Monday, October 12, 2009

It's not all about fishing!

Yesterday, my friend, Steve McGuire (Squire for those that know him) and I elected to participate (donate) in the the LAPR bass tournament on Lake Anna. After getting a very early start from my house at 4:30AM we headed to the lake under a beautiful but chilly (39 degree) morning. We arrived a little early and a chance to talk with other fisherman and BS about the fishing. Today, there were around 30 boats for Dave Fauntleroy's well-run "get together". Now...............I am going to call it a "get together" because to me it is not a tournament any more. Yes, I like the challenge, the competition, the rewards, (sometimes), but what I look forward to the most in these "get togethers" is the chance to meet and be with people that enjoy the same sport/hobby that I do. Some of the stories you that hear at these gatherings are hilarious, while others are kind of sad. Talks about friends and family that have been ill and are recovering, a new baby coming, dislodging a hook in your partners hand, an accidental fall into the lake (you know who you are), a boat maintenance issue, a lot of old jokes, a birthday and of course, who won last week. As I sat on the bench yesterday and watched a local well-known angler weigh-in almost 22 lbs to win (compared to our 4 lbs), I noticed the variety in the crowd. An older man with his grand-daughter watching the weigh-in, a single mom and her son, a vacationing family, alot of young fisherman with dreams I had when I was their age. These people I saw are the future stories of tomorrow. Most of the competitors know one another and we all shook hands and congratulated each other or just said "hello" - "how you been"? The top five teams that weighed in from 15 lbs-22lbs. were the same ol" teams that have done it all season long and congratulations to them. I am realizing that they have done well before and will continue to do well. I will continue to fish against them and probably lose to them, but the "get together" is what I look forward to.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Lake Anna 10-6-09


Fished yesterday at Lake Anna. What a difference a few weeks makes. I was the only trailer at SCM and only saw maybe six other boats the entire day. Put in at 7:30AM was 74 degrees and temps uplake in both Anna and Pamunkey were 70 degrees. Caught a few fish on a variety of methods. Mainly rattletraps, jigs, crankbaits . Water up in Anna is still fairly muddy with Pamunkey water much better. Key is to find baitfish. If you find a wind-blown stretch, the bait is there. If the bait is there, the bass are there. As evident by this picture, they ARE eating. This one was a chunk. Normally a 3.25 lb. fish.....this one was pushing 4 lbs.