September 12, 2012
By Tim Carini
It was a long drive to get here from Georgia and I've been working hard on the water the past three days. Â This is my first time fishing the Arkansas River but it reminds me of the rivers I fished back home in New York, a mix of industrial and backwater areas.
My practice has been pretty good so far. Â I'm confident I can have a good showing here provided I get lucky with the locks. Â To get to the areas I found I have to lock into a different pool on the river. Â There's a lot of barge traffic and they can fill up the locks for hours. Â My biggest concern is getting to my fish....and getting back. Â It's a real possibility that either may happen and will ruin my tournament.
Provided I get lucky with the locks, I feel good about this tournament. Â I've been catching bass the way I like to fish and have pinpointed two key areas that should give me enough weight to be in the hunt. Â I've been flipping my new outfit, a Quantum Smoke reel and rod combo. Â This setup has been a joy to fish all day, very light weight and real sensitive. Â It should be the only rod I'll need tomorrow. Â I have a game plan that can work and it's a great feeling.
Hopefully I'll be able to lock through with no problem. Â This is all or nothing for me, a big gamble, but I hope it pays off.
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Wish me luck! :)