5-6-17 Lillinonah Recap
It’s been quite a long time since i’ve been in the winners circle and man does it feel good! Now i’m not going to give you a very long-winded/drawn out story of my life but there are a few things I need to share here in this blog and why this win means so much to me.
In 2009, I was hit by a drunk driver at 95mph. I was seriously injured and have had more procedures on my back then I can count on both hands. This accident has and will always be a big part of my life and something I battle the side effects from every single day. I could have been easily killed in this accident but someone somewhere was watching over me and as many have put it over the years “it just wasn’t your time to go yet”. I will always remember those words. I was in a very dark place for a long time due to this accident. The “why me?” questions circled for a long, long time. Up until last year, I had not competed in an event for well over a year; maybe close to two. I was dealing with family problems that affected me deeply as well as dealing with some more back issues. Every day during the time I wasn’t fishing, all I did was go in my garage and stare at my boat, wishing I could get out there. Could I have? Sure. But I was not in a mental state or physical for that matter to get out there and do what I love. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when you have a boat that’s worth more than most cars these days. Fishing has always been my escape. Being out on the water, rain or shine, has always been my “happy place” and as the saying goes “a bad day of fishing is always better than a good day in the office”. Since 2009, I have dealt with more than an average person my age has experienced combined in their lifetime but I have overcome it all.
Going into 2017, I told myself that no matter what, i’m going fishing and I would compete. Not at the big league level like I once did, but at a national level that was appropriate and fit with my schedule. Regardless of how that turned out, whether my time and energy ended in me finishing dead last every time or turning around and winning every single event, I was going fishing. I also told myself I was going to approach this year the way I wanted to and how I like to fish. I wasn’t going to listen to the chatter or do things I normally wouldn’t do. I was going to go out there, fish how I like to fish, and see how the chips fall. So far I have a 2nd, 5th, and 1st to show for my efforts. Maybe to an ignorant individual all these blogs seem like someone sitting around and tooting their own horn. If that’s you reading right now, thanks for your opinion and you can now go take a long walk off a short pier in the nicest way possible. But before you do, make sure you go to Jared Trimboli Fishing and give my page a like (I love shameless plugs).
Going into this event, I haven’t been to Lake Lillinonah in over a year. I had no time to practice with work being so busy so I said screw it. I’m going to run up north, go as far as I can possibly go, and fish the rapids where I have caught fish in the past then work from there. Besides, who doesn’t like the thrill of rapids anyway. So with being boat #4, off I went. The beauty of having a Basscat is that you end up being the fastest if not one of the fastest boats out on the water. That’s just their sleek design. I was the first person up there and normally the only one in this area. Not too many people know about this place as it’s literally not on GPS mapping. Since my initial time of venturing into the unknown, I guess others have as well. Water temp was 55 degrees and I knew this area had to be good for a few fish. Little did I know I would be there all day fishing the same 30 yard stretch.
The water really rips through this area and I knew with all the bad weather we have been having, the water would be moving even more. Within the first half hour of the event, I had 3 fish. The second one being my largest Smallmouth of the day, a 4.24lber which I will attach the GoPro video in a separate post. Now I know the last GoPro video I said made my year, but catching this pig was by far the best moment. Wait until the next blog when I say the same thing haha. My GoPro shortly died after this video so thank god I caught it. For anyone following my very unsavvy ways in the tech world, I have finally purchased a skeleton case which has the side port open to allow my GoPro to charge and I bought a 10ft charging cable. Way to excessive to need such a long cord but screw it. My upcoming events, I will have this puppy charging and recording all day. Wait, is the regular skeleton case waterproof as well? Can’t be with the opening in the side for charging purposes. Maybe someone who knows more can tell me. My luck, the whole thing will short out.
I cannot remember the last time I stayed in one area an entire day. Let along one single 30 yard stretch. I’m not sure if i’ve ever done that actually. The spot I was fishing had fish funneling through it all day. If you notice the area in my video, that was a key current break where these bigger smallmouth were pulling into to feed about every half hour or so. I went with my gut and gave this area everything I had. I’m pretty sure by the end of the day, I hit every single rock and inch of sand/gravel in that entire stretch.
There are 3 key baits I used at this event which led to my win. Here they are:
Blue Fox Inline:
- Old faithful. She never fails me during the spring. Like stated in previous blogs, #4 blade, silver with a blue bell is always key. I replace the stock treble with a split ring and better treble hook. Let this bait hit the bottom and slowly reel back to the boat with slight twitches in between. You may go through a few of these but if you're not hitting the rock, you’re not catching the fish.
- Equipment: 7’6” (for longer casts) and 7’ (close quarters) M Micro Guide BIg Bear Rod, Lew’s Tournament Pro G Speed Spool (6.8:1), and 10lb Hi-Seas Fluorocarbon.
Tube:
- Only caught a few fish on this but was a key bait in those eddie breaks every time I threw in that area. 3” Watermelon Pepper. Fished this on a hand poured 1/8oz jig head that I make myself with a Trapper Tackle 30 Degree Jig Hook. If you see from my video, that big smallie came off this bait and if you notice, I couldn’t get the damn thing unhooked. That patented box design of a Trapper Tackle hook really sticks the fish and doesn’t allow them to get off.
- Equipment: 7’ M Micro Guide Big Bear Spinning Rod, Lew’s Mach II Speed Spool, 20lb HI-Seas Braid with a 8lb Fluorocarbon leader (about 7-8ft in length)
Fishing Bait Club Squarebill:
- This bait was another key for me in this event and i’m excited for my recent partnership with them. Ben, the CEO, is a great guy and has a lot of great products coming your way. The key was to bounce this crankbait off every single rock I could get it to hit and they would absolutely crush this thing. They have some great color schemes in this product but the “Shad” color worked best for me.
- Equipment: 7’ M Micro Guide Big Bear Rod, Lew’s Tournament Pro G Speed Spool (5.4:1), 10lb Hi-Seas Fluorocarbon. The key in this presentation or any cranking setup is having that slow speed reel. Your crankbait will not perform at it’s best unless it’s a slow ratio reel.
Welp that’s all from me this week. I appreciate everyone taking the time out to read through this blog and my others; It means a lot. Sorry for the sob story at the beginning but I like to share my story with people who deserve to know and if you’re reading this, you deserve to know. This tournament win really solidified to myself that i’ve still got it in me to perform at a high level. It means a lot that my friends, family, and sponsors have stuck by my side through thick and thin and allow me to continue to do what I love. I encourage everyone to check out all their products as they are the best in the business. To view the official article of my tournament win, you can see that here. Next stop are two bodies of water back to back I also haven’t been to in years; Highland Lake and the CT River. Both places I have won events at. Should I not practice and wing both of these too? Nah, one man’s luck can only go so far. I need to put my time in to make sure I can stand my ground in the Angler Of The Year race. Until next time, Tight Lines!
