By Ryan Kennedy:
I have dreamed of certain days that would come along for as long as I have been fishing bass tournaments. Those dreams turn into goals, and those goals are attainable with hard work and perseverance. It’s beyond amazing to me looking back on my most recent tournament to see how God’s plan came together down to the very rock that I bumped my crankbait into before catching the fish I had always dreamed about.
The goal that had eluded me thus far in my tournament career was catching an absolute giant in a tournament. Don’t get me wrong, I am always excited to catch a big bass, but whenever it happens it always seems to be while fishing for fun on the lake or while pond-hopping around my house. This all changed, as I will forever remember, during the situation I am about to describe.
I was fishing at Lake Guntersville, Alabama, during the second stop of the FLW Collegiate Southeastern Tournament Trail. The crisp March air was cold enough to have me bundled up tight in layers and a heavy coat. To make things a little more interesting, the previous week of heavy rainfall had the dam wide open, causing swift current and massive waves in high winds. After fishing for half the tournament day with no success other than a few short fish, I was feeling a little discouraged.
That’s when things took a turn for the better. As my partner and I approached a stretch of rocky bank, I reached for a Red Crawdad Rapala DT-6 crankbait and started slinging casts toward the bank. A few casts in led us to a small transition area where the size of the rocks changed. The first cast at this transition started with a bang.
My St. Croix Mojo Bass Cranking Rod, which is a glass rod, was bent heavily. I was in for the first good fight of the day. After what seemed like an eternity, I was holding a 4-pound, 8-ounce Lake Guntersville spotted bass. If you are familiar with the lake, you know a spot of that size is something to appreciate. It’s just 3 ounces shy of the 4-pound, 11-ounce lake record.
My demeanor quickly changed for the better. Back on deck, with one cast behind me after landing Spotapotamus, I was laser focused. I slung my crankbait as far as I could cast toward a log just past the same transition area. Within three cranks of the reel, my dream was about to become a reality. Moments later, I was holding a 9-pound, 8-ounce donkey of a largemouth.
To get this straight, let’s go over what just happened. In three casts, a near-lake-record spotted bass was in the boat, my new personal best largemouth bass was in the boat, and 14 pounds of fish were in the livewell. My partner and I ended up with over a 20-pound limit with only four fish and qualified for the 2019 FLW Collegiate National Championship!
Contact Ryan Kennedy at ryankfishing@gmail.com. Keep up with his exploits on YouTube: Ryan Kennedy Fishing, Instagram: @ryankfishing and Facebook: Ryan Kennedy Fishing.