US Qualifier - Recap 1 of 3

[Johnny wilkins]

Sorry for the tease- there is a lot to talk about regarding this Saturday & Sunday's bank fishing championships. My personal highlights and recaps of the ordeal will be played out in this space. There was excitement, there was drama, there was lightning, there were lots of fish and it was hot.

I survived the fishing and the elements but was trailing from start to finish and playing catch-up on all three sessions - not a good place to be. I was forced to rush fish in and had many things go wrong. I snapped hooks off, I broke leader lines, I lost way too many fish and I had troubles with the hook pattern I was fishing.

The 15ft. of water gave a good challenge as did the wind but I had my chances and the majority of the time I was not fishing well, my setups were a complete mess and my confidence was taking a hit during competition. Never a good thing fishing against the best anglers in the country. Competitors from Hungary, South Africa, Poland, England all took part in this US Team Qualifier for a chance to fish in the World Championships of bank angling in Italy as well as to be a part of Team USA vs. Canada in the Can Am Series.

Most of all, I am ready to upgrade equipment. My pole is nearly 15 years old and has repairs all over the place. In session two I ended up snapping off one of my pole tips - it's old. Everyone at the venue had a lighter pole than me and when I say lighter, I mean 2/3 to 1/2 the weight of my 42' pole.

All that said, I tried to fish hard and not get discouraged. My biggest mistake would not be a fishing mistake, but a preparation mistake. A fatal error setting up for session 1, I could not locate my sunglasses. I decided it was o.k. to go into the 1st session of the competition without my sunglasses. Right alongside the pole, this was by far the most devastating shot to my chances on the weekend. Staring into a bright sun reflecting on the water, I would set myself up for heat exhaustion starting in session two and ending in the final heat of the weekend on Sunday.

I will cap off this entry to say my neighbor had 12 fish in his spot before I even got one bite. I will also say there were fish in my spot and that it was my fault I didn't get fish. My information from a quick practice fish Friday night led me to think I could go aggressive with a bigger hook, thicker leader to get fish in faster. This was a massive miscalculation and I will add more to this coming up.

Sorry for not updating everyone during the competition. Two five hour sessions on Saturday, a 1/2 mile walk several times out to the spot and 90 degree heat coupled with my sunburnt eyes from session 1 meant it was survival. Staying upright was difficult. This coupled with my host not having wireless connection did me in for getting you information live as it happened.

Explaining this after the fact, I can get a much better perspective on things for you.

USA Qualifier Recap Show

I will have the champion from this weekend's qualifier Top Mix USA's Attila Agh live at 10:30 EST / 9:30 CST on the Fishing School Radio Show - or you can download it and listen to the show anytime.

[Johnny wilkins]

I forgot their is a Canadian/US Can-AM series that the team will be fishing this fall in Windsor, Canada if you are interested in the Fall as well.
Not to spoil the results or the next few blog posts but my finish in the U.S. Qualifier was high enough were I am in good shape to qualify to fish for team U.S.A. in Canada! One more event with an average result will put me in.

[Johnny wilkins]

I will post up the schedule of events as they happen. There are events in Indiana such as the U.S. Open Championships this Fall. How close to Indiana are you? The group fishes around the Fort Wayne, Elkhart areas for their events.

[James Chavis]

ok....here is what I would like to know. Is there a web site that list these events and how to enter them?? I would love to go!! Thank in advance!!