August 2021 Best Fishing Times

I Should Have Known...

Everything comes at a cost...or at least, that's my take on things. For example, last Friday night was the first time in a week I had been able to sleep in bed. It had taken me that long to overcome abdominal pain that I initially had thought perhaps was the result of a hernia trying to get started. As I learned, however, it was the result of an abdominal muscle I somehow had strained. Bottom line: It took a week for the strain to relax enough for me to sleep any way other than by sitting upright.

Then, on tournament day this last Sunday, I finally seem to have put those bouts of vertigo in my rearview mirror. Have enjoyed 72-plus hours now without once feeling like everything around me was spinning about 60 mph. Whether that holds is anyone's guess, but I'll gladly take whatever relief I can get.

With that much "positivity" happening in such a short span of time should have been sufficient warning that the roof was getting ready to come crashing down around me. It started with a giant headache that awakened me Tuesday night, followed by another one yesterday afternoon. I also had a gimpy left leg when I crawled out of bed yesterday morning, and it dogged me all day. Those events, however, as I was destined to learn, were only part of the "negativity" that would prove to make yesterday a day which I wish I could just forget.

The dominoes started falling regularly when I received a phone call from the dermatologist office I visited a week ago for my six-month checkup. The doctor had taken a biopsy at that time, and the results had come back. Seems they will have to dig a little deeper in the biopsied spot in their pursuit of clean cells. Then I'll be stitched up for a couple of weeks...more a nuisance than anything else.

On top of that, yesterday's passing rain made me aware that it's once again time to hire someone to clean my gutters. They were full to the brim yesterday with water, thanks to all the pine needles from my cantankerous old neighbor's pine tree in the back clogging the downspouts. This problem now forces me to go through this evolution about three times a year.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, the freezer part of our three-year-old refrigerator-freezer decided to go belly-up yesterday, too. Had to do a "reset" on it for the same reason a year ago, but this time, the "reset" failed, so that undoubtedly will mean searching for a new refrigerator.

Can't say I've had this much fun since the company commander ripped off my face mask in that gas-filled room at boot camp and told me to find my way out the best way I knew how...if you get my drift.

For Period Ending Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021

Sunday, July 25 (from Ron)...Just got back from a two-week business trip. Was anxious to get out on the water, but the wind was a struggle. I did manage to get one small white perch and one small bass to avoid the skunk. Only threw Zoom U Vibe and swimsenko, as I couldn't get a hit on any topwater this morning for more than an hour. The water was murky, and it was too windy for my liking.

Thursday, July 29 (from Ron)...Visited a small pond to avoid the wind. Caught a half-dozen dinks and a 2-11. Weightless plastic worms and plastic topwater both produced this evening. Was good to be out without Thor throwing lightning bolts at me.

Saturday, July 31 (from Wayne and Ken)...Decided we wanted to see if we could develop a game plan for the next tournament on Saturday, Aug. 7, so dropped Wayne's boat in the water at 0-dark-30 this morning and began searching. First thing we learned was that, like last Sunday, there was no topwater bite this morning. Eventually found something the bass would eat, though, and stuck with that for the rest of the morning, even though the bite was very slow. Fished until a few minutes after 12 noon and ended up catching about nine keepers. Seems there must have been a small tournament out of West Neck today, because there was a fella walking toward the ramp with a weigh-in bag in his hands when we got back to the dock, and there was a collection of anglers saying their farewells as Wayne pulled his rig past the front of the store to tie everything down for the trip home.

Sunday, Aug. 1 (from Ron)...Got out early before the storm. Caught two bass at 15 and 17 inches, respectively. May go back out this evening, depending on the weather. Zoom U-Vibe worms were the ticket to success this morning.

Best Turnout of the Season Thus Far

Not sure what the motivation was, but today marked a recovery in a big way from the dismal totals at last week's tournament. The 26 anglers in 16 boats were the high point of the current season. These gents collectively weighed a total of 58 bass for a combined total weight of 122.89 lbs., which gave us an average weight of 2.11 lbs. per fish and an average weight per boat (of those 12 boats that brought fish to the scales) of 10.24 lbs.

Standing in the winners' circle at day's end were the following anglers:

1st Place, the team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers, five fish, 17.71 lbs. total weight, with a 4.77-lb. big bass.

2nd Place, Jim Calhoun, five fish, 16.53 lbs. total weight, with a 4.89-lb. big bass, which was good enough to also claim the day's lunker prize.

3rd Place, the team of (from left) Chris Bogan and Eddie Sapp, five fish, 12.99 lbs. total weight, with a 3.76-lb. big bass.

4th Place, Chris Napier, five fish, 12.11 lbs. total weight, with a 4.39-lb. big bass.

Here is the order of finish for all the other competitors:

     * The team of Andy Morath and Aaron Leigh, five fish, 10.59 lbs. total weight, with a 4.83-lb. big bass.

     * The father-son team of John and Anthony Harmon, five fish, 10.53 lbs. total weight, with a 3.19-lb. big bass.

     * Rusty Girard, five fish, 9.95 lbs. total weight, with a 3.81-lb. big bass.

     * Gabe Himmelwright, three fish, 7.45 lbs. total weight, with a 3.51-lb. big bass.

     * The team of Dave Anderson and Gary Coderre, five fish, 7.14 lbs. total weight, no big fish.

     * The team of Mark Ingram and Bob Clarkson, five fish, 6.89 lbs. total weight, no big fish.

     * The team of Wayne Hayes and Ken Testorff, five fish, 6.36 lbs. total weight, no big fish.

     * The team of Edward Cooke and Keith Klotz, five fish, 4.64 lbs. total weight, no big fish.

     * The father-son team of Billy and Bentley Elliott, one fish, 0.78 lbs. total weight, but disqualified for trailering boat before weighing fish.

     * James Bowes, Bobby Moore, and the team of Dennis Dean and Steve Bailey didn't weigh any fish.

Three more competitors became eligible today to participate in our season-ending two-day Classic tournament. Those who joined the 13 others already on the list include Jim Calhoun, Rusty Girard, and Bobby Moore.

Congratulations to all of the winners and thanks to everyone who came out to participate. For planning purposes, our next event is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 7, from safe light (about 5:45 or 6 a.m.) to weigh-in (about 2 p.m.). I hope you can join us.

One Last Cast

Heard more than one person today comment about the number of dinks they caught that wouldn't make the 12-inch minimum length for a keeper. My partner was among that number; however, he managed to put together a limit before weigh-in.

And for the second time this year, I came oh so close to losing another rod and reel over the side. The circumstances were pretty much identical to those which led to the loss a few months ago of a rod, reel and lure.

As was true then, I again had put my rod down so I could net a fish for my partner. As in the earlier event, it was a baitcast rig, with a chatterbait tied on. I turned around from netting the fish to find only the handle of my rod visible a short distance from the boat. Fortunately, I got to the rod and reel this time before it had a chance to sink out of sight.

For the benefit of all, I must point out that, with today's tournament in the record books, only four qualifier tournaments remain on the schedule. Accordingly, those who have fished only one tournament thus far don't have enough time left to complete eligibility requirements to fish the Classic.

What Fisherman Isn't Always Looking for a New Tackle Store?

Can't say for certain, but I tend to believe that most anglers pretty much keep at least one eye open for a new place to drop a few bucks on some good deals. As a result, let me give you one more to add to your list that a good friend introduced me to just yesterday when he stopped by for a visit. The name is Omnia Fishing.

Located in the land of 10,000 lakes, this is the first e-commerce store that allows anglers to find, buy and organize their fishing gear on the specific bodies of water they fish. Among the many items currently advertised in their "bargain hut" are the following: $3.99 for a 10-pack of 3-inch Senkos, $5.83 for a 10-pack of 4-inch, and $5.99 for a 10-pack of 5- or 6-inch.

As they advertise, "We make finding the right tackle easy by presenting a refined list of relevant tackle, based on the relationships between species, style, lake characteristics, season, community fishing reports, patterns, and products. We make sure you only see the products that make sense for you, on the lakes you fish, at the right time of year. Omnia is the most personalized tackle shopping on earth!"

For the first time ever, you can shop for fishing gear online, based on the specific bodies of water you fish with the Omnia shop-by-lake platform.

In their own words, "We take details of each lake like water clarity, species present, time of year, and fish patterns and match those details with styles and products that are most relevant. For each recommended style, you'll see the products by category and the colors that match the water conditions. We then provide content that matches the style in case you need to brush up or want to see the way a pro fishes the recommended technique. Each water body has a unique shopping experience to make sure you head to the water with confidence and a tackle box full of relevant gear.

"For each lake, we present a list of products by category and style that match the fish patterns at that time of year. Our Omnia community and ambassadors file fishing reports for the lakes they're fishing to indicate what style worked best, what type of structure they fished, and what products they used. You can use these recommendations to refine the products you'll purchase for your next trip to the water. You also can use these recommendations to refine the products you'll purchase for your next trip. You also can file your own fishing report and give back to the community of anglers who follow that lake. No locations ever are given away...just products and techniques. In addition, you can win a wide range of weekly gift cards and prizes from a random draw of anyone who filed a fishing report that week."

From the Omnia dashboard, you can follow your favorite lakes, file fishing reports, follow your favorite brands and be the first to know when new products get added, as well as follow your favorite ambassadors and guides so you know when they file fishing reports, check your store credits, and review your order history. Once you've built your profile, you'll have full control over your shopping, content, and tackle discovery online.

Omnia officials consider all customers as members of the Omnia community, an entirely free service. However, they do have a premium membership that offers free shipping with no minimums, early access to new products and promos, and a 10 percent credit back on all purchases during your subscription period. This Omnia premium membership is available for $29 a year. All customers get free shipping on all orders over $50, but premium members get free shipping on all orders, with no minimum. The membership 10-percent rebate works like this: Spend $300 and get a $30 credit in your account, which pays for your membership and gains you free shipping on all your orders. Spend $500, and you're basically getting paid to buy fishing gear.

Omnia ships all products out of their giant Golden Valley, MN warehouse, and all orders receive same-day service when placed before 1 p.m. central time.

Check out Omnia online by using this link: https://www.omniafishing.com/. You also can email them at hello@omniafishing.com. Or, if you prefer, call them at 763-710-5581.

Learn To Be a Bubble Watcher, As Well As a Line Watcher

Early morning, a few fishing trips ago, I began seeing pockets of bubbles along the shoreline, just like I've often seen over the years. As in all those other trips, I didn't hesitate to start firing casts to each and every one of those areas of bubbles. And, just like has happened a fair number of times, I started catching fish...bass, that is.

I'd toss my topwater to one of those pockets, twitch it a couple of times, and bam! I'd have a fish blow up on the bait. In quick order that morning, I put three keepers in the livewell.

Saw some more pockets of bubbles this past Saturday but didn't attain the same degree of success. As a result, I decided to do some online research and find out what the meaning really is behind those bubbles I've seen so many times.

Come to find out that many of them are not caused by fish at all but, rather, by natural underwater processes. For example, pockets of gas form naturally in the substrate of all waters. These result from bacterial breakdown of organic matter, and any disturbance of the substrate, be that by fish, wild fowl, or water movement, cause it to be expelled...in the form of bubbles on the surface.

Bubbling is certainly more prevalent in areas of organic matter, such as silt, where bacterial activity is at its greatest, but it's common over hard gravel substrates, too. The nature of the gas released varies, depending upon the nature of the substrate, particularly whether the breakdown is aerobic or anaerobic.

In addition to bacterial generation of gases within the substrate, bubbles also are formed by the feeding and regulatory processes of fish themselves. Release of bubbles through the gills is part of the sorting process, whereby fish separate food from nonfood items, and depth-regulation mechanisms often require fish to release gas from their swim bladder as they rise in the water column.

Differentiating between those bubbles created by fish and those arising from natural means is part of the learning process. Watercraft comes with experience, and the more you study the water the better you get, but there are some clues to help you along the way.

Bubbles produced by the physical feeding process and depth regulation tend to be relatively large and short-lived. In other words, they "pop" shortly after breaking the surface. In the case of larger feeding fish, two lines of bubbles sometimes may be observed, one emanating from each gill, although it's not always evident. Smaller, more persistent bubbles, often producing a thin foam, tend to be caused by fish feeding over silt, and often are interspersed by occasional, larger bubbles, resulting from physical expulsion from the gills amidst the release of the gases trapped in the silt.

The key to differentiating feeding fish bubbles is that they "move" as the fish moves across the substrate. Naturally released gas bubbles tend to be static, often emanating from a single source, where an area of silt has become ruptured.

You can, at times, observe huge "sheets" of fish bubbles rising to the surface, often covering a large area. These usually are caused by a fish rolling on the lake or river bed, and it is typical carp or catfish behavior, where the length and bulk of a big fish burrowing through or rolling on silt disturbs large areas of trapped gas.

The size and nature of the fish bubbles can be related to the species of fish causing them to a certain extent. Bream beds in the summertime, for example, display a bunch of tiny bubbles coming to the surface. Carp and catfish bubbles, on the other hand, are noticeably larger and have a tendency to be shorter-lived. Veteran swampers can even locate big snapping turtles by seeing a certain kind of bubbles. And, if you happen to be in an area with alligators, such as Louisiana, keep a close watch for a trail of big bubbles heading off in a straight line.

So, the next time you're on the water, don't pass up the chance to throw at some bubbles. It just might make your day.

Ever Heard of a Drotto Boat Latch?

If your answer to that question is no, don't feel bad. You're not alone. It was new to me, too, until I received the latest issue of Jay Kumar's BassBlaster.

With this device, a boat remains secure to the trailer while you remove the straps and chain at the dry water's edge. Simply back your boat into the water, and once it's in a good depth, pull the lever on the Droll latch and release the boat into the water. The mechanism also stays open, ready to reload your boat, with no resetting involved.

In recovery operations, you just bring the boat into the trailer at just above idle speed. When the front end of the boat comes into contact with the 8-inch wide Drotto latch, it guides the boat into the center of the mechanism, and the jaws then automatically lock onto the bow eye, securing the boat to the trailer.

Now you can pull the boat forward into a dry area, where you can hook up your straps and chains for safe travel.

One of these latches retails for $289.99.

In case you're interested, here's the link to some videos, showing a Drotto latch in operation: https://www.youtube.com/c/Boat2trailerhookup/videos.

Thank God for Cool Breezes on a 90+ Day

When the air temperature and water temperature are running better than 90 degrees under a clear sky, as they were today, the smart fisherman will take comfort in any little relief he/she can obtain. Today, that comfort came in the form of a nice cool breeze.

Don't think there was a single soul among the 10 anglers in six boats who didn't appreciate the "breeze in the trees" today. And the fish cooperated, which is always nice. As a matter of fact, all the boats weighed limits at the end of the day. The combined totals were 30 bass, for 69.16 lbs., which translates into an average weight per fish of 2.30 lbs. and an average weight per boat of 11.52 lbs.

Those anglers who took home a little extra spending money today included the following:

The husband-wife team of (from left) Diana and Andy Morath, 1st Place, 16.33 lbs. total weight, with a big bass weighing 4.42 lbs.

The team of (from left) Rob Peppers and Mike McClusky, 2nd Place, 12.35 lbs. total weight, with a big bass weighing 5.13 lbs., which also gave them the Lunker Pot money.

Here is how everyone else finished the day's competition:

     * The team of Wayne Hayes and Ken Testorff, 11.01 lbs. total weight, with a big bass weighing 4.48 lbs.

     * The team of Dave Anderson and Gary Coderre, 10.35 lbs. total weight, with a big bass weighing 2.97 lbs.

     * Mark Ingram, 10.30 lbs. total weight (after a 0.50 deduction for one dead fish), with a big bass weighing 4.30 lbs.

     * Bob Clarkson, 8.82 lbs. total weight (after a 0.50 deduction for one dead fish), with a big bass weighing 3.09 lbs.

Two more anglers, in the person of Diana Morath and Gary Coderre, completed their requirements for fishing our season-ending Classic tournament. That brings the overall total number to 13 contestants. For the benefit of those who haven't yet completed their requirements, please know there only are five more qualifying tournaments remaining this year, so plan accordingly.

Congratulations to all the winners today, and thanks to everyone who came out to participate. For planning purposes, our next scheduled tournament is next Sunday, July 25, from safe light (about 5:45), with weigh-in at 2 p.m. Hope you can join us.

One Last Cast

Over the years, I've often made the mistake of leaving fish to find fish and paid for it by striking out. Thankfully, that didn't happen today.

My partner and I started the day with a pretty good topwater bite. Unfortunately, though, we lost several of the fish that we hooked up with before getting them to the boat. We knew that at least three of those fish were bigger keepers by virtue of feeling them or seeing them break water enroute to the boat.

After some discussion, my partner and I decided to ignore the urge to run and instead just to stay put. It stood to reason those fish...and others like them...were still in the area. Our challenge was to find them and draw them out of hiding.

That challenge proved difficult for a long spell, until my partner came up with an idea that started turning things around, one fish at a time, as we made pass after pass through the same area where we had drawn a strong topwater bite.

Granted, we finished out of the money today, but we both felt satisfied that we had made the right decision to ignore that urge to run and just keep hammering the same earlier productive stretch of shoreline.

Neither one of us had any regrets at weigh-in.

A Man With a Bit Unusual...But Nevertheless True...Fish Story

Joe Venable, the man in this photo, is a long-time catfish and carp afficionado, as evidenced by the 16-lb. 3-oz. specimen of the latter he's holding for the camera here, back on April 23, 2014 (see my blog post on April 24, 2014, for that story). I also should note that he more recently has been testing his hand at bass fishing.

Now that I've dispensed with the introduction, let me get on with the story Joe shared with me yesterday in an email. It seems this past Sunday, Joe was carp fishing at Lake Trashmore. He had four rods set out for the chosen specie of the day.

 About an hour in, he got his first run and subsequently played and banked an 8-lb.-plus carp. There was just one problem, though. In the process of playing that wily challenger, it crossed one of his other lines, so after unhooking, weighing and releasing the carp, he set about "trying" to untangle the two lines.

Turned out that he wasn't successful and ended up cutting both lines. So now he had to re-tie one rig and hand-retrieve the other from the depths of Lake Trashmore, some 40 yards out from the shoreline. (Now then, Rob C., draw your chair up close, 'cause here's where this story takes a turn I think you can relate to.)

Said Joe, "I started wrapping the line around my hand, and when the line got taut, I tried to speed up my winding, so as to avoid hanging my rig on the the bottom. Suddenly, though, something on the other end of the line pulled back--vigorously! I might add. I was both surprised and perplexed.

"If this was a sizeable carp," Joe continued, "I had little chance of landing it, 'cause I could not stop it from running without cutting my hands with the 15-lb. mono. I only had about 15 feet of slack line I already had taken up, so I decided to try easing the fish in, so that if it ran, I could feed line until (and if!) it tired.

"Fortunately, as I worked the fish toward me, there were only a few small runs, but nothing that endangered either my slack line or my hands. Once I eventually could see the fish, imagine how shocked I was to see a 4- or 5-lb. largemouth bass attached to the end of my line. I quickly netted the fish and took it to my unhooking mat.

"I no more than had unhooked the bass when the alarm on one of my two remaining carp rods started sounding, signaling that I had another run. With the bass lying there in my net on the unhooking mat, I ran back to land this new run as quickly as possible.

"As I traversed the 50 feet or so back down the rise and into the shallows, I realized that I didn’t have a net to use for this fish. The bass still was in it up on the unhooking mat. So I had to back my way up the bank to the mat, all the while holding onto my rod, to which was attached a fighting fish! I probably should explain here that carp nets aren’t of the fixed-hoop variety. Rather, they are in two separable pieces: the handle, which ends in a V-block, and the net, which has two supporting metal rods that fit into the V-block of the handle.

"Normally, when one lands a carp, once the fish is in the net, you detach its two metal rods from the handle’s V-block, then roll the net down toward the carp to make lifting the heavy fish easier. In other words, I had to retrieve the net and reassemble it as well, all the while holding onto an angry carp! 

"Eventually, I was able to successfully land it and bring the carp back up to my unhooking mat, where I realized that the bass had been languishing while I was bringing in that second carp. I definitely was curious to know exactly how much the bass weighed, but I also realized that, if I didn’t get it back into the water soon, it might not survive, and I really didn’t want to accidentally kill such a nice specimen.

"I rushed the bass down into the shallows, where I started resuscitating it, as I have seen saltwater anglers do with big bull drum. Three or four times after working it back and forth to force water through its gills, I tried releasing it, but the bass made only a feeble attempt at moving on its own. Each time, it quickly turned on its side and floated to the surface. I wasn't about to give up, though. I continued my resuscitation efforts until that nice bass finally stayed upright and slowly swam off, following the sloping bottom contours back into the depths.

"I was so happy and relieved that this beautiful bass would live to bite and fight another day. Here’s the kicker: 'What, you may ask, did I catch it on?'  A #4 wide-gap hook, baited only with a small, star-shaped, fluorescent-chartreuse bead threaded onto the hook. Using such a bait is a common practice among pay-laker carp anglers.

"Believe it or not, carp are curious enough to pick up a plastic bead (hook attached) and get hooked in the process. Don’t know when that bass took a liking to that bead--probably sometime during the initial carp fight when the lines crossed would be my guess.

"It was one of the most unusual—both in the bait and in the method—hand-lining, no less—bass catches I’ve ever had! Certainly one for the books," Joe concluded. To see a video of Joe's day, just click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_P2PSs5cyI.

This Kind of "Fun" I Can Do Without

Had some flashbacks to this meme during last Sunday's trip to the water with my friend, Wayne. On two consecutive casts, I snagged underwater objects with my 40-lb. braid and ended up raising both far enough off the bottom to get a look at them. In the first case, I lost the battle.

In the second incident, I was able to put enough pressure on the arm of the stump I was snagged in to break it free, and my friend was able to grab it and unhook everything.

The net result of having not one but two "8 pounders" like what is pictured here hooked up was the considerable "joy" I subsequently had of working all that buried braid free enough to be able to start casting again.

When Was the Last Time You Had a Boat-Trailer Tire Blowout?

It seems a fairly safe bet you may never have had one, but I was reading an incident online today that indicates many people may be under-prepared, or maybe totally unprepared, for a blowout.

The victim in this case was on his way home from a three-day fishing trip. He was about an hour from home when the driver-side trailer tire blew. It didn't take but a cursory check to learn that he had the very bare minimum on hand to change the tire.

First, his 4-way lug wrench barely got the spare off its bracket, simply because it wasn't made for that. His bottle jack, while compact, was undersized and, on top of that, leaked fluid. As a result, he had to use his truck jack, which was missing the crank. Accordingly, he had to improvise with a pair of fishing pliers. Get the picture?

Further, the spare was weather-cracked and looked terrible. Fortunately, though, it took some more air. This was one of those things the victim had been telling himself needed to be replaced, but it "looked fine" on the side of the trailer, so he had just dismissed the idea...until he had to creep all the way home at only 45 mph.

Last but not least, he felt very exposed while changing the tire on a four-lane highway, where cars were zooming by at 65 mph. With the blown tire on the driver side, he felt "over exposed." All he could use was his four-way flashers. He didn't have any road flares, highway cones, or reflectors that he could put up a few hundred feet behind him.

While not completely sure what had caused the blowout, the victim had an idea. When he had started the trip home, he noticed the blowout tire was a little low and figured to get some air along the way. After two hours on the road, though, he was having second thoughts. Besides, he had remembered that the air gauge in his truck only went to 50 lbs. The funny, or more precisely, the not-so-funny thing about that was that his truck tires held 85 lbs., which made the gauge totally useless...for his truck or trailer either one.

That being the case, the victim finally stopped and added air to the low tire until it "looked good," then continued down the road at speeds reaching 72 or 73 mph.

In retrospect, the victim explained that both tires on his trailer were only a couple months old at the time of the blowout.

"I honestly thought that since those tires were new, they would be fine," he said, "but all it took was a single instance of neglect. We can overlook some things for years and never have a problem...or overlook it just once and have issues. Fortunately, it was only a tire, and no one or nothing was injured or damaged."

This item reminded me of an incident I witnessed several years ago. I had partnered up with a fella for a tournament on the Chick. As we were headed home, the ever-so-distinct sound of a wheel bearing going bad started coming from a trailer wheel. My friend decided just to see if he could make it home. Turned out, he was backing the trailer in his driveway when the wheel concerned simply fell off on the ground.

If you ever find yourself in similar circumstances, here is a link to some online advice I found that might come in handy: https://towers4boats.com/surviving-a-boat-trailer-tire-blowout/.

Lifejackets Save Lives...When You Wear Them

Back many moons ago, when I was but a young Sailor aboard my first ship, an old "tin can," I got used to hearing a phrase similar to this: "This is a drill...this is a drill...man overboard..." belching from the 1MC. Those words always were a signal to all hands that Oscar the mannequin had been tossed overboard and once again was getting wet as a means to test the recovery acumen of our crew. 

Occasionally, I'd hear that phrase, minus the words "this is a drill." On such an occasion, I knew it was the "real deal." In other words, a shipmate, for whatever reason, had gone overboard. And sad to say, those "real deals" didn't always end on a positive note.

Those days, coupled with the many that I later spent as a magazine editor at the Naval Safety Center, where I read Navywide mishap reports daily, left an indelible mark on me that remains to this day. I take safety of all kinds seriously.

While I (knock on wood) never have gone overboard...from a Navy ship or any other kind of vessel...I have personally known shipmates and friends who have. As a matter of fact, I've had two friends slip overboard from the bass boat I currently own.

As was our editorial policy when I worked at the Naval Safety Center, I make it a point to never make light of an incident that ends in tragedy. However, I do use occasions that end in survival as learning tools for the benefit of others.

I happened across one of these incidents recently while doing some online research. It came from a member of a bass club that has what they call a "human bobber award." It is presented each year at an annual banquet to anyone and everyone who has taken a plunge from their boat.

One of the recent recipients was a fella whose regular net man was his 12-year-old soon. As luck would have it, though, the son didn't feel so good one morning when his dad awakened him at 5:30, so pop just hooked up the boat and headed out by himself.

Upon arrival at the fishing site, he found another club member who didn't have a back-seater and hooked up with him for the day. This fella drove a Nitro.

The Nitro angler rigged a seat atop two stacked poles on the stern, which made it a bit too high to sit on. As a result, the back-seater just leaned against it...like people treat a butt seat.

The duo had fished for a while when they happened across a couple other fishermen and stopped to talk. When the Nitro man started to move away, the back-seater leaned against the seat but only caught the corner of it, causing the seat to swivel and dumping the back-seater on his hands and knees on the edge of the boat.

When the Nitro man turned around to see what the commotion was about, the boat rocked, sending the back-seater into the water head-first. As a result, he now has a "human bobber award" hanging proudly on the wall of his family room.

As recorded by the U.S. Coast Guard, there are more than 600 recreational boating fatalities annually. Drowning is the reported cause of death in three-fourths of these cases. Why? Because people notoriously don't wear their life jackets. They instead just store them for a "what if" situation...not very smart.

For Week Ending Sunday, July 11, 2021

Monday, July 5 (from Ron)...Was chasing flounder today and thought I had hooked a Doormat monster. Turned out to be a nice black drum (right)...a first for me. I have caught a couple little ones in Rudee but never a "keeper" like this one. The fillets look great!

Sunday, July 11 (from Wayne and Ken)...It took three stops and a matter of a few hours this morning, but we finally located some fish, and in a matter of about an hour or a little longer, we had boated a baker's dozen. At least, we now have a game plan for the tournament this next Saturday, which is a lot more than we had when we started this morning. Given the warm temperature, we decided to call it a day at noon. When we departed Pungo Ferry this morning, there were only two other vehicles in the parking lot. When we got back, though, the parking lot was running over...pretty much the same story we saw when we stopped by at West Neck, too.

An Angler Who Goes "All In"

Every once in a while, anglers like to do something special for their mates. In a case I read about online, a gent was building a koi pond for his wife on the backside of their house for Mother's Day. He worked his rear off, putting it on a steep hillside, which required his building up the side of the hill with half-moon style bricks before putting down a liner/filtration system.

In his own words, "It was a royal PITA and a lot of work."

Now let's back up a bit. This same fella had just fished a local tournament, where he did very well. For that occasion, he had decided to wear his brand new sublimated jersey, which proudly promoted all of his sponsors. Everybody thought it was pretty cool.

During that event, he had found a cove with a lot of water lilies and thought how nice it would be to have some of those for his wife's koi pond. So, following weigh-in and collecting his check, he headed back out onto the lake and made the run back to that cove. By the time he got there, the wind had come up pretty strong. He got upwind of the pad field, went to the front of the boat, and stretched out on his belly, and let the wind push him along.

As he drifted into the pads, he would reach down and grab one firmly around the stem, as low in the water as he could reach, and break it off. What he quickly discovered, though, was that those stems are very strong, and before long, he happened upon one that was so strong it pulled him right off the front deck. He went into the water head-first and stuck in the mud, from his head to past his shoulders.

In the time it took him to work free, the boat had drifted ahead and beached on the far shore. He decided just to go ahead and harvest four or five plants, then waded over to the boat, put the plants in the livewell, and headed back to the ramp. When he got there, some of the hardcore fishermen still were hanging around, having adult beverages and swapping fish stories.

As soon as he pulled up, they all started laughing, which really annoyed him, but that only was until one of them simply said, "Go into the marina and look at yourself in the mirror."

With that brand-spankin' new jersey he had on, he looked like a chocolate-dipped vanilla ice cream cone, with a mud line halfway down and still on his face.

"What could I do but laugh right alongside them," he said.

This incident ruined his new jersey, and to add insult to injury, the koi ate all the water lilies within two days of his putting them in the pond.

The appropriate saying here is: "No good deed goes unpunished."

A Windy But Otherwise Gorgeous Day

What would a fishing day be like without enough wind to blow the hat off your head and to whip those pesky knots in the braided line you're fishing? It seems readily apparent we don't have to worry very much about one of those days showing up anytime soon. For the most part, in any given year, I'd be willing to bet that you can count the total number of those "ideal" days all year long on one hand and still have fingers left over.

All that wind today, however, didn't deter those 18 anglers in 11 boats who showed up to fish the Dewey Mullins Memorial Tournament out of West Neck Marina. We brought a total of 42 bass to the scales, weighing a grand total of 101.09 lbs. The average weight per fish was 2.40 lbs., and the average weight per boat (for those 9 boats weighing fish) was 11.23 lbs.

Those anglers standing tall in the winners' circle at the end of the day included the following:

Claiming 1st place was Gabe Himmelwright, with five fish weighing 15.62 lbs. His big bass weighed 4.11 lbs.

Finishing in 2nd place was the team of (from left) David Dozier and Richard Hall, with five fish weighing 15.40 lbs. They didn't have a big bass.

Walking away in 3rd place was the team of (from left) Aaron Leigh and Andy Morath, with five fish weighing 14.71 lbs. They also claimed the day's lunker award, with a bass weighing 5.58 lbs.

Here is the order of finish for the remaining participants in this contest:

     * The team of Rob Peppers and Don Carter, five fish, 11.84 lbs. total weight, and a big fish weighing 4.11 lbs.

     * The team of Dennis Dean and Steve Bailey, five fish, 11.83 lbs. total weight (after 0.50 deduction for one dead fish), and a big fish weighing 4.31 lbs.

     * The team of Wayne Hayes and Ken Testorff, five fish, 10.21 lbs. total weight, and a big fish weighing 4.28 lbs.

     * The team of Dave Anderson and Gary Coderre, five fish, 9.04 lbs. total weight, no big fish.

     * Rusty Girard, five fish, 8.71 lbs. total weight, no big fish.

     * The team of Craig Jones and Rob Chatham, two fish, 3.73 lbs. total weight, and a big fish weighing 2.89 lbs.

     * Bob Clarkson did not weigh any fish, and James Calhoun was disqualified for late arrival in the boat basin for weigh-in.

Today marked the sixth tournament this season for Don Carter and Andy Morath, so they will join the list of those now eligible to fish our season-ending two-day Classic in October.

Congratulations to all of today's winners, and thanks to everyone who came out to participate. For planning purposes, our next tournament is scheduled for Saturday, July 17th, from safe light (somewhere between 5:30 and 6 a.m.), with weigh-in at 2 p.m. Incidentally, six qualifying tournaments still remain on this season's schedule.

One Last Cast

It was nice to see today's combined total weight exceed last week's total by about 34 percent. Can only speak for my partner and I, but we found fish throughout most of the day. And yes, we also lost several fish.

One difference I noticed today, though, was the fact that several of the fish that pulled off would "return to the scene of the crime" and give you a second, or...sometimes...even a third chance to catch them. My experience for a very long time generally has been that North Landing bass give you only one chance. Certainly hope this new-to-me trend continues for a spell.

It indeed was welcome news to find a better bite today, especially after learning late Friday that I have a blown cylinder on my outboard. Have had a whole plethora of signs of trouble in recent weeks, and when my outboard mechanic heard my engine running a week ago, he knew something wasn't right.

Accordingly, it appears my Yamaha will be going into the shop within the next week for a rebuild. Have no idea how long it will take to complete the job, but my mechanic assured me today that I can ride with him for the remainder of the Dewey Mullins Memorial Tournaments scheduled for this season if necessary.

On that note, let me tell you that the difference between a ride in my friend's Ranger and my Skeeter is nothing short of the difference between night and day. Of course, I have to admit that a lot of that difference undoubtedly is attributable to the fact that Wayne is considerably more adept at boat handling than I've ever been or will ever be. The size differences between his Ranger and my Skeeter is of equal significance, too.

Can say with certainty that I thoroughly enjoyed the "quick" ride back to West Neck this afternoon as Wayne "let 'er eat" most of the way. It's no understatement to say that his Ranger can "sh*t and git" with the best of 'em. That's why that sign in his boat is always staring at you: the one, in case you're not familiar, that says "sit down, shut up, and hold on!"

July 2021 Best Fishing Times

Angler Remembers a 4th of July Past

Pulled up to the lake at approximately 1530 hours. Air temp 68 degrees, water temp 76 degrees, overcast skies with light rain mixed, and variable winds up to 15 mph. Mission: To catch a limit of five fish over the state length limit in six hours.

1605 - Motored to a wind-blown point and began picking it apart with a chatterbait. Wind started picking up. "Overcast with wind..." I thought to myself. "These fish should be trying to eat my trolling-motor prop."

1628 - Moved off the point to try and find some structure nearby. Picked up my drop shot and stared at my electronics. "It might be harder to find structure than to find a fish in this lake," I said out loud.

1650 - Pitched a smallie beaver up next to a laydown. Something pecked at it. "Must have been a bluegill," I thought.

1715 - Picked up a Norman dd22 and started fan casting the mouth of a cove. Lure got stuck but wiggled free.

1745 - Heard a loud splash coming from the shore and followed a "ribbit, ribbit" sound. "Don't have to tell me twice to pick up my frog rod," I said to my non-existent co-angler.

1805 - Worked a large section of shoreline weeds, brush and grass with the frog. On what I told myself would be my last cast, I dragged Kermit off the edge of some weeds before something flushed the toilet underneath him. Boated my first bass of the day...a 2.7-pounder...with a jointed Rapala crankbait lip ring in his mouth as a bonus.

1825 - By this time, had worked the bank to death with the frog and ended up by the dam. Decided to go turn up the trolling motor and work the grassy rip rap with an Xcalibur lipless crankbait. A small bass bumped the lure but missed both treble hooks.

1835 - Tossed the lipless crankbait up onto the dam and caught a rock. After wiggling it free, it plopped into the water, and a bass immediately inhaled it, leaving me with my second bass of the day...a 14-incher.

1845 - Crankbait got stuck in the grass and had to rip it free...into the mouth of my third bass of the day...a 13-incher. "Hmm, I could be onto something here," I thought.

1930 - Wasn't long before two, then three, and four more bass, all between 12 and 14 inches, fell victim to the lipless crankbait. "This is fun, but I'm not catching any 21-inch keepers," I said to the invisible co-angler.

1945 - Busted open my $5 Subway footlong hotdog and started getting crumbs all over my boat while watching the electronics. Pulled over some isolated structure at the mouth of a cove and threw a marker. After a few casts, a small bass picked up the bait on the Carolina Rig but dropped it.

2005 - Knowing I didn't have much time left, began motoring back to the ramp, ripping the lipless out of grass along the shore because I was distracted by the sound and display of fireworks everywhere. Figuring the bass probably were watching, too, sat down and cracked open a cold beverage and enjoyed the show until interrupted by the spotlight and sound of a parks and wildlife officer telling me that the lake was closed.

Unfortunately, didn't catch any fish close to the length limit but had a great time with the reaction strikes and ended up with a little bass thumb and stinky fingers after all.