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(Blog post)

'32nd of 37 and Proud of It!

Most of you know I work here for SUF, but I am also here to learn with you all.

Yesterday I fished a tournament here in Ohio and placed 32nd of 37. Believe it or not, I walked away so HAPPY. Some of you might think that sounds crazy, but this tournament was different. I actually set out to compete. Not with anyone else but myself.

Admittedly, summer fishing has never been my favorite. Fishing in Ohio is already hard, but summertime? Big oof. That's a whole different level of hard. This is what I've told myself for the last 10 years I've been bass fishing, but this time I wanted it to be different.

 So, I took the following steps:

1) Watch all the videos I could about summer fishing and tournaments here on SUF. I literally watched them any free time I got.

2) Downloaded the apps recommended during the roundtable and studied the lake. I went with Navionics and Deep Dive.

3) I decided not to let the pressure of the tournament get to me like it usually does and went out to have fun like you all said I should.

The day of the tournament, I woke up, had a cup of coffee, and Chris and I headed to the lake. The only expectation I set for myself was to use what I learned, and I held on to Brian latimer 's words that every time you compete, it adds to your knowledge and experience.

The day started off great despite the fact that I was nervous, but I decided to trust myself and everything I've learned here.

1 hour in, I caught my first fish. She was strong, and fought hard. I was so excited! I thought to myself, "This was a good one!" reeled her in, and of course—a big ol' catfish.

All good! Skunk off the boat. 

2 hours in, I caught my first bass. 13.5, and I've never been so proud to hit 'submit catch.' A few minutes later, fish number 2 was reeled to the boat and came off. Fish 3 same thing. 🫠

Around 6 hours in I brought fish number 4 in, and of course, she flopped off the board before I could snap the photo.

The next several hours flew, and not a single bite until 20 minutes before lines in, an 11-incher picked up my shakey head, and I got it on the board and submitted it.

For the next hour I watched everyone's place number change as they updated their submissions. Most fish averaged 12-13 inches and the winnner brought in 75.75 inches. The tournament ended, and there I was. Number 32 and smiling the whole time.

Why? Because I figured out what I needed to do, and I could've had a limit. Which was more than I thought I would! I learned so much about myself, and like B said, the experience will add up. I realized I could do it. One day I might really place in the top 20% and maybe even win something. I mean, why not me? Also, why not YOU?!

Such a gift to be out there, and I always say, we only get so many casts in this lifetime and we have to make them count. I had so much fun out there, and I can't wait until the next one!