Walleye And Musky Season To Open On Wisconsin’s Lakes
nice fall nighttime walleye
May 3, 2026
By The Fishing Wire
Madison, WI – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today indicated the walleye and musky season will proceed as normal on Wisconsin’s lakes.
The federal Western District of Wisconsin today issued a temporary restraining order that prevents the enforcement of recent attempts from the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians to restrict fishing of walleye and musky on certain lakes. Over the past month, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians has passed resolutions and made public statements that attempt to prohibit non-tribal members from fishing walleye and musky on nineteen lakes within the external boundaries of the Band’s reservation and from using forward trolling and forward-facing sonar on all lakes within the external boundaries of the Band’s reservation.
The State of Wisconsin filed a federal complaint in the Western District of Wisconsin to prevent the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians from enforcing these resolutions against Wisconsin-licensed anglers.
Today, the federal court issued a restraining order against the tribe, which means that non-tribal anglers may cast their lines as normal in Big Crawling Stone Lake, Big Crooked Lake, Bolton Lake, Fat Lake, Fence Lake, Flambeau Lake, Ike Walton Lake, Little Crawling Stone Lake, Little Sand Lake, Long Lake, Pokegama Lake, Poupart Lake, Signal Lake, Stearns Lake, Sugarbush Chain (Upper, Middle and Lower), White Sand Lake and Whitefish Lake.
The State of Wisconsin remains committed to collaborating with the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians on important conservation work to protect the walleye and musky fisheries.
The State reminds all anglers to follow all fishing regulations and bag limits for lakes across Wisconsin, and encourages everyone to be respectful of all Tribal harvesters and other anglers and recreators.
On a June Saturday 18 members of the Potato Creek Bassmasters fished our June tournament at Lake Oconee. After casting from 5:30 AM to 2:00 PM we brought 21 14-inch-long keeper largemouth weighing about 36 pounds to the scales. Nobody had more than three keepers and 9 fishermen didn’t weigh in a fish.
Lee Hancock won with three weighing 6.19 pounds, beating Raymond English’s three weighing 6.18 pounds after Raymond had a .02-pound penalty for a dead fish. Raymond did win the big fish pot with a 2.67 pound largemouth. Caleb Delay had three weighing 4.66 pounds for third and my three at 3.79 pound was fourth.
Robert Howell fished with me and we had high hopes as we ran to a grassy point near the dam. It was barely light enough to see so I picked up a spinnerbait and started casting to the edge of the water willow grass bed that ran around it. Robert was following me with a topwater popper.
On about my tenth cast a fish grabbed my spinnerbait and I landed a 15-inch keeper. That made me feel pretty good. A 13.5-inch fish quickly followed, fun but too short to keep. After we rounded that point we idled across to the next one with grass running around it.
Since it was getting light enough to see a little better I started casting a buzzbait. I like to wait until it is light enough for the bass to home in on a moving topwater bait and make sure they don’t miss it.
I caught my second keeper before 6:00 AM on the buzzbait. It was just over the 14-inch line on my keeper board. Then I got another 13-inch fish on the buzzbait. Two keepers and two throw backs in 30 minutes seemed like a good start.
When the sun came over the horizon we ran to a deep rocky bank back in a creek. As we fished down it we made some casts to the bank, working our baits from a couple feet deep to almost 20 feet deep at the boat. And we would make some casts parallel to the bank. I had found a line of boulders in about 20 feet deep running parallel to the bank here last fall and caught some fish off it, but they did not produce anything this time.
About halfway down the bank Robert set the hook and his rod bowed up. The strong fish stayed deep pulling straight down, often a bad sign, and sure enough when he got it where we could see it was a ten-pound flathead catfish. Fun to catch and a good fight, but no help in a tournament.
For the next five hours we fished a variety of places, casting to grass beds, skipping baits under docks, working brush and rock piles from shallow to 20 feet deep and any other places we could think to try. We caught a couple of short fish but no more keepers.
Just before noon we fished into a small creek, casting to docks and the seawall. I told Robert there was a little trash on a secondary point ahead of us where I had caught some fish in the past. When I hit the trash with my shaky head, I got a bite and landed a barely 14-inch-long keeper, giving me three with two hours left to fish.
A little after noon we stopped on a rocky main lake point and something thumped my worm. When I set the hook a strong fish ran a few feet to the right and I thought I felt my line rub something, then it broke. When I reeled in to re-tie, the last six inches or so of my line was frayed.
It may have been a big catfish or a gar. Both are strong and a gar’s teeth will fray and cut your line. And catfish will try to run under rocks and fray your line. Whatever it was I will never know.
With thirty minutes left to fish we stopped on a brush pile in front of a dock and Robert and I both landed short bass. That was it, we had to go in to a surprising weigh-in. I was shocked to come in fourth.
While we fished there was an ABA tournament on Oconee. It took 16.57 pounds to win and 16.39 pounds to place second and 6.64 pounds came in 18th!
President Trump Announces Approval Of South Atlantic Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permits
May 3, 2026
By The Fishing Wire
America’s anglers celebrate as state-led management advances
Washington, DC – Anglers along the South Atlantic coast are celebrating as President Trump announced the issuance of exempted fishing permits to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The permits advance state-led efforts to improve red snapper management and expand recreational access and will now be used to manage recreational seasons in 2026. These state-led pilot programs will test improved recreational data collection and management strategies providing better information and enhancing public access to the fishery.
South Atlantic red snapper has been a source of intense frustration among anglers for years. After being closed to harvest in 2010, public adherence to severe conservation measures succeeded in putting the stock on track to rebuild nearly 20 years ahead of schedule. However, extensive flaws in the federal recreational data system led to the continuation of harsh restrictions on recreational seasons, which have been limited to a handful of days at most for 15 years. A groundswell of support for state-led alternatives from governors; attorneys general; Members of Congress; state legislators, and state fisheries experts began when federal managers indicated that those restrictions on recreational harvest would not only remain in effect in perpetuity but could also be expanded to closures to all bottom fishing.
“The Administration’s visionary embrace of cooperative federalism wins the day — and the summer. Their willing partnership with willing South Atlantic states brings the region hope for calm waters and exciting catches of a plentiful fishery resource,” said Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Sportfishing Policy. “The state agencies are willing and anxious to do the hard work. It’s a win-win for the fish, the anglers and coastal communities. We thank President Trump for his leadership in advancing a path forward for South Atlantic anglers.”
To test their systems and begin gaining valuable insight into recreational fishing activity and harvest, the states filed for the exempted fishing permits to allow for different seasons and lengths. The State of Florida, which will implement the same system it already uses to manage red snapper recreational anglers on its Gulf Coast, will open for a 39-day season running from May 22 through June 20, with additional three-day weekends in October. Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coordinated on a data system in which anglers will utilize an app funded by Yamaha to report their catches. Those three states will monitor a 62-day red snapper season that will run from July 1 to August 31.
“The Administration’s decision to approve these exempted fishing permits marks a pivotal step toward modernizing red snapper management in the South Atlantic. For years, CSF and the recreational fishing community have advocated for proven, state-led data collection efforts that deliver more timely and accurate harvest information,” said Jeff Crane, president and CEO of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “This commonsense, science-driven approach better aligns management with on-the-water realities and the appropriate public access to abundant red snapper in the South Atlantic.”
“The EFPs have broad support not just from anglers but also from leadership across the four states including Governors, members of Congress, Attorneys General, and state legislators,” said Pat Murray, president of Coastal Conservation Association. “We greatly appreciate all the work put into this effort by the state agencies to improve management of this fishery and applaud the Administration for this far-sighted decision to make the South Atlantic red snapper fishery a model for cooperative federal-state management under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.”
“The approval of these exempted fishing permits represents meaningful progress toward ensuring South Atlantic red snapper management decisions are based on accurate information that better reflects the experiences of anglers on the water,” said Glenn Hughes, president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association. “We appreciate the states for their bold vision to improve this fishery and are grateful for the leadership of the Trump Administration and the countless others involved in advancing a framework that supports both sustainable fisheries and reasonable public access to this important resource.”
“Today’s announcement from President Trump is a tremendous step towards restoring access and improving the long-term management of the South Atlantic red snapper fishery, which has been a top priority of the recreational boating and fishing community,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president and CEO at the National Marine Manufacturers Association. “We value the Administration’s efforts to drive better, state-led data collection that can deliver longer, more stable seasons while maintaining strong conservation outcomes. We appreciate the administration’s continued efforts to empower states, modernize fisheries management, and protect access to public waters – a cornerstone of an industry that supports 812,000 American jobs and generates $230 billion in annual economic impact.”
I camped at the Georgia Power campground Blanton Creek at Bartletts Ferry from Thursday to Monday. Blanton Creek is a nice shady campground on the upper end of Bartletts Ferry and it has a great bath house with hot showers, a requirement for me this time of year after a hot sweaty day on the water.
I tend to sleep late on “practice days” before a tournament so I did not get on the water until about 9:00 AM Friday. Bartletts Ferry is on the Chattahoochee River and downstream of the campground the lake is like most of our lakes, with open water, deep points and banks lined with docks and houses. There are also many creeks on the lower end, from short ones to some that run for miles.
I decided to go up the river and scout around Friday. Near the campground the lake turns into a river channel with a few small creeks but mostly banks lined with trees and bushes. Fishing can be very good up there, especially if the Corps of Engineers are generating power at the West Point dam 20 or so miles up the river.
Current moving can make the fish bite better, up to a point. A couple years ago I went up the river and the current was so strong I had a hard time fishing. At one point my boat drifting with the current with no motor running was moving 3.5 miles per hour on my GPS. A bait cast to a stump in the water would sweep by it way too fast to hit the bottom.
Friday there was barely any current and the fish did not bite for me. I hooked two small keeper bass that got off before I could land them. One wrapped me up in a limb and another jumped and came off. I did land one 13-inch keeper bass.
Saturday I got on the water about 9:00 again and decided to go exploring. The road going to the ramp crosses Mountain Oak Creek four times, the last one about five miles by water from the ramp. I like the way it looks, about 50 feet wide with trees and overhanging bushes.
I idled for about 30 minutes, the water was only two to five feet deep in most areas, and started pitching a jig and pig to all the cover on the bank on an outside bend in the creek. I was about a half mile above the bridge and the water was a little deeper, with a little current moving. I thought it would be great but I never got a bite.
When I gave up and idled back to the lake I stopped on a big mud flat where I had seen some brush in the water when the lake was low. It is just a few hundred yards from the ramp we use and there is a danger marker on it since the water is only two feet deep.
I tried to fish a jig but it came back with black moss on it, so I picked up a spinnerbait. My first cast produced a solid thump and I worked the bass to the boat, trying to hide it from other fishermen. Doing that I let it get around the trolling motor and the four-pound bass broke my line. But it gave me hope.
I looked around the rest of the day but never got another bite.
When I got to the ramp Sunday morning there was another club putting in with us. At takeoff I went to the flat and started casting, but when the other club took off at 6:15 about half the guys in the other club ran right by me, some within feet of the danger marker. I don’t know if they didn’t know what they were doing, or if they didn’t care, but it ruined my fishing.
I finally caught a keeper spot on a bluff bank 30 feet deep on a jig at 9:00 then got my second keeper at 2:30 on a shaky head on a seawall by a dock in only a foot of water.
2026 FWC Lionfish Challenge expands With New Categories And Prize Opportunities
April 23, 2026
By The Fishing Wire
2026 FWC Lionfish Challenge expands With New Categories And Prize Opportunities 2
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) 2026 Lionfish Challenge will kick off May 22 and run through Sept. 14. The challenge will feature several exciting new competition categories designed to recognize a wider range of participants and prize packages.
The previous Recreational and Commercial Champion titles have been replaced with the following awards:
Lionfish King: Top male participant in the recreational division.
Lionfish Queen: Top female participant in the recreational division.
Commercial Champion: Top participant in the commercial division.
Junior Harvester: Top recreational participant younger than age 18.
Veteran Champion: Top active-duty service member or military veteran in the recreational division.
The FWC Lionfish Challenge will also recognize its Top Supporter and Top FWC Lionfish Checkpoint Participant.
“Lionfish derbies and the FWC Lionfish Challenge are a great way to help reduce lionfish numbers on coral reefs,” said Tony Hart, FWC Lionfish Outreach Coordinator. “Divers who participate are supporting conservation and doing their part to protect the vital marine resources in and around Florida’s waters.”
Lionfish are an invasive species with the potential to negatively impact native wildlife and habitats. A single female lionfish can release as many as 30,000 eggs every four days, enabling lionfish populations to grow rapidly, and outcompete native species for food and habitat. FWC encourages divers, anglers and commercial harvesters to remove lionfish in Florida waters to limit negative impacts to native marine life and ecosystems. To learn more about lionfish, visit MyFWC.com /Lionfish.
Any shooting like the one in Uvalde, Texas where innocent children are killed is horrible, but do not blame me and other law-abiding gun owners. Blame the low-life evildoer that did it.
Unlike the gun ban vultures that started circling and crying the “do something” mantra before the first body was recovered from the school in Texas, I tried to listen to all the conflicting reports and wait for valid information.
The “something” gun banners always demand is “common sense” gun bans. There is nothing “common” about their demands and if they made “sense” they would not have to exaggerate and tell half-truths to outright lies.
I have been disappointed and amazed, but not surprised, by the bald face lies and stupid comments to uninformed babbling from everyone from personal friends to the president.
Biden’s comments have been weird. First, he said something about the 2nd Amendment not really meaning “shall not be infringed” because citizens could not own cannons when it was passed. When he was told by constitutional scholars like John Turley that he was wrong, in fact you can still own a cannon today, he continued to tell that lie.
He then began babbling about how a .22 caliber bullet would lodge in the lungs, but a 9 mm “big caliber” bullet would blow the lungs out. That is an inane comment by anyone familiar with guns and bullets.
But somehow it relates to banning “assault” weapons, meaning the AR-15. AR stands for the company that developed the gun, Armalite, is in no way an “assault” weapon, no military in the world uses it. And the most common caliber for it is .223, apparently less dangerous to Biden than the dreaded 9 mm.
One TV commentator said it was ridiculous an 18-year-old could go buy an automatic rifle and more than 300 round of ammo without a background check. Fortunately, a guest on the show pointed out the rifle was not automatic, he went through a background check and it is not uncommon, especially in that area to buy large amounts of ammo.
Personally, I have purchased more than 1000 rounds of 7.62×39 ammo at one time for target practice to save money. Shooting more than 100 rounds in one target shooting session is not uncommon. And common .22 long rifle bullets I shoot in my semiautomatic squirrel gun I have owned since I was eight years old come in boxes of 525 rounds.
Calls for extended background checks are another “common sense” waste. The background check in place for years did not work this time so let’s make you get one on your child before giving them a gun for Christmas with an “extended” background?
All guns bought from licensed gun dealers must go through the current background check. The proposed “extended” check would have made no difference since the shooter in Texas bought his gun from a licensed dealer, already covered in the current law.
The sale of over 100 brands of rifles defined as “assault” guns were banned for ten years, from 1994 through 2004. One liberal commentator told this lie: “Mass shootings dropped by 40 percent during the ‘assault weapons’ ban.”
Here is what Factcheck.org says: “A RAND review of gun studies, updated in 2020, concluded there is “inconclusive evidence for the effect of assault weapon bans on mass shootings.” Seems a 40 percent drop would be pretty “conclusive” evidence, if it was true.
It didn’t work the first time, lets lie about it and do it again.
I keep hearing “Nobody needs an assault weapon.” Yet they can’t define what they consider an “assault weapon,” it is a constitutional right and there are many reasons to own one. That is why there are somewhere between 10 and 20 million correctly called “modern sporting rifles” in the US.
One senseless murder is too many, but if these guns were the problem such shootings would be much more common.
Confiscation of all guns is the ultimate goal of some. But if you confiscate all rifles, from my old .22 through all deer rifles to modern sporting rifles, you might somehow eliminate guns that are used in 2.9 percent of all homicides in the US.
The most recent data I can find from the FBI shows homicides by all rifles in 2019 was 364, compared to 1476 by knives, 1591 by blunt objects and 600 by fists and feet.
If you want to have a rational discussion on gun control, don’t exaggerated, tell lies and make up numbers to try to push your agenda. I will rely on facts, not emotions.
If you just have got to do “something,” go spit on the insane murderer’s grave. It may make you feel better and it will be just as effective as all the proposed gun control laws put together.
WHAT: Second-Annual Spring Opener Event featuring Bro’s Bros!
WHEN:9:00am – 3:00pm, Saturday, April 25, 2026
WHERE: IN-PERSON April 25 at the St. Croix Factory, 856 4th Avenue North, Park Falls, Wisconsin and ONLINE at stcroixrodfactorystore.com April 25 through May 3
SHOP:Be the first to get on the fish after ice-out with special deals on rods, reels, combos, tackle and apparel (in-person and online), plus other great in-person deals on the latest gear from NORTHLAND TACKLE, EUROTACKLE, CATCH & COOK, GAZELLE TENTS, AFTCO, OnX FISH, and more!
LEARN:FREE advanced fishing seminars from Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, Joel Nelson, and Blake Tollefson 10:00am – 11:00am: Blake Tollefson / Modern Panfish Tactics 11:30am – 12:30pm: Joel Nelson / Finding Fish in the Modern Era 1:00pm – 2:00pm: Brian Brosdahl / Jumbo Perch & Panfish Spring FeverEAT:Free fish fry for in-person attendees, brought to you by the St. Croix Factory Store and our friends at Catch & Cook
SAVE $30 ON YOUR WARRANTY CLAIM: IN-Person Attendees only… Pre-register a warranty claim for a broken St. Croix Rod HERE before 11:59 PM on Wednesday, April 22 and save 50% on your warranty replacement fee! Bring your broken rod to the event and if your replacement rod is in-stock, we’ll have it ready for you to pick up!
CAN’T MAKE THE EVENT IN PERSON? You can still shop all the great deals at stcroixrodfactorystore.com beginning at 7:00am Central Time on Saturday, April 25 through midnight on Sunday, May 3. You can also view and participate in any of the fishing seminars via live stream on the St. Croix Rod Facebook Page, or watch them at your leisure on the St. Croix Rod YouTube Channel. Watch for more information at stcroixrodfactorystore.com
A couple years ago i started using a Fluke Stick on Texas and Carolina rigs. Got a six pounder at Eufaula on one Texas rigged in practice for a tournament.
Last year i decided to play around with one Neko rigged. But frugal, or cheap, me used what i had. No 50 cent special weights or hooks.
i had some tiny screws in my tool box. Found sticking a hole in end of Fluke Stick with an ice pick then screwing it in was easy. Stayed through several fishk did not get thrown out. i rig about ten ahead of a tournament.
And i used either a #1 weedless hook or a straight-shanked #1 Gamakatsu hook I had in my tackle box.
That worked for a 6 pounder at Hartwell last April in the Potato Creek tournament.
I do put a ring around the Fluke |Stick – they are tough and hold up a long time.
I got on pattern for two-pound spots at Hartwell and i could land three or four on one Fluke Stick before getting out another one!
Try it, you might like it. And if you want to spend more, buy the special hooks and leads.
ready to rig Neko rigs
if you can see, the #4 1/2 inch screws are about 1/64 ounce. #6 3/8 inch screws are about 1/32 ounce. The #6 are longer and thinner, so easier to insert.
I may try the thicker hooks in practice, but light wire hooks make hook ups easy. But i throw them on medium-fast action St Croix rods and 14-pound Sunline, so i worry i need a stronger hook
I got a BB gun when I was six years old. The pump Daisy was a reward for having my tonsils taken out. I had almost worn it out four months later at Christmas when I got a very strong BB gun. I do not remember the brand, but you pushed the barrel down to set it. It was stronger than anything my friends had, other than pellet guns.
For my eight birthday I was given a well-used Remington semiautomatic .22. It had a high-capacity magazine holding 17 long rifle bullets. I hunted with that gun until I got a new .22 when I was 12. It was like the old one, semiautomatic with a high-capacity magazine, but it was not worn out and seldom jammed, unlike the old one,
When I was ten I got my first shotgun, a single shot 410. And I had access to three other shotguns, all 12 gauges. The Winchester 1996 pump was grandaddy’s gun and it still had Daddy’s 1938 hunting license, his fist, rolled up in the stock.
There were two semiautomatic 12 gauges. One with a short barrel and flash suppressor was for quail. I never got the full story of how that Navy guard gun got from base after WW2 to daddy’s hands. Something about a friend still in service taking it apart and mailing it piece by piece to him. But the friend never came to pick it up.
The humpback Remington had a long barrel and would reach out and hit doves a long way away. I shot many doves with it. The short barrel one I used mostly for rabbits but I did shoot a few quail with it.
I got a Marlin lever action 30-30 deer rifle for my 16th birthday. As an adult, I got a 7mm Mag deer rifle as a going away (or good riddance) present from the bus drives and garage crew when I left Pike County after 14 years.
I have bought more than a dozen pistols, mostly semiautomatic, with high-capacity magazine. The first pistol I bought was a well-used .38 police special that I still carry. And the one I shoot most since the bullets are inexpensive for practice is a semiautomatic .22.
When Clinton banned “assault weapons” I quickly bought two, an MAK 90 that is the same as an AK 47 but with a thumb hole stock, and a .223 Colt AR 15 style rifle. Both have multiple 30 round magazines
All this is to say I know guns and have had and shot a variety of them all my life. I know guns are tools, just like a hammer or ice pick. All can be misused, but the tool itself it not evil or to blame.
Since I was old enough to know, I have been an adamant supporter of the 2nd Amendment. I believe the Bill of Rights when it says owning and using guns is a right that is not to be infringed. I have fought every way I could against laws that punish law-abiding citizens like me but have no effect on criminals.
For years Jay Bookman was an editorial writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. He was reliably liberal to the point I read everything he wrote and assumed the opposite was true. Cynthia Tucker was his editorial boss and even more liberal, if possible.
I grew up spreading the Atlanta Journal on the floor and reading it after school, long before I could hold it up without problems. And I read the combined Journal and Constitution on Sundays. Tucker and Bookman, and the bleed over of liberal bias into news articles, made me cancel my subscription to the AJC I had had since I was 21, but we still got it at work
In the 1980s every time Bookman wrote an anti-gun editorial, always fill of half-truths, false information and outright lies in my opinnion, I gave a membership in the NRA to a youth, in his name. I would send him a thank you note from them. I always got their parents permission to give them the membership. I hope that helped create some pro-gun rights youth that grew into pro-gun adults.
Bookman left the AJC a few years ago, for some reason. Now he writes his propaganda for another group. I see it online and, unfortunately, in the Griffin Daily News.
Read his articles. Think about them. Do a little research on anything he says. Decide for yourself.
Many folks ask why I read his stuff and listen to liberal media. The bible says, “know they enemy.” I keep up with what they say, research to find the truth, and make up my mind what is true and what is hype. You should do the same.
I will never forget the first bass I caught. All my short life I had caught bream and small catfish on my cane pole with cork bobber. Usually the bobber would twitch or go down and when I lifted the pole tip the fish would pull down and make circles.
When about 12 years old, while fishing in the spillway hole below Usury’s Pond dam, my cork popped under the water. When I raised my pole and set the hook an 11-inch bass exploded from the surface of the water. It pulled hard, running all over the place and jumped two more times. It hooked me much better than I hooked it.
When I was in high school I loved to water ski. Daddy bought a fantastic ski boat for the time, a 17-foot Larson with a 120 hp Mercury inboard/outboard – now usually called and outdrive. It wasn’t fast but it would pull up six skiers on double skis or three on slalom.
But it was not much of a fishing boat. We could run trotlines, bank hooks and jugs for cats and tie up or anchor to fish. And it was very good for trolling. Linda caught an 8-pound, 10 ounce largemouth on a Hellbender plug pulled behind it in 1972.
Of course it had no trolling motor up front so working down the bank was a problem. The spring after Linda caught the 8 pounder, I made a wooden platform that fit over the front running light and hooked to the front cleats.
I put a small trolling motor on a bracket hanging down in front so I could sit on the platform and turn the motor with my foot. To turn it on and off I unclipped the battery clamp from the 12-volt battery sitting beside me. It was ok as long as the wind didn’t blow, that small trolling motor would barely move it.
It was cumbersome but it was better than anything else I had. Clambering over the windshield to get to the front was not a problem when I was that age.
Linda and I bought our first car together the first year we were married, a 1972 Cutlass Supreme Convertible. Our next big purchase was a bass boat, a 1974 17-foot Arrowglass that had tolling motor and depth finder, top of the line at that time. Oddly enough, each cost $3500.00, more than half the annual pay each one of us made as teachers.
We fished many hours out of that boat, pulling it with the Cutlass. For camping we loaded a big Sears 6-man tent and all our supplies in the trunk and back seat. We caught untold numbers of bass, crappie and catfish from that boat.
Jim Berry invited me to join the Spalding County Sportsman Society in March of 1974, the week after I bought the boat. Fifty years later I still fish in that club but not that boat!
I fished with Jim in my Arrowglass at Clarks Hill in the club tournament in April that year, my first tournament. And I fell in love with tournament fishing. I had never enjoyed playing games or sports and still don’t, but somehow the competition of tournament fishing hooked me.
In January 1976 I caught an 8-pound, 4 ounce bass from that boat while fishing with Bobby Jean Pierce at Jackson in a club tournament, finally breaking that mark. It was big fish in the tournament. In 1978 I caught another 8-pound, 4-ounce bass at Jackson in a January tournament while fishing with Cecil Aaron. It was third biggest bass that day. Fishing has changed since then!
I have had nine bass boats in my life. The current on, a 20-foot Skeeter with a 250 Yamaha four stoke motor, top of the line trolling motor and all the electronics and other bells and whistles now available. I bought it used but new it listed for 30 times the price of my first bass boat. Prices have changed, too!!
There is a saying “the difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys.” Most outdoor hobbies from golf to shooting are expensive. I am sure I could get by with cheaper equipment but don’t want to.
My current boat is almost 9 years old and things are starting to fail. But the cost of an new one, or even a used one, is scary! But I don’t think I can go back to fishing with a cane pole from the bank. Not all the time, at least.
Now I fish with three bass clubs and seldom miss a tournament, due to a very understanding wife. And I plan on fishing tournaments until I am not competitive. I am afraid that will be all too soon.
