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"The
Tournament" Here we go, I said as we started going faster and faster. My friends and family waved goodbye as my boater and I left the dock. We got further and further away from the dock. I felt splashes of water hitting me in the face from the wake of the boat. I thought to myself “my destiny is in my own hand” as we reached top speed. The big waves crashed beside the boat and the water felt refreshing on this hot and humid morning. At our top speed, we flew past other boats as the other fishermen looked on with envy. I was so nervous; my stomach ached as I came closer and closer to my destination. The title surge on the Potomac River created large waves that were difficult to get bye. I couldn’t stop thinking about how my life would change if I could somehow win the tournament. We entered the mouth of Aquia Creek and the water settled. My excitement was almost too hard to contain. We traveled at a very slow speed for the next 30 minutes to marker number twenty. When we got there, we turned the motor off and began to enter the secret spot my dad and I had found the day before. The secret spot was a small creek about fifty yards long that is hidden from sight from almost every angle. As we entered the creek, I began to cast my lure at all of the normal spots we had seen on the previous day. The first cast of the day proved to be a good one as I caught a fish. It was below the limit but it was certainly a good sign. In this tournament, the minimum length of any bass could not be less than twelve inches. The best 5 fish of the day over twelve inches represents an angler’s catch for the day. A few minutes went bye and several casts later, I yelled YES. The first keeper of the day was in the boat. We fished for several more minutes until we had reached the end of the fishable area. I was a bit mad that I had fished the entire length of the creek with only 1 keeper. As we turned to go the other way, I decided that maybe the fish were looking for a different kind of bait than I was using. I changed baits and on the first cast, I caught my second keeper. Less than five minutes later I nailed my third keeper. I was excited to have 3 keepers in the boat as I still had almost 4 hours to catch the last two keepers. Quite a while had past bye when my boater, Rick Lanore pulled close to an old stump with a fallen tree next to it. I pitched a pumpkin colored creature bait next to the stump and I saw my line shatter. I tightened up on my line and “snap”. I set the hook with all my power. I had hooked into a nice fish and yelled to Rick, “get the net, it’s a keeper”. In an instant I yelled “no”, as the fish came unbuttoned from the hook. I got upset as I knew that fish could have made the difference between wining and losing. I got myself back into position and casted back into the same spot. Sure enough, my line shattered again and I set the hook once again. This time, I would not be denied. Number four was in the boat and I gave Rick a high five. I was now very happy as I still had three hours to fish and needed only one final fish for my limit. After confirming the time, I started fishing again. Three casts later, as I was reeling in, I heard a splash right at the boat. A fish had grabbed my line just as I was pulling out of the water. He dove under the boat and I yelled for the net. I could tell by the way it was fighting, it was a nice fish. Rick was caught off guard and he wasn’t ready with the net. I couldn’t wait for the net so I swung the fish into the boat. The limit was in and I could finally relax and have some fun. I called my dad on the phone and told him that I had my limit. He was excited to hear how I was doing and shared his joy over the phone. I fished for the next two and a half hours around the area but not in the creek. I caught several more fish but none were large enough to cull one of the five keepers. During the last half hour of the day, I decided to make one last pass through the creek. Just like the last pass, I began casting at all the normal spots where fish usually stay. “Bam” I yelled to Rick, “I got one on”. Rick grabbed the net and in seconds I caught my sixth keeper of the day. Since this fish was larger than my smallest keeper, I released the smallest fish back into the water and put the new one in the livewell. When we finally came out of the creek, I packed up all of my tackle and equipment. Rick started up the motor and we headed for the weigh-in. As we were leaving, the sun decided to peak out from behind the clouds just above the treetops. The ride back was uneventful and the tidal surge had moved on to a different area. As we pulled up to the dock, I had a smile on my face as I showed great confidence. I put my fish in the bag and brought them to the scales. My five fish weighed in at five pounds twelve ounces. It wasn’t the best limit I have ever had but it was the best I could do today. Although I was in the lead early, I still didn’t figure I could win. The Potomac River is a great place to fish and I knew it was loaded with big fish. Rick and I watched as the last boy brought his fish to the scales. The last youth to weigh in had caught four pounds two ounces. It was official; I had won the biggest tournament of my life. After the tournament, I wondered what would happen in my life now that I had won. What opportunities would I have now that I was the state champion? Come to find out, I have won a lot of money and prizes from various tournaments in the past couple of years. I also won a nice plaque for the tournament to remind me of the greatest tournament win I have ever had. My dad says that if I wake up every day of my life and I can’t think of anything but fishing, I am a fisherman. I am proud of myself because I am a fisherman and now I am the Jr. Mr. Bass Champion for 2005. |
