Today went about as well as I could have expected. I knew this morning that the only way I had a chance with this thing was to bag 25 or 30 pounds. That’s possible. You never give up. But realistically I knew I was up against it.
The reason I’m a happy man is because I did the things I wanted to do this week and performed about as well as can be expected. I fished the areas that I thought would hold the winning fish. That went well. I covered water and did things my way. I boated whatever I could get to bite. I didn’t lose anything, a least not anything that would have made a difference.
What I didn’t get were the giants that you need to win a Classic.
That’s really the way my Classic went. I had a game plan to catch big fish and try to win this thing. I executed it well, except for the trolling motor problems I had yesterday. I’d sure like to have that hour back, and my lack of composure, too. But, that’s something that happened yesterday. There’s nothing I can do about it now. And, looking at things realistically, mechanical issues are a part of our sport.
As I said tonight during the weigh-in, last year wasn’t my best ever. I’d call it mediocre, at best. This year is looking different. I’m off to a good start. Fishing seasons are just like fishing tournaments. If you can get off to a good start you get momentum going forward. That really helps. But, if you start slow or badly then it creates negative momentum. That really hurts.
I have positive momentum going into Texas. I want to keep that going all the way through the Elite Series season. Next year I don’t want to look back and say that 2013 was mediocre. That’s just not me.
Note to all dog lovers: I swear to you that what I’m about to say is true.
For those of you who don’t know, yesterday I yelled and cursed at a dog on a dock. It happened when I was upset about my broken trolling motor. It was not my finest hour.
Today I passed the same dock. That same dog came out but this time he didn’t bark at me. He just sat down and watched what I was doing. The more I look at him the more I realized that I’d hurt his feelings. Feeling guilty, I moved over to the dock with my trolling motor.
I apologized from the bottom of my heart. It was genuine. (In truth, he didn’t do anything to me yesterday. I had no reason to say hateful things to the poor creature.) He seemed to understand and I think he accepted my apology. Things are good between us now.
Another note to dog lovers: This thing is bothering me. Maybe I should make a donation to an animal shelter when I get home. It’ll help the dogs and make me feel better at the same time. Becky and I will talk it over next week.
Mike Iaconelli’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.
