There are perks from writing for publications like Spacefish. I took advantage of those perks when I fished as a media representative in the ICAST Cup recently. As a saltwater guy, it is always a blast and quite the learning experience to spend time on the water with the bass pros.

I had the pleasure of being teamed up with two impressive young guns, Bobby Bakewell and Conner Dimauro. Bakewell is a bass fishing guide at Bienville Plantation near White Springs Florida, while Dimauro is a junior at Bryan College in Dayton Tennessee. Dimauro attends college on a bass fishing scholarship and competes on Bryan’s bass fishing team. It blows my mind that there are talented young anglers out there like Dimauro who attend college on fishing scholarships.

The young anglers started our day off in stout fashion with a prayer as we waited among the other competitors in Big Toho Marina. When our boat number, 48, was called, we blasted off across Lake Tohopekaliga at an eye watering 60+ miles per hour.

Our first stop was a flat about three feet deep with a mixture of shell beds and hydrilla. The lure of choice was lipless crankbaits, a lure I have never had much luck with. The crankbaits frequently got caught up in the weeds, which to my surprise was the secret to their success. Most hits came as Blakewll and Dimauro aggressively ripped the baits out of the hydrilla. After an hour and a half we had a five fish limit in the livewell and it was time to switch tactics in hopes of upping our weight total by culling out smaller fish with bigger ones.

At this point we switched to another technique I haven’t tried before. We pitched creature baits and Senko style worms into matted weeds. Heavy tungsten weights, from ¾ to 1 ½ ounce, helped our baits punch through the surface slop and sink into the weeds below. It was slow and meticulous fishing, but the bites we got were mostly good fish. We managed to upgrade a few of our smaller fish. I have no doubt we could’ve caught some more good ones, but the short, four hour fishing window closed all to early.

Our 11 lbs, 8 ounces was good enough for 17th place. First was the Lew’s Fishing team lead by pro angler Peter Thilveros with a five fish limit of 20 lbs, 4 ounces. Perhaps the most paradoxical moment from the 2019 ICAST Cup came from the team representing 13 Fishing lead by pro Stacie Carter. The 13 Fishing team brought in a limit that weighed 13 lbs, 13 ounces.

Overall it was a great half day on the water with a couple of outstanding young anglers. Bakewell and Dimauro taught me a few things and even let me catch a couple bass. I’m already looking forward to the ICAST Cup 2020.