Dock Talk Newsletter – June 2009
June Meeting
Mike was a little late so the meeting was called to order by our flamboyant Secretary Mark Poulson. We did not have a guest speaker, you could tell right away by their absence. We again discussed the upcoming 2 day event at Lake Lopez. We now have the following information thanks to Bo Viescas. We have booked 12 campsites. We can have up to 8 people per site with a maximum of 2 vehicles each and can have a boat as long as it does not obstruct parking. Any extra vehicle will be charged $11.00 per day and boats will be an additional $8.00 per day.
Pairings were done for the June tournament and once again we are going to have a good turnout with 27 participants but unfortunately only 12 boats. That meant that we would again have 3 teams of 3 per boat. Our next meeting is July 9th and the tournament is Sunday July 12th at Castaic.
Tournament Results
For two weeks before the tournament we had unbelievable fishing weather. A June Gloom for the history books. Overcast, humid, sultry temperatures even drizzle. We were going to launch under a cloud cover and not shiver all the way to our first spot. What more could we ask? Well we could have asked that it stay that way for the tournament but oh no, not for the Castaic Bass Club. What do we get? Blue skies and hot. Not a cloud in the sky until noon. Did I mention wind? We had that too. Who did we tick off I’d like to know? In the end it was Brendon O’Dell and Adam Boyd winning with a four fish “NICK LIMIT” of 10.95 pounds including Brendon’s “saddle ‘er up” big fish that weighed 5.75 pounds by itself. In second were Bo Viescas and new member Chad Pierce with 4 that totaled 10.89 pounds. Third place went to Mike Iljin and Calvin Matsui with another 10 pound limit, 10.73 to be precise. That is less than a ¼ pound difference between the top 3 places, not a bad show.
Mike’s
Summer is in full swing now and the water temperature proves it. Please take extra care of your selves and your fish when out fishing. Sunscreen application and more importantly, keep hydrated. Take it from someone who has just gone through another battle with Kidney stones; drink plenty of fluids while enjoying the outdoors. Make sure that you keep your livewell water refreshed. The temps can climb rapidly during the day and have an adverse effect on our fish. Fish mortality rates are at their highest during the hot summer months and that is why we have a 6 hour rule. Protect our valued finned resource.
Last month, the Castaic Bass Club had the honor of hosting the Police and Fire Olympic games fishing tournament B.B.Q. The Club was going to donate the food and time but the participants gave us $5.00 burger donations for our efforts. We fed police, sheriff and firemen that came from all over California for the two-day event. I would like to thank Shelley Singer for manning the B.B.Q. on the first day, and Nick Langer, who took over the grill on the second day. They both spent hours over the hot coals preparing burgers. We had nothing but thank you’s and praise for the Castaic Bass Club all afternoon on both days. It was a pleasure to finally give something back to the guys that literally put their lives on the line for us every day. Ron Licari donated boxes of Lift Off Energy product for the participants. This was a perfect combination with the bottles of water that were handed out before the start of each day. Roger Larocque showed up and handed out bottles of his product, Peregrine 250 and Waterdog to every team as they weighed in. This also was a big hit with the guys as they wiped down their boats after the tournament.
It is because of efforts like this that make me proud to be a member of the best club in the fishing community, THE CASTAIC BASS CLUB.
The end of the line…
Dedicated to mon bon ami…
Why do we compete? A question very different than why do we fish? The water is the most of level playing fields. Big, small, old, young, male or female, we are all on the same water at the same time. We have access to the same rods, reels, tackle, electronics and fish. So why than are there consistent winners and those of us who finish in the pack?
Like most of us I look at the websites of the local tournament trails to see how they are doing. Like our club I noticed that month after month I see the same names at the top. Are these people just lucky? Are they that much better than the rest of us? What is their secret? I know the answer to that. Quick, go get a piece of paper and a pencil and write this down. They work at it. Fishing is their job 40 plus hours per week. They learn as much about it as possible and they don’t stop. The water, the weather, the phases of the moon, the time of the year. They are great observers.
I started fishing with the club in 2006. I am not so much a better fisherman than I was then; rather I am a better observer. Will I catch up with those with more experience, not likely because they continue to observe as well. Will those who started later surpass me? It depends on how hard they work. So for those of us in the pack, why do we compete? Because we observe. Because one day we will see the pattern. We will be in the right place with the right tackle. We will make the perfect presentation and put the winning limit in the live well. That is why we compete, so why do we fish? Well partly because we love it. The other reason is because we all know there is a 12 pounder out there and one day…
Written by Shelley Singer
