BU student showcase with Eli Delany of "Fishin' with a Mission"

Posted on October 9, 2012, under
learn pro bass fishing tips and techniques and how to fish for bass
WOW! What a week I've just had! All the stuff that happened could never be covered in one article but in a nutshell........... WE WON !!!!!!!!!!

My State teammates and I won the BASS Eastern Divisional tournament that just finished Friday Sept 14. We came from behind the last day to pull it out and won by only about 2 pounds!

I finished 21st overall and 3d on my team but had my biggest bag the last day of the event.

Most importantly B. A. S. S. supported and had me come up for the final weigh-in of my fish the final day with my Autistic son Luke and then they let me talk from the stage about Autism Awareness. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to have Luke who is 12 now come up on stage with me and my final days catch and share in this moment together. Bassmaster broadcast the whole scene live and tournament director Jon Stewart interviewed me about my last days catch and then gave me a few minutes to talk about Autism Awareness. This truly was a priceless moment in time, the next time our State gets to host will be 7 years from now, Luke will be 19 and we probably will not host the event here in the Boston area again and of course I'd have to qualify that year to be on the team.

I'm a little at a loss for words right now as a Dad and a parent I think the pictures will tell a better story about how I feel emotionally but I will say a huge thank you to B. A. S. S. and Tournament Director Jon Stewart for giving me a priceless moment to remember.


 
From a fishing standpoint, a lot of my success in the tournament came from my the small details and finer points I have learned in Bass University over the past couple years, especially some of the questions about details and small tricks that the instructors John Crews, Mike Iaconelli, Fred Roumbanis, Scott Martin, Pete Gluszek and Randall Tharp just to name a few have shared with me. I know a lot of "seasoned anglers" scoff at fishing seminars and think it's going to be "the same old stuff" let me tell you I have been fishing tournaments since my college days and over the past two years working with the staff at two Bass University seminars I have greatly upped my game. Each of these guys has spent time with me at each seminar answering questions and helping me better understand aspects of the game that make a real difference between winning and loosing. I can still learn a lot more but in some areas I now feel I can go head to head with the best anglers and hold my own and the improvement in my results are the proof.
 
John, Fred and Randall have worked with me on heavy cover & matt fishing. Between the three of them my confidence and knowledge in this area has been directly responsible for 3 or 4 wins over the past two years.
 
Ike has taught me how to manage time better, nobody gets as much done in so little time as Mike and this has been huge for me because it's helped me be able to spend more time even during events raising Autism Awareness for kids. We all know NOBODY spends more time at events with kids than Mike and yet he's always a threat or in the hunt to win the event.     
 
Pete's one of the best "instructors" anyone could hear, there are so many times I would think "Wow" I actually understand that and you know what I can do that too" Pete keep it simple, explain it well approach for natural Northern Lakes for both Smallies and Largies gives any angler confidence that he can go out there and figure them out.   
 
At the BASS Eastern Divisional's this past week I had to use a lot of those finer skills I learned or fine tuned at Bass University. The fishery on both the Charles and the Mystic Rivers had been decimated in unofficial practice and in the official practice time before the tournament. Two weeks before I spent some time on the Mystic prefishing and in about 2 hours I caught more weight than I did in all my three days of the tournament, the water was 10* warmer, there was some current, and the fish had not been hammered on the obvious structure so I was hopeful but knew I needed a back up pattern, something you learn at Bass University. So I decided to spend the rest of practice time exploring the Charles River, specifically the part of the river that was most inaccessible from the launch, I knew this would receive the least fishing pressure and I had a feeling that would be key, Mike had told me as we were driving by the Mystic River in January that I'd need to find some non obvious stuff to fish in such a crowded field. Good thing I did because the first day I drew boat 45 so I knew the obvious good stuff in the Mystic River would be taken by other anglers before me. So I locked through the Mystic River and idled through Boston Harbor to reach the Charles River, locked through there and then still had to idle another hour up the river to my area (The entire tournament had a "no wake" rule being strictly enforced) and it made for a 3 1/2 hour first day round trip travel time. Fortunately I was one of only 6 boats to go as far up as I did that first morning and I was able to catch 3 bass that day, on a day many didn't weigh in one. The next day I decided to stay in the Mystic because I felt the 3 1/2 trip was not going to work out in my favor anymore, other anglers had heard about the less pressure waters far away and my partner from day 1 and a couple other boats were sharing a few locations, I felt there were too few fish there to split with added boats and losing 3 1/2 hours of drive time I felt I could make up in fishing time in the Mystic. Day 2 came and I hammered the stuff I did so well on in practice but as I had feared the obvious spots had been picked clean of fish. I was able to catch one off a bridge on a senko but I didn't adapt fast enough with the tough bite to put a few more in the boat. Day 3 I was to be boat #5 so I would have my pick of places to start on, I decided that pretty much everywhere on both rivers would be worn out so that staying in the Mystic River and not having to lock through bought me a lot more fishing time and I was determined to adapt and figure it out. I also had a feeling that the three days of warming and bright sun would help position the fish in the abundant weed growth in the river and indeed the water temperatures were up 3 to 4 degrees from the first day. I started out on a bridge near the ramp, I was questioning that decision when I noticed that the overall tournament leader and my State Team leader were also fishing different sections of the same bridge so I figured I just needed to figure out the key or subtle difference that would draw a strike. I moved into a near by bay that has scattered clumps of milfiol, it was on a subtle bend in the river which added just slightly to the current. In a short time I had a strike on a buzz bait but failed to hook up, I threw back with a senko a couple of times but still nothing then I remembered that last year I had success in the grass on this river with a large willow bladed spinner bait, I threw it in the same area and it momentarily hung on some weeds so I popped it free and the fish absolutely hammered it, "bang" 1 fish in the boat and it's a 3 pound fish (all I thought was, "this is awesome maybe my son and wife will be able to see me go across stage live that afternoon") after trying a few more obvious bridge areas with out success I knew I had to find a weed pattern. Bass University really teaches you to keep thinking and not to just flog water having the time pass. I motored up river to an area I had not caught a fish in but I knew it looked good, 4' to 5' of water depth, plenty of mixed weeds that were matted up (My favorite conditions) and the area had a lot of baitfish activity as well. Using some of those heavy grass advanced tactics I learned from the Bass U staff I was able to pull out a solid keeper and felt I could find some other areas like that area to catch more. I kept working my way up the Mystic River looking for a similar pattern but many similar areas had boats on them already. ( Bass University teaches anglers curtesy and respect for other anglers waters) The tournament leader (Jonathan Carter) and I were fishing some of the same areas that last day and he and I communicated well on the water making sure we did not fish each others areas, that's what true professionalism is about. I finally went all the way up to Mystic Lake where my non boater had a few grass beds he wanted to fish, we did so and they looked good but they failed to pan out. I then had an idea that I knew there was a heavy milfoil bed in the corner of the lake, it's very thick but is in 3 to 6 ft of water near a drop off, text book for these conditions. Again the "heavy cover" grass fishing techniques I learned in Bass U paid off as I was able to get a close to three pound bass out of the thick stuff which surely had been pounded by other anglers earlier in the week. I'm sure it was those advanced strategies I learned in Bass U that helped get me that one final and very critical bass in the boat. I had to idle all the way back to the launch area and even though I left over an hour and half to do so I barely made it in on time. After my son and I enjoyed weighing in on stage and talking to the crowd about Autism Awareness we waited for the final results to come in. As it turns out our team won by a little over 2 pounds and any one of those last couple of fish I and any other of my teammates caught were the difference in winning the Team Championship and the Triton/Mercury powered boat that went with it and second place. I know Bass University and the elite skills and tactics I learned there made the difference for me and ultimately my State Team.        
 
I want to thank my wife Deb who helped me this entire week with Luke while I was on the water or in meetings etc., her famous lucky cookies didn't hurt my efforts either! Thank you Deb I know it's been a long couple of weeks and back to back tournaments, you helped make it possible and encouraged me to fish my best. I love you!

 I also want to thank my sponsors, Mercury Marine, IRod, Gamma Lines, and Abu Garcia your products made all the difference!

Lastly I want to thank my son Luke, his daily efforts to over come his Autism is an inspiration and a motivation to my efforts on the water and in life. The best part of this event for me wasn't "winning" a National level event as a team but having my "Little Buddy" up on stage with me that last day to weigh in my fish with me. He's 12 years old and quickly my "Little Buddy" is becoming my "Little Man" I'm thankful we had that moment in time with him still "My Little Buddy"

 
If you want to bring your game on the water to the next level I couldn't more highly recommend attending a Bass University seminar, I don't care how experienced you are as an angler, you will learn some valuable information. If you'd like to learn more about me and my efforts to raise Autism Awareness in the fishing community please visit my website www.mylittlebuddysboat.com
 
 
Eli Delany
 
"Fishin' with a Mission"