I got paired with Joe Thomas for the last day of the tournament. He had a very good first day and was sitting in 3rd. The best part was that he was the only one in the top 10 who wasn't sight-fishing. Joe said he was catching all his fish on a hollow belly and shaky worm around docks and around flats. I knew I would have a chance to make up some ground. It's difficult on a lake where there are so many small fish to come from so far back and make the cut; but it can be done. In the first 15 minutes I had my first keeper spot. The bite was much tougher for Joe and he said even though he didn't get many bites the day before, he felt like something had changed. I was able to catch 4 decent keepers for just over 6 lbs. I lost a big one when Joe was flying by a dock and the fish hit after we were past it. The fish got wrapped around some dock posts, started thrashing and ended up jumping off before we could get turned around to get to it. That fish would have probably gotten me into the top 20, but I was still pleased with the day. I went from 88th to 38th. I won some money and added some good points to my yearly standings, moving up to 9th place for the year. It's still possible for me to win Co-angler of the year again; with a little luck that is. My next tournament is at Beaver Lake in Arkansas. I really like the lake; it's allot like a giant Candlewood. My luck has to change at some point, hopefully this will be the time. Beaver is the last open of the year, so winning now would mean $40,000. I could really use the money after the serious rut I've been in. I've been doing carpentry again to make money, but it's very expensive to travel and I'm having to pay my own entry fees again. I'm in the hole right now and need a top 5 finish to get back on track. I told Dusty the other day it must be his fault. I think his bad luck is rubbing off on me.