Jacopo competed in his second tournament of the season when he fished his home lake, Guntersvillein the Phoenix Bass Fishing League tournament there. He chose to compete and practice there even though it is not part of the Bass Pro Tour, because it nonetheless offered Jacopo a chance to stay sharp, practice new strategies and try new spots and techniques.
Jacopo made the most of limited practice time, using Livescope to locate some good bites on the lake. That was the approach he used to start the competition, putting two decent fish in his livewell. After around three hours of fishing he realized that the approach would not yield more, as bass were sporadic and on the move.
Making a tactical decision in order to avoid previous errors, Jacopo committed to fishing deep points that also had visible aquatic vegetation. Vertically jigging a lipless crankbait with long sweeps of the rod, Jacopo managed to land a few good bites. Unfortunately, the method of retrieve did not provide strong hookups, and a few good fish popped loose before being boated. Confirming that the pattern was a good one, his co-angler use the same technique to land a few good fish.
In the end, Jacopo was satisfied with the result, all things considered, and even though a few good fish had escaped him. With a total limit of 17 pounds, 7 ounces, he finished the day in 38th place and even managed to earn a small check.
On to the next derby – the Bass Pro Tour, stage 2, at Santee Cooper!
