This is the big week. The Douglas Lake Challenge is the event I circled on the schedule when I signed up for the Bassmaster Elite Series. Norris Lake is my home lake but Douglas is a close second. I’ve been fishing the lake since my teen years and have logged a lot of time on all parts of it.  Douglas was the lake that qualified me to fish the Elite Series through the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Southern Opens. I shared a story in one of my first blogs about following Rick Clunn on Douglas at a Megabucks event back in the day. (See My Flotilla Folly.) I saw Rick at this week’s registration and laughed to myself about that story.

It has been wonderful sleeping in my own bed at night. The local community has been very supportive as well. East Tennessee is a great place to live if you like to fish for bass.

This will be the first deep fishing event on the Elites for me. In the previous events, I have fished either shallow or mid-depths. I have several good spots that I know I could finish high fishing but I am mentally prepared for other boats to be on them. After the first Elite event on the St. Johns River, where I thought I knew something the others guys didn’t, I know to not underestimate the competition.

This week, I know new lessons will be learned on the lake. It fishes deeper than any other lake we will fish this year so the techniques may be unique. Fish on Douglas stay deep most of the year so those are the fish I will target. The field is littered with great deep fishermen so the weights should be high to make the Top 12.

I learned a lot watching the pros at that Megabucks event. Some of the techniques they used are techniques I will utilize this week. The pros will teach us all some new lessons this week…maybe I can manage to teach someone something this week, as well.

Remember to chase your dreams!