I Can See Clearly Now

Yes, I know that's the name of a tune. However, it also describes the way I felt after researching and writing the blog article I just finished on George Perry and his world-record bass. Suffice it to say this experience has been a "dose of medicine" I really needed.

Here was a guy who shared not only an old homemade boat with his friend, but also his only rod and reel--even taking turns using it with his friend. And when he caught that fish of a lifetime, all he got for it, if I can believe what I read, was $75 from a big-fish contest he entered and a handful of freebie lures from the Creek Chub Bait Company.

There was no glitz or glitter, no fanfare, nothing but continuing the life as a farmer he had known up to that time. Hardly seems fair--you know what I mean?--even considering the fact it was during the Great Depression.

Then, I happened across an article written by bass pro Charlie Hartley, and some things he said got me to doing more thinking. He was talking about one of Dewey's best buds, ol' Woo Daves, the 2000 Bassmaster Classic champion. Charlie noted that Woo always pointed out in seminars that the surest way to catch a bass is with a simple Texas-rigged, straight-tail plastic worm. I can attest to that fact because I personally have sat through some of Woo's seminars.

Charlie then went on to say, "Too often, we (professionals) convey the idea that you have to have a lot of fancy--and expensive--tackle to catch bass. Even worse, we sometimes leave the impression that, without all the latest professional techniques and tricks, a trip is doomed. Why bother to go at all?"

Charlie was "spot on" in that statement, too. In one seminar I sat through several years ago, Woo Daves and Guido Hibdon both happened to be speaking, and I'll never forget one thing I listened to Guido specifically tell everyone in the audience. He said, "If you can't afford the best fishing equipment on the market, you might as well find something else to do, because you'll never be any good at it." At that moment, I lost any respect I might otherwise have had for that dude, got up (along with a lot of others), and walked away.

As Charlie acknowledged in the first of his two articles I read, "Sure, it's great to be a pro and treat this as a business. No one can deny the thrill of fishing for big bass on big water while chasing a check. Neither can anyone deny that high-end tackle and equipment are nice things to have, indispensable at my level, but that's not the case for most anglers. It's possible to have a good time and still catch bass, without busting the family budget at the local tackle store or knowing every trick in the book. We need to keep that in mind."

"Good on ya! Charlie," I was saying after reading that first article. "You, like Woo, at least have your head where the sun DOES shine."

Did I suffer a letdown when I read Charlie's second article? In a word, NO! Actually, anything but. You see, a friend had invited Charlie to join him for a Friday trip to a local bass lake that had a 10-hp limitation on the outboards. Charlie agreed, not knowing (neither did the host) that it was a local free-fishing weekend. The lake that Friday was covered with boats of all descriptions.

Was Charlie or his friend disappointed? Again, NO! Said Charlie, "Watching them fish was a real experience. They were having fun. It wasn't about competition, or money, or much of anything else. It was about laughing, giggling and feeling the pull of a big 'un on their line."

Charlie and his friend enjoyed themselves so much that, when the friend asked if Charlie would fish an open tournament on the lake with him the next day, he agreed without so much as blinking an eye.

"It was refreshing to see people fishing a tournament for the sole purpose of having fun," Charlie noted afterward. "They were trying to get away from their jobs, not working at them. That attitude carried through to the weigh-in. Sure, there was disappointment, but it wasn't the same. The stakes were nowhere near as high."

As it turned out, members of Charlie's old fishing club were on hand that day, helping carry fish from the scales for release back into the lake. Naturally, they all had a million questions for Charlie, and he answered every one of them.

"I told them what I could," he remarked. "What I didn't tell them, though, was how much I envied them."

In my opinion, there's a lot of good to be said for people like Charlie Hartley, Woo Daves, and George Perry. They have added meaning to the sport, as well as to the lyrics of that tune I used as the title to this piece. In case you're not familiar with the tune, here are the lyrics, as composed by Johnny Nash:

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I've been prayin' for
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Look all around, there's nothin' but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin' but blue skies.

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.