"Billy Basser" on Crooked Lake "Again" !

     Ron Ackerman, my first bass fishing instructor, and the guy who netted my largest bass, and I are teamed up to fish the St Pete Pro Bass circuit this year. This will, I'm sure, put fear and wonder into the other teams in the club. RIGHT ! The wonder part might be correct. They'll wonder how we get back to the ramp at the end of the day is all.

     We fished Crooked Lake last week (Feb. 4th - Ed.), after I won our club tournament (by accident) two weeks before. I figured we would go back and clean up again at the same location. Yeah, right. It was a miserable day from the get-go. High winds, rain, and low visibility early in the morning when we went out in the shotgun start ! GPS got me back to the same area I had fished before. It was a bit sheltered from the wind, so we went to chunkin' Spinnerbait and worms, June bug worms, of course.

     Wind would pick up a notch or two, and then die down some, but never got to a comfortable speed. Tough day on the trolling motor! Rained on and off all day long, so we stayed in our raingear.

     I caught the first "dink" early, and then watched my partner catch two keepers. I thought I might not contribute anything all day. Sort of like when I fished with Jim Kozelsky and he caught three keepers before I even had a bite. I finally did contribute to the creel with a nice 15-inch fish. Shortly thereafter I caught a 4.86-pound fish. Made me feel like a part of the team, at last.

     Ron and I caught 9 keepers all day. We had our limit at 8:30, and began to cull at 11:30. I missed two quality fish in the afternoon that cost us dearly, but I didn't know it at the time.

     Weigh-in began at 2:00 PM. We were not allowed to pull out boats before weighin, and that almost cost us a fish. I was getting the two fish out of the starboard livewell, when the smaller of the two launched himself onto the deck. I got lucky and caught him. Scared the daylights out of me.

     We got in line at the scales to weigh in our fish. Our total weight was 13.38 pounds. We ended up in third place. Get this! Second place was 13.43 pounds. 6 one-hundredth of a pound would have moved us up one notch. First place was 14. something. The two fish I lost in the afternoon would have, either one, put us over the top. That's fishing, not catching !

     I'm not grousing (too much). We beat 14 other boats to take third. It was a good day on the water for the both of us.

     The special part of this tournament was the guys I was reacquainted with from the earlier days of the Clearwater, Last Cast, and Outcast clubs. Len Krysco, Rennie Gauvin, Bill Coker, Gene Lofgren, and several others who I didn't know too well ! Good to see the guys from yesteryear, and looking forward to seeing them again, as well as some of the others who didn't make this tournament. Unfortunately, since they changed the Saturday they are fishing (first instead of fourth) I won't be able to attend again until June.

     Several of the members of our club also fish this one. Scott Ellis and Dick Fletcher were not there, due in part to Dick having surgery on his rotator cuff, which turned into a mild heart attach, which progressed into a gall bladder attack. Good to see Dick at our last meeting in spite of all this. Glad he's doing better.

     Greg DeRosa and Steve Crosby were at the tournament, and graciously congratulated us while talking under their breath about us taking their money. It was said in jest, and taken that way as well. I just feel lucky that I have been doing so well these past six months.

     Third pace in a field of 17 boats got us $153.00, and as Ron says, "better that a sharp stick in the eye". Not bad for two old salts in the club. I look forward to many other quality days on the water with Ron.

     Just a plug for Ron and his wife ! Allen's Sporting Goods in Seminole does embroidery on fishing shirts, and will put on patches as well. I was very pleased with the job they did on my Triton shirt. Please give them the business.

     Enough of my elaborations ! Please have safe and prosperous days on the water, and may you catch your limit each time out.