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January News
(by Andy Shands)
Well it’s January, just two more months ‘till
the season starts. With the exception of the Classic, the schedule is now
set in stone and the permits have been approved, so start making your
reservations. Word of advice, Schooner Creek resort at Table Rock may fill
up fast. There’s a BFL tournament the same weekend coming out of the marina
right around the corner.
 Remember
to support the Resorts that support us when making your reservations. Who
knows, you might get a free night stay or a big discount off your room by
just supporting our sponsors.
Next up are the chili dinner, BBQ, and the
breakfast. The officers need volunteers to help set up and cook for these
events, if you are interested please let an officer know. As most of you
know 2 of your officers are hillbillies who think that road kill is ok to
eat as long as it’s still warm. So who knows what kind of meat might be in
the chili or the BBQ if we don’t get enough people to help out.
 We
also need tournament directors for the up coming season. Terry and Bob have
continued their tradition by volunteering to do the first tournament, but as
of right now the rest are open. Remember that this year you may only serve
as TD one time and that you receive 3 points for the job. For all the new
folks in the club this is a good way to meet everyone. For volunteering or
more information about it talk to Ken and Mike (Tournament Chairmen).
Scott is now ready to start taking membership
dues, which by the way did not go up they’re still $20.00. All members who
have to have a fishing license must pay for a membership. If you are either
15 or younger / 65 or older, membership is free but you still have to
fill-out the membership form and return it to Scott .
Special Note: Be sure to read all the new rules and understand them when
filling out your membership form.
While I’m thinking about it, when you send in
your money for a tournament do not send money for the big bass side pot,
that will be collected at the lake. Also be sure to send Scott your entry
fees early enough so he gets them no later than Wednesday before the
tournament
 From
Cuz's Boat
By Greg Shands
Well, it’s now officially the middle of winter,
all the lakes and ponds are all frozen over and I got a bad case of cabin
fever. As I sit here watching some pro flipping a jig and pulling 5 lbers
after 5lber from a brush pile on the Bassmaster show, I’m reminded of an
incident which caused me to be named as the defendant of a costly lawsuit.
It all started one January day when the sun
popped out and it put me in the mood to get out and practice my pitching and
flipping techniques.
I had been flipping to a coffee can for about 15
minutes or so when suddenly the neighbor’s cat came strolling across the
road to do his dirty work in our yard. My first thought was Hey Boy a chance
to do some sight fishin’.
On the first cast, my lure, a 4" white zoom tube fell short of its target. I
quickly reeled in line to attempt a second cast. This time my flip was
perfect, the lure landed a couple of feet in front of the big cat, just
barely causing a ripple on the leaves.
The big cat saw the lure, immediately circled,
and began to stalk her new prey.
As I twitched the lure nervously anticipating the fight that was about to
transpire, I began to day dream about what if this was a real live 10lb bass
about to inhale my tube. The thought of what do I do if the cat should
really grab the tube never entered my mind. As with all fool hearted
fishermen, who thinks past the thought of landing a fish of a lifetime?
 Just
then the rod tip bowed over and reaction set in, I set the hook!!
I skillfully began to play the big cat, keeping my rod tip down so as to
keep the big beast from jumping out of the leaves and into the sights of
some by passer. I was handling things fine till the monster decided to make
a run for the BBQ pit.
Now I knew the 80 lb braided line was strong enough to land the great cat
but what I didn’t know was how long it could stand up to being rubbed back
and forth against brick and mortar.
My 7-1/2 foot heavy action All-State flippin’
broom stick handled the big cat beautifully, as I began to work the cat out
from behind the pit and back in to open yard. The battle was going my
way now as I began to gain line back and the big cat began to tire. Finally
I had my trophy lying beside me, rolled over on her side. As I reached down
to lip my catch a sudden burst of energy came from out of nowhere and I
suddenly found myself being eaten alive by my own catch.
With 2 fangs embedded through my thumb and 2 sets of claws firmly attached
to the top of my hand, I instinctively tried to practice a new form of catch
and release but with no avail. As I jerked my arm and trophy wildly in the
air it became clear that I had gone from the catcher to the catchee.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Big Cat released me and ran back
towards her own yard right past her owner, who was standing in the middle of
the road screaming at the top of her lungs how she would see me in court. As
I walked into the court room on the day of the big trial, I noticed an oil
painting of a rainbow trout leaping out of the water to grab a mayfly. I
thought, Great! The judge is a fellow angler and he’ll understand why I did
what I did and he’ll let me off easily. WRONG!! Turns out he was one of
those nature freaks who think that animals and fish have more rights than
people do. And that all guns and fish gear should be against the law to own.
That reminds me, I need to call the IRS to see
if a court ordered donation to the Prevent Animal Cruelty Foundation (which
I’m now a life time member of) is a tax deduction.
As for the neighbor and her cat, they moved
uptown right after the settlement check.
Did get new neighbors last week though and they
raise exotic geese. Oh look, the sun just popped out. Looks like it’s going
to be a pretty day, think I’ll go out and practice my fly casting.
I never fished for a goose before.
The story you just read was fictional and didn’t happen (yeah right, like
none of you guys have never tried it or thought about doing it.) No cats,
geese, or anglers were harmed in the making of this story.
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