead, some unique soft
plastics also played a role for this team. Giving these
highly pressured fish a different look was what it took
to seal the deal. Brad and Matt took home $1,500 for 1st
place and another $300 for big bass. Congratulations to
Rubin and Vose who go into the final tournament with a
commanding lead in the points. Rubin is sponsored by:
www.dirtyjigstackle.com, Dave’s Reel Service in
Vernon Hills, IL, Action Marine and Captain’s Boat
Wiring. Matt is sponsored by
www.Talonlures.com, KicknBass Fish Attractant,
Xtreme Lubricants and
www.Matthewvose1.com.
Finishing second with 17.99 pounds was the team of
Morrell and Jurs. This was a great bag of largemouth on
a very tough day for the veterans of Lake Geneva.
Fishing their first Big Bucks tournament on Geneva in
quite some time, this pair reminded everyone they are a
team to be reckoned with by claiming runner up. Fishing
deep for quality fish, the pair proved that there is
still a decent deep bite on Geneva…if you can find it!
Congratulations guys on a top notch finish and a great
weight under tough conditions! Their fish were all
fizzed in time to make their way to back to the safety
of the deep after weigh in. Thanks to all the anglers
who are helping those in need of a hand getting their
catch fizzed quickly and effectively.
Rounding out the top three were Wally Ciborowski and
Troy Karafa of Spring Grove, IL. To secure their top
finish this pair focused their efforts a little
shallower catching the fish that frustrated the
daylights out of most anglers all week. Many fishermen
complained of the great fish they saw cruising shallow
but were “uncatchable.” Wally and Troy proved that they
were catchable and put six healthy largemouth in the
boat for a total weight of 16.93 pounds. This long-time
team is on a roll as they took 1st place at
the Fox Chain event following their 3rd place
on Geneva. Congratulations on your recent success Wally
and Troy! Wally is sponsored by: Action Marine, Skeeter
Boats, Yamaha Outboards, and All Terrain Tackle. Troy
is sponsored by Bedford Sales and Ranger Boats.
Congratulations to all our top finishers and anyone who
caught fish under some very tricky conditions. We look
forward to seeing you all out at our next tournament
which is our last event before the championship. Thanks
to Julie Palmer and all her helpers for running another
tremendous tournament. Thanks also to Skeeter Boats,
Yamaha Outboards and Action Marine for supporting this
circuit in tough times. It means a lot to all the
anglers! See you next week.
|
