Reckless Boating, Especially in Low Water, Can Be Costly

In this case, the boat operator lost the propeller, shaft and gears when he hit the rock pictured here.

Loved His Trip to the Roanoke River

Had a note from DMac today, which read as follows:

"Top o de day, Mr. Ken. Been slack with the reports...blame it on the fruits of labor. Rest assured the love of fishing is alive and well.

"Week before last, I FINALLY made it to the Roanoke River. OMG! Whatta place that is for a bank-beater. Endless pretty water. If you haven't been, GO! Definitely big-bass boat country.

"Big shout out to my former co-worker and long-time friend, Steve, for beatin' up his boat vice mine. Fished a bunch of baits. Rest assured there were a few frog fish."

It Never Fails To Strike Fear in a Bass Fisherman's Soul

The "it" here, of course, is none other than the mere mention of suspended fish, which occurs many times during the course of a year.

In the fall and after the fronts in winter are crucial times for anglers to find fish suspended. The worst time to have this happen is when you happen to be fishing a reservoir where the gates have been opened, and the water is just beginning to fall.

On some lakes, when the gates are open, there is a current, and the fish move to points or creek bends. On constant-level lakes, this can spell problems for the angler. Why? Because the fish will move out to the deepest water available and suspend, which, according to outdoor writer Jim Reaneau, also is usually when the fish are in a neutral or non-feeding mood.

"Following weather changes, bass may know that their prey will become inactive and want to conserve energy," said Reneau, "so they move out and suspend. While not always the case, it does happen, and it's challenging to get them to take a lure under these conditions.

"The key to catching these fish," he noted, "is to get down to where they are. The fish will sometimes come up and take the bait, but not always. Most of the time, you have to be right in the strike zone, which means almost on their noses when they are suspended."

According to Reaneau, there are many lures you can use to get down to the fish, among them spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits, jigs, jigging spoons, and Carolina rigs at different times.

"The dropshot is another presentation that keeps the bait in the strike zone," he said. "When using spinnerbaits and jigs, you have to swim the baits at a constant speed through the fish. I have ripped spinnerbaits off the bottom, up through suspended fish, like fishing a spoon, and had them strike. Lead tail-spinners also are an excellent bait to swim through fish. A vertical jigging spoon over the school's top is another bait that will catch many fish."

Many years ago, John Fox, who was on the tournament circuit, passed along a good tip for catching suspended fish with a jigging spoon.

"If you drop the spoon down to the depth of the fish and hold it very still," he said, "the natural line twist will start to unwind, and a small amount of movement will occur. This sometimes can be the best presentation."

"It has worked for me on Lake Fork," said Reaneau, "with both bass and barfish. I have held the spoon just a half-reel crank off the bottom, let it sit, and had fish come and hammer the bait."

In this regard, Reaneau also offered this tip: "When vertically jigging a bait, mark your line with a waterproof marker at the tip of your bod where you catch a fish, so you can go back to the exact depth. Too many times, we overwork our lures. A small amount of movement, whether using a bottom-moving or topwater bait, often will draw strikes.

"Crankbaits, on the other hand, can be reeled down to suspended fish, but line size will play a significant part in this presentation, as the smaller diameter lines will get down farther than big sizes.

"Look for fish out on points that are no deeper than 20 feet. A Carolina rig can be lowered to the proper depth, hopped up and allowed to fall, and sometimes draw a strike. You also can put small crankbaits, suspending jerkbaits, or any other bait on a Carolina rig and lower it down to where the fish are. A lipless crankbait has been one of my favorite lures for catching suspended fish. You have to cast past where the fish are and count it down, then reel it slowly through the fish. Still, though, the key is to get the bait right in front of the fish."

As Reneau further explained, "You also can find suspended fish over creeks, points or flooded timber. Don't be afraid to fish for these. I have had many good days finding and catching suspended fish. Summer and winter are good times to find suspended bass. Deeper, clear-water lakes generally have quite a few suspended fish. With no cover to speak of, baitfish have to go to deeper water to find a place to hide. The bass will suspend and wait for the baitfish to come by."

Finally, anyone who goes after suspended fish will need some good electronics. "This is a must," concluded Reneau. "A good lake map also will help you find the right places to start looking for them."

Ever Had One of Those Days When the Fish Seem To Have Gone MIA?

As first popularized in the old "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" television show, my response is: "You bet your sweet bippy!" I've had a ton of 'em over the years...and that's no exaggeration, either.

It truly may seem as though they've just suddenly vanished from the face of the earth, or perhaps are being hidden from our electronics and lures by the Romulan cloaking device (e.g., a form of stealth technology that uses selective bending of light and other forms of energy to render an object completely invisible).

Wish I had the answer to this mystery, but I don't...and neither does bass pro angler Greg Hackney of Louisiana. "If I had the answer," he said, "I'd use it to go catch them. I don't do that, though, so draw your own conclusions."

Hackney continued, "It's a tough problem that we all face. Think about it this way: When things are perfect, the bass are actively feeding all day, and we're catching the daylights out of them. It doesn't seem no matter what or where we throw, they want to eat it. But then comes a day...sometimes the very next day...when we'd have to go to a grocery store to find a fish. Nothing much seems to have changed, but we can't find them, despite our best efforts. Several things might be going on."

The first thing an angler subsequently often thinks is that the fish have moved to parts unknown.

"That might be true in some cases," said Hackney, "but I'd hazard a guess that movement isn't our problem most of the time. The truth is that bass rarely move very far in a short period of time.

"A far more likely explanation is that they simply have shut down. It might be that they ate their fill the day before and simply have no interest in eating, or it could be that environmental factors have turned them negative.

"For example," continued Hackney, "if the water's cold and warms quickly, they often move vertically into the upper foot or two of the water column. This is especially common when the water's heavily stained or muddy. It's unlikely you'll be able to find them with your sonar, and you can fish for a long time without getting a bite. It's like they have no interest in anything, except enjoying the good weather."

The Louisiana pro went on to note, however, that the fish sometimes just go negative for reasons none of us understand.

"I personally think this is the problem a lot of the time," he explained..."after all, they're fish. They're coldblooded...they don't think. They exist. They do things for reasons we don't understand. We don't know what we don't know about how they're affected by things we don't even know exist. If those things cause them to suspend in the water column (more on this topic in my next blog post) or sit motionless on the bottom, most of us never will know they're there."

Hackney offered a personal example to illustrate the complexity of this problem.

"I fished a treetop every day for three days in a row. I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was a three-and-a-half-pounder in it. The first two days I never got a bite. On the third day, though, she nearly ripped the rod out of my hand.

"That fish always was there," said Hackney. "Why she wouldn't bite the first two days is a complete mystery to me. On the third day, the day I caught her, I didn't do anything different. But for some reason, she wanted my jig that morning, the same jig she ignored the two days before. Go figure... ."

In conclusion, Hackney acknowledged that he perhaps had raised more questions than he answered, "but that's just a part of fishing." he said. "We don't know everything. All we can do is our best and enjoy those times when we think we have them figured out."

Anglers in 2 Boats Take Home All the Marbles Today

And that's the way it was this 27th day of August 2022, as 14 anglers in eight boats gathered at West Neck Creek Marina to test their bass-tournament skills against one another. At day's end, competitors in only six of the boats weighed fish. Their cumulative total was 27 bass, including five limits, for a total weight of 62.29 lbs., or an average weight per fish of 2.30 lbs.

Occupying 1st place was solo angler Jim Calhoun, with a total weight of 15.31 lbs., anchored by a 6.02-lb. bass, which earned him additional bragging rights for big fish. He also claimed prize money from the 1st side pot.

Finishing in 2nd place was the team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers, who weighed a 14.52-lb. bag, including a 4.27-lb. big fish. They also snagged the 2nd side pot.

Following is how everyone else ended the day:
     * Chris Napier, five fish, total weight 10.87 lbs., 3.32-lb. big bass.
     * The husband-wife team of Andy and Diana Morath, five fish, total weight 10.09 lbs., no big fish.
     * The team of Gary Coderre and Dave Anderson, five fish, total weight 7.90 lbs., no big fish.
     * The team of Craig Jones and Rob Chatham, two fish, total weight 3.60 lbs., 1.96-lb. big fish.
     * The teams of Steve Bailey/Dennis Dean and Wayne Hayes/Ken Testorff had some fish but elected to dump them before weigh-in.

Another angler, in the person of Don Carter, joined the list of other anglers who now have qualified to fish our season-ending two-day Classic tournament scheduled to be held Oct. 15th and 16th.

Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to everyone who turned out today to fish. For planning purposes, our next qualifier tournament is slated for Saturday, Sept. 10th, from safe light (about 6:15 a.m.) to weigh-in at 2:30 p.m. We hope you can join us.

One Last Cast

For a change, I didn't go chasing many what Wayne refers to as "tree monkeys" today. In case you've forgotten the story from an earlier blog post, that's the term he has coined for my typically many errant casts that occur throughout any given day on the water...specifically, ones that land in trees. As a matter of fact, I only had two of these all day long. More importantly, Wayne didn't have to help me retrieve my lure on a single occasion--a first, I do believe, since I started fishing regularly with him last year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying my casts today always went where I wanted them to go. I simply never hung my lure up so badly that I had to rely on Wayne to stop his fishing just to help me out. I'm also not saying that I'll be able to continue this trend. All I'm really saying is that, for this one day, you might say "I did good..." a miracle of sorts, for certain.

On a different note, I today also learned that I'm not the only victim of an overheating alarm on a fairly recent rebuilt motor...by the same mechanic no less (and No! I'm not talking about my partner, Wayne!). Don't know how my fellow fisherman is taking his problem, but I'm less than happy about my situation. Unfortunately, the overheating alarm isn't my only difficulty. I'm once again also having surge problems with the outboard.

Plans are in the works for Wayne to take a look at my motor this next week and see if he can resolve my issues. He often jokes about my having him on speed dial, but we both know there is more truth than fiction in that statement. I can't begin to tell you how many times over the years he has bailed me out of a jam. I'm sure I don't have to tell any of you how nice it is to have a friend like him.

Current Overall Statistics

Another Hot Day--Too Bad the Same Couldn't Be Said for the Fishin'

Perhaps the fish didn't appreciate my calling them stingy yesterday, or maybe they just weren't in the mood, but whatever was in play, Wayne and I struggled yet again today to find some keepers. At quittin' time, we only had mustered a total of four, split two and two, with all of them resembling matching bookends...the kind you see in the accompanying photo.

It wasn't that we didn't have the strikes...they generally just didn't seem interested in slamming the baits hard enough to get connected and stay that way. We would feel the fish for a few precious seconds, and then they just would be gone. Needless to say, we're hoping for better luck during Saturday's tournament.

The only agreement, though, that Wayne and I could reach today, as we discussed our fortunes...or lack thereof...over the last two days, was that neither of us have any strong feelings about where to start Saturday. At the moment, we conceivably could draw a choice out of a hat and feel every bit as comfortable with that choice as any we likely will come up with after some more discussion.

A Stingy Bite But Still Ended the Day With 5 Keepers

Wayne and I hit the water in our respective boats today in search of a few bass that might help us redeem ourselves after the shellacking we took at the last tournament.

Can't say this venture was exactly what you'd call a bonanza, but at least it wasn't a skunk, either.

Between the two of us, we managed to collectively put five keepers in the boat, for a total weight that would have been somewhere between 13 and 14 pounds. The fish of the day was the 6-4 in the accompanying photo that my partner found shortly before we decided to call it a day.

Our plan is to hit the water again tomorrow in search of some additional productive areas...ones that hopefully won't let us down this coming Saturday when it counts. One difference from today will be the fact we'll both be fishing out of Wayne's boat, since mine still has some problems that need attention.

The Weatherman Called for Isolated Heavy Downpours...

And, as luck would have it, those twelve anglers in seven boats who showed up at Pungo Ferry early this morning found themselves in one of those predicted bull's-eyes. They were there to fish an open tournament run by Nick Koenig and sponsored jointly by Thrive Fishing, Motor Tech, and Atlantic Craftsman Company.

Despite the day's wet start, the clouds eventually parted to reveal a partly cloudy sky, which hung around the rest of the day. The fishing, however, left a bit to be desired, even though five of the original seven boats weighed five-fish limits. (Note: A sixth boat also had a limit, but the operator had to leave early and didn't have a chance to weigh his fish. See name in "remaining participants" paragraph below.) A common refrain I heard while waiting for the 3 p.m. weigh-in to begin was "a very slow day."

The guaranteed $1,000 1st place purse went to the team of (from left) Jim Leavis and Ken Matthias, whose five fish tipped the scales at 14.10 lbs., anchored by a 4.95-lb. bass.

Meanwhile, big fish honors ($175) went to the team of Nick Koenig (left) and Daryl Allen (not in photo), who weighed a 6-lb. bass. Their total weight was 13.20 lbs.

The remaining participants finished as follows:
     * The team of Joe Glazebrook and Brad Higgenbottom weighed 12.65 lbs., with a 4.90-lb. big fish.
     * The team of Andy Morath and Wayne Hayes weighed 12.55 lbs., with no big fish.
     * The team of David Anderson, and Tev Rollins weighed 11.65 lbs., with a 4.30-lb. big fish.
     * Solo angler Jim Calhoun didn't weigh any fish.
     * Solo angler Jeremy Gatewood had a limit but didn't get a chance to weigh in because he had to leave early.

The entry fee was $125 per single- or two-man team, with 100 percent payback.

Drawings for some prizes were held after weigh-in, and those who hung around also were treated to barbecue sandwiches and soft drinks.

Nice Day, Nice Fish and Nice Kudos for a Mutual Friend

Received the following note from "Doc" Murdock today:

"Took a trip to West Neck this morning. Wanted to go before it got hot. The water was low. I caught a 16-inch, 2.6-pound bass, along with a dink and a white perch...all on a crankbait."

Like yours truly, "Doc" depends on the handiwork of Wayne Hayes to keep his boat in tip-top shape. Accordingly, "Doc" included the following pat on the back for our mutual friend for some recent repairs he performed:

"I must applaud Wayne for the amazing job he did on my 37-year-old Mercury outboard. My motor runs great!"

Researchers Looking at Blotchy-Bass Syndrome

Was taking a look around the Internet a little earlier and ran across an item on BassFan I thought I would share here. It seems that West Virginia University researchers are poised to study blotchy-bass syndrome, a condition affecting bass to an unknown extent with data collected by citizens through a mobile app.

Brent Murry, assistant professor of aquatic ecology in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources Design, and the U.S. Geological Survey's Eastern Ecological Science Center hope to uncover information about the distinct areas of hyperpigmentation--or black ink-like spots on the skin---in black bass populations.

With a grant from the USGS totaling $314,975, the team plans to look into the prevalence, distribution, seasonality, and potential risks and impacts that still are unknown. To do this, WVU and USGS are partnering with Angler's Atlas and Bass Pro Shops to have citizen scientists across the United States and Canada to help investigate the condition. They are interested in all species of black basses: smallmouth, largemouth, spotted, and related species.

In addition, a research grant from BPS and Cabela's Outdoor Fund is supported by customer roundups and used for conservation concerns, such as the unknown impact of blotchy-bass syndrome.

The movement, Blotchy Bass Bonanza, will be accessible via the Angler's Atlas' free MyCatch smartphone app. The months-long event started July 1 and continues through Nov. 30. Citizens and community members are asked to report all bass, whether blotchy or not, to help researchers better understand the distribution and prevalance of the condition in black-bass populations.

"Angler submissions will allow us to determine what states (and areas) are or are not harboring the disease, what season it becomes most common, and, finally, what percentage of the fish exhibit signs of it," said Murry. "We'll be able to share that information with state agencies, and we'll use the results to guide more specific next steps aimed at evaluating the impacts."

Recent research from the Eastern Ecological Science Center suggests an association between blotchy-bass syndrome and emerging viruses known as adomaviruses. Little is known about the prevalence of blotchy-bass snydrome across the United States and Canada.

"Is this bad? 'We don't yet know' is the short answer," Murry said. "It's becoming more common, and anglers have been increasingly alerting state fishery agencies. Those state fisheries biologists want answers to communicate to the public."

There have been reports from various states, but there has not been a comprehensive survey. With the information gathered, more pertinent questions can be pursued, such as which bass species are susceptible and which seem immune. The answers to these questions could change management and response activity. However, further investigation is based on obtaining a large data set with the Blotchy Bass Bonanza.

"Our results will be as strong as the degree of participation we get," said Murry.

Weekly prize drawings of $50 BPS gift cards will be randomly awarded to contributors. Additional drawings also will be available to people specifically submitting reports of blotchy bass. To participate, visit the Angler's Atlas website (https://www.anglersatlas.com/).

You Might Say "Persistence Pays Off"

Heard from kayaker Ron today, noting that he had been fishing a lot the past few days...taking both morning and evening trips. "Caught a bunch of mid-teen length 1-2-lb. bass," he said. "Was resigned to not finding the big 'uns again.

"Then, this morning, I launched at my favorite haunt...Milldam. The river gauge had dropped a foot, but temps were great, there were some clouds, and everything seemed to line up.

"After three hours, I had had enough of the dinks and was ready to call it quits. Transited past a lone skinny cypress and threw to the left, then to the right. It wasn't until I was well past the little tree that I threw back behind the far side. Got a nice thud of a tap, line ran out, I set the hook, and landed a 5-4 bass.

"Was a good morning. Caught a bonus bowfin, which I haven't had in ages," he concluded.

For Most, a Nice Day and Good Fishing

With the exception of yours truly and Wayne, the 12 anglers in seven boats had a good tournament day. Five of the boats weighed five-fish limits, with another weighing four keepers, for a combined total on the day of 29 bass. Their aggregate weight was 71.76 pounds, for an average weight per fish of 2.47 pounds. 

Meanwhile, there's no other way to describe the day Wayne and I had, except to admit that we had our butts handed to us...a couple of bream and three dink bass, which "might have" made one 12-incher if we had laid them end to end. Just goes to show you that a couple of productive days' pre-fishing like we had this past Monday and Tuesday doesn't always mean squat. But, of course, we're not the Lone Ranger here; most anglers take their turn in the barrel of disappointment from time to time. All you can do is pick yourself up and get right back in the game.

Those tournament anglers standing in the winners' circle at day's end were as follows:

Claiming 1st place was the team of (from left) Rob Peppers and Don Carter, whose total weight was 17.26 pounds. Their big fish of the day--a 6.33 pounder--thrust them into the lead for seasonal lunker. They also walked away with the 1st side pot.

Finishing in 2nd place was the husband-wife team of (from left) Diana and Andy Morath, who brought 15.06 pounds to the scales, anchored by a fish weighing 4.68 pounds. They also took home the 2nd side pot.

Here is how everyone else stacked up:

     * The team of Fisher Bryan and Gabe Himmelwright, five fish, 12.53 pounds total weight, with a 4.83-pound big fish.

     * The team of Gary Coderre and Dave Anderson, five fish, 10.79 pounds total weight, with a 5.78-pound big fish.

     * Chris Napier, five fish, 8.94 pounds total weight, no big fish.

     * Bobby Moore, four fish, 7.18 pounds total weight, no big fish.

There were no new additions to the list of those anglers who have fished a total of seven tournaments on the year and thus are eligible to fish our season-ending two-day Classic tournament. (UPDATE) The only anglers who still can qualify are as follows:

     Fred Crawford (needs all four remaining tournaments)

     Chris Napier (needs two more tournaments)

     Don Carter (needs one more tournament)

     Chris Fretard (needs three more tournaments)

     Bobby Moore (needs two more tournaments)

     J. P. Twohig (needs three more tournaments)

     Mark Ingram (needs three more tournaments)

     Ken Matthias (needs two more tournaments)

     Jim Calhoun (needs all four remaining tournaments)

     Mike McCluskey (needs three more tournaments)

Congratulations to all of the winners today, and thanks to everyone who came out to participate. For planning purposes, our next tournament is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27th, from safe light or about 6 a.m., with weigh-in at 2 p.m. Hope you will make an effort to join us.

One Last Cast

Throughout the course of today's tournament, Wayne and I discussed the possibility of last night's full moon having a negative effect on our catch rates today. Once we got to weigh-in, however, and saw what everyone else was bringing to the scales, it became readily apparent that our theory pretty much had gone out the window.

If we had any lingering doubts, they pretty much were squashed by an article I read after getting home today. It was written by avid angler and veteran fisheries biologist Dr. Hal Schramm for Lurenet Fishing Headquarters back in November 2014.

In that article, Dr. Schramm said, "It would seem the moon, or more specifically the lunar cycle, would affect bass. The moon has a powerful effect on tides, and tides organize fish behavior. The dramatic spawning of the grunion that use the moon-influenced tides to deposit their eggs high on southern California beaches come to mind. Bass in tidal rivers position themselves at drains to gorge on the forage pulled from the marsh during falling tide. But there are no tides in inland freshwater systems. Does the moon affect bass in the vast inland acres where most bass anglers fish?

"The simple answer is that there is no direct scientific evidence to support a lunar effect on bass. Numerous studies have assessed largemouth and smallmouth bass movement. These studies have found that bass have home ranges, select certain habitats, and exhibit seasonal and even day-night changes in movement and habitat use. A few of these movement studies have looked for lunar effects and found none. But these are movement studies; although feeding can be inferred from movement, these studies do not measure feeding behavior or angler catch rate.

"While there is no scientific evidence to support an effect of the moon on bass catch, I suggest there is strong evidence, at least for daytime fishing, that moon phase does not affect bass-catch rate. Upper-tier bass tournaments fished by highly skilled bass anglers happen every week from early spring through late fall. Consistently, winning anglers catch limits of big fish. You don't need a calendar to verify that, collectively, these tournaments occur during every possible moon phase. Maybe someday, some obsessed statistician will assemble all these tournament stats and relate them to moon conditions, but I can tell you that when catch rates vary little (which seems to be the case, at least for the top-finishing tournament anglers), you are not going to find much of a relationship with a fluctuating variable like moon phase."

Given Dr. Schramm's credentials, who am I to doubt what he says on this topic? I gladly bow to the much wiser man.

Current Overall Statistics

"Fishing Has Been Hard of Late"

That's the word I received in an email today from my kayaker friend, Ron. It seems that over the period stretching from this past Saturday through last evening, he has caught more than 30 bass, but the largest measured only a paltry 17.5 inches and came from West Neck Creek.

Said Ron, "The vast majority have been in the 11-to-13-inch range...all cookie-cutter dinks. Chatterbaits with craw trailer, swimsenkos, U-vibe worms, and topwater pop FrogZs have all worked.

"High water and high temps are not helping," he concluded.

Then, later this evening (Tuesday, Aug. 9), another email from Ron hit my inbox, this time describing another trip to West Neck.

"Caught a few dinks on plastic worm, and about sunset," he said, "I switched to topwater. While casting to laydowns, I managed to find a decent bass for a change and break the dink streak. The 5-lb. 2-oz. bass proved to be a drag-puller, which really made my night!" he said.  

Two Days of Prefishing Highlights Some New Stuff and Reaffirms Some Old Things, Too

With another tournament scheduled this coming Saturday, Wayne and I came up with a plan to prefish Monday and today, in hopes we would end up with a decent game plan for our weekend event. 

Turns out we were not the only ones with that idea...on Monday, at least. We hadn't even gotten away from the Pungo Ferry dock the first morning when Gary and Dave showed up and launched right behind us.

Don't know how our friends' day went Monday, but we managed to find something like about 10 or 12 keeper fish, including the 5-3 bass (pictured here) that my partner caught...from the identical spot, I might add, where I once watched someone else pull another big bass.

While Wayne was busy boating nearly every bass that bit Monday, I caught a couple early but then missed several good strikes, as a result of a combination of errors on my part...nothing new there, though.

Today's trip proved to be tougher than yesterday's. In 5.5 hours of fishing, we managed only to boat four keeper bass...also lost one after he was hooked and had some short strikes. Could today's stronger winds have played a part in today's results? Maybe, but there's no way to know for sure. It's fairly certain, however, that the wind had a hand in causing the water we were fishing to be off-colored.

In the final analysis, we now have a game plan for Saturday, and that's all that really matters.

Region 7 Anglers Take Kids Fishing

Northwest River Park was the site this morning for another kids' day event, co-sponsored by Region 7 and Chesapeake Parks and Recreation officials. Approximately 20 or 25 youngsters and their parents were on hand to see what was bitin'.

Turns out that, given these dog days of summer we find ourselves in at the moment, coupled with low-water conditions, about the only things willing to give the youngsters a tug on their lines were some bluegills and turtles.

There never was any doubt about when some lucky youngster had hooked one because he or she nearly always erupted with a jubilant "I got one!" Immediately following that proclamation, you would hear a collective "oh! oh! oh!" from everyone around Lake Lesa Miles, so named for a "devoted friend of Northwest River Park and the City of Chesapeake."

Fortunately, the morning started with a bit of a breeze...enough, anyway, to make the event pleasant in the beginning for guests and Region 7 volunteers, alike. As the morning wore on, however, and the thermometer started climbing, the subsequent predictable downturn in the youngsters' enthusiasm started occurring.

If their body language wasn't enough of a telltale signal, their comments, some of which I happened to overhear as I walked around snapping some photos, certainly were. It's no secret among parents that most young children usually have the attention span of, as I used to hear my folks describe it, "a bunny's tail."

That was true 70-plus years ago when I was a kid, as well as today...especially today, when there are so many more things to distract kids. After all, how many young folks do you know today who still play "hide 'n' seek," like I and others in my age bracket did as a youngster? I'd bet you that, for the most part, you would get only a "deer in the headlights" look if you even asked a child today just to define "hide 'n' seek." Ask them to tell you about the latest computer game available or everything the new cellphones have to offer, though, and they'll tell you in great detail.

In any event, all the kids left today's event at Northwest River Park with a smile on their face, which always is a sure sign that they had a good time. Everyone involved in today's festivities deserves a pat on the back for a job well done.

Following are additional photos of the youth, their parents, and volunteers (see last photo below) responsible for today's successful venture. Hope you enjoy.

Some ICAST 2022 Best of Show Award Winners

Best Freshwater Reel

Upgraded with key technologies from Shimano's saltwater family, the Shimano Stella FK Spinning Reel now adds another level of durability and power to its legendary smoothness. The perennial top-shelf spinning reel in Shimano's arsenal, the Stella FK is the culmination of Shimano's relentless pursuit to redefine innovation.

Best Freshwater Rod

Led by an interesting trio of all-new swimbait models, featuring St. Croix's GRASP reel seat, the St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Rods offer a complete range of technique-specific casting and spinning models. Loaded with St. Croix's premium features, the Legend Tournament Bass series also feature all-new blanks and refined ergonomics and cosmetics.

Best Electronics

Humminbird continues to push the level of innovation in bass fishing with the Humminbird MEGA Live TargetLock. Independently mounted from the trolling-motor shaft to allow full use of your trolling motor (including Spot-Lock), it doesn't sacrifice any of your sonar view. The TargetLock feature also allows anglers to lock the MEGA Live beam in the direction of the structure, so even when the boat moves, the MEGA Live view stays fixed in that direction.

Best Fishing Line

Engineered to be 25 percent stronger than conventional braided lines, thanks to its use of gel-spun polyethylene, Spiderwire DuraBraid Braided Line offers award-winning, abrasion-resistance, ideal for fishing around rocks, docks, boat hoists, heavy vegetation, and timber.

Best Tackle Management

A must-have for frog-fishing enthusiasts, the Plano EDGE Frog Box boasts an innovative design for ultra-convenient, vertical frog storage. This box features 25 dual-sided posts and a deep body, allowing you to hang up to 50 of your favorite frogs by their line ties.

Best Terminal Tackle

Made to pair seamlessly with larger profile swimbaits like the Z-Man Diezel MinnowZ Swimbait, the Z-Man DieZel Eye Jigheads feature oversized eyes to create a prominent strike target for fish to zero in on, and they are forged on three sides around custom heavy-gauge hooks to ensure superior strength when targeting predatory fish.

Best Freshwater Hard Lure

Featuring an innovative head-to-blade connection to eliminate blade breakoffs, the Berkley Powerbait Slobberknocker Bladed Jig creates an enticing bass-tuned sound, in addition to its superior durability. Also equipped with hand-tied Powerbait skirts, the Slobberknocker will be a force to be reckoned with.

Best Freshwater Soft Lure

Purpose-built for use with bladed jigs, the Berkley PowerStinger Swimbait introduces a new honeycomb molding that drives action through its tail by translating the movement of the vibrating jig throughout the entire trailer. Its thick baitfish profile and dense head also provide easy rigging and prevent it from tearing or slipping down the shank.