For the third stop of the MLF Tackle Warehouse Invitationals, Jacopo had to again figure out a lake that was new to him. An angler will always encounter challenges when fishing against the best pros, and perhaps more so on a fishery like Eufala. It’s a lake that by its very nature does not offer many alternatives and concentrates anglers in similar spots. Let’s see how Jacopo approached that challenge.
Practice
The first official practice day was a struggle for Jacopo. He ended up fishing in turbid water where he could not fish his preferred techniques. He also did not manage to catch any keepers. On the second day of practice, he changed locations to find clearer water, and he was able to have more success in a secondary arm of the lake. It was a relatively small area, with large granite rock formations that reminded him of the impoundments in Sardinia, Italy. He fished for reaction baits in the morning and applied finesse techniques during the afternoon, and in doing so he managed to land a limit totaling around twenty-two pounds.
To complete his search for good spots on day three of practice, Jacopo focuzed on narrow areas between floating docks and the bank. He was looking for measurable fish that habitually set up under the docks and that with the approaching spawn might near the bank. Without catching big numbers, Jacopo was satisfied with the results in those areas.
Competition
Jacopo wasn’t lucky with the draw, and found himself taking off in the middle of the pack on Day 1 as well as Day 2. As a result, he began the tournament with five or six boats ahead of him in the secondary arm he wanted to fish.
He had selected strike zones that were not obvious, hwoever, and the spots were not targeted by other competitors. Fishing a chatterbait there, he landed his first three keepers. Swithcing to a finesse technique later in the day, he landed his limit while throwing a wacky rig. Encouraged by this early result he decided to leave the area and check spots he might fish on the next day. Incredibly, nearly every other spot was occupied by a competitor, making the bite there very difficult for Jacopo.
Depsite the bad luck (he snapped a rod while fishing a weighted rig), he managed to land a quality bass on a less interesting spot. The fish had bit a chatterbait, and it brought his limit up to a solid 14 lbs, 5 ounces, placing him in 51st place in the standings.
Jacopo had some difficult decisions to make on Day 2. This was because some of the spots in the secondary arm he fished had been fished hard on day 1, producing some large limits of around 18 pounds. Quality fish had been caught or disturbed, but without great alternatives, Jacopo decided to start fishing there again. After landing a few short fish, Jacopo realize dhe could not stay, so he went to another spot.
After finding sveeral areas occupied, and with only two keeper sin his livewell, he decided to try the floating docks. It was a difficult are ato fish, but it held promise. He immediately knew the fish were there after only a few casts, as they were reacting to his Neko rig. He landed four quality fish in short order, but he didn’t think they would be enough to make the cut line of the top 50 anglers for day three.
And so, relying on his experience in fishing ahrd-to-reach areas (a skill he developed on Italy’s Lake Garda), Jacopo found a way to fish between walkways that connected docks with the bank. In very shallow water, and using his body to protect his electronics, he landed an important fish – a three pounder. Having filled his limit, he shifted his strike zone to take a few casts on the opposite side of the docks, and there he landed a second quality bite – a bass that weighed over three pounds.
His limit on Day 2 was 12 pounds, three ounces. Would it be enough to make the cut?
Unfortunately, it came up only ten ounces short, and Jacopo took 55th place overall.
There was some regret, of course, because his effort had been as strong as his technical approach. Jacopo found solutions along the way, but they weren’t enough to make a run at the top 10 on Day Three.
Gallelli’s Gear
Chatterbait
– 13 FISHING Baitcaster “New Prototype,” length 7’4”, up to ¾ oz.
– CONCEPT C2 reel , gear ratio 7,5:1
– Fluorocarbon Sufix Advance, 17 lb.
Wacky Rig
– 13 FISHING ENVY BLACK III spinning rod, length 6’9,” up ¾ oz. Fast
– Reel with Sufix X8 15 lb braid
– Leader: Fluorocarbon Sufix Advance 14 lb
-Hook: BKK Predator W.G. weedless 1.0, with a 5” Senko style worm
Glide ‘N Shake (Jig)
– 13 FISHING ENVY spinning rod, length 7’3” up to ¾ oz. Extra Fast, for long casts
– Reel with Sufix X8 15 lb braided line.
– Leder: Fluorocarbon Sufix Advance, 10 lb. test.
Neko Rig
– 13 FISHING ENVY BLACK III spinning rod, length 6’10” up to 3/8 oz., Fast action, flexible and multi-purpose.
– Reel with Sufix X8 15 lb. braid
– leader: Fluorocarbon Sufix Advance, 10 lb test.
– Hook: BKK Predator W.G. 1.0
(Traduzioni: Henry Veggian)
