To summarize...

First and foremost, as tough as the tournament was, I had a great time down there. I had two really great guys for co-anlgers, I had tons of fun with my roomates and I caught the biggest bass of my life during practice so it wasnt all heartache and heartbreak. I know some of you are sincerely concerned so I will just tell you, my computer lives. I reckon it caught something at the hotel we stayed at for the first two days because it went all black screen on me. It was so bad that I didnt even get it out until today (been home since saturday morning) and after some restarts, some re-booting and some banging on the floor, it seems to be fine now. I thought for sure that 52 error messages all on top of eachother was a death nail but this piece of crap continues to truck along.

Tournament wise, it was easily the most disapointing, biggest most epically failing event I have ever participated in. These are the ones that have you questioning your entire life, your entire lifes goals, your entire being. It makes you wonder if everything youve worked for was just a waste of time and money and was nothing more then a cruel reminder at how far you really are from where you want to be. Where do you go from here? What lies ahead? More bone crushing defeats? More embarrassing beatdowns at the hands of every participant in a tournament? More hints that you really just dont have what it takes to make it to the next level?  Add in the stage I have set for myself by inviting everyone I know to read about it on this blog and you end up where Im at today, pondering my future in fishing.  It would be embarrasing enough to go out and blank for two days but I have to supplement that by saying "hey come read my blog about how im trying to make at as a pro bass fisherman".  That makes for a tough days work and an extremely humbling experience.

Im very tough on myself and I absolutely loathe failure, the fear of failing has kept me from trying alot of things that with hard work, I might have been able to succeed at. At the first glimpse of the possibility of failing I would just quit and say "ahh, could of, would of, should of" but here I am, trying and failing, in front of the internet to boot.  Thats like salt in a gaping wound, a wound that was tore open by my own doing.

Time to move on, the only problem is, Im nearly tapped out of cash and its going to be real tough to pay the balance of my entry fee for the next one. Chances are, Im going to risk it, make the trip to North Carolina for the second stop but its do or die time, if I cant get it done at Norman, Im prob gonna have to give up for a few years, recoup, learn how to fish better and maybe make another run at it after I straighten out the financial situation I have put my wife and I in.

S.T.P.

Bad day gets worse

Where do i start? I sucked ass, thats where i start. Where do i end? At the service station getting my trolling motor fixed. This whole fishing for money deal costs more then its worth. So far this trip has cost me a laptop computer, a gps, and now a trolling motor shaft, not to mention gas, entry fees, food and the likes. Its 7 pm and im still at the motorguide trailer instead of eating and all this bullshit wouldnt have mattered if i had just caught some fish. Its been a tough day, things can only get better, this seems to be the fishing equivelant of rock bottom.

S.T.P.

Practice makes me nuts...

Again, Im writing this on my phone so my thumbs are already tired. Without loads of detail, practice has sucked. I went the first three days catching studs, since then Ive struggled to get bites. I did manage to yank an 8 lber out of some kissimee grass butthat was 3 days ago and it will likely be tough to get her to bite again. You can tune in for my public execution on bassmaster.com or you can read about the train wreck right here at www.stevenpriestfishing.blogspot.com

S.T.P.

Disaster!!!

Computer dropped a duece on me so blogging updates pretty f@&$ing hard(iphone) so this is the extent. Things still seem good but a front is tearing through this weekend. Saw some beasts on beds, one 10+, we let her go evev though its unlikely she will be there next week. Sorry for short posts but my thumbs are aching. Later

S.T.P.

Is this what its like to be on meth?

Please forgive me for misspelling, Ive been awake since yesterday morning at 7ish. If your counting, thats 38 hours and I dont feel tired in the slightest. I had a decent first day of practice but things are gonna change alot before the tournament.  Rooming with Kyle Kempkers and Mike White for the next few days. Mike, aka "Boat fire Mike" (another story I will tell later when Im not a zombie), lost my train of thought, my mind is like rotten cottage cheese at this point. Anyway,  sorry for sounding drunk, Im just dead tired.  Today equalled 13lbs in about 4 hours with an ultra nice 6lber.  I dont think what I did today is going to work during the tournament but we will see. Along time to go till then,  now I need to sleep...

S.T.P.

The new rig floats!

Well,  I hit the water on Christmas day.  Depressing? Maybe for some but for me, it was devine. The wifey was working/sleeping (she is a registered nurse, works nights) and all family events had been planned around her schedule so that left Christmas as a day to ride. 

What did I notice? Insane torque and instant throttle response,  ridiculous hole shots that can be achieved with minimal effort and stupid handling thats tough to describe.  I noticed that Power-Poles are now a necessity and that was evident thirty seconds after launch when I didnt have to dig out ropes to tie my boat off to a dock that would inevetibly scratch the shit out of my gel coat.  Now all you have to do is get close to the dock, poles down, drive truck off ramp.   Pretty damn simple.  That alone would make them worth their weight in gold and thats only the tip of the berg considering we havent even touched on the effects on your fishing.

Lowrance HDS10 > anything else ever put on the market.  Ive had the HDS8 for a few years, you wouldnt think there would be much difference and you would be right but having that giant screen a foot from your face feels pretty good. There isnt much that would make them better, I would expect to see touch screen technology in the future from them. A boon for both would be a merger between Apple and Lowrance.  The possibilites would be endless. I would pay!

Benefits Im looking forward too but havent experienced yet....  Cant wait to not have to buy oil!  Im already spending that extra money on gear. Cant wait to get better fuel economy! Again, already spending that extra money on gear.  Cant wait to not have to unload my gear every time Im at a hotel, that alarm system will make it alot easier to sleep at night! Cant wait to not lose hours of a tournament day fixing something! Cant wait to not have to worry about fixing something before a tournament day! Cant wait to run 70mph+, cant wait for that soft ride, I CANT FREAKIN WAIT!   Two weeks until I head south!  Go time commin...

S.T.P.

ITS HERE!!!!!!!!

Finally! Im certain that if Im ever trapped in purgatory, it will feel like Ive felt for the past 3 months being boatless but NO MORE! 2012 Skeeter ZX21 (yes, I said ZX21). This thing is loaded, rockin the Yamaha 250 SHO 4 stroke, Motorguide 109lb Tour Series, Lowrance HDS 10, 8, and 5, dual Power Poles and alarm system. 21' of sparkley glory!

For anyone needing a custom cover made for their rig, Brodie down at Boat Boys has developed a material that is by far the best boat cover material in the market.  He custom makes them to fit your boat and they end up costing less then having one made by a boat maker. The material is very similar to the stuff they make Under Armor athletic apperal out of which is light, stretchy and extremely durable. The stuff allows your boat to breath after it has gotten wet so it will still dry out even after the cover is installed. These covers are the best available, and because the material is so flexible, they wad up to fit into a very small bag.  Dont short yourself if you are in the market for a cover.

And the next time you buy a bass boat, expect a similar face from your wife or significant other, Im not completely in the doghouse but if I buy anything else, I might be living under my new boat cover. Looks cozy under there but I aint trying to live in a boat.