Just about every one of the 99 anglers who competed at the Lake St. Clair Bassmaster Elite Series could tell of a mishap or two that cost him some weight, and Keith Poche, the 13th-place finisher, was no exception. Such is fishing in and around the Great Lakes.
Poche missed the Top-12 cut by 2 ounces. Avoiding a dead-fish penalty on day 3 would've made up that margin, and he almost certainly could've done it the previous day had he not lost 2 hours of fishing time due to a broken bolt on his jack plate (the same issue that prevented Aaron Martens from possibly winning on day 4).
The bolt incident occurred early in the day, just as he pulled out onto Lake Erie. He was able to limp to a nearby marina, where Skeeter/Yamaha service-crew members delivered him a new one.
He eventually got back on the water, but his 14-07 sack was his lightest of the derby by 5 pounds.
He employed a dropshot rig on an offshore hump that he had all to himself.
"I think I was at least 25 miles from the nearest boat. The water was a darker color there and I had to fish slowly. I had to put it right next to them to get them to eat it.
"I had a couple of things that cost me, but I don't think there was anything I could've done different. I gave it everything I had."
The Big Bite Lookback, which focuses on the angler who's first out of the final cut at each tour-level event, is brought to you by the great folks at Big Bite Baits.
