When we arrived at Lewis Smith Lake it was several feet high and falling nearly half a foot per day.  By the end of the event water levels were near normal, but this kept the shallow largemouth bite from being anything but consistent.  This was the fourth time I had competed on Lewis Smith.  I knew the most reliable bite was fishing for the spotted bass so that’s the route I took.  The spotted bass on this lake spawn on main lake points really well so there was large populations around these areas.  We were able to use forward facing sonar the first day of the event most people chose that option.  They would cast for suspended fish feeding on bait or target them near the bottom with shakey heads.  During the event I spent the majority of my time within a handful of miles from the dam.  The first day of the tournament I tried catching suspended fish with my sonar, but they kept short striking and wouldn’t commit.  So I decided to throw a shakey head with a 4” green pumpkin senko.  This is how I caught the majority of my fish the first day.  The others came off small swimbaits and wacky worms on docks.  My limit the first day weighed 13-6 and had me in 18th place for the day.  Day two of the event brought calm sunny conditions which slowed my fish in the morning.  By mid-morning I started catching them on a small swimbait again.  After catching my limit and trying to cull some fish I headed back to the wacky worm and shakey head pattern.  I was able to cull a few times later in the day, but only weighed 10-1 for the day.  This dropped me to 42nd for the event.