A lackluster conclusion to a difficult season appeared to be inevitable for Randy Blaukat at the Kentucky Lake FLW Tour. The veteran from Missouri weighed a pedestrian 13-13 bag on day 1 and sat in 106th place.
Day 2 was a lot better, however, as he caught a stringer that exceeded his day-1 haul by 8 1/2 pounds. It moved him up to 37th place and garnered him a $10,000 check. Perhaps more importantly, it allowed him to close the campaign on a high note with the hope that he can start 2015 with some good mojo.
He said his bites, both in terms of quantity and quality, were similar on both days. It was the conclusion of those man-vs.-fish encounters that was different on day 2.
"Basically I just got them in the boat the second day," he said. "The first day I lost three that were over 5 pounds.
"It was really the story of my season – I just lost a lot of key fish all year."
Unlike the vast majority of the 162-angler field, he spent his time in shallow water – 3 feet or less. He threw a Zoom Ol' Monster worm and a prototype Megabass vibrating jig called the Wild Header.
His day-2 bag contained a 5 1/4-pounder and four fish that were at or slightly over 4 pounds each.
"With everybody else fishing offshore, I had everything I wanted to fish to myself. I really wish I could've gone back out on day 3 because I think I could've caught them again."
The Sunline Strong Performer, which focuses on the angler who makes the most significant single-day move in the standings at each tour-level event, is brought to you by the great people at Sunline.
