TW_Staff
01-17-2011, 01:02 PM
Brandon Medlock spent 2 solid weeks practicing for last week's Okeechobee Southeastern EverStart, taking only Christmas Day and New Year's Day off. He gleaned enough information during that period to formulate a specific plan for the 3-day event, and it unfolded just like he'd scripted it.
The 28-year-old from Lake Placid, Fla., a guide on nearby Lake Istokpoga, sacked 63-08 to claim the top prize in his debut at the triple-A level. He was in 2nd place when the final day began, but his day-best 19-pound sack left him nearly 5 pounds clear of runner-up Brandon McMillan.
Medlock's home is a 45-minute drive from Okeehcobee and he'd previously won a few single-day tournaments there. He always thought he could fare well in a multi-day event. "It's crazy what somebody can catch there on a given day," he said. "But I always think I can consistently catch a good bag on any day."
As the weather warmed up during the days prior to the event, he knew that some big females would be moving to the shallows in preparation for the annual reproduction ritual. He investigated areas that he knew to be good from past experience and also searched for other likely spawning areas in the Horse Island and Monkey Box locales. "Those two areas allow you to plan for the wind – there's a lot of protection from all different angles," he said.
His primary practice bait was a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper, and he used it to make long casts to likely looking areas. He was unconcerned with fish size – if there were any at all there at that time, there'd be more and bigger ones once the tournament started.
"Two days (before day 1) I went into the shallow water and there were a lot of big ones moving in, and a few of them were already locked on (to the beds). I knew there were a lot of other areas in the lake where they would've moved up. "Then the next day I went to where I ended up fishing (during the event) and shook 12 off."
Competition:
Medlock caught his biggest bag of the event on day 1, but it was only good enough for 3rd place at the end of the day as two anglers topped the 30-pound mark. He began the rainy day in the Monkey Box, trying to get reaction bites on the Skinny Dipper, but had little success.
He moved to the Horse Island area after the initial burst of rain had subsided. The water wasn't clear enough for him to see the fish on the beds, so he made long pitches (about 50 feet) to the best-looking targets with a 1-ounce Medlock Double-Guard jig designed by his father. The jig features a pair of bristle-type weedguards to reduce hangups.
About 5 minutes after arriving at his second stop, he boated a fish that was better than 7 pounds. He added two 6s, a 5 and a 3 over the next 2 1/2 hours before moving to another location that would make it easier for his co-angler to cast. Day 2 offered textbook post-frontal conditions and the strong bite of the previous day cooled off considerably. He came in nearly 12 pounds lighter, but actually gained one position in the standings.
"The fish weren't eating, they were just biting – everything was at the edge of the mouth," he said. "I had two big ones right by the side of the boat, but a 6-pounder jumped at the net and threw the hook and an 8 got hung up in a mat of hydrilla and I couldn't get to it." He was 3 pounds behind McMillan when the final day began.
"I was worried that I might've beat my fish up too bad. I would've been satisfied with 10 pounds that day because I was pretty sure that would've kept me in the Top 3. I treated it as a practice day and tried to cover some water and find some more fish."
With the front having passed through, he began flipping mats, and his first fish was another 7-plus. He added three smaller ones, and then a 4-pounder to give him a limit. At that point he moved back to the Horse Island spot, where he culled two of the little ones with 3-pounders.
"I knew I had enough to stay in 2nd, but I didn't know if it would be enough to win. Then when I saw Brandon put his fish in his bag (just prior to weigh-in), I knew I had a real good chance."
Winning Gear:
Pitching gear: 8' extra-heavy Carrot Stix 21-Carrot Gold Series (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=E21GCC) rod, Shimano Curado (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SCER) casting reel (7:1 gear ratio), 65-pound Power Pro braided line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PPSL), 1-ounce Medlock's Double-Guard jig (black/blue), Zoom Big Salty Chunk (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ZSP) trailer (black/blue).
Main Factor: "The tournament just set up perfectly for me. The fish moved in just like I thought they were going to and I had enough confidence in my area to stay there."
Performance Edge: "Definitely the Double-Guard jig, because it doesn't hang up like other jigs, and also the Carrot Stix rod. It's the lightest, stiffest, strongest rod I've used and it allowed me to get some of those big ones out of the cover."
TW Staff
The 28-year-old from Lake Placid, Fla., a guide on nearby Lake Istokpoga, sacked 63-08 to claim the top prize in his debut at the triple-A level. He was in 2nd place when the final day began, but his day-best 19-pound sack left him nearly 5 pounds clear of runner-up Brandon McMillan.
Medlock's home is a 45-minute drive from Okeehcobee and he'd previously won a few single-day tournaments there. He always thought he could fare well in a multi-day event. "It's crazy what somebody can catch there on a given day," he said. "But I always think I can consistently catch a good bag on any day."
As the weather warmed up during the days prior to the event, he knew that some big females would be moving to the shallows in preparation for the annual reproduction ritual. He investigated areas that he knew to be good from past experience and also searched for other likely spawning areas in the Horse Island and Monkey Box locales. "Those two areas allow you to plan for the wind – there's a lot of protection from all different angles," he said.
His primary practice bait was a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper, and he used it to make long casts to likely looking areas. He was unconcerned with fish size – if there were any at all there at that time, there'd be more and bigger ones once the tournament started.
"Two days (before day 1) I went into the shallow water and there were a lot of big ones moving in, and a few of them were already locked on (to the beds). I knew there were a lot of other areas in the lake where they would've moved up. "Then the next day I went to where I ended up fishing (during the event) and shook 12 off."
Competition:
Medlock caught his biggest bag of the event on day 1, but it was only good enough for 3rd place at the end of the day as two anglers topped the 30-pound mark. He began the rainy day in the Monkey Box, trying to get reaction bites on the Skinny Dipper, but had little success.
He moved to the Horse Island area after the initial burst of rain had subsided. The water wasn't clear enough for him to see the fish on the beds, so he made long pitches (about 50 feet) to the best-looking targets with a 1-ounce Medlock Double-Guard jig designed by his father. The jig features a pair of bristle-type weedguards to reduce hangups.
About 5 minutes after arriving at his second stop, he boated a fish that was better than 7 pounds. He added two 6s, a 5 and a 3 over the next 2 1/2 hours before moving to another location that would make it easier for his co-angler to cast. Day 2 offered textbook post-frontal conditions and the strong bite of the previous day cooled off considerably. He came in nearly 12 pounds lighter, but actually gained one position in the standings.
"The fish weren't eating, they were just biting – everything was at the edge of the mouth," he said. "I had two big ones right by the side of the boat, but a 6-pounder jumped at the net and threw the hook and an 8 got hung up in a mat of hydrilla and I couldn't get to it." He was 3 pounds behind McMillan when the final day began.
"I was worried that I might've beat my fish up too bad. I would've been satisfied with 10 pounds that day because I was pretty sure that would've kept me in the Top 3. I treated it as a practice day and tried to cover some water and find some more fish."
With the front having passed through, he began flipping mats, and his first fish was another 7-plus. He added three smaller ones, and then a 4-pounder to give him a limit. At that point he moved back to the Horse Island spot, where he culled two of the little ones with 3-pounders.
"I knew I had enough to stay in 2nd, but I didn't know if it would be enough to win. Then when I saw Brandon put his fish in his bag (just prior to weigh-in), I knew I had a real good chance."
Winning Gear:
Pitching gear: 8' extra-heavy Carrot Stix 21-Carrot Gold Series (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=E21GCC) rod, Shimano Curado (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=SCER) casting reel (7:1 gear ratio), 65-pound Power Pro braided line (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=PPSL), 1-ounce Medlock's Double-Guard jig (black/blue), Zoom Big Salty Chunk (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descpage.html?PCODE=ZSP) trailer (black/blue).
Main Factor: "The tournament just set up perfectly for me. The fish moved in just like I thought they were going to and I had enough confidence in my area to stay there."
Performance Edge: "Definitely the Double-Guard jig, because it doesn't hang up like other jigs, and also the Carrot Stix rod. It's the lightest, stiffest, strongest rod I've used and it allowed me to get some of those big ones out of the cover."
TW Staff