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Kentucky FLW Tour

Jay Yelas – Competition
Thursday, May 11, 2006

This was one of the most frustrating tournaments I've had in awhile. I guess everybody has one like this, but I just lost so many fish. I finished 106th, but I had easily enough fish to make the Top 10. Usually when you finish that low, you're totally clueless out there, but that wasn't the case.

Yesterday I lost four fish in the 5-pound range, and today I lost a couple more like that. I was flipping the willows and the buckbrush in Barkley with a Berkley Power Jig and Power Tube, and I just couldn't get them out of the trees. The big ones would get hung up in the wood, and they'd get off before I could get to them.

There isn't a lot to take away from a tournament like this. I didn't make a lot of mental errors – the fish just came off.

John Murray – Competition
Thursday, May 11, 2006

It was a long, miserable tournament for me. The first day I think I just fished too fast, because my non-boater caught 12 pounds behind me. I think I was just blazing through them a little too quickly.

There had been a pretty good topwater bite (during practice), but that tailed off. They wanted a Senko or something slower, and I just didn't slow down enough.

Today, I went to a good smallmouth spot and lost a 4-pounder. I caught a couple of shorts, then I decided to run up to Barkley, and I really didn't catch much. It was pretty bad. I lost another 4, and that was about my day.

This was one I'd just like to forget – I've never had an FLW tournament this bad. I'll have to make some corrections before the Bassmaster tournament next month.


John Murray – Practice
Tuesday, May 9, 2006

My bites have been dropping off every day, and that's probably because I'm fishing shallow. The fish seem to be vacating the shallows slowly but surely.

I think I've got enough fish tomorrow to run the shallow bite. If I get a decent limit, then I'll decide whether I'm going to stay with it one more day. We're supposed to get rain and clouds, so the conditions should be right for a shallow bite.

I'm going to stay in Kentucky – I've never had good luck over at Barkley during tournaments.

Jay Yelas – Practice
Tuesday, May 9, 2006

I've had a good practice here. The fishing's good and it's kind of fun to be on a lake with a lot of fish. I picked an area on Lake Barkley where I'd never fished before and I'm on a pretty good flipping bite. I've fished there all 3 days.

The last couple days I've caught enough to make the cut, so hopefully there will be plenty of fish tomorrow. I've had as many bites (in practice) as I've had all year.

I'm committed to flipping and the shallow bite on Lake Barkley because when you come in with only 3 days of practice, you can't do everything. Traditionally, this tournament has been won by cranking on Kentucky, but a few guys make the Top 10 flipping on Barkley. Historically, that's been a viable approach.

The 25-pound monofilament I'm using is sure a big contrast to the 6-pound fluorocarbon I threw last week.

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