2016 Burton's Championship
Two weekends ago was the Burton’s Bait and Tackle Championship on Smithville Lake. My partner Lance and I managed a huge 18.5lb. sack anchored by a 5.7lb kicker the first day to give us almost a 3lb lead going into day two of the tournament. We were fishing primarily off shore cranking a SPRO Fat Papa 70 on 10# Sunline fluorocarbon with a 7’ medium action rod custom built by The Rod Shop and throwing a magnum shaky head rigged with a Big Bite green pumpkin super stick on 16# Sunline fluorocarbon on a 7’ medium heavy action rod custom built by The Rod Shop. On day two, off and on rain showers and a huge front rolled in which significantly hurt our off shore bite. At about 10am we only had one fish in the box and had only caught one other short. We recognized that with the changing conditions we needed to make an adjustment so my partner and I began to hit some stretches of shallow brush and wood where we ended up catching another keeper, a handful of shorts and I broke of what very well could have been the fish that could have won us the tournament. Unfortunately for us on day two we ended up with just those two fish that ultimately put us in 5th place just 3lbs out of first.
One of highlights of the weekend happened on the first day right after take-off, we flew down the lake to our first spot where we saw a boat sitting on it white bass fishing. These gentlemen were there first, and regardless of whether or not they were in the tournament or even bass fishing by the unwritten rule they could have told us to leave. I came off pad and drove over to the two guys fishing and asked if it would be ok if we fished it with them and they generously said yes that it was ok. After a few minutes of talking with them and saying thank you they told us that they were just out fun fishing and that they would get out of the way for us. It probably wasn’t even 5 minutes later when we boated our first two keepers of the day and lost another small fish. This small act of kindness and respect on the water without a doubt set the tone for the rest of the day. This was a perfect example of how just a few nice words with another angler can make all of the difference in the world. I’m very proud to have been able to grow up fishing at Smithville Lake around guys that maintain a strong code of ethics on and off the water. I hope that this can act as a guide for other anglers that could encounter a similar situation on the water.
Congratulations to Tod Knaack and Nick Hahlbeck for winning the Burton’s Championship for the third year straight. I would like to give a special thanks to Gary Burton for putting on such an awesome tournament circuit every year, and Shoreline Fiberglass for the meal at the day one weigh in. I can’t wait for next year’s season!
For more information on The Rod Shop and the amazing rods that they make visit their website at www.therodshopkc.com.
Angler’s Port Marine, Phoenix Boats, Mercury, Shoreline Fiberglass, The Rod Shop KC, and Pro Sites Unlimited sponsor Kyle.
