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Curt R. Graves
25083 Pratt Rd
Parsons, KS 67357
(620)423-1364
cvdgraves@hotmail.com
Clubs/Circuits Fished:
Heartland, Central Pro-AM
American Bass Anglers, Anglers in Action
Sponsors: Zebco / Quantum ~ Albers Marine ~ ProCraft
Boats ~ Mercury Motors ~
Fishing Resume
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2008
Schedule
Fishing Tournament Schedule
2008 Season
2008 Heartland
Pro-Am ($220 per entry)
1.
2. Table Rock 10/28/2007
3. Lake of Ozarks 3/9/2008
4. Bull Shoals 4/13/2008
5. Table Rock 5/18/2008
6. Truman 6/29/2008
7. Grand 8/3/2008
8. CHAMPIONSHIP TBA
2008 Heartland
Team ($250 per entry)
1.
2. Table Rock 10/27/2007
3. Lake of Ozarks 3/8/2008
4. Bull Shoals 4/12/2008
5. Table Rock 5/17/2008
6. Truman 6/28/2008
7. Grand 8/2/2008
8. CHAMPIONSHIP TBA
2008 Central
Pro-Am ($300 per entry)
1.
2. Table Rock 11/3-4/2007
3. Beaver 3/1-2/2008
4. Lake of Ozarks 4/5-6/2008
5. Table Rock 5/3-4/2008
6. Dardanelle 6/7-8/2008
7. Truman 7/12-13/2008
8. Grand 8/30-31/2008
9. LOZ Championship 10/4-5/2008
2008
Anglers in Action TBA ($120 per entry)
* Will fish 5 tournaments to qualify for CHAMPIONSHIP.
1. Truman 4/27/2008
2. Grand 6/22/2008
3. Grand 7/20/2008
4. Truman 7/26/2008
5. Grand 9/27/2008
2008
ABA ($70 per entry 1-day, $140 per entry 2-day)
1. Big Hill 3/15/2008 - 5th place
2. Big Hill 4/12/2008
3. Big Hill 5/10/2008
4. Big Hill 6/14/2008
5. Big Hill 8/16-17/2008
Tournament Log
July 10-13, 2008
Truman, Missouri - Central Pro-Am
Water Temp 78-82
Water clarity 1'-3'
Expanding on my previous tournament, I switched baits to a greener
jig and a bigger brushhog. I started catching fish on the small
flat points coming out of small to medium sized coves.
The first tournament day, clouds, wind, rain, and a lowered lake
level had the fish moving. In the first hour, I caught 3 keepers
including a nice 4# fish as I had practiced. Then, I had to
move to windy points and fish isolated stumps with a jig to get
bites. I ended the day with just under 16#'s to make the top
10.
The second day, we struggled for the first 4 hours. I finally
found fish in deeper green willows on big points. With 2 keepers
at 1:30, I was feeling mixed emotions as I had caught many fish
in the afternoon during practice but not with a tournament time
crunch. After losing a big fish in narly willow, I pulled up
to an area that was loaded. I caught 3 keepers including a 6#
fish in 15 minutes.
Using 20# XPS Flourocarbon, Quantum PT rod/reel, and a big brush
hog, I was able to finish 3rd with another 15.5#'s. With this
finish, I am 3rd in angler of the year points and 1st in rookie
of the year points for CPA.
My Procraft and Mercury motor continue to perform excellently.
Give Albers Marine a call if you are looking. Contact me if
you would like a test ride!
Good fishing!!!
June 28
Truman, Missouri - Heartland Team
Water Temp 77-80
Water clarity 6"-18"
On Friday, we seemed to catch fish on every good looking spot.
In a short practice, we ammassed about 16# without fishing our
best areas hard. Fish came on an assortment of baits: toads,
worms, brushhogs, jigs.
On Saturday, we managed 3 nice keepers for 9#'s. I'm not sure
where the fish went; hindsight, I should have focused on the
main lake flooded willows on small points more.
June 14, 2008
Big Hill, Kansas - ABA
Water temp 77-79
Water clarity muddy - 1'
I had been catching alot of fish on a 7" Powerworm but didn't
feel it would catch enough bigger fish to win on Big Hill. After
a few little fish and struggling with other techniques, the worm
fished on laydowns and big stumps just outside the grass line
yielded a late surge of good fish for me to finish 5th. My dad
won this event doing the same thing but was fortunate to catch
a 21.5" fish to go with his other 4 keepers.
June 5-8, 2008
Dardanelle, Arkansas - Cantral Pro-Am
Water Temp 75-80
Water Clarity 1-2'
Found fish the first day in the grass. Caught aggressive fish
with zoom baby brushhogs on any little point. Couldn't find
any bigger fish on deeper ledges with a crankbait or c-rig.
The following practice days yielded a big fish pattern catching
post-spawners around bridge rip-rap ends.
The first tournament day I was surprised to find numerous boats
at my first stop at a bridge but able to get a limit at my next
few stops. I finished the day with a little more than 13#'s.
The 2nd day yielded a couple of keepers early and then short
fish after short fish. With the points race heating up, I was
disappointed to not catch a few more fish and cash a check.
My equipment performed well. Quantum rods and reels continue
to be reliable, smooth handling, and durable. XPS Flourocarbon
is strong and sensitive when flipping.
May 31, 2008
Big Hill
Water Clarity = 1' lower, 6" upper (muddy in river)
Water Temp = 72-74
Was able to fun fish for about an 1 1/2 before the storms hit,
AGAIN! Had 3 bites on a frog in the grass. Best fish was on a
buzzbait around the edge of grass. Fished both on MH 6'6 PT rod
and Bass Pro Braid 50#; the 12# diameter throws great and handles
very well.
If was able to stay on the lake, a few fish can be caught around
bedding areas that are guarding fry on stumps and laydowns. Hopefully
the fish will move to summer haunts soon and get past the post-spawn
lull!
Central Pro-Am at Dardanelle first weekend of June, call if you
want to fish it and we can car pool! ABA on June 14 at Big Hill
should be a good time to fish with the flipping stick!
May 17, 2008
Heartland Team at Table Rock
Water Clarity = 4' at Kimberling City
Water Tem = 64-69
Caught a few fish in practice from docks and outer edge of brush
on Friday afternoon and evening. Did not catch a fish doing what
won 2 weeks earlier.
Tournament day was sunny and no wind which eliminated a lot of
ideas. Got a number of bites and drops on a jig, tube, and shaky
worm. Late in the morning, I caught 1 keeper smallie from a shallow
dock on a cosmo jig (wife named it). Then, moved to some other
areas with isolated trees and docks. After a number of drops,
I switched to a ribbes worm and we caught 3 keepers in the next
90 minutes. Unable to finish our limit before weigh in, we ended
with just under 11#'s breaking off 1 fish and measuring 2 or
3 14 3/4" fish. 1 more keeper would have put us in the money...such
small adjustments are sometimes crucial and costly.
May 3-4, 2008
Table Rock, MO
Central Pro-Am = 1st place
Water clarity = 2' and clearing near Kimberling City
Water temp = 59-64
The wind and clouds helped the bigger fish to bite on day #1.
The first 3 hours of the morning allowed me to boat a 6# and
a 5# fish on a 1/2 oz War Eagle spinnerbait fished around the
willows. A number of short fish were also caught doing this.
When the wind quit and sun came out, the bite stopped. With about
3 hours in the day and only 2 fish in the box, I went flipping
a tube. I caught a limit of keepers plus some short fish flipping
the tube in 3-8' of water around standing timber. I ended the
day with a limit weighing around 17.8#'s to lead both the tournament
and big bass.
On day #2 after a 1 hour fog delay and being the 2nd to last
boat out, I spent about 30 minutes with the spinnerbait...nothing!
Threw a swimbait and a fluke in the brushy areas looking for
a big bite with only 1 bite that didn't hook up. Flipped a few
trees with 1 short smallie. Knowing the day before that the flipping
bite got really good after the temp started up, I stayed patient
although I figured without the big bite I was settling for a
check.
Around 10 AM I went flipping again. My first keeper was a post-spawn
5# largemouth from a dock stall. I was able to boat another squeeker
in the next hour. Around noon, I caught a quality 2 1/4 pound
kentucky and then moved back to a good area from the day before.
After catching my 4th keeper, a 16" smallie, I lost 2 in
a row (both keepers and 1 a quality 3# fish). I could have limited
and culled the short with those 2.
I talked to myself a little and moved to the next spot. I adjusted
my hook and rig a little as the fish were biting a funny with
the slick water and bright sky. I was able to finish my limit
on the next spot, then cull a couple times on the next after
that. I ended day 2 with 14.5 #'s for the win.
Flipped the tube on a 6'10 Heavy PT Energy with 14# XPS Flourocarbon;
spinnerbait was fished on 20# XPS Flourcarbon on a 6'6 Medium
PT Tour Edition (both with PT Accurist reels). My 2007 200 SuperPro
and Mercury did a terrific job; this setup really, really fishes
well!
April 20, 2008
Big Hill, KS
ABA Tournament = 2nd place
Water clarity = 1' vis lower; 6" vis upper
Water temp = 55-59
The first fish of the morning came about an hour into the day
on a junebug lizard, 20.5". I was able to catch another
small fish on the lizard. Turned and went back down the same
stretch of bank with a bass pro shops flippin' tube and caught
another. Left and fished other areas; returned in the afternoon
and went back through that stretch really, really slow with a
little smaller tube to finish out a limit. It was a tough day
as I ended with my best 5 weighing 9.56#'s. The winner had 10#'s.
Not a typical April day on Big Hill.
6'10 Heavy Quantum Energy PT rod and Accurist PT reel with 15#
flourocarbon line for all lures.
March 15, 2008
Big Hill
ABA
Finish = 5th
Got 2 bites and shook off fish on a short practice on Friday
up the river. With 10-20 mph N wind and rain, I was concerned
if the fish would hold in the river. I fished the jig for a good
hour without a bite. When I finally got a bite, the fish swam
to the left and dropped the jig; swing and miss. This happened
2X's so I switched to a tube. I quickly started getting more
bites but missed a number of fish until the temp's warmed and
the water got back to 50 degrees in the river (NOTE...the water
was 44-47 on the main lake).
I was able to catch 3 small keepers on the tube and 1 nice 3.5#
on a crankbait. I lost a giant on the crankbait; should have
had size 4 trebles instead of little 6's. Also lost a 3# fish
over a laydown on the tube. Floroucarbon line and a Quantum PT
6'10 Heavy rod were used with the tube. I am experimenting with
different brands of tubes.
Some are thicker and tougher to get a hook set into the fish;
however, these have a different fall. More to come on this subject,
March 1-2, 2008
Beaver Lake
Central Pro-Am
Water = 41-45 mid-lake
Finish = 9th
During practice the weekend before, the goal became survival
as cold wind, rain, and sleet came in. During the first day,
short fish were caught shallow in pockets. I was able to catch
a 4.90 largemouth on a homemade dirty brown jig. Day 2 brought
wind and partly cloudy skies with even warmer temperatures. The
fish moved up on the main lake. I was able to get 3 good keepers
on a big crankbait before the wind was too strong on the windy
bluff ends.
My procraft 200 superpro handled the rough water well. I have
been using the new Quantum PT Energy 7' medium light rods for
cranking. I like the graphite over fiberglass for sensitivity;
I can feel my crankbait wiggle, move over cover, or stop wiggling
with a fish. The med-light is soft enough to allow a fish to
swallow the bait and not tear hooks free.
With a 40th last fall and 9th this spring, I'm looking forward
to CPA at Lake of the Ozarks in April.
January 1, 2008
I hope all had a great Holiday. Many of you hopefully were
able to spend some time just as I did changing out crankbait
treble hooks, lubing and cleaning reels, re-organizing tackle,
and putting away all the new stuff from Christmas.
I'd like to make you all aware of my newest sponsor, New York
Life. New York Life is a national-based company with over $14
billion in reserves for protection of investments. Joe Wuest,
New York Life rep, is based out of Goessel, KS, and is a super
guy to work with as he is a man of integrity. I appreciate Joe's
practical and realistic approach as he works with me and my family's
investments. He can assist with life insurance, annuities, IRA's,
and other types of investments. If you need more information,
email me at cvdgraves@hotmail.com and I'll put you in contact
with him.
Merry Christmas,
Curt
November 21, 2007 Table Rock, MO
October 26-28 (Heartland Team and Pro-Am Tournaments)
November 3-4 (Central Pro-Am)
After moving to Parsons and starting a new job, I finally am
able to get a new journal entry. The 3 hour drive to Table Rock
is so much better than 6. Hopefully this will equate to more
time on the water.
Water temps were falling with the cooler evenings with fish being
caught from 1' to 50' deep. In practice the weekend before, clouds
and wind made for great fishing on bluff ends and various secondary
points with a war eagle spinnerbait, tube, or football jig. During
the tournaments, most fish came on a green tube either cast and
drug on points, or flipped around docks. The dock fish were really
beat up around Kimberling City as many fished these productive
areas.
During the team event, dad and I had a really nice 4-pounder
on a shaky head from under a dock that jumped off just out of
reach from my net. We ended the day just short of a limit and
just short of making a check.
During the Central Pro-Am, I went to a heavier sinker and got
a reaction bite with the tube. This also allowed me to fish a
little faster. The fish I was catching were suspended under the
walkways or boat lifts. Unfortunately, I broke one nice 3-pounder
off and missed 3 good bites on points. This cost me a possible
paycheck. When fishing against the best in the region, one can't
afford missed opportunities.
Next spring should prove interesting. New York Life Financial
will be sponsoring me as well as Albers Marine, Quantum, Mercury,
and ProCraft. Joe Wuest who works out of Goessel, KS, is a top-notch
consultant that can help you with retirement funds and life insurances.
The firm is national and very stable. I am pleased to represent
them in the region. Contact me for more information about boats
or financial references.
July 6, 2007, Milford Lake
Water stained with lots of green tint, 80-83 degrees,
south wind 0-5 mph
When the water is calm, it is hard to catch smallmouth. But I
went to the lake to practice some new techniques and test some
new products I had just purchased. After launching my 200 ProCraft
and idling to the nearest rocky point with my optimax, I began
throwing a sammy around 8:30 AM. I quickly switched to a deep
diving crankbait and c-rig. No luck. As I went past a pocket
point, I ventured in to flip a laydown. After several pitches
trying out the viscious 20 lb flourocarbon, I was rewarded with
a familiar thump and saw my line swim off. The heavy action PT
rod and 20 lb line was a little too much for a 13" smallmouth!
After several more laydowns and points only yielded a few other
small fish, I switched to the spinning rod of which I've not
been very proficient with. On one main lake point, I found them.
5 keeper smallies in 30 minutes from the same rock pile. Best
fish was 18 1/2 ". I'm guessing 10 lbs or so for my best
limit for the day. With the 10 lb viscious flourocarbon and PT
rod-reel, I was able to feel the subtle bites.
Lessons learned for the day? Keep an open mind as the fish were
much shallower than I'd have thought. Also, don't cuss the boat
traffic on calm days! I believe the boat action kept the fish
active as I was actually looking for points with wind and waves
the rest of the day. Finally, find the spot within the spot.
The area those keeper smallies were in was only about 10' of
bank. Casting above or below that area resulted in hauling water.
June 9, ABA Tournament, Big Hill
I was only able to be on Big Hill for a few hours. It was fun
to take my 2-year old son for a boat ride and let him spend some
time discovering all the new things about fishing and boats.
On Saturday, I started with a spook on points looking for a couple
of big smallmouth. I only had a 2-pounder attack my spook but
not hook up. I managed a good 16.75" on a football jig and
a couple of shorts on a jig-head worm after spending most of
the day flipping deep trees looking for the summer bite.
Rumor is that the winner as well as my dad fished senko-style
baits around laydowns for their fish. Some fish were caught up
the river on jigs and plastics; a few on c-rigs. I fished too
deep concentrating on 8-20' water. Most fish were still 2-8'
deep. I think it needs to get hot and warm the water into the
80's before I can start catching them in the deeper trees suspended.
No tournaments planned for me until July which is okay as I need
some time on the water to relax and get some confidence back
after these past 2 weekends. If anyone is interested in a demo
ride or wants to check out the Quantum PT series of rods and
reels, send me an email or call. I'd be happy to meet you at
the lake.
Good fishing!
June 2-3, Heartland Tournaments, Truman Lake
I had a great practice day on Thursday catching numbers of good
keepers on a jigs around channel swing pockets. The fish were
sitting in front of "bank grass" edges in 4-8' of water.
On Friday, I looked for an early topwater bite and a back up
pattern. After 4 hours of nothing, I ran a couple of channel
swing pockets as on Thursday and caught a keeper fish in 30 minutes.
With confidence, I took off saturday in my 2007 ProCraft from
Albers Marine. Unfortunately, the takeoff ride may have been
the most productive part of the day. After catching a short fish
at my first stop, I proceeded to lose 3 keepers including a 4-pounder
right at the boat. I was able to manage 2 keepers by noon but
was unable to finish my limit. Disheartened, I released my fish
and did not weigh since the Elite series doesn't have a year-end
championship.
On Sunday, dad and I decided to try a couple of points on our
way to spots I'd had success at on Thursday. The first 2 points
produced 3 quick fish but only 1 kept. We were feeling pretty
good with a keeper before 7 AM. We then ran another 25 - 30 points
without another keeper. Again, we did not weigh since the BFT
doesn't have a year-end championship.
A lot of fish were caught from the flooded bushes but I couldn't
figure that out. With the lake dropping, I really thought the
fish were moving out. I c-rig and jig should have done the trick.
While our results were disappointing, it was good to be on the
water with family.
May 26, 2007
Milford ABA Tournament (finish=1st)
Water Temp=64-67/ Overcast with slight rain / 7' Above Conservation
Pool and rising
Creeks and upper lake muddy with 1-3" visibility; lower
1/3 of lake stained with 10-18" visibility.
Walleye, whites, channel cats, drum, wiper, and short smallmouth
were all active and eating my crankbait around rocky points.
After 2 1/2 hours of cranking and flipping the flooded bushes,
I moved out and fished the original shoreline between 5-8' deep.
I finally connected with 15.5" smallmouth on the crankbait
which was thrown on a 7' med-light Quantum PT rod and then a
15.25" largemouth fishing my homemade black-blue-purple
jig with a craw trailer on a 6'10 Heavy PT rod. Flourocarbon
line helped me feel the exceptionally subtle bites. Probably
caught 8-10 shorts as well on the jig. The 2 keepers weighed
just 3.62# but was enough for the win on this tough day. I would
like to have had begun the morning fishing the same depth with
a football jig on the points in the 5-10' water...hindsight is
20-20. My 200 Super Pro ProCraft ran well and handled the waves
from all the boat traffic (give me a call if you want a test
ride).
My guess is the fish will begin to move into the newly flooded
cover as the weather and water warm as well as stabilizes. Lots
of carp and whites in the flooded bushes already. The next couple
of weeks could be great for flipping if they water isn't pulled
down. If they open the gates, some great strings could be caught
from the points on cranks and c-rigs.
A big thank you to Michael Schulte and those that fished. The
friendship and hospitality showed was awesome! Their next tournament
is June 9, the day before the Weekend Series.
April 28-29, 2007
Grand Lake
Heartland Elite and BFT
With no time to practice due to work, I was planning
to rely on a
similar pattern as LOZ. However, an open mind and some history
played
key to some success this weekend. The first couple of hours were
fruitless with only a couple of small bites and no fish. Thinking
about
Grand lake and past successes, I switched to a home-made
black-blue-purple jig with a Zoom blueberry lil, craw trailer.
Fishing where most anglers wouldn,t on docks, I was able to catch
a
limit weighing 14.82 # to finish 11th and earn some money.
Unfortunately, I did lose a good 3# fish over a dock cable that
would
have culled a smaller 14 fish costing me some additional money.
20#
fluorocarbon and a 6,10 Heavy action Quantum rod were critical
in
fighting fish out from under and around the docks.
On Sunday, dad and I used the same pattern to catch
an 11# limit to
finish just out of the money. I think this pattern of fishing
was
dwindling and the fish will soon be moving to the points for
a football
jig, crankbait, and C-rig bite. If the water gets cleaner, a
topwater
bite could really be strong in the next couple of weeks.
April 21-22, 2007
Lake of the Ozarks
Big Bass Open
Went to Lake of the Ozarks with no practice time
for a fun weekend and
a chance to win a lot of money. I didn,t win the big bass prize
but
did I catch them. On Sunday, I had close to a 20# 5-fish limit
but they
were all 4 pound plus fish. I needed a 5 - 7 pound fish to win
some
money. On any other weekend, I would have loved to be on the
pattern I
found. I was using a 6,10 Quantum PT Heavy Action rod with a
Quantum PT reel spooled with 20# fluorocarbon and a Junebug Zoom
lizard,
TX-rigged. The fish were brushpiles around docks near gravel
banks.
The key was to find the right combination and then fish S-L-O-W.
Many
times, I would deadstick the lizard just seeing my line begin
to move
off.
With the warm, sunny weather, the cruisers were
on LOZ. My new 2007
ProCraft handled superbly. Give me a call for a test ride
March 31-April 1, 2007
Table Rock
Heartland Elite and BFT
Practice wasn,t great on Friday. A few short fish
and only 1 keeper
on a football jig. Saturday was a total disappointment with little
fish
after little fish. I fished in the upper James and Flat creek
hoping to
catch more active fish in the warmer water. Mostly I was catching
little males trying to make nests for an extremely early spawn.
On Sunday, dad and I caught 2 keepers and lost
a giant in the first 30
minutes fishing the same patterns as I had two weeks earlier.
The next
several hours were frustration as we went without bites. Around
11:00
AM, we decided to make a total change and moved below Kimberling
City
and began Carolina rigging secondary points with a baby brush
hog. We
ended the day with a small but respectable limit weighing in
just under
11 pounds.
If we had more time, I think we could have moved
to some main lake
points to C-rig a kicker fish. Hind sight is always 20-20.
March 14-17, 2007
Table Rock
Heartland Team Series
I spent 2 days practicing for the Heartland Team
Series tournament at
Table Rock with different weather patterns each day. The water
was
clear with 4-5, visibility in the mid-lake area. With the warm
weather on Wednesday and Thursday, fish were visible and cruising
the
banks. These fish were very spooky and uncatchable to me. After
being
frustrated with watching so many 3-5 pound fish, I backed out
to
secondary points with wood and/or docks to catch fish on a green
tube.
On Friday, the sun was bright but temperatures
were colder. I
struggled to repeat the first couple of days. After struggling
most of
the day, I got on a solid pattern of docks in the Kimberling
area with
the green tube. Usually I catch a lot of fish on a jig this time
of
year but just wasn,t making it work. I also found a large shad
crankbait on secondary points leading into spawning areas could
catch a
large kicker fish, but I was only catch 1 per day.
After my wife arrived to fish the tournament on
Friday night, we were
filled with anticipation of the dock pattern holding up with
plans to
catch a kicker fish on the crankbait later in the day as the
big females
moved up. For the 4th day in a row, we were met with a change
in
conditions, cold and cloudy. Val caught a solid keeper early
on the
green tube using a Quantum PT rod and reel combo with 12# fluorocarbon
line. After putting this fish in my ProCrafts livewell, we fished
several more docks with no success. I finally caught our 2nd
keeper, 4#
fish, mid-morning on the shad crankbait. Unfortunately, we struggled
the rest of the day with short fish and losing another nice 3-4#
fish.
Nov 23-24, 2006
Big Hill
Air temp: hi's 68-70.
Water temp: 50-52 below bridge; 47-50 above bridge.
Water clarity: 2-3' below bridge; 1-2' above bridge.
Wind: S at 5-15 mph.
Both days, the smallmouth bit best for me. I was
catching them on a home-made football jig on rocky points in
the lower end of the lake. My Quantum PT rod and Accurist PT
reel spooled with fluorocarbon line allowed me to feel the sensitive
bites. Sometimes I set the hook on a fish because I simply wasn't
feeling the jig bounce against the rocks.
I did catch a couple of short largemouth on the
jig and a small crankbait above the bridge as well. As well,
I caught 2 small largemouth spooning. I was able to watch my
spoon as well as changes in cover & schools of bait on my
Lowrance electronics.
If you would like to test ride the new 2007 ProCraft,
give me a call. This is quite a ride and Albers does a good job
of working with their clients.
*THE DISTRICT #58 ABA ON BIG HILL FOR DECEMBER
4, 2006 HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER!
Good fishing,
Curt
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