07/22/2026
Well here is my recap of 2026 South Dakota Governor's cup tournament. I have never fished the bottom of Lake Oahe before so it was all new water to me. To say the weather was tough is an understatement. 10 straight days of Temps over 100 takes a toll on ya. Practice started out decent with several overs up to 9 lbs then went downhill from there. Several days I only caught 2 or 3 fish. The heat limited me to fishing only half days (12 hrs is half a day😁) instead of 14+ that I normally would. I finally found a consistent bite with quality unders and smaller overs and started to line them out to the point i was only graphing to mark fish instead of catching them. Day 1 I couldn't get them to cooperate and broke one of my rules that has helped keep me consistent. Always make a small move before a big move. In steady I went 20 miles up the lake to strike out and return to starting spot to catch a small limit for 114th place. On day 2 I stayed and a adjusted to the fish i had found with lighter jigs and about 10 ft deeper for 19.2 lbs that moved me up 70 places for a 44th place finish out of 200 boats. After driving 2436 miles, 116 hrs of fishing, more gas that I care to mention, 2 full cans of sunscreen and sun poisoning on my hands all i came away with was this hat😅. I did learn a lot about that part of the Lake and will be back there next year. When you get humbled on a lake you can either lay down or dust yourself off and go back for another round. So far I have never laid down 😁
