2007 Big Bass To Date:
6.31 lbs
Andy Shands
Mark Twain Lake

Congratulations!

Pomme Summer - Luzynski & McGarity Take the Win

Another great tourney at Pomme De Terre. 60 Anglers weighed in 84 fish. The weather was unbelievably HOT. Saturday the temperature went from 71 in the morning to 94 in the early afternoon. Sunday the temp ranged from 79 in the morning to 100 in the afternoon. Fortunately, this was a morning – morning tourney so we were off the water when the temperature reached the unbearable point.

Winning Anglers

1st Place -- John Luzynski and Dave McGarity
This team only fished together in one other Tourney this year. John weighed in one fish and Dave weighed in two fish on Saturday. Their team weight for Saturday was 8.78 lbs. This included a 3.35lb Hawg by Dave. This weight put them in 1st place after weigh in Saturday. Sunday was almost a carbon copy. John weighed in one fish and Dave weighed in two fish again. Their team weight for Sunday was 4.5 lbs. Total team weight was 13.28lbs. They took home $248.00 for the first place win. John and Dave reported they caught the 6 fish on Brush Hogs.

2nd Place -- Charlie Beach and Brooke Beach
Charlie and Brooke each brought in a fish on Saturday for a team weight of 2.86lbs. Not very impressive as this weight only put them in 12th place after weigh in Saturday. Sunday was a different story. They brought in 5 fish on Sunday. The Sunday weight was 10.27lbs including a 3.21lb kicker. Their total weight of 13.13lbs locked them into 2nd place by .08lbs. Charlie and Brooke took home $196.00 for their effort. They reported using Eakins Jigs and 10” worms..

3rd Place -- Greg Hoch and Andrew Hoch
Greg weighed in 3 fish and Andrew weighed in 1 fish on Saturday for a total weight of 6.46 lbs. That weight put them in 6th place on Saturday. They repeated with 4 fish on Sunday. 2 for Greg and 2 for Andrew for a Sunday weight of 6.59lbs. Their 13.05lbs put them solidly in 3rd place. They took home checks for $154.00 for their effort. Greg and Andrew reported they used worms.

60 anglers caught a total of 84 fish. Please see link below for a complete list of the finishers.

Please Click Here for a complete list of the finishers.

Big Bass - Saturday
Saturday Big Bass was weighed in by Greg Shands at 4.08 lbs. Greg took home $112.00 for Saturday Big Bass and his fish also entitled him to the Big Bass Side Pot worth $140.00. Greg reported he caught the Hawg on a Chug Bug

Big Bass - Sunday
Sunday Big Bass was weighed in by Pam Wakim at 3.86 lbs. Pam took home $112.00 for the Sunday Big Bass. Pam reported she caught the Hawg on a Jig & Pig


Angler of the Year
The top spot has changed hands. Charlie Beach is now in first place with 64 points. Charlie has placed in 3 Tourneys this season and has brought in 30 fish points (2 each) this season. One of them was the big bass of the tourney. Charlie also served as a Tournament Director for 2 additional points. Brian Schumacher holds the 2nd place spot with 55 points. Brian has placed in 3 Tourneys and has brought in 32 fish points this season. Terry Stanek drops to 3rd place with 52 points. Terry has placed in 2 Tourneys and brought in 24 fish points this season. Terry also served as a Tournament Director for 2 additional points.

Fishing Conditions
Lake Level -- 839.77, normal pool is 839.0
Lake Level Direction -- falling slightly.
Air Temp -- Sat – 71-94 deg, Sun 79-100 deg
Weather Conditions -- Sat – Blue Bird Skys Sun – Blue Bird Skys
Winds -- Sat – 0- mph ESE, Sun 6-13 mph S-SE
Barometric Pressure -- Sat 30.15 steady, Sun 30.14 steady
Moon Phase -- Waning Gibbous

A little birdie told me………………
Fishing can be expensive. Tournament fishing is even more expensive. Figure gas to the lake. Gas on the lake. Tournament entry fee. Big Bass side pot. Food and BEvERages. The list goes on and on. Well, for a couple of anglers last weekend, the cost of a tourney was a little higher than normal. Add the cost of a rod to all the other costs. The first instance was a situation where the angler in the front of the boat set his rod down on the deck to help his fellow angler whose lure was hung up. The rod fell out of the boat but they weren’t concerned because the angler was using a Chug Bug. The Chug Bug was floating in plain sight so they figured they could just retrieve the Chug Bug and the rod and reel would be on the other end. When the back of the boat anglers lure was retrieved, the front of the boat angler stepped to the front of the boat and pressed on the foot pedal of the trolling motor to move to the Chug Bug. Little did he know that the trolling motor blade had intermingled with the rod. As soon as he stepped on the pedal, the rod came up into the boat and smacked him right in the face. Unfortunately, the rod and his temper did not survive the incident. Both were lost. The second instance was not quite as dramatic. The angler in the back of the boat was slowly moving a Baby Brush Hog through a brush pile. What was that? A sensation he had not felt since Tablerock. He was actually getting a hit. Careful now, don’t react too fast. Do you feel him? Yes? Set the hook!!! The boat rocks violently almost knocking the angler in the front of the boat into the water. Shock registers on the face of the front of the boat angler. I’m not sure if the shock was because of the fact that he actually had a fish on his hook or if it was because of the violent over reaction of setting the hook. Well he hauled the fish in and the angler from the front of the boat performed admirably with the net. Success, this one goes in the live well. But wait, was that the only fish in that brush? Hurry, get back there and pitch into the brush pile again. Heart pounding, blood pressure rising. Apparently, during these high stress situations, the feet begin moving before the brain engages. The only thing he can see is the back deck moving toward his face. First reaction, hands move to minimize the impact. But wait, there’s a rod in one of those hands. In a split second, he now has a 2 piece rod. I can’t tell you the angler’s names but they’ll be easy to spot. They’re the ones with an extra reel or slightly lighter wallets.

On another subject, some anglers believe that a bribe will appease the gods and bring them good luck during tournament hours. Often these efforts reap positive results. One such angler tried to dip into the well twice. Once at Pomme Spring and once this month again at Pomme. It worked at the Spring tourney when she brought donuts for the group. She and her partner were repaid kindly as they took home checks for $82.00 Quite a return on investment, but, not this time. She weighed in a couple of fish Sunday but it was not enough to get them in the money. (I’m sure the heat and difficult fishing conditions had nothing to do with it, wink-wink) Maybe next time bring Danish. I’m partial to Bear Claws. Thanks a bunch for bringing the donuts Dottie.

Next Tournament -- Truman – Long Shoal Marina
Sept, 2003 22 boats 26 fish total for the tournament (winning weight 4 fish = 9.26lbs).
Aug, 2004 26 boats 24 fish total for the tournament (winning weight 4 fish = 10.88lbs).
July, 2005 23 boats 20 fish total for the tournament (winning weight 3 fish = 6.73lbs)

Directions to Lake – Truman – Long Shoal Marina
Take Hwy 70 West to Hwy 65. Take Hwy 65 South to Warsaw. Turn west (right) on Hwy 7 to Long Shoal Marina

Tournament Directors
Special thanks to Warren and Daniel Lichius and Greg and Andy Shands for serving as Tournament Directors at Pomme De Terre.

The TD’s for Truman are: Saturday – Ken McNeil and Partner, Sunday – Bob Ray and Rob Cook.

All of the spots for Tournament Directors have been filled. Thank you for your participation. The Tournament Co-Chairmen have a waiting list for Tournament Directors. This list will be used to fill any new openings for Tournament Directors. Please contact Terry Stanek or Craig Gravatte, Tournament Co-Chairmen to put your name on the list.

New Members
We’ve done it. We’ve broken our all time membership record. We now have 162 members. Welcome back to the returning 2005 members. The following is a list of club members who were not members in 2005. Please give them a warm welcome.  Christlanda Adkins, Joni Gross and Gary Kreutz

Club Business

2007 OFFICER NOMINATIONS
by Pam Wakim

Are you passionate about our club? If the answer is yes, then you are just the person we need to keep Hawg Hawlers growing strong. Do you think there is no point because nothing ever changes? If the answer is yes, then you are mistaken. Change is the reason Hawg Hawlers has not only survived but thrived. Change can be a difficult and trying process at times but often produces results that teach us valuable lessons. Are you a new member that wants to get more involved? We need you. Are you a veteran member that has ideas for our clubs future? We need you even more. Every new tournament season is just that … a NEW tournament season. As officers we talk to so many members that have such passion and so many great ideas. Please think about taking this opportunity to make a difference in our clubs future.
Nominations for 2007 club officers will be taken beginning August 1st and ending August 31st. Members can nominate themselves. All nominees will be contacted the first week of September to confirm their nomination. Unopposed offices are approved. Opposed offices will be determined by a club vote. The term of office is one tournament season. The tournament season begins and ends at the conclusion of the annual Awards Banquet. All offices require that the nominee is a member in good standing. The office of President requires at least one previous term in any officer position. All other positions do not require a previous term in office. Positions available are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and two Tournament Chairmen. If you need more information or would like to submit a nomination please contact any of your 2006 officers.

From the Pink Blue Boat
Confessions of a Female Angler
By Lori Luzynski and Pam Wakim

The Pink Boat has been taken over by pirates and for this issue the previous captain’s fates are in the hands of Captain Gravatte and Captain Stanek. After two long months of articles, our plans to attack the Pink Boat have come to fruition and with the boat and crew officially captive our story begins:

In month one of the Pink Boat, we were told sad tales of needed potty breaks and frigid conditions. However, what I remember is my partner telling me they were going to relieve themselves in the livewell and after picking myself up off the front deck, pulling the hook from my arm, because of fainting; I issue a firm “NO”….WOW…..if looks could kill. Wasting valuable fishing time, I troll into position, only to be told to stand watch and asked “is there someone in that window? on the dock? on the bank?” After taking my watch position on the bow, I notice I don’t hear anything. The voice to my back says “I don’t have to go”. I sigh and troll back out into position, ready to fish again. Within a few minutes I hear the voice speak again…”I’m cold”. I slowly remove my jacket and hand it to her. As a chill runs through my bones, my partner tells me how warm she is and how my jacket fits perfectly over the six layers she had on already. I feel in desperate need for something stronger than one of AB’s finest beverages.

As for month two of the Pink Boat, the crew told evil tales of co-habitation with their fishing partners. Let’s see, I recall the statement, “a female competing in a predominantly male sport??? hmmm… I would ask that one remember the males that are fishing with their female partners in this sport…... How much are we taking on this trip? I need a bellhop to carry and load our luggage the day I’m leaving, unloading at the resort and a repeat of this on Sunday! Once at the resort I try to find a place for my hair brush, deodorant, tooth brush & paste. Where am I supposed to put it? There’s brushes, combs, picks, cosmetics, hairdryers, razors, shaving cream, hair spray, hair gel, hair spritz, curling irons, mirrors………oh my goodness, are we on a fishing trip or going to a formal event? I throw my duffle bag in the corner of the bedroom, most of which I won’t wear and look at the closet…..that looks like the closet at home…..Oh My……it is the closet from home! How did you pack that in two bags???

As for the scratching ourselves, we just can’t help it.

BUT….

Remember the pre-fishing days where we men spend hours in the heat or rain before the tournament trying to determine patterns and locate fish, only to find out upon our return that our cabin buddy spent her day at garage sales and flea markets or lounging around the cabin playing games. And the first words out of her mouth? Well … how’d you do? what’d ya catchem’on? what color? where at? how deep? Why is it we would never divulge any of this information to any other club member (even if they pulled out our fingernails) yet we continue to spill our guts to you? How bout’ we call it even!
The plus side to all this…..well, all of us just keep fishing together, no matter what our differences may be. In the end, isn’t fishing the whole reason we have all these stories?

** DISCLAIMER ** All content is purely fictional. Any similarity to actual persons, places or events is coincidental and unintentional.