thanks tom

had a rare opportunity sunday to fish with the man, that taught the man, that taught me the ropes of tournament fishing for crappie. my short run at competitive fishing is over and i had fun and enjoyed it. i have a lot of respect for the guys and gals that do this, as crappie fishing does not carry the weight in the eyes of most sportsman like the "bass pro" circuit, at any level. it still amazes me how these folks, of course, target big fish, and usually find them. what i loved about the trip more than being able to pick a "pros" brain for countless hours, was finding out how much he loves the sport. just like his student whom i fished with for a few years (thanks newkid), they are as crazy about chasing these fish as we are. i'm not talking about the spring bank beaters, but those that get after them all year long. i remember asking "the kid" once after he boated another 2lber 30 minutes before way in."how do you do that time after time". he just grinned and said "this is what its all about". i had long given up that day as far as finishing in the money. he never did.

this is getting long and of course we caught some big fish at blewett falls. all fish were weighed and gently released back to the lake. tom doesn't keep fish reguardless of size. he says he just can't eat something that he loves catching so much. some trails weigh their fish at remote locations and fish are not returned to the lakes. tom now takes his quality fish back to lake. anyhow, thanks for listening to me ramble on and thanks tom for a great trip and sitting in the gravy seat, with nothing to worry about but my rods.