"TNCBA Dock Talk - Patrick Henry Pond!"

During the early hours of tomorrow morning we will idle our way out on to Patrick Henry with one thing on our mind...HOW MUCH LONGER TILL WE EAT!?

I know it is hard to focus, but try to reign yourself in and focus on your fishing...what am I saying...go on and think about food...it is probably the only thing that is going to keep me going...

Patrick Henry is a lake that has trophy bass, but in my opinion, it may be one of the hardest lakes in the area to pattern. Water levels act almost like a tidal fishery with rises and falls of two to four feet on some occasions and the typically cold waters that flow from the base of Boone Dam, can have fish a month or so behind that of other local lakes.

With all that said think simple and keep a positive attitude tomorrow. Although we are in the heat of the Summer I will be fishing shallow cover, instead of deep structure. What is the difference between structure and cover though...glad you asked...when discussing structure we are talking about the lake bottom's contour...humps, points, ledges, etc. Typically with the heat of the Summer, this is where bass will gravitate, but there isn't a good contour chart of Patrick Henry and I don't know the lake well enough to go out graphing for points and humps that aren't on a map...so I will be fishing cover...cover refers to objects that bass can hide under, around, or in...trees, rocks, docks, etc.

During the Summer months, bass will use these pieces of cover for shade so tomorrow's weather will hinder a little of what I am doing. The morning calls for overcast skies and maybe some rain. When the day is sunny and bright, bass will get very tight to the cover for its shade, but cloud cover will cause the to roam. So what to do...I will still be pitching a jig to laydowns, but I will be sure to be throwing a squarebill crankbait as I move from one piece of cover to the next. I will have a black and blue jig on before daylight to create a larger profile. Then I will switch to a natural green pumpkin during the day.

If you find yourself fishing cover tomorrow, be sure to make several cast to the cover. During our practice on Thursday I made eight pitches to one piece of cover before getting bit...so annoy the fire out of them. Remember to keep thinking..."THREE BITES"...that is all it takes tomorrow. I think between 8 and 9 lbs. will win the individual competition tomorrow and somewhere around 13 lbs, will win the team side of our tournament.

FISH TILL THE LAST MINUTE!

I will see you all on the water in the morning!!!