 |
Presidents Challenge,
|
|
Presidents Challenge,
|
|
|
 As we came down the drive toward the water we could see several vehicles. Not only were Ak, Rick and the Indy boys there, so were Paul Wells (carpislife), Skip Orenstein and Cory Bohmann as well as Tim Creque (TimJC) all the way from Cincinnati and a few others. As Monty and I were setting up, others arrived including, Max Ford (carpangla) Jim Boehner (Rabbit), Paul Pezalla, Buckeye Bob, and our host Bill Hodge (IL Chairman) along with many more anglers. After we set up I looked around and figured with this many people here and some real “heavyweights” involved there would be many fish caught and most likely some big ones. Some of the guys caught a few before the Fish In officially began and when Paul Pezalla started it off about an hour into the Fish In with a nice 21+ I was really confident it would be a great day for catching fish. WRONG again! Lots of folks, including myself, were throwing just about everything they could think of out to try to entice a bite. I had 3 lines in the water. 2 rods set up “Euro” style with hair rigged, flavored corn (I tried about 6 different flavors) and 1 set up with my trusty Jiffy doughball. The only other fish caught before some barges parked in the area was an 11lb 3oz Tim Creque put on the bank after what I hear was a “Keystone Cop” type of performance. It seems Tim had “retreated to the warm comfort of his car” and removed his boots. When his alarms started screaming he jumped out and was angling with the fish in his socks. Our gracious host, Bill Hodge, got Tim’s boots from his car and held them for him as he put them on, all the while jumping around fighting the fish.  Paul Pezalla with his 21+ Big Fish of the day and Gold Medal Winner Bruce and Diane Mitchell arrived with some excellent Chili and Bill cooked up some smoked sausages and hot dogs. We all ate well and visited since the bite was VERY slow. While talking to Bruce I was a bit down about not catching anything and he reminded me why I started coming to these Fish Ins in the first place. “It’s all about meeting and talking to other carpers, sharing stories, ideas and generally having fun.” Several observers came and went throughout the day asking questions including Mike, a fellow who had heard of the Fish In at the Rosemount Fishing Show. He was fortunate enough to talk to Jim Boehner who was fishing between Cory and I. If any of you have met Jim, you know how helpful he can be. He took the time to explain many of the techniques and tactics to Mike as well as set him up with a rod and got him fishing. I’m sure we’ll have a new member now thanks in no small part to Jim. Tim Creque with his 11+ and Silver Medal Winner When the aforementioned barges arrived in the area and turned the canal into a washing machine Bill decided to extend the Fish In for the amount of time the barges stirred things up. Lots of folks pulled their lines out of the water to wait for the barges to leave and about 2:45 I was about to pull my lines in and re-bait when the rod with the Jiffy doughball on it started dancing. Well I hooked a fish, it was hard to tell how big it was because of all the current but it was definitely a fighter. Now since there had been only 2 fish caught during the Fish In everyone came down to watch me angle with this one. I have never been so nervous in my life! What seemed to be about a hundred fellow carpers (probably more like a 18-20) were all watching me. I’m a pretty confident fisherman but these river rascals (even some small ones) have whipped me before and man I didn’t want to lose to this one with everyone watching. After some great advice from Bill about walking along the bank toward the fish to keep him out of some snags I was able to put a 10lb 11oz in the net. The Fish In lasted until 5pm and no other fish were caught so it was good enough for 3rd place. My 10lb 11oz Bronze Medal Fish We all met down under the bridge to get our medals; Gold to Paul Pezalla, Silver to Tim Creque and Bronze to me. We were taking pictures and sharing stories of the day. Bud Yancy who had arrived earlier in the day was “working the crowd” He and I had been discussing the challenges I was having with the hair rig when he came to help out at the Decatur Fishing Expo and he was disappointed to find out that my fish came on a doughball. Bronze medal winner Dave Moran, Gold medal winner Paul Pezalla, Silver medal winner Tim Creque  My 19lb ....10 min too late :o) Just as we finished taking pictures and were standing around swapping stories of the day one of my bite alarms started screaming. We ran down the bank and “fish on!” After a bit of a battle I was able to get a 19lb on the bank. I’m not sure who was happier Bud Yancy, since this fish was caught on full-blown “Euro” gear and a hair rig, or me with a new Illinois PB.All in all a great time was had by all. Good folks sharing a good time pursuing “The Worlds Greatest Sport Fish” |
Copyright ©1997 - 2008 Carp Anglers Group, All Rights Reserved
|