Oh Baby / Lucky Enuff A-Tom-Mik Invitational Report

[Fishtails]

A week or so before The A-Tom-Mik Invitational, I get notice from one of my buddies/ fishing partners Matt. He can't do the invitational due to work. I fish on team Oh Baby with Matt in some tournaments over the season, so we worked it out that I would fish it for him. I had to scramble to put a crew together, so I posted on LOU here and Tangled decided to join myself, my 13 yr old son Justin and Jon (aka Jon's little Salmon) and we would fish for Matt as Team Oh Baby.

Friday: I was having trouble deciding where I wanted to fish. I don't fish Oswego much at all, and the weather report was driving me nuts with constant changes in wind direction. One day it said NE 10 to 20...then they change it to SW 10 to 20.

I decide to fish out of Mexico Friday, and we set up off the Plant in 80 fow and troll deeper. We were one for three, and really grinding the first couple hours even though the screen looked OK. I wasn't pleased with our productivity, so I pointed nw and headed for deeper water. We picked up a couple hits along the way, and as we got out over 500, we started to have a steady bite. By the time it dried up, we were maybe 9 for 14 or so. Only problem I saw was our biggest was only 17lbs. We did drop a couple good ones though, so we at least had a starting point for Saturday.

Saturday...tourney day is here, and I felt good about our chances to squeeze out a top ten if we could just limit our mistakes. After the shotgun start, we head out to our waypoints NE of port. By the time we shut down, we were pretty much all alone....just the way I like it We quickly set up our spread, two riggers (60 & 80), two divers (180 & 250) and two coppers (300 & 450). I notice temp came up from the day before. That made me happy, figuring it would screw up the inside water for some teams. As we start our troll, I found we were actually too alone...no boats, and no fish

I decide to leave the deeper water and head in. Once we hit 430 fow, the 300 copper pulling a Big Weenie splatter head meat rig behind a glow/green paddle gets crushed and we land our first fish...20+lbs. Soon as that is in the boat, the 180 wire starts ripping and Justin handles that fish like a pro, just as he always does, killing fish #2. That would be our only fish on a fly the entire day, and for the life of me I can't remember which ff combo it was? Next the 450 copper goes...and like the fish on the 300 copper did, it runs strait for the boat and we had to reel fast as we could to try and catch up. We get lucky, and fish # 3 is put to sleep in our cooler. That fish also hit a Big Weenie ludington destroyer Meat Rig behind a white paddle.

I feel good about now, so we work the area for a couple hours....nothing. I have to make a decision...back out deep, continue grinding, or run east ? Based on the fact that our fish were running hard at the boat while we were trolling west, I take a shot that the fish were all on the move....and fast! I guess they are moving east, so I make the call to pick up and run to the North Dunes at 10am. It was a risky call, because I have never really fished the north dunes. I just figured the SW wind would blow the scent line of the salmon river out and north....so the north dunes seamed like a logical choice and I had nobody to talk me out of it I was not sure where to set up, so we shut down in 300 FOW and troll in. That was my only big mistake....I started out to far, to late in the morning. It turns out the fish were there. We marked bait right away...a lot of bait. We take two hits, one on a ff and one on meat, but drop both (one right behind the boat). Then we hit 175 fow and the screen lights up like a video game. We are now running Three coppers (450,500 &600), two wires and one rigger. The 600 copper smokes and Dan (tangled on LOU) battles a nice 22lb king to the net and we got #4 in the box. No sooner than that, the bait balls fall apart...kings drop out of sight and the catching is done.

We had a great time. Thanks to Tangled for joining us , and thanks to Jon for joining us Saturday and letting us use his boat for two days.

At weigh in, we find it was tough for everyone. Our 4 fish box it turns out wasn't bad, and we ended 12th. Good enough to collect a check. Great tourney....great fun! The one fish we loose at the back of the boat would have put us in 6th....but that's tourney fishing. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. A few teams put it together in tough conditions....my hat is off to them

[rdebadts]

Your son has an excellent teacher! He will be a seasoned pro soon if he keeps it up. Good report!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Nemesis]

Great report Rod. Wish I could have been there.

Seems to me that you and I have fished the north Dunes and caught 1 fish there....do you remember?

[Fishtails]

Did we Brad? a few years back in the scotty? That is where we caught our 1 fish that day ?? I have "passed through" the north dunes a few times before, but never spent any time there that I can recall anyway so that's kinda what I mean, I don't know the area at all. I have run that far north and set up to troll south in the fall, but never did an east/west troll there. I wish I had, maybe I would have had some waypoints there and a better idea where to start but it was 10:30 when we set down there so I just guessed.

There was bait and fish out deep, but it really lit up at 175. Would have loved to spend a full day there.

[Pike Hunter]

Way to go Rod and boys!

[Fishtails]

Your son has an excellent teacher! He will be a seasoned pro soon if he keeps it up. Good report!

Thanks!! I am not really sure who is the teacher and who's the student though He keeps me loose and reminds me we are out there to have fun and enjoy the moment. And as kids love to do, he's there to let me know when I screw up ! I was on the rod when we lost a fish we needed behind the boat. It just came unbuttoned, but he says I let the copper get slack and that cost us 6th place.....I just told him maybe he's right and I need to do better next time. I get no praise from him for the good, but he lets me know if I mess up

[motoman]

super job and report looks like it was tough fishing out there with alot of good boats with zero score's, way too go with kids mixed in , congrats !!!! also did they change the payout stucture thought i saw a top ten payout deal with a 60 boat field and in ur pic it looks like they had 48 boats and spead the money out , just wondering becouse i may feild a team for 2013, thx for any info and agian super job

[Fishtails]

Thanks Motoman, and Yes...Tom spread it out and paid down to top 18 Tom mentioned that two or three sponsors kicked In at the end so that money & product was used to pay 11th through 18th. I for one was very grateful

The A-Tom-mik invitational was very well run and I think everyone enjoyed the event, though the fishing was really tuff and at this caliber zero's make fishermen pretty unhappy. A lot of teams bailed before dinner, probably somewhat soured about the day....but that is fishing. Same thing happened with the fishing In the first Wilson Invitational. With no communication, when the fish pick up and move fast like they did Friday evening and Saturday, nobody can make phone calls to find fish.....gotta love it it give us weekend warriors a glimmer of hope.

Definitely give it consideration next season

[fishman08]

good job boss man