5:00am. Good lord that's early on a Saturday. It's also why I'm likely to always stay an "average" fisherman. The fact is I struggle to get up that early. I've never been a morning person, and even the thought of hungry bass has a difficult time changing that. Saturday though it was worth it to crawl out of bed that early.
As my friend Ryan and I fought the fast flowing Tittabawasee river in Northeast Michigan, the winter wind blowing right through even our flannel lined clothes, it was hard to believe that just a week earlier we were fishing this same river. Last week though the river was much lower and more mellow, plus we were wearing shorts and t-shirts (in October)! This weekend's conditions made for a much more challenging hunt for smallies, and it showed come weigh in. Since it was a big bass tournament, we each weighed in only our best fish for the day. I ended up with a meager 2.45lb'er, while Ryan bested me with his 3.73lb bronzeback.
Neither of us placed, the more experienced anglers of the group took that honor. I believe the first place fish was over 4.7 pounds, an excellent fish for this part of the river system. Even though we didn't go home winners, the day was well worth the early morning, cold weather, and pain in the ass river current. This was the first tournament for both of us, but I'm sure it will be the first of many. In fact we're already signed up for next year's date.