Lake Erie Middle Harbor Kayak Bass Fishing Tournament Day with Ohio Kayak Fishing
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- This is the second part of my trip up to Lake Erie East Harbor State Park Campground to fish the Ohio Kayak Fishing Lake Erie Harbors kayak bass fishing tournament. The eligible waters are East Harbor, West Harbor, and (for the first time) Middle Harbor, and since I had never launched on Middle before I spent my pre-fishing days looking for launch access and having an amazing day of practice on Middle (this is all in my previously posted video about Middle on my GirlGoneFishing channel). So this video picks up on Friday after getting off the water from pre-fishing Middle and back to camp to get ready for the tournament the following day.
I don't get much time to pre-fish, so this was a real treat and with how well the day went I had super-high hopes for my tournament! My tournament morning started out amazing, I had an 80" limit by 9am, but then I just watched people pass me for the rest of the day as I couldn't find more than a 1/2' upgrade the rest of the tournament. Congrats to the winners!
I had a bit of a revelation after this weekend. Recently I've been setting higher goals for my tournament fishing thinking that would make me push harder and get better faster, but then I fall short of those goals and feel like a failure after the tournament. It suddenly occurred to me that these are arbitrary goals that I set like I am a professional athlete that has to keep up with a career timeline. From now on my goal for tournaments is to try hard and do my best and I can't ask any more of myself. I can't control the fish and whether the big ones will bite that day, so I have to focus on what I can control... practice casting, learn to use my electronics, read everything I can, research online, study the maps... all things in my control.... fish biting not so much. Now let's see if I can unwind enough to put this new philosophy into practice!
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Thanks to Strictly Sail & Kayak ( @strictlysailkayak9272 ) for sponsoring these tournament trails and for all of the help they've given me in getting my new Hobie Lynx set up for this year! Check them out at their shop in Cincinnati or online: strictlysailin...
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You never give up Melissa. fishing can be very tough when doing tournaments, but you cant let a few finishes you did not expect make or break you or the season. your a heck of a fisherwoman and never let your mind or anyone tell you different. now get out there and fish !!! i believe you can do it and i hope u have a very blessed weekend.
Thank you for the kind words!
Outstanding... getting those bigger bass,,, because ".... it's all about the BASS!!! LOL!!.."
I like big bass!
Sometimes luck plays a role. I have seen guys catch winning bags 50 yards from me. I was catching fish and so were they but they were getting better quality. You have improved since I started watching your channel a lot. I think you haven’t had the best luck, car issues, electrical issues and limitations on where you can fish due to your equipment. Sounds like a new tournament angler that only has weekends to learn. I think you are very good for the opportunity you get and you are improving. Results will follow If you keep learning. Good luck and persevere
There is never enough time to spend on the water! I wish we could pause life for a month or so and just spend the whole thing in a boat!
i got to say i really enjoy your videos i have been watching for a few years now. i got in to kayak fishing and starting watching different utbue fishing videos in my book you have won just by these great videos thanks bruce allen
Thank you so much! I need to get better at promoting the channel so I can get an income from it, quit my job, buy a trailer, and hit the tournament trails full time! 🤣
You did great Melissa !!! I'm very proud of you !! Keep it up you will get there !
Thanks! I wish the season was longer, there just isn't enough fishing time each year to get in all the practice I want to do!
@@GirlGoneFishing i absolutely understand , but ive definitely seen your growth and you will definitely get there!
Great job that's why they callit fishing your day will come keep at it👱♀️🎣🍻
Thanks!
In my eyes I believe that you did outstanding. You got a limit and made culls. Just keep chugging along!!
Thanks, I am working on changing my perspective to not be as critical of my results!
Melissa
Great video Lady!! You did fantastic! You caught some really nice fish. Way to go!
Fish On! 🐟🐟🐟🐟
Thank you!
Your prefishing and tournament videos were great! Keep your chin up! You're doing a Great job.
Thank you!
Your doing fine! The more you fish the better you will get. Always learning
Thanks! I wish I had more free time to fish so I could be learning faster!
Enjoyed watching your video. Fishing competitions is fun but it took the joy out of it for me. I know how you feel. I enjoy all fishing now not just one species. ❤
Thank you! I get it, tournaments are not for everyone but I love them! I was trying to mix in more exploration and fun fishing this year but there is just never enough time.
Absolutely love the hook ups that you have on video. Great job.
Thank you!
Wow, I thought you did really well. Your growing confidence shows, and muscle memory seems to be developing for the little details. Keep going!
Thank you! It is hard to see the improvements when the results aren't going up, but there does seem to be a little slow progress!
You did very well. You were catching and competing! You did well with the video as well. Awesome job Melissa!!
Thank you!
You did a great job. Just keep plugging away.
Thanks! I just wish there was more time each week to go fishing!
I'm proud of how well you did! This is not easy for sure!
Thank you! We are getting there! :)
I have been watching you since the beginning and total enjoy your videos. I think you need to go back and watch some of your early videos. You have significantly improved since you started. I think in the last two years you have really made a large jump. Your hookset is better and you are losing fewer fish, you are moving and changing lures. You are placing higher (I know not as high as you would like). You need to work on getting the electronics working and using them to your advantage. They aren't a requirement but can really help when the conditions are challenging. Some of the tournaments are decided by someone catching a limit. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the insight, you are right that it is hard to see the improvements when you are so involved in it!
You did GREAT!! Don't put so much pressure on yourself.
Thanks! I'm working on changing my perspective to make it less stressful and more fun!
Just keep fishing. It would be nice to be able to devote more time to fishing, but some of us have to work. You’re doing great 😊
That whole working thing is really inconvenient!
Nice video from Middle Harbor! I nailed a 17 1/2 back in May on Yamamoto senko wacky black/blue but didn't try any jigs or bladed jigs. ( I like to drift and drag jigs) I would be happy a limit for a day, let alone the month lo keep the videos coming.
Thank you!
You did great! Limit - cull - enjoy the outdoors - party! My goal each year is to get a top 10 and build from there. Ups & downs happen. This was a huge up! Congrats on a great day on the water.
Thanks for the positive perspective! I'm working on being less results oriented and focusing instead on improving things I can control like casting accuracy and equipment organization. This will hopefully keep me less stressed as I work towards fishing world domination! 😎
Got off to a great start, just couldn’t get the big upgrades. You can’t catch em all ! Great job, the hooksets are looking good too!
Thanks! I am not good at upgrading yet, need to start figuring out if there is a trick to looking for the bigs!
Practice doesn’t always translate into tourney success. I definitely feel like you’re getting closer though! I’m also just a little jealous you got to spend some time on Middle Harbor. It’s always looked fun to me but it’s never been in play for the KBF events I fished up there, so I never fished it.
I wish there was more time for fishing because I am sad I didn't get to fish East at all this year!
NOT a total failure. NOT a failure at all. You won by being out there and limiting out. Yeah, some others found some bigger fish and yeah, in a tournament that does matter BUT just keep plugging away (no pun intended). Even the best fishermen/women have days when they don't win or even place.
Candidly, I don't tourney fish because I don't like to compare myself with others. If I catch even one fish, that's a fish I wouldn't have caught had I not gone out. I understand that others (including you, I think) enjoy the competitive nature of tourney's but for me, I simply compete with the fish. They're a tough enough competitor.
Thanks for the advice! I am learning that fishing is not a "normal" sport where hard work directly pays off with results, so I am trying to pivot away from being so results-oriented since that seems to be a way to drive yourself crazy in fishing!
Your channel rocks!
Thank you so much!
Congrats on a strong performance. You caught more than a limit and if I'm not mistaken, fished clean. Maybe some prospective might calm the nerves in this quest? Scroll through some BPT results this year. People with literally 10x the investment in equipment, fishing 200 plus days a year, for years. Not making a top 50, hell top 100. Everyone's trying to win. Please forgive some more unsolicited advice: Hopefully you're keeping a journal. Date, Lake, weather conditions, weather conditions leading up at least a few days before, water conditions(temp, clarity, color). What did you do (why), what should you have done (why), what should you have not done (why)? Or not... It is fun watching your journey, thanks for sharing.
Great advice, thank you!
Nice work! I do t know how you caught anything on that mud puddle!! 😂
I wish I had more days!
Didn’t I hear you say you caught 80+ inches of fish? That is an impressive number. I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.
But everyone else caught more fish! 🤣
Not all you, I couldn't find squat at middle and had to bail to East to catch fish just to save face lol. Given my experience at middle I thought you did pretty well
I just know I could have done so much better, but isn't that the same every day we are out there!
I thought you did great. You caught a lot of fish and you never give up during your fishing session. What place did you finish in? I hope you keep fishing tournaments. It inspires me to do better at my tournament Fishing. Trying to fish clean is my goal every tournament and when you catch big Fish, sometimes you have to revisit places that you caught them in but as long as you’re happy with the effort, you make one day you’ll win.
Thanks for the great advice! Fishing clean is a great goal!
Focus on top 10’s then top 5’s then wins will come. Between motivating yourself and the growth of your ytube channel things are on the up. Sponsors and win’s will come with hard work.
I'm working on making a shift in my thinking to stop being so results focused and just go back to working on improving my techniques and knowledge base which should improve results eventually.
I know exactly how you feel. I am in the same boat (kayak)
Fishing is both wonderful and frustrating!
I thought you did really well - you were almost in the top 25% of all entrants! Think of it - 3/4 of the participants did not do as well as you. Something to build on! And there's a little luck involved, including finding bigger fish.
Thanks for the better perspective!
Once you figure out the mental positivity hack for tournament fishing, please let me know. I’m very much in the same boat-I know I am a much improved angler over where I was 5 years ago when I started, but I’m not seeing the success in the standings like I had hoped/expected and it’s totally demoralizing. I absolutely know the feeling and wish I had some advice, but I don’t. Just know that it sucks, but you’re not alone. We’ll figure it out.
I've decided that I can't focus on results or how many fish I catch, because those are things I can't control. So betting my emotional well-being on meeting goals I set to catch a limit or place in top 3 is just driving me nuts because I can't control the fish or the conditions. What I am realizing might be better goals for me are things like just making sure I put 100% effort the whole day, practicing skipping under bushes and docks when the bite is slow, studying in my free time (ha, free time 🤣). I still plan to achieve world fishing domination, but I think I'm going to have to switch up my thinking about how to enjoy the journey.
You're doing Great! You are Exactly where you are supposed to be in your fishing career. Show me one sport where someone turns Pro after a few years? Professional sportsman perfect their craft over Decades of Practice (pee wee football, jr high, high school and college-then and Only then do 1800 players becomes Professionals). 80% of fishing tournaments is Mental. A quarterback that throws an interception Can't Win the Superbowl if he Can't forget what HAS (past) happened and has to focus on What (present) is happening. You didn't mention how many anglers we're participating and where you placed? Good Luck in the Next one, Forget the Past. GOD Bless
Thanks for the great advice!