A Condensed Playing Field, As Well As Fewer Anglers

That was the setting today at West Neck Marina as our next to last event of the year kicked off. A total of 11 anglers in seven boats were on hand to help put this low-water contest in the 2013 record books. The best part of the whole day was the fact that everyone who participated caught and weighed fish--and, too, that there still was enough water at the ramp for all of us to recover our boats at the end of the day.

Here are the anglers who took home a payday:

Chris Napier (left) claimed 1st-place honors with a five-fish limit weighing 11.23 lbs. He also walked away with the big-fish pot with a bass that tipped the scales at 3.30 lbs.

The team of (from left) Al Napier and Red Bruun took 2nd place with a five-fish limit weighing 10.77 lbs. Their big bass weighed 3.06 lbs.







Here is how everyone else finished today's 17th tourney of the current season:

     * The team of Chris and Caleb Carmell had a five-fish limit weighing 10.27 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.18 lbs.
     * Jesse Munden had a five-fish limit weighing 9.51 lbs. His big fish weighed 2.95 lbs.
     * The team of Rob Chatham and Ken Testorff had a five-fish limit weighing 7.45 lbs. Their big fish weighed 2.17 lbs.
     * Jim Wilder had a five-fish limit weighing 7.28 lbs. His big fish weighed 1.50 lbs.
     * The team of Randy Conkle and Bob Gloass had four fish weighing 5.02 lbs. Their big fish weighed 2.53 lbs.

These 11 anglers caught 34 fish with a combined total weight of 61.53 lbs., for an average of 1.80 lbs. per fish.

Three more guys had their tickets punched today for our season-ending two-day Classic on Oct. 12-13 by virtue of having fished four tourneys this year. The newest additions to the list of 38 qualified entrants are Mark Cable, Red Bruun and Chris Carmell. This coming two-day contest could prove to be our biggest and best yet, since only 21 anglers fished the 2012 Classic.

Winner of the free T-shirt in today's raffle drawing was my partner, Rob Chatham. However, he insisted that I take one in his place, even though I didn't want to. If you want to know the story involved, you'll have to hear it from Rob because I can't bring myself to put him on the spot in this forum. He's a super guy and a darned good partner.

For planning purposes, our Classic Day 1 is scheduled to kick off at 7 a.m., with a 4 p.m weigh-in. Meanwhile, Day 2 is slated to start at 7 a.m., with a 1 p.m. weigh-in and cookout to follow.

A Gorgeous, Relaxing Day on the Water

And making it even nicer was the fact I managed to catch a few fish and got to talk to a couple of my friends, too. What more could you possibly ask for?

The fish in this picture was my best of the day--unless, that is, you consider that ugly ol' grindle I caught on a Rick Clunn crankbait. There easily was about 5 or 6 pounds of "ugliness" in that toothy critter, and he had both crankbait hooks buried in his face. Like I've done for some time now, I unhooked the creature and released him to swim another day. Guess I'm just gettin' soft in some ways in my old age.

The bass here weighed in at 1-9. I also had a 1-5 and one that measured 12 inches. The other two were dinks. All my fish came out of--and were returned to--West Neck Creek.

The baits that accounted for my success today, besides the RC 1.5, were a SwimSenko and a SwimFluke. I couldn't buy a topwater strike this morning, and the Bandit Footloose that has been producing so well for me recently also came up empty. Once I got the two plastics and the RC crankbait working, I put everything else down and stayed with those baits.

The two ol' friends I sat and talked with for a spell on the water today were Joe McDevitt and Skip Schaible. Both discussions took place this morning, and I didn't get to find out how their respective days went. Joe did mention this morning, though, that he recently had bagged a couple of nice ones from down south in the wrecks--his long-time favorite hole. He said one weighed 7 lbs., and the other tipped the scales at 2.5. Wish I had the nerve to fish that area once in a while, but those giant spikes just are too much of a deterrent. He was headed back down there today, so I feel sure he found at least a few fish.

I also ran into Ray Scott today--no, not the one of B.A.S.S. fame--but the one who is Charlie's friend and occasional fishing partner. He had boated a couple of bream and was heading out of West Neck when we spoke briefly.

With the light winds we had today, I simply couldn't have asked for a nicer midweek fishin' trip. It was one of those days when I really didn't want to stop but knew I had to.

A Foggy Start to a Tough Day

It nearly was 6:30 this morning when I shoved off the 21 anglers in 14 boats that showed up to fish our 16th of 18 scheduled events this year. We all knew there was some fog about, but I certainly never thought it would be as bad as it was when Rob and I got underway about 15 minutes later than the rest of the guys.

We ran the length of West Neck unrestrained by the fog--it even was OK as we turned left out of the creek and headed to Albright's, but that all changed a short distance downriver. We had slowed to a point of just making headway when we suddenly caught sight of a barge being pushed by a tug. They were coming directly at us until I shifted course to the right. We then navigated the rest of our run to the cut-through at marker No. 32 without incident.

All that aside, here's the info I figure everyone is wanting to see: Who were the big winners today? They were as follows:

1st Place, with five fish weighing 7.43 lbs., the team of Al Napier (left) and Chris Napier (not pictured). They didn't weigh a big fish.

2nd Place, with five fish weighing 7.22 lbs., the team of (from left) Randy Conkle and Bob Glass. Bob also claimed Big-Fish honors today with a bass weighing 3.33 lbs.

3rd Place, with five fish weighing 7.17 lbs., Mark London. He didn't weigh a big fish today.








Here's how everyone else finished today's tourney:
     * The team of Mitch Portervint and Skip Schaible had three fish weighing 4.77 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * Lenny Hall had three fish weighing 4.72 lbs. His big fish weighed 1.86 lbs.
     * Jim Bauer had two fish weighing 4.71 lbs. His big fish weighed 2.68 lbs.
     * The team of John Matyiko and Hayden Capper had three fish weighing 4.10 lbs. Their big fish weighed 1.72 lbs.
     * Jim Wilder had five fish weighing 3.72 lbs., after a deduction of 8 ozs. as penalty for operating his gas motor without wearing a life jacket. He didn't weigh a big fish.
     * Michael Sims and Allen Napier had two fish weighing 3.71 lbs. Their big fish weighed 2.63 lbs.
     * The team of Rob Chatham and Ken Testorff had three fish weighing 3.52 lbs. Their big fish weighed 1.65 lbs.

Steve Bailey, Wayne Hayes, Rob Powell, and the team of Chris Carmell and Charlie Reed didn't weigh any fish.

Those 16 anglers who participated in the weigh-in accounted for a total of 36 bass with a combined total weight of 51.57 lbs., for an average of 1.43 lbs. per fish. (An interesting comparison: One year ago, on Sept. 22, 2012, our tourney had 30 bass weighed in with a combined total weight of 46.10 lbs. On that date, there were 22 anglers in 14 boats, compared to 21 anglers in 14 boats today.)

Three more anglers joined the ranks of those qualified to fish our two-day Classic on Oct. 12-13. They included Michael Sims, Chris Napier and Lenny Hall. We now have a total of 35 qualified to fish our season-ending event.

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

For planning purposes, our next tourney is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28. Start time will be safe light (or approximately 6:45 a.m.). Weigh-in will be at 2:45 p.m.

A 1-Fish Day

Muddy water has spoiled more than one fisherman's day, and that was the case for Jerry today. He launched at West Neck at 7 o'clock this morning and boated this 2-lb. 1-oz. bass at 7:08, and that was it. He didn't catch another fish between then and 9:30, when he threw in the towel.

It wasn't like he didn't try, though. He went through his tacklebox but couldn't find a bait "that would entice another strike from ANYTHING," he said.

Jerry started fishing West Neck only last year but in that short time has learned that he just doesn't do well there when the water is muddy. He only went there today because he wanted to see if he could repeat his feat of last Wednesday and catch 15 in the creek again.

The day wasn't a total loss, though. After all, Jerry did catch the one nice bass, so he avoided a skunk. And, too, he found out that the new bunks he installed recently on his trailer work just fine. As he was loading his boat on those new bunks, however, Jerry realized he needs to avoid West Neck when the water is muddy.

Lots of Wind, Little Water...

And in some cases, the fish were small, too. What you see here is my Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow (top), with a bluegill that jumped on the bait's rear No. 2 treble. It doesn't take but a quick glance to see which one is bigger. Over the years, I've learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to fishing the North Landing, and I'm usually not disappointed. This particular catch, like nearly all of 'em that Rob and I got today, came in West Neck. We also spent some time in Pocaty this morning, but the only thing we had to show for it was a couple of dinks.

One thing is for certain about today: The local weather forecasters finally got something right. They called for 10-15 NE winds, with gusts to 25, and it definitely reached those levels early this morning. If I had to guess, I'd say we probably even saw some 30- or 35-knot winds today. Trying to work our way above the bridge on the trolling motor was so difficult, we finally gave up and used the gas motor to reach a starting point, then worked our way back down with the wind.

When we stopped about 1 o'clock today, our total was 11 bass (eight of them keepers), with seven of the fish belonging to Rob. This was our biggest of the day, having fallen for a topwater early this morning. Even he wasn't big enough to break out the scales for. Rob also caught one bass on a plastic worm, but we seduced all the others with shallow-running crankbaits.

Please note that the calm water you see around the boat in this picture was the exception, not the rule. There was no relief for the trolling motor today. When I needed a break, Rob quickly took over, and we kept "zooming" along the shoreline. The thankfully few occasions we had to go after hung lures today proved to be a challenging proposition each and every time.

The water temperature for most of our day ran 73 or 74 degrees, and with the constant mix of clouds and sun, we threw topwater baits at several intervals, but they didn't prove to be particularly productive.

When I had cleaned up the boat and put it away today, I walked over to the culvert area (the wall to the left here is part of the culvert) at the back of the boat barn and found what you see in this photo. At the bottom right corner are a couple of dying small fish. And if you'll click on this photo to bring it up to full size, you better can see a whole wad of small fish of various species in the tiny pool of water. These little critters simply had waited too long to pass back through the culvert and follow the water out.

I gotta be honest here. I sincerely thought all fish always followed the receding water, so they didn't find themselves in this kind of situation. I truly hope these NE winds don't last through Thursday, as predicted, 'cause I don't see these fish surviving that long in only this much water.

On a final note, I want to share the contents of an email I received last evening from a migratory game-bird scientist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. I had written and asked about all the feathers Rob and I had seen in Albrights during the Sept. 7 tourney. I asked if the feathers might have come from molting Canadian geese.

As this contact explained, though, Canadian geese molt during June and July. He said there's a Canadian goose-hunting season open from Sept. 2 to Sept. 25, however, and his guess is that the feathers came from some geese somebody had shot, then plucked in the area where we saw the feathers.

That's about all I have to report for now, other than to caution anyone planning to launch a boat at West Neck in the next day or two. Remember, the ramp ends in front of those farthest posts on either side. If you have a bigger boat, you might be well-served to consider launching at Munden Point.

Anniversary of a Man and His Prized Catch

It was 34 years ago today that our late-friend, Dewey Mullins (left), caught this 13-3 largemouth (right) during a fishing trip to Back Bay. Unfortunately, his record-Virginia fish never got the recognition it deserved, because another angler in a different part of the state caught a bigger one before officials could get Dewey's catch registered.

As he used to joke, though, all was not lost in his paperwork glitch. He still had the mounted citation fish on the wall, so he often got to relive that moment he did what so many other anglers only dream of doing. Besides that, Dewey would say, "I still have some of those Tom Mann 6-inch jelly worms." His reference was to the giant cardboard box crammed full of jelly worms, in every color of the rainbow, that arrived at his door, courtesy of Mr. Mann, a few days after word had spread about the record catch. You see, Dewey had used a 6-inch, white jelly worm as a trailer for his spoon that September day.

You may be gone, my ol' friend, but you'll never be forgotten--not if I can help it.

From Three Different Fronts...

"I came close to staying off the water today," said Jim Bauer's opening line in his email to me today. "I woke up for the first time this week with a sore left hip. Took a bit to get out of bed. It was slow going, and I was late but finally got out."

In a sense, Jim is kicking himself a little for not remembering sooner what he had read in an Outdoor Report here recently. That report noted that swim baits had been working on Gaston. So when he finally hit the water this morning, he had a swim bait ready on deck, just in case the French fry wasn't working. It didn't take long for him to make the switch--and to change his luck.

The fish pictured here was his first one of the day that he boated--the very first one he hooked went under the boat and came unbuttoned. It looks like this fish was hooked deep, but as it turned out, the hook was in the side of her jaw. She definitely got the whole thing, though.

Jim finished the day with a total of four fish: a 1.5, 1.2, 1.0, and a dink. "I had one other hard strike but missed it," he added.

At 2:30 this afternoon, the skiers and jet skiers started showing up, and rather than do battle with them, Jim headed for the barn.

"It wasn't the best week I've ever had down here," Jim noted as he evaluated this trip, "but it sure beat sitting in my Lazy Boy in front of the tube, or perched in front of a computer monitor. I'm pretty grateful I still can do this now and then."

Meanwhile, Charlie Bruggemann hit Oakum Creek on the North Landing this morning. "High muddy water and no current to speak of forced me to go a mile upstream to find clear water," he reported. He still did OK, getting a total of six bass: two that went 1-1, a 1-9, 1-14, 2-12, and a dink.

If the weather gods are listening, Charlie has one wish--"some north winds." Be sure to watch his video of today's trip. In most likelihood, it'll be posted sometime tomorrow. The link to his blog is: http://vbfishguide.blogspot.com/.

And bringing up the rear here is yours truly. I knew if I didn't get out today, it would be next week before I'd hit the water again, because I simply don't enjoy tangling with all that weekend boat traffic.

Like Charlie, I managed to pluck six bass from the water today, but all of mine came from West Neck Creek. None of them were big enough to weigh--only three would have made 12 inches.

None of my fish came from the main creek; I couldn't buy a strike there. Instead, they all came from coves. With the exception of the last cove I fished, I caught at least one fish in each.

Only one bait would work for me today--good ol. No 25. I'm sure glad you turned me on to that thing, Rob. If I hadn't had it today, there's at least an even chance I would have come up empty-handed. You're a friend, indeed.

A Fellow Angler Is Down

There's an angler lying in Virginia Beach General Hospital who needs all of our thoughts and prayers. Here's the slightly altered Thursday, Sept. 12 post from Sid Ryan that appears on the guestbook of Bob's Fishing Hole:

"Wanted to let everyone know that Matt Floyd was injured on the job today and is in Virginia Beach General Hospital. Matt fell 30-plus feet from a tree and has a fractured wrist, which requires surgery, as well as a fracture in his back and one in his hip. He is in a neck brace for precautionary reasons at this time. Thoughts and prayers going his way."

I'm fairly sure Matt works for a tree-trimming business. If I remember correctly, the name of that business appears on the sides of his bass boat. I also think he fishes with the Great Bridge Bassmasters. The one thing I'm sure about is that he has fished a couple of recent Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourneys with us. Paul Celentano was his partner both times.

Jerry Gardner has asked me to post the following message from him:

"To Matt Floyd and family--we have never met. I am so sorry to hear of your accident. I can assure you that my family and my church family will keep you in our prayers. The doctors and hospitals do their best, but our God is the ultimate healer." --Jerry & Chris Gardner

I would like to add my best wishes and those of all the guys who fish our tourneys out of West Neck Marina. Here's hoping and praying, Matt, that you recover completely and quickly. We're all pulling for you.

Fishing on Gaston Still Oh So Slow

That's the two-day report I just got from Jim Bauer (right). After getting a late start yesterday, he headed to the back of Pea Hill Creek, hoping not to find as much grass as was there on his trip to the same spot on 9/11/01. To his chagrin, it was choked with grass. He tossed a couple of topwaters for a spell, with no luck, then moved to another cove, with the same results. By 2:30, he only had managed to land a couple of dinks, so he decided to take a break from both the fishing and the searing sun.

He headed back out at 5:30 and quickly picked up one keeper that went just a whisker over a pound. Before calling it a day at 7:30, he got to "look" at two good fish. The first, said Jim, "was at least 4 lbs. I stuck her, only to watch her go airborne and toss the hook." Less than 10 minutes later, the same thing happened again with a fish that would have gone about 2 lbs. "Frustrating" doesn't even begin to describe how Jim feels, given the luck he has had so far.

Today's fishing was highlighted by this bass that weighed in at 2.12 lbs. He caught it in the same cove where he boated a 6.5 just last fall. "She really wanted the French fry," said Jim. He feels pretty certain the same fish had missed the bait about 10 minutes earlier. He also managed to put three dinks in the boat by 1 o'clock, when he again decided to head in and get out of the heat and wind for a spell.

Jim returned to the water this evening but only picked up one more dink before hearing boomers starting in the distance. He hurried back to the boat dock, tied up the boat, then hot-footed it to the house. "We had a pretty good light show, with a bit of rain," he said.

Jim ended his email today by reminding me that he only has "one more day to find bubba" before wrapping everything up and heading back home. I wish you the very best, my friend and shipmate.

"They Was a-Splishin' and a-Splashin'..."

(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, Photo)

That line from a 1950s tune co-written and performed by Bobby Darin is a good way to describe those huge baitfish blowups we normally fast-cast to on the water. Unfortunately, those casts don't always result in a hookup like this angler appears to be enjoying. Instead, they often end with just a swing and a miss--or, at least, so goes my luck.

What causes short strikes?

There are several different theories floating around. One is that the fish just miss the bait. Another theory is that the fish only want the bait to stop or slow down so they can see what it is and decide whether they want to eat it. When they swim up and just bump it to get a good look is when we usually swing and miss.

Yet another theory is that some fish realize faster than others that there's a metal hook on that bait in their mouth and can spit it quicker than a fisherman can react. And, finally, some people feel that short strikes simply happen because the fish involved are too small to take the bait completely.

What can you do to stop short strikes?

Again, there are various ideas about what you can do to maybe put an end to all the swings and misses, depending, of course, on the types of baits you're talking about.

     * If a bass short strikes a topwater bait, quickly cast a different bait to the fish. Try a different topwater bait, or perhaps a soft-plastic jerkbait, tube or Senko-style bait. The bass many times will be fooled into thinking it has injured the prey it hit moments earlier.

     * If you draw a short strike while fishing a buzzbait or spinnerbait, one of the first things you can try without a lot of fuss is to add a trailer hook. I even read about one guy who uses two trailer hooks on his buzzbaits and spinnerbaits when he's the victim of short hits. The first trailer is a medium-sized hook, with the second one a size smaller.

There are a couple of ways to rig trailer, or "stinger" hooks, as some folks refer to them. One method involves sliding on the trailer hook, then adding a piece of plastic or surgical tubing over the lure's hook point and sliding it down past the bend. This method allows for free movement of the hook.

With the other method, you put a piece of surgical tubing over the eye of the trailer hook, then push it on the point of the bait's hook. The trailer extends out rigidly from the bend of the bait's hook with this method and will not move up or down. Whichever rigging method you choose, just be sure the trailer hook matches the bait's hook as far as being point up or down.

Some people say they use a "dressed" (with feathers) size 4 or 6 treble hook as a trailer on their buzzbaits and spinnerbaits--again secured with plastic tubing.

One final thing you can do to enhance the hookup ratio with buzzbaits and spinnerbaits is to trim the skirts so they're even with the end of the bait's own hook.

     * When bass are short-striking your crankbait, try varying your retrieve until you find out how the fish want it. You also might want to try changing colors.

     * Trying a different color is a good option, too, for those times when your soft plastics are drawing short strikes. Another consideration here should be to upsize or downsize.

If all these suggestions fail, perhaps you'll want to subscribe to the theory I saw espoused by an author in an old issue of Field & Stream. He said he doesn't believe fish hit short. "They eat," he explained, "by approaching their prey, popping their gills to create a vacuum, then opening their mouths and sucking in a volume of water that contains the target of their attack. A 'short strike' occurs when a tight line prevents the fish from sucking in your lure."

So how do you relieve the tension on your line when you're casting, so the fish can grab the bait? Here's his answer: "As you retrieve your lure, sweep the rod backward, then drop it forward to take the tension off the line. Be ready for a strike when you sweep back again."

Perhaps some of my readers have better ideas. If so, please share them, and I'll pass 'em along to everyone else.

Mark Your Calendars for Oct. 5th

That's the date, according to Buck Buchanan (left) for the 16th annual Open Bass Tournament and Open Striper Tournament, sponsored by the Elizabeth City Bassmasters. All proceeds from these two events go to the Albemarle Food Bank.

Says Buck, "The bass guys will launch out of Bayside Marina on Pembroke Creek in Edenton. The striper guys also will be checked at Bayside Marina but can launch from anywhere on the Albemarle Sound or rivers."

Full details and entry forms for both tournaments can be downloaded from the Elizabeth City Bassmasters website. Go to http://www.elizabethcitybassmasters.com, then click on the "open tournament" link.

My thanks to John Goodman, Buck's long-time acquaintance, for referring him to me for help getting the word out about these charitable events. I'm always happy to help such worthwhile endeavors. Good luck in your efforts, too, Buck.

"Today Certainly Beat Painting"

That was Jerry's comment to me today, just moments after he had come off the water. He explained that, after spending the previous six workdays painting at his church, he simply couldn't bring himself to pick up a brush again today. Instead, he picked up his fishing rod and tacklebox and headed to West Neck Marina.

Having launched at 6:45 this morning, Jerry said, "I had 10 bass in the boat by 9 a.m." He boated another five bass in the next hour. "From 10 to 11:15 a.m.," he then added, "I couldn't buy a hit, so I called it a day."

Jerry told me in an email subsequent to our face-to-face conversation that his camera "was nothing more than dead weight today," with just one fish reaching the 14-inch mark on his golden rule. "All my fish were caught on a watermelon fluke."

I'm only guessing here, but I think Jerry may have momentarily forgotten he was fishing Virginia waters. Today was his first trip this side of the border with North Carolina in several weeks, so it's understandable he might have forgotten he only needed a 12-inch fish today to be legal--and, therefore, as far as I'm concerned, "camera-worthy."

While fishing "up north" seemed to be a winning ticket today, the same couldn't be said for the angling "down south." Charlie told me he only boated four bass down in the Alton's Creek Oxbow. His best bass weighed in at 1-8. However, he also caught a 2-0 pickerel and a couple of gar. As I just told Charlie in an email, though, I'm sure he'll bounce back with style--he always does.

It's Slow Goin' on Gaston, 'Cept for the "Skeeters..."



And the "skeeters" I'm talking about here aren't the kind with outboard motors hanging on the transom. They're those annoying pests that bite the crap out of you. Jim made the mistake of standing outdoors the other night talking to a fella from the next property over from where he's staying, and he paid a dear price. "I've put itch meds all over my legs, but I'm still itching and miserable," he said. "Didn't sleep worth a hoot last night."

This past Monday was especially slow for Jim--two dinks for a whole day of fishing. It got so dead he fired up the Yamaha and took a boat ride--for a whole hour--just for the heck of it. And anyone who knows Jim knows he doesn't do things like that under normal circumstances.

Tuesday morning didn't start much better. "It's been one of those days when I couldn't catch a fish to save my hide," he wrote. "I missed six good strikes before I finally got a dink in the boat, then missed one or two more before I got another dink in the boat. I saw a couple of the missed fish--even had one to the boat after missing it and mumbled 'I got ya this time,' only to bonk the fish on the noggin' with my net, and it was bye-bye."

It now was time for the frustrated Jim to take another boat ride--for another hour, no less. "Without much boat traffic, I was able to run from end to end and hit all the branches of the creek," he said.

Jim then returned to where he's staying and took a breather--and probably, if the truth be known, a little nap--before getting back on the water at 5:30 yesterday evening. He fished 'till dark, boating three keepers: a 1.8, 1.7 and a 1.0. That bit of success had his "handlebar" twitching in a good way--for at least a while.

I still haven't heard from him today, but I do remember he told me officials would be spraying for hydrilla on the lake again today, so he was a little concerned about what that might do to the fish. He concluded his note, though, by saying, "I'm in a better mood tonight," so I'm hoping that nothing happened to change that today.

He's Nothing Short of an "Energizer Bunny"

Since taking over March 1, 2013, as manager of West Neck Marina, Steve Winfree (right) has been going like a house afire to build up the business there, as well as keep his pool business running smoothly and stay on top of things at Blackwater Trading Post, where his son takes care of business for the owner--none other than Steve.

And thanks to Rob, my partner for the Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series, Steve now has a new hobby on top of everything else: He's into woodworking. Rob wanted to sell all his equipment, and Steve was an eager buyer, so a deal was struck. And now, the equipment that had been taking up a considerable amount of valuable space in Rob's garage has found a new home at West Neck Marina. Meanwhile, I understand that Rob already has committed that valuable garage space to another use--storage for his new kayak, which he's in the process of outfitting.

And Steve's spare moments--how he finds any is beyond me--are consumed by his passion to produce woodworking pieces. This birdhouse, a reproduction of the West Neck Marina Store, is Steve's pride and joy--and rightfully so. It's a darn good replica.

Here's a close-up view of Steve's new creation.

And, finally, this side view of his handiwork.









Last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't say a little bit about what Steve does every Saturday morning when we're getting ready to hold one of our tournaments. With Kim at his side, they join our 0-dark-30 group, fire up the griddle in the store, and turn out some of the tastiest sausage biscuits you ever could want. Those biscuits, along with a hot cup of coffee, are all the anglers need to prepare them for their eight-hour day on the water.

I feel fairly certain that I speak for all the tourney anglers when I say a big "Thank You!" to both Steve and Kim for taking such good care of us. Please know that your efforts don't go without notice.

What Is a Bass Fisherman?

(Reprinted with the permission of Florida Wildlife Magazine, Kelly Broderick - Editor)

By Charles Dickey

Between a boy's first cane pole and a tottering old man we find a strange creature called a bass fisherman. They come in assorted sizes, but all of them have the same creed: To hurry to the water right now and enjoy every second of every fishing trip, and when it's past time to go home, to make just one more cast.

Bass anglers are found nearly everywhere--floating silent rivers, lost in a swamp, kicking a motor at a boat ramp, sneaking into secret ponds, turning off alarm clocks at 4 in the morning, and telling fishing stories at business meetings. Mothers love them, young girls can't understand them, brothers and sisters tolerate them, the boss envies them, and Heaven helps them. A bass fisherman is Truth with dirty fingernails, Beauty stranded in a driving rain, Optimism against all odds, Wisdom with a love of Nature, and the Hope of the future with goodwill toward mankind.

When you are busy, a bass fisherman is thinking of crankbaits, lonely lakes, and country roads. When you want him to make a good impression on someone, all he can talk about is plastic worms, bass beds, the lunker he lost last week, the pH factor, chartreuse skirts, and bassin' rigs.

A bass fisherman is a composite. He likes Vienna sausage and rat cheese at a country store, but at home, he's on a special diet. He eats moon pies with one hand and casts with the other. He has the energy of a hurricane when he starts fishing but hires the neighbor's kid to mow the lawn. He has the lungs of a top sergeant when he gets a strike but goes deaf when you get one. He has the imagination of a scientist as he tears through his tacklebox for a secret weapon. He has the courage of a lion as he sits quietly, shivering in a cold front. He has the enthusiasm of a firecracker as he pounds each brush pile. And when a lunker finally hits, he's forgotten to set his drag.

He likes sloppy britches with plenty of seat room, dirty tennis shoes, long weekends, CAT caps, frequent holidays, private ponds, vacations, and questionable companions who are also bass fishermen. He's not much for social gatherings, water skiers, kinfolk who visit on weekends, neckties, litterers, double time on Saturdays and Sundays, or neighbors who don't fish. Without thought of race, creed or color, he likes people who bass fish year-round and talk about it in between.

Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late straggling in to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of chasing minnow schools, searching for structure, or getting his line busted. Nobody else suffers so patiently with aching hind end, chapped lips, and blistered cheeks. Nobody else can cram so much into one tacklebox--42 plugs he hasn't used in 10 years, a compass that doesn't work, a flashlight without batteries, a hunk of fruit cake from three Christmases ago, a rainsuit which won't fit back into the plastic bag it came in, a change of drawers, a punctured can of oil, and a copy of Roberts Rules of Order.

A bass fisherman is a magical creature--you might get sore at his constant chatter about solunar tables, but you can't lock him out of your heart. When the bass are bedding, don't expect him to show up at birthdays, Sunday School, anniversaries, or picnics. He'll do more than his share of work on the job, but just don't count on him when the weather gets warm on weekends. There's only one remedy for bass addiction.

You might as well give up--the bass angler is a child of Nature with a hopeless one-track mind. He's always going to be late cleaning the garage when the bass are hitting. And you may as well quit trying to understand why he needs another rod when every closet in the house is loaded with them. Just forget about hot dinners and leave his in the oven.

And though you get sore at him at times, you know you'll always like him. There's something about him that rings true, that you can really count on. He's a simple and kindly man who only asks of life that the water stays clean, the bass grow big, and he's there when they're hungry.

My thanks to Kelly Broderick and Florida Wildlife for allowing me to share this story with my readers.

Oops, I Pulled a "Skip"

The "Skip" that Jim Bauer is referring to, of course, is Skip Schaible, who we all know, if you read my blog, fell asleep in his recliner the other morning while waiting for the fog to burn off and had to settle for a shortened fishing day. The only difference between the two incidents is that Jim flat slept through the alarm--Skip didn't have an alarm set.

The fish at left tipped Jim's digital scales at 2 lbs. 6 ozs. It represents the first keeper bass that he has caught during his current trip to Lake Gaston, the third of three such treks he makes annually. He pulled this one from the waters there about 7 p.m. yesterday, along with a dink and a catfish--all on a French fry. Said Jim, "I had one other fish on long enough to see that it was a keeper," but the fish never made it into the net.

One of the reasons he was out on the water that late in the afternoon was that he had taken a two-and-a-half-hour break earlier from all the rockin' and rollin' caused by passing boats and jet skis. To use Jim's words, "You would have thought it was July."

Rather than do battle with more of the same thing today, Jim told me he planned to sit back and enjoy some football on TV. "I'll be up and after 'em early Monday morning," he said.

I just received an email from Jim, saying he changed his mind and hit the water after all for a few hours late this afternoon--when most of the boaters and jet skiers had called it a day. His tally today was better than yesterday. He boated three fish (a 1.12, 1.6 and a 12-incher), again all on the French fry. He also missed a couple good ones. "Smart fish" Jim said of one missed strike. It seems the fish picked up the French fry in front of a hydrilla patch and ran toward the boat faster than Jim could pick up the slack and set the hook. He assured me that he'll be on the water again early tomorrow morning.

Feathers--Yes, Feathers Everywhere

That's what Rob and I found today in Albright's Creek, where we spent the day trying to eke out a limit of bass for weigh-in, only to come up two fish shy. There literally were feathers on the water's surface everywhere we looked. It resembled what I often find in my yard after the neighborhood hawk has made a meal of a hapless dove.

While we were trying to figure out where all these feathers came from and, at the same time, catch a few fish, others in our group of 26 anglers in 16 boats were putting quality limits in their livewells. The money-winners today were as follows:

1st Place, with five fish weighing 16.05 lbs., the team of (from left) Bob Glass and Randy Conkle. Bob also walked away with the day's Big Fish pot, with a jim-dandy bass weighing 6.89 lbs. This fish was good enough to thrust him into the lead for the Seasonal Lunker pot, with only three tournaments remaining.

2nd Place, with four fish weighing 10.82 lbs., the wife-husband team of Corinne and Michael Sims. Their big fish weighed 5.62 lbs.

3rd Place, with five fish weighing 9.57 lbs., the team of  (from left) Thomas Wright and David Dozier. They didn't weigh a big fish.






Here is how everyone else finished today's tourney:
     * The team of Al Napier and Red Bruun had five fish weighing 9.10 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Mitch Portervent and Skip Schaible had five fish weighing 8.44 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * Steve Bailey had four fish weighing 8.21 lbs. His big fish weighed 4.16 lbs.
     * The team of Mark London and Lee Scearce had five fish weighing 7.86 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * Jesse Munden had five fish weighing 7.61 lbs. He didn't weigh a big fish.
     * Jim Wilder had five fish weighing 7.12 lbs. He didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Lenny Hall and Gary Coderre had five fish weighing 6.03 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Dave Meers and Mark Seals had five fish weighing 5.50 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.
     * Jeff Stemen had five fish weighing 5.20 lbs. He didn't weigh a big fish.
     * The team of Rob Chatham and Ken Testorff had three fish weighing 4.81 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish.

Rob Powell, Wayne Hayes, and the team of Al Lemieux and Noah Alford didn't weigh any fish.

Those 22 anglers who participated in the weigh-in accounted for 61 bass with a combined total weight of 106.32 lbs., for an average of 1.7 lbs. per fish.

Four more anglers qualified today for fishing our Oct. 12-13 Classic contest. Those four are Rob Powell, Jesse Munden, Jeff Stemen, and Mitch Portervent. These additions make a total of 32 anglers now qualified to fish our season-ending event.

Winner of the free T-shirt in today's raffle drawing was Jesse Munden.

Congratulations to all of today's money-winners and thanks to everyone who participated.

For planning purposes, our next tourney is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21. Start time will be safe light (about 6:30 a.m.), with weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. Please note that these times differ slightly from the hours posted in our schedule at the start of the season.

I often don't have a chance to talk to some of the tourney winners, but yesterday was an exception, and I thought I would share some info that readers have indicated they would like to see as a regular part of these tourney reports. That info, in case you haven't already guessed it, is the lures the winners used.

In talking to Bob Glass, I learned that he caught his big bass--and most likely a majority of his other fish, too--on a Senko worm. "I tossed it up to where I knew there was an ol' stump," he explained about the big fish, "and when I picked up my line, the fish already was moving off with it."

Meanwhile, Michael Sims said that he and his wife were taking their fish on shakey-head worms.

If I catch up with David Dozier and Thomas Wright, the 3rd-place finishers yesterday, I will add their info here, as well.

If You Snooze, You Lose...

So the saying goes, but Skip proved that isn't always the case.

Yesterday morning, he got up early to go fishing. When he looked out the window, though, it was super foggy, so he said to himself, "I'll wait for it to burn off." That decision likely was a good one, but then he made what some would say was a not-so-good decision.

You see, he decided to sit down in his favorite recliner. Moments later, he found his "comfort zone"... and, yes, you guessed it: Skip went sound to sleep. Perhaps it was his dreaming about all the big ones getting away that startled him into waking up, getting his things together, and heading to West Neck Marina. Whatever it was, Skip turned his snooze into a winning day, as evidenced by this fish resting in his landing net. It was one of four bass that Skip boated during his four hours on the water.

"They were all small," he said, but as I see it, who can complain when you cop a few extra morning Z-Z-Z-Z and still manage to put a few fish in the boat before day is done?

Topwater in the Middle of the Day? Are You Nuts?

Some years back, I used to fish occasionally with a fella who, at noon, would say, "Well, it's time to start throwing some topwater." And he did it every time we fished together--no matter what the conditions were. I thought he was nuts until he started putting fish in the boat, and then I wasn't sure what to think because I didn't seem to be able to duplicate his feat.

Years before I had made that angler's acquaintance, I remember another friend who, during a hot, summer day on Lake Anna, pulled off something I never would have believed if I hadn't seen it for myself. It was better than 90 degrees as we fished a cove with some plastic worms. Neither of us, though, was getting so much as a bump, and the frustration level was increasing about as fast as the temperature. Suddenly, I heard my friend rummaging through his tacklebox, saying, "I know that thing is in here somewhere."

Moments later, I turned around to find him tying on the gag gift he had received at our club's annual fall banquet the year before. It was none other than a copy of the Budweiser fishing lure you see in this picture.

The next 15 or 20 minutes were filled with good-natured ribbing of my friend about his silly, desperate efforts to catch a bass. But as luck would have it, he eventually tossed this contraption up next to a big beaver lodge, let it rest for several minutes, then just barely moved it, and water flew everywhere as better than a 3-lb. bass knocked the fire out of the bait--proclaiming (LOL) "this Bud's for me." My buddy slammed the barbs home and, moments later, boated the fish--the only one we caught all day. You can imagine the trash-talk I had to endure, not just for the rest of that day but for many more to come.

So, yes, I do believe that you can catch bass on topwater lures in the middle of even the sunniest, hottest days in summer. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. I was reading an online article the other day in which an Elite Series angler was describing the benefits to be derived from throwing topwaters, even on hot summer days, to scatter the baitfish. He said, "I always catch the bigger fish on topwater from noon to two because, if you think about it, that fish is up there at that time for only one reason--because he's feeding.

"You might not get as many bites, but you can cover more water and put yourself in position to be at the right spot at the right time. The lesson here is simple: It's easier to be at the right spot at the right time if you help create that situation by scattering baitfish," he explained.

Another article I was reading had this to say: "Topwater fishing throughout the day doesn't work every single time--several variables (e.g., weather and water conditions, as well as presentation) need to fall into place. However, it's certainly an undervalued tactic... If you think outside the box at times, you'll surprise yourself. Remember, it doesn't always have to make sense. If you find them crushing a topwater in the middle of a sunny day, don't question it; just smile and enjoy it!"

A friend and I had such an occasion recently, and there indeed were big smiles spread across both of our faces.

Oh How Many Times Have We All Been Fooled?

It isn't just golfers who often rely on weather forecasts. Some fishermen also have been known to let weather predictions influence our decision whether to go or stay home. And when my wife showed me this comic strip from the morning newspaper, I couldn't resist passing it on for the benefit of all those who, like myself, seldom read the comics on our own. I know my wife watches out for any she thinks I'll appreciate.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I make it a habit to check the weather radars for myself before a fishing trip, just to see whether I can believe what the local forecasters are saying. Here's an example of why: This past Wednesday morning, the local WVEC weather dude wasn't calling for any possibility of showers until late afternoon. However, when I checked the online radar, I saw a little speck of green heading straight for Virginia Beach. And just as soon as I opened the garage door and stuck my head out, what do you reckon started hitting me? Those "unpredicted" raindrops stayed with me all the way to West Neck Marina and still were falling for about 30 minutes after I had the boat rigged and ready to launch.

The rain doesn't stop me from going as often as it drives my decision about whether to throw my rain gear in the boat. The exception is when it looks like we'll be hit with strong thunderstorms throughout the day--I don't like to be sitting on the water with lightning and thunder crashing all around me. I want to believe there will be a next time.