Story by Hunter Baughman
What a week. I feel like I’ve wrestled a 500-pound gorilla for 3 days. I’ve fished in the biggest waves I’ve ever seen. I drove a boat 375 miles in three days in those same waves. I scraped and clawed the best I could to do my job and get paid. It didn’t happen —70th out of 118. Just good enough to drive home defeated and sore. We had planned to stay two extra days to fun fish and the wind has blown so hard that’s not even an option. To top it off, it’s time to pack and leave, and the truck won’t start. No clue why.
That’s the next priority.
Back to tournament week. Practice was okay. We (Dad and I) spent all but about five hours looking for smallmouth. There’s lots of dead water out there but we were able to find some fish—lots in the 2 to 2 1/2-pound range with an occasional 3 pounder. Most were 55 to 60 miles from tournament takeoff.
During the majority of practice there was no wind, and the lake was flat. It was easy to move around and fish. But I knew on this big water that could all change even with minimal wind.
In the few hours we looked for largemouth, it was decent. I finished 10th last year off largemouth and of course had to check those areas again. The quantity wasn’t there, but the quality was. Three bites for about 11 pounds and we were out of there…but not until I got the boat stuck! Took us about an hour to get unstuck. Dad ended up having to get out of the boat and push. I thought we might be there all night at one point.
I figured there was no way those largemouth would last three days but hopefully I could have one really good day on them and spend the other two days in the big water. I figured the winning weight would be around 60 pounds and the check cut would be 42 pounds.
On Day 1 of the tournament, the wind was blowing 15-plus mph out of the northeast—the worst possible direction for Saginaw Bay. I decide to go catch my largemouth and avoid the long run in the wind. As I was idling in, I noticed there was a lot more boat traffic in the area than the previous two years. I rolled up on the “juice” and picked up my frog, fully expecting to wreck them in the first few throws.
No bites.
So, I checked some other stuff in the area and…nothing. I idled back out to the bay trying to make that next decision like we talked about last week. It was 10:00 a.m. I was in a late flight, not due back in until 6:10. I send it. Sixty miles in the northeast winds. The first 25 miles weren’t too bad. Then I rounded a little corner, and there are the rollers. They are big.
I actually shut down and took a second to make sure it was what I wanted to do. Then I’m off to find the smallmouth. It took me until 11:30 to get there and make a cast. First cast I catch one almost 3 pounds. It was pretty steady after that with the same size fish I kind of expected from practice. The day is getting late. I go get $5 per gallon fuel from a marina so I can make it back and then I head in. Day 1 ended with a weight of 12 pounds, 14 ounces, putting me in 77th.
Day 2 was not near as exciting. I had a much shorter day and committed to largemouth all day. My practice area was terrible again, so I fished all new water. Remember, I hadn’t hardly practiced for the largemouth. I was just making it up as I went. Finally stumbled into a group of fish. Catch one good one and some more 2 pounders. Ended the day with 12-13 and fell to 79th. Basically, the same weight regardless of green fish or brown fish.
Day 3 would come with more decisions of what to do.
On Day 3, I estimated I needed 18 pounds to get paid. Felt like the only way that would be possible was on smallmouth. I stopped on the largemouth I had found the day before for 15 minutes. Missed a couple and rolled out. Get to the end of my rough run and start fishing. Immediately start catching smallmouth again. End up going about 15 miles farther out in Lake Huron than the day before, just looking for a fresh group of fish.
Absolutely smashed them. Just no size again. Thirty-plus fish with two over 3 pounds. Weighed 13-3 for a total of 38-14. That landed me in 70th. Four pounds out of a check and with the realization that finishing the year in the top 40 and qualifying for the championship is a hope that’s slipping away. I’m currently 80th in Progressive Angler of the Year points.
I did have a blast though. Those smallmouth are fun to catch, and getting to practice with Dad was great too. Bay City, Michigan, and Saginaw Bay are special places.
I’ve got four local championships and a regular season tournament in the next two weeks at home, so it’ll be busy. Then off to Florida. Thanks for reading and check in next week to see what the verdict is on my truck!
Angler Profile: Hunter Baughman
