Not a Day I'll Likely Ever Forget

Today was anything but a typical fishing day, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I never see another one like it. Oh, I managed to boat a couple of small bass, but that somehow got lost among everything else that transpired.

It all started this morning while I was standing inside my boat shed, waiting for a shower to pass. I looked up at the top of one door on the back of my van and noticed that someone had tried to break in last night. I can only hope the low-life scumbag who tried to pry the top of the door open ended up breaking a finger or something worse. My dad had no use for a thief or would-be thief, and neither do I. Bottom line: Whoever it was didn't get in, and I was able to bend the metal back into shape somewhat, but that doesn't stop me from wishing ill on last night's intruder(s).

However, that's only the tip of the iceberg. I only had been out on the water a short while this morning when I noticed my trolling motor wasn't shutting off when I removed my foot from the pedal. An inspection revealed that one coil on the spring which sets under the on/off button had broken off, allowing the constant running. I solved that immediate problem by stretching out the coils left on the spring and then called Tom over in Suffolk and asked him to ship me a couple of new ones. As luck would have it, though, my friend, Skip, happened to be there at the shop this morning about his broken trolling motor, saw my order laying on the counter, and brought the replacement springs to me. You're a good man, Skip. Thanks.

There's still more, so please keep reading. The next thing I had to deal with was a couple of misguided seagulls. Now, we've probably all had those creatures dive on our topwater baits at one time or another, but how many of you have had them dive on your head? That's exactly what they were doing to me--and I don't mean only once or twice. They each did it for several minutes, and I'm still clueless for an answer why. Finally, though, they went elsewhere, and I returned to my fishing.

The last thing that happened came about 2 o'clock this afternoon, when I received a call from my wife, saying she was sitting in the emergency room with what the family doctor had said he thought was appendicitis. Turns out, he was right, and she had surgery at 11 o'clock last night. She was pretty groggy when I left her to come home and get a little sleep a bit ago, but the surgeon assured me she is going to be OK. They say she'll come home tomorrow or the next day, depending on how she's managing the pain with what they're going to give her.

Exactly one year ago today, my wife had to go through surgery to remove some cancerous cells from around her eye, and just a couple years ago, she had a miserable case of shingles. She desperately wants to have an uneventful year for a change here soon, and I certainly can't blame her. Everybody likes to catch a break every once in a while.

Father-Son Duo Enjoys Big Day on Blackwater River

Jerry and his son, Chris, fished the Blackwater River out of Franklin yesterday morning for only the second time this season. Said Jerry, "With the low water levels now, the current is manageable in our favorite spots." He went on to explain that they had been avoiding the Blackwater due to the strong current created by all the rain this season.

Even though the water level and current were to their liking yesterday, Jerry said they were a little disappointed in the beginning with the muddy conditions (the accompanying photos tell that side of the story) they found. As they soon would learn, however, those muddy conditions were not an issue. Their collective totals for the day were 38 fish, 29 of which were bass.

Seven of the bass Chris and Jerry caught yesterday were 14-inch keepers. Their best five tipped the scales at 11.5 lbs., led by the two fish you see in these pictures. Chris (top photo) is holding his big fish, which weighed in at 2 lbs. 15 ozs. Meanwhile, Jerry (bottom photo) is holding his best fish of the day, which weighed 2 lbs. 2 ozs.

"We were culling very early in the day," said Jerry.

In case you're wondering what they were using, the answer is flukes and senkos. All the fish were caught on those baits.

As Jerry noted in the closing line of his email to me, "This was a day when neither of us wanted to leave, but Chris is a dad, and spending time with his son is a rewarding experience as well." So the duo wrapped things up and called it a day at 1315, after six and a half hours on the water.

It didn't take Jerry very long to get his head back out of the clouds from the good day he and Chris had Saturday on the Blackwater River. He and a friend fished the Northwest River today (Tuesday, Aug. 27), and all he had to say about their day was that it was tough, tough, tough!!!

By My Records, Today Was All-Time Biggest Turnout

I'm not sure if the cooler temperatures had anything to do with it, but the anglers just kept coming this morning until we had amassed 19 boats in the water, with a total of 31 anglers onboard. As a result, we were able to pay four places. Today's money winners were as follows:

1st Place, with five fish weighing 13.94 lbs., the team of (from left) Al Napier and Jared Allbritten. Their big fish weighed 3.72 lbs.

2nd Place, with five fish weighing 13.56 lbs., the team of Chris Carmell and Charlie Reed (not pictured). Their big fish weighed 4.01 lbs.

3rd Place, with five fish weighing 11.75 lbs., Jim Wilder. He also had the Big Fish, with a bass that weighed 4.57 lbs.

4th Place, with five fish weighing 11.35 lbs., the team of Mike Evans and Joe Glazebrook (not pictured). Their big fish weighed 3.80 lbs.








Here are the rest of today's results:
     * The team of Dave Meers and Mike Sims had five fish weighing 10.25 lbs. Their big fish weighed 2.67 lbs.
     * The team of Jeff Garnes and Danny Boyce had five fish weighing 9.83 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of David Dozier and Nelson Anderson had five fish weighing 9.40 lbs. Their big fish weighed 4.14 lbs.
     * The team of Matt Floyd and Paul Celentano had five fish weighing 7.73 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * Jeff Stemen had five fish weighing 6.76 lbs. He didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Duane and Donny Kessel had five fish weighing 6.20 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of John Matyiko and Mark Cable had five fish weighing 6.05 lbs., after a dead fish penalty of 0.50. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Randy Conkle and Bob Glass had three fish weighing 4.87 lbs., after a dead fish penalty of 0.25. Their big fish weighed 2.30 lbs.
     * The team of Rob Powell and John Cohs had two fish weighing 4.38 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.38 lbs.

Ken Testorff, Jim Bauer, Bryan Dear, Ronnie McLaughlin, Steve Bailey, and the team of Mitch Portervent and Skip Schaible didn't weigh any fish.

Those 24 anglers who participated in the weigh-in accounted for 60 bass with a combined total weight of 116.07 lbs., for an average of 1.9 lbs. per fish.

Five more anglers joined the growing list of those qualified to fish our season-ending two-day Classic by virtue of having fished four tourneys. Those five are Donny Kessel, Paul Celentano, David Dozier, Jared Allbritten, and Jeff Garnes.

Winner of the free T-shirt in today's raffle drawing was Dave Meers.

For planning purposes, our next tourney is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 7. Start time will be safe light (or approximately 6:30 a.m.), with weigh-in at 2:30 p.m.

I've Always Heard That "Variety Is the Spice of Life"

And it must be, if my catch today is any indication. This 1-lb. 9-oz. bass was my best one of the day. He fell for a Bass-Oreno, an old bait that I just recently started throwing again in honor of my Pop, who used to wear the bait out in those strip-mining pits back in Oswego.

My day's catch included a total of four bass, six white perch, and a grindle. Besides the Bass-Oreno, I caught fish on a Bomber Square A and Yo-Zuri SS Minnow. I also had several passes on my Bang-o-Lure early this morning but didn't get a single hook-up.

All my fish came out of Albright's, which was loaded with baitfish today. There were times they completely surrounded my boat. I made several casts into blow-up areas, all to no avail.

My friend, Charlie, fished the oxbow at the mouth of Albright's today and had results much like mine. Besides some bass, white perch and grindle, though, he also caught catfish and bluegill. I never feel too bad when my day more or less mirrors the kind of day Charlie had. The one thing different about his day was that he said he saw several big snakes, whereas I never saw any.

At this point, my hope is that there are a few more bass in my future for tourney day this Saturday than there were today. I certainly didn't come up with any kind of game plan for that event.

Coming to the West Neck Marina Ramp This Fall or Winter...

A new gauge like the one in this photo. Charlie and I agree that we need something that will stand up better to the elements, and this one looks like it will do the trick.

Made by Ben Meadows, this fiberglass stream gauge is designed for long-term use in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and swamps. It's protected by a nonglare coating, which, according to the manufacturer, "makes it easy to read at long distances." Like the current gauge, this new one is 4 inches wide. It measures in feet, tenths and hundredths from 0 to 4 feet.

I'm going to buy the gauge, and Charlie has said he will help me install it. As already noted, we'll be waiting for a low-water period this coming fall or winter to do the job. Will let everyone know once the new gauge is in place.

Not a Place to Go Barefooted

A lot of folks like to shed their shoes this time of year, but as one person at West Neck Marina learned earlier today, you might want to think twice about doing that around the catwalks alongside a boat ramp. He ended up going to a local emergency room when he caught one of the cleats on the catwalk between his little toe and the one next to it.

Thankfully, he was with my friend, Wayne, at the time and got the immediate help he needed to get ready for the transit to an emergency room.

I personally witnessed one of these same cleats cause a young jet skier to take an unexpected plunge a couple weeks ago. The cleats, however, aren't the only dangers, especially if you're barefooted. Splinters from the wooden planks always are possible. I've also noticed some spike nails that are working their way back out of the planks. And, too, one of the plank ends is broken and sags when someone puts their weight on it.

My advice would be to have on some kind of footwear anytime you're around a boat dock. And it goes without saying: Always look where you're stepping.

I called and talked to the victim this morning (Monday, Aug. 19, 2013), and here's what I learned:

His injury doesn't involve any broken toes. Instead, his little toe tore away from the rest of his foot, which required the doctor to close as best he could with six stitches. The doctor also told him to take a few days off and gave him a prescription for Percocet to help manage the pain.

The real bummer here is that the victim had taken today and tomorrow off to do a little fishing. He was at West Neck yesterday so that Wayne could get his outboard running right. Now, though, he's forced to sit home and recuperate...and hopefully sometime this next weekend get Wayne back out there to work on his outboard.

The victim readily admits his problem is all of his own doing--he knows he should have been wearing shoes.

For Sale--Cash Only!

Abu Garcia Revo SX 6.4:1 right-handed baitcast reel, $75.

Seven Berkley Lightning Shock baitcasting rods, all medium-heavy action, all 6 feet 6 inches long, $25 each.

                            (Full-length view of the same rods.)








Everything that you see here is my personal gear, it's all used, and none of it comes with any kind of guarantee. However, none of it has been abused. The reel has been stored in a moisture-free bag until I removed it to take the accompanying photo. Meanwhile, all the rods have been stored in rod-shipping tubes.

Email me at kenneth34@cox.net if you're interested. Serious inquiries only--please.

Grandson's First Fishing Trip

Jerry's son, Tom, and his family are in town on a week's vacation from their hectic lives in the San Francisco area. It was decided that yesterday would be a good time to introduce Tom's son (Jerry's grandson), Cole, to fishing.

They hit the water on the Northwest River about 7:30 a.m., and it wasn't long, as you can tell from this photo's date/time stamp (8:04 a.m.), before Cole had boated his first fish.

This picture clearly shows a happy fisherman and his catch, with Dad smiling and Granddad beaming as he captures the proud moment in the camera lens.

In this second photo, however, taken at 8:37 a.m., you see a much less jubilant Cole.

"Could it be the West Coast 'body clock' had taken control?" Jerry wondered. "Or could the excitement of catching three fish on his first-ever trip have taken its toll? After all, by San Francisco time, it was 5:37 a.m. at this point."

In either case, by 9 a.m., Cole had endured all the "fun" he could handle and asked to go home. Jerry took him and Tom back to their vehicle. He, however, decided to hang around and see if he could find some bass. In the next two and a half hours, he boated five, with the largest just reaching the 12-inch mark on his ruler.

Said Jerry, "It was a good morning for the three of us and one I hope Cole will never forget."

What Bite There Was Lasted All Day

If I had set out this morning, looking only for quality fish, I would be a very disappointed angler right now. However, that wasn't the case. I simply was looking for a few tugs on the line, and I got that.

I started and stayed in West Neck all day, where, from 7 until about 10 o'clock, I worked mostly topwater baits. The only one that worked for me was a Bang-o-Lure, which yielded three dinks. I also had several missed blowups, as well as a few hookups in which the fish shook free before I could get them to the boat.

When the Bang-o-Lure seemed to have outlived its usefulness, I started changing back and forth between an SS Minnow and a Footloose. I couldn't muster the first strike with the SS Minnow, but the Footloose was a different story. I managed to boat six small bass with it--the biggest not weighing more than about a pound. As with the Bang-o-Lure, I had some missed strikes and fish that came loose en route to the boat while fishing the Footloose.

Given the cool temperatures and cloud cover that lasted most of the day, I really can't complain at all about the nine small bass that I caught today. It isn't often that you'll find me putting in an eight-hour day in August, but I did today and enjoyed every minute of it.

In most likelihood, I won't be making another trip until the middle of next week. If heart was all it took, I'd be spending a lot more time on the water, but both my arms have been messed up as the result of fishing all last winter, and I can only endure a limited amount of the pain that comes with every outing now. My hope is that, by laying off this coming winter, some of the discomfort will go away next year.

I want to close this report with a couple words about something I saw for the first time ever today. I just had rounded a bend in the creek, when the darndest commotion erupted right up against the shoreline. A pod of baitfish had meandered into the area, and all of a sudden, what appeared to be a school of bass spotted them and started having lunch. After several seconds, both the baitfish and the bass broke for open water, and I've never seen such a wake in the water before in my entire life. It kept shifting left, right and back again until finally disappearing in deeper water. I was so mesmerized by the whole display that I didn't even think about making a cast into the middle of it.

To Me, It's a "No Brainer," But...

During my visit to West Neck Marina this afternoon, I strolled down to the ramp to snap a photo of the water-level gauge. That stroll made me an eyewitness to something that, in my opinion, is nothing short of stupid.

To set the scene, a bunch of youngsters just had returned from an excursion in kayaks, and three of them (two boys and a girl) were still there, along with the supervisors, a man and a woman. As I approached the one catwalk, the two boys were playing in the water on the ramp. Meanwhile, the young girl jumped off the ramp into the water. Then, all three of the youngsters started taking turns climbing up on the catwalks and jumping back into the water.

I couldn't help being flabbergasted as this activity unfolded in front of me, while the supervisors (whether they were the parents, I'm not sure) casually went about getting the kayaks ready for transport on a trailer. After getting my photo, I maintained a vigil several feet away until everyone safely was in the car and gone from the premises. I wanted to be sure someone would be nearby to call 9-1-1 if necessary.

At that point, I called Steve and verified what I already knew would be the case. He doesn't want anyone jumping and/or swimming in the ramp area. To do so is to invite trouble. Granted, the kids probably don't know any better, but those in charge don't have that excuse.

Got This One in Before the Storms Arrived

When I left the house this morning, the weather forecast was for showers and/or thunderstorms moving in around 2 o'clock this afternoon. As it turned out--thankfully--they were about an hour late getting here, which was enough for us to wrap up the tourney, conduct the weigh-in, and for most of the anglers to get on the road home.

We had another good turnout today, with 16 boats and 24 anglers. Money-winners were as follows:

1st Place, with five fish weighing 11.49 lbs., the team of Joe Glazebrook and Mike Evans (not pictured). Their big fish weighed 4.11 lbs.

2nd Place, with five fish weighing 10.29 lbs., Al Napier. He also took big-fish honors with a bass that weighed 4.32 lbs.

3rd Place, with five fish weighing 9.52 lbs., Jim Wilder. His big fish weighed 3.18 lbs.







Here is how everyone else finished today's tourney:
     * The team of Mark London and Lee Scearce had five fish weighing 9.02 lbs. Their big fish weighed 4.01 lbs.
     * Jared Allbritten had five fish weighing 7.69 lbs. He didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Randy Conkle and Bob Glass had five fish weighing 7.29 lbs. Their big fish weighed 1.81 lbs.
     * Bobby Moore had four fish weighing 5.99 lbs. His big fish weighed 2.70 lbs.
     * The team of Rob Chatham and Ken Testorff had five fish weighing 5.96 lbs. Their big fish weighed 2.02 lbs.
     * Jim Bauer had three fish weighing 4.14 lbs. He didn't weigh a big fish.
     * Jeff Stemen had three fish weighing 3.66 lbs. He didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Matt Floyd and Paul Celentano had three fish weighing 3.45 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.

Gary Coderre, the team of Duane and Donny Kessel, the team of Mich Portervent and Skip Schaible, Wayne Hayes, and the team of Archie Pritchard and Robert Walton didn't weigh any fish.

Those 16 anglers who participated in the weigh-in accounted for 48 bass with a combined total weight of 78.50 lbs., for an average of 1.6 lbs. per fish.

Three more anglers joined the ranks of those qualified to fish our season-ending two-day Classic by virtue of having fished four tourneys. Those three are Skip Schaible, Wayne Hayes, and Mike Evans.

Winner of the free T-shirt in today's raffle drawing was Wayne Hayes.

For planning purposes, our next tourney is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24. Start time will be safe light (or approximately 6 a.m.). Weigh-in will be at 2 p.m.

Best 85 Minutes of Fishing This Season!

That's how Jerry described his experience in West Neck Creek today.

Between 7 and 8:25 a.m., he boated 10 bass (three within five casts from the same spot), led by this fish, which, as you can see, tipped the scales at 2 lbs. 7 ozs. "Then, though, it was like someone turned off the switch," he said. "By 10 a.m., I had boated one more bass, but the bite was such a drag, I called it a day."

Part of Jerry's decision to quit when he did was prompted by Jeff Lawson, the WVEC head meteorologist, who was calling for some nasty weather this afternoon. "I have to install a boat cover, so that just adds to the stow-away chores once I get home," Jerry explained.

Back on July 26, while fishing the Northwest River, Jerry had gotten 10 bass in five and a half hours, but getting 10 in just 85 minutes today was, by far, the best day of 2013.

What was Jerry's bait of choice today? It wasn't the new "secret lure" of his son, Chris, who "killed 'em" with it last Saturday. Said Jerry, "Bass Pro Shops didn't have any in stock when I went there Wednesday." Instead, Jerry caught all his fish today on flukes.

Congrats on another fine day, Jerry.

Looking for Fish in--Evidently--All the Wrong Places

Rob had the day off, so we went out trying to find some fish. It didn't take us very long to figure out we either were looking in all the wrong places, or they just were snubbing us.

We went to Albright's Creek first thing this morning and scoured the same stretches that were pretty decent with me on a Bang-o-Lure the middle of last week. After spending about three hours down there, we decided to ride back and check out West Neck, where the fish just added insult to injury.

By noon, we had had all the "fun" we could stand for one day and put the boat on the trailer. Our totals were four dink bass and one small crappie. One of the bass might have made 12 inches if we had stood on him, but the other three weren't even close.

Rob and I both are keeping our fingers crossed that maybe our bad luck today is a good omen for our day Saturday. For some time now, we've been having a fair practice day before a tourney, then bombing on the big day itself. Now that we bombed on today's practice, perhaps that means we'll get lucky Saturday.

All the water we fished today was running in the upper 70s, and it all looked good. The only possible downside I see is that it's coming in at a pretty decent clip, and if that continues until Saturday, we may see some water over the ramp and into the parking lot. It was right on the 4-foot mark of the gauge when I left the marina today at 3 o'clock.

For all those who don't already know, there's a Stateline Bass Anglers Club tourney out of West Landing Saturday, in addition to our Dewey Mullins Memorial Tourney out of West Neck, so I'm guessing there will be a fair number of boats on the water that day.

Boat-Ramp Etiquette--What's That?

This and all other photos used with this article
were taken 8/4/2013 at West Neck Marina.

If you're one of those people who has to ask that question, you're among the target audience for this article. I hope you'll take a few minutes to read and learn some of the do's and don'ts about launching and recovering boats at any ramp. If everybody would get on the same page, we would see improved safety, shorter launch/recovery times, and fewer confrontations.

While researching this article, I found a person who said he felt that anyone buying a watercraft of any kind for the first time should have to take and pass a boating-courtesy course before being allowed to take their "toy" home. From where I sit, that wouldn't be a bad idea--if based on nothing more than those SNAFUs I observed in about 45 minutes today.

Launching
 

Boat-ramp etiquette starts before you get to the ramp. Load all your gear, or as much as possible, into the boat before you leave home. Take care of all the last-minute stuff in the boat-preparation area of the marina--NOT at the ramp. At West Neck, that's the area when you first pull into the parking lot.
 

This boater wheeled up to the ramp today with motor-toter and
straps still in place, and he had to install the boat plug yet, too.

Every boat will have its own unique boat-preparation list. Whether you prep your boat fore to aft, or aft to fore, do it exactly the same way every time, because that reduces the chances of forgetting something. If you're a new boater, using a checklist is a good idea.

Here is a sample prep list; your boat may have more or fewer items:

     * Install drain plug.

     * Remove the tie-down straps.

     * Remove motor supports/transom saver.

     * Trim motor up and quickly check that steering and fuel lines are connected properly. This also is a good time to prime the fuel bulb.

     * Check/turn on main power and electrical accessories.

     * Attach any necessary dock/handling lines.
     * Unplug trailer lights, except usually in cases of trailers with hydraulic brakes.
 

Entering the launch lane. Once your boat preparations are complete and you're ready to enter the launch lane, understand you probably will have to wait in a line. Stay in that line and don't cut in front of anyone ahead of you. If someone ahead of you appears to have a problem, or is causing delays, ask before proceeding around him/her. Communication is key to avoiding confrontations.



Here's another boater who waited until he reached the ramp
to remove his tie-down straps. After he had launched his boat
and started to pull back up the ramp, his right trailer wheel
locked up, and he snapped two U-bolts before he got stopped.

Backing down the ramp and launching the boat. When it's your turn, pull forward and slowly and carefully back down the ramp. Depending on your situation, there are different variations for launching. If you're alone, you'll need to attach a dock line from your boat to the trailer or your

tow vehicle to prevent it from drifting away. If you have help, now is the time to give those dock lines to those who are helping, or you might have someone already in the boat who can power launch the boat for you.

In any case, know how you're going to launch your boat and have everything in place before putting your boat in the water. Once it's off the trailer, promptly move it out of the way. Never leave it tied directly in the launch/recovery lanes unless you have absolutely no other choice.

And, remember, the ramp isn't the place to practice backing. Take your boat to the parking lot at a local supermarket or shopping mall if you don't feel comfortable backing down a ramp. Also, during times of low light, such as early morning or at night, douse your headlights and only use running lights to launch or recover at the ramp. The glare from your headlights can blind others as they back their boats down the ramp.
 

Recovering
 

At the end of a day on the water, most folks are tired and ready to go home. The last thing they want to see is a crowded ramp area full of discourteous boaters making an unpleasant situation even worse by their rude behavior.
 

Approaching the dock for loading. Don't approach the launch/recovery area until it's your turn and your trailer is in the water. If you need to drop off someone to get your tow vehicle, or you need to tie up and get it yourself, use a courtesy dock or the outside lane of the launch/recovery dock. And before heading to the docks, stow all your gear and pick up trash to avoid tripping over something.
 

Wait your turn. Just because you're ready to recover your boat doesn't give you the right to jump in front of others waiting in line. As with launching, stay in line and don't cut in front of those ahead of you. Be courteous and use common sense. If someone ahead of you appears to have a problem, or is causing delays, ask before going around them.
 

Proceeding onto the ramp. As before, pull forward and slowly and carefully back down the ramp. Make sure your trailer is in deep enough to allow the guides/bunks to align your boat properly on the trailer. If you're in too deep, you hull won't touch the guides. If you're in too shallow, your boat will get stuck before it's completely on the trailer. Set the parking brake on your tow vehicle when your trailer is submerged and you're ready to load.
 

Loading your boat onto the trailer. This operation shouldn't take but a few minutes under normal conditions. If your rig is designed for power loading (e.g., using the gas motor to drive the boat onto the trailer), by all means do so. Only apply enough power to get the job done. Once the boat is fully on the trailer, check both sides to make sure the boat is aligned and square on the trailer. Use the winch to tighten the boat against the bow stop. Once secure, you can attach the safety chain, then cut power to the motor and trim the motor up to trailering position. You're now ready to exit the ramp.
 

Pulling your boat up the ramp. Make certain your motor is trimmed up before proceeding up the ramp. Slowly pull forward, checking to be sure the boat is settled squarely on the trailer. Control the throttle of your tow vehicle so that you quickly clear the ramp without spinning your tires.
 

Clearing the ramp area after loading and packing up for home. Be sure to completely leave the ramp area before stopping. As with launch preparations, have a system in place to make sure everything is put away and your boat is ready for the trip home. Work front-to-back or vice versa and reconnect your tie-down straps, motor support, trailer wiring, and kill main power to the boat.
 

In closing, please take a look at all the wasted space between vehicles that I found parked at the West Neck Marina ramp area when I was there today:

I can accept the fact that some of the wasted space you see in these photos likely was a result of folks coming and going today, but some of it undoubtedly is the result of folks simply being in too much of a hurry and/or just not caring whether others had a place to park or not. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that parking at West Neck Marina on most summer weekends is at a premium to start with. Surely, we can do better than this.

While I was at West Neck today, Steve came riding around on the marina's golf cart and saw all of the same stuff I've portrayed in these photos. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't start asking all of us to  cooperate in cleaning up our acts when we're on his premises. It's just a matter of displaying common-sense courtesy for others.

 

 

 

It isn't just the summer weekends when things happen...

Skip went fishing at West Neck today (Monday, Aug. 5, 2013) and fished from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. His only reward was this 2-lb. bass. Unfortunately, he had to deal with more of the same things I saw happening yesterday when he returned to the ramp, intent on recovering his boat. I'll sum it up this way: The evolution took a lot longer than necessary, thanks again to a lack of courtesy.

It Was Son's Turn in the Spotlight Today

Jerry did OK today--he boated six bass and a pickerel in West Neck Creek between 6 and 11:45 a.m. And he caught all of them in his spots north of the bridge on a couple of his favorite baits--a bubblegum Senko and a watermelon Fluke. But it was his son, Chris, who really shined today in his first trip to West Neck this season and only his second time ever of fishing this creek.

In Jerry's own words, "Chris just took my non-fishing butt to school today. He first broke out a package of soft plastics that neither of us ever had tried before." In no time, he had boated this 2-lb. 5-oz. bass.

Later came this fish, which, according to the scales Chris is using, weighed in at 3 lbs. 12 ozs.

These two bass, however, were only part of the story. Chris went on to catch another 15 bass on that new bag of soft plastics. Said Jerry at day's end, "When I asked him if I could tell what the lure was, he stuttered, so I guess that means no." And just so everyone knows, I don't have the inside track here. I'm as much in the dark as all the rest of you about what Chris was using today.

Considering that he staged this fishing clinic from the backseat of his dad's boat has to be a sweet feeling for Chris, and I'm sure it's putting a big smile on Jerry's face, too. The last line of Jerry's email to me noted, "I don't think I will have any problem getting Chris to go back to West Neck with me." How much ya wanna bet Dad will have some of his son's "secret" lures in his own tacklebox when that happens?

Little Bit of Everything, But (Thankfully) None of Those Toothy Critters

That was the gist of the report I got this evening from Jim Bauer. He spent the day (7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) in West Neck Creek, where he boated a total of 14 fish. The breakdown was as follows: four bass, two stripers, seven crappie, and one bream. The photo at right shows his big bass of the day, which weighed in at 1.85 lbs. The two next best ones weighed 1.23 and 1.27.

All his fish were caught on a Slider worm or on a grub, using the fly rod. The two stripers (both 15-inchers), the seven crappie, and the bream all came from around the bridge.

According to Jim, the wind wasn't a factor until around noon. Then it kicked up out of the south and pretty much stayed that way the rest of the day. "The fish seemed to really turn on once the wind picked up," he noted. "It was pretty dead before that."

The water level this morning at launch time was completely covering the gauge, but both catwalks still were entirely dry. "I kept my feet dry coming and going and didn't need boots," said Jim. The water temp at launch time was 78, compared to 85 when he pulled the boat out this afternoon.

The day's biggest disappointment came when he got hooked up with a solid 4-lb. fish. "I got to see her when she rolled on top as I was trying to turn her," he explained. "She came unbuttoned from the worm, and I was sick."

His overall analysis on the day was "nothing to brag about" but still satisfying. Like a lot of others among us, Jim just enjoys feeling that tug on the end of his line. I've always thought of it as a form of therapy, or as a sign attached to the light on my desk says: "Fishing: Not Just a Hobby. It's a Way of Life."

For the Love of Nature

As a kid, growing up in my beloved little hometown of Oswego, Kansas, I used to capture butterfly larvae like this, put them in a jar (after poking holes in the lid with an ice pick), and wait impatiently for them to turn into butterflies.

In most instances, I'd either get tired of waiting and set them free, or sometimes accidentally kill them by not being attentive enough.

In the case of the two that you see here, I'm doing nothing more or less than just photographing them in their natural setting. They, like some others in recent days, have taken up residence in a dill plant my wife put out some time ago on our back patio. She first brought this event to my attention a few days ago, but when I got around to being ready to take their picture, they already had left to complete their cycle someplace else.

When the latest group showed up, I didn't drag my feet. Instead, I grabbed my camera and got some shots. These particular larvae eventually will become black swallowtail butterflies.

My interest in these little critters as a kid was due partly to the influence of one of my playmates, who lived across the road from where Mom and Dad raised my brother and me. His name is Gary Hevel. He and his sister, Jean, spent many an hour with the two of us during the summers. And Gary's kinship with Nature, which began there in Oswego, later carried him into a job with the Smithsonian Institution. Gary joined their staff in 1969, and as far as I know, still is there. According to information I found on the Internet, he is the public point-of-contact for the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian. If you're interested, you can see a video of Gary doing what he loves to do best, along with some biographical data, at this link: http://www.monkeysee.com/hevelg.

I've always liked butterflies, and I guess maybe they have a way of knowing that, because I've often had them come and perch on my fishing rod when I'm out on the water.

This Friendship Had Its Beginning on the Water

Until July 20, John Goodman was just the name of "a well-known angler here in Tidewater whom I had never met," said Jerry, in a recent email to me. On that date, Jerry (in photo at right, taken July 20) and his son met up with John while fishing the Northwest River, where they exchanged names and talked about how their day of fishing was going.

Three days later, Jerry went searching and found John's email address through a link on the Stateline Bass Anglers website. "We compared notes on how our day on the water that Saturday had ended," explained Jerry, "and also discussed his and my plans for the following Saturday, July 27." Jerry learned that John would be fishing the local Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney. He then told John he couldn't fish that day because he was hosting a Gospel Concert at his church, to which John responded, "My wife and I will be there."

Jerry admits that he initially doubted what John had said, given the tourney John planned to fish and the fact the concert started at 7 p.m. And he never knew otherwise until July 31, when he received an email from John, saying how much he and his wife had enjoyed the concert. As it turned out, Jerry even had shaken hands with John at the concert without knowing it was him. Jerry had been headed to the rear of the church to take some pictures of the guest singing group, when a gentleman sitting with a lady reached out for a handshake as Jerry passed by. "With handshakes being the 'norm' in church, it didn't 'click' with me who this guy was," he said.

As Jerry learned, John and his partner had taken 3rd place at the tourney but had chosen not to stick around for pictures so he could keep his word and attend the concert. "I am pleased to say that the good man my son and I met on the water that day was John Goodman," noted Jerry. "I really appreciate you and your wife for attending and supporting our concert. Hope to see you on the water again soon," he concluded.

Evening Bass-Tourney Mishap Claims Alabama Angler's Life

Imagine hurtling down a river in a bass boat turning 70 mph, with neither the driver nor the passenger aware there's a low-hanging electrical wire just ahead. That's not the setting for a movie. Rather, it's real life, and it happened just two days ago.

As a result, they'll be holding a memorial service this Saturday for the passenger, a 65-year-old retired Army master sergeant from Athens, Alabama. He suffered blunt-force trauma to the head and neck and nearly was decapitated. Meanwhile, the driver escaped without injury.

The pair were fishing a recurring Tuesday evening bass tourney on the Tennessee River with a bunch of other locals. According to one of the regular participants, these events are "held for a group of guys who just want to fish and enjoy good company. Some nights we'll have three boats, and some nights we'll have 20." The regular participant went on to say that the victim "was just a good ol' country boy like the rest of us. He was a good guy."

The incident occurred near a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power plant, where crews had been using a cable to pull a new line across the river when the cable broke, sending the power line into the water. These crews were just pulling the line out of the river at the time of the accident. Electricity wasn't flowing through the line.

Coast Guard officials said they had closed 1 mile of the river to traffic and had issued warnings on VHF radio more than two hours before the incident. However, the bass boat, as like most smaller craft, didn't carry such a radio. Two TVA boats reportedly were the only patrols in the water to warn passing boaters, but they weren't blocking the path.

As the speeding bass boat entered the danger zone, the low-hanging wire first hit the front-pedestal pole, then the victim. The driver was able to dodge the wire and ended up only losing his hat. Neither person went overboard.

As noted by an eyewitness following close behind this pair of anglers, "They never saw it (the line)." The eyewitness, however, was able to stop in time.

An investigation of this tragedy will take place. "There will be some lessons learned," said a TVA official.

My purpose in posting this item isn't to scare anyone. It's just a reminder that things sometimes happen when you least expect it. Be smart anytime you're on the water and stay focused on the big picture. Unlike the cars and trucks we all drive, our boats still lack a set of brakes.