Fishing for weekend anglers can mean anything from taking free time to get away from reality to competing in tournaments.
For many of us, it is all of the above. There is nothing more fun than to get some free time and to grab a fishing pole and to head to the water.
When I was younger, I spent more of my time fishing while standing on the bank or sitting on a bucket. I probably caught just as many fish that way than I have in a boat. I have even waded creeks while dragging a stringer of fish tied to my belt.
So what draws you to fishing? Is it just to escape reality? Is it to heat up the grease, or is it to win a tournament?
I have fished since I was probably 6 years old. Growing up, I competed against my brother. Looking back, competition was everything. I had to catch more fish than him, and I had to catch the biggest one of the day.
Nothing has changed. I still enjoy competing. But looking over some past results I was reminded that even if you fish alone, you are still competing. The fun really starts when you compete against Mother Nature.
A fish, in its natural environment, doesn”t have food dangled in its face. Nature requires it to ambush or to chase its food to survive, so why shouldn”t fish be leery of the red worm balled up on a hook with it hanging beneath a cork?
If you use an artificial worm, it makes it even more difficult to tease a fish into biting something fake. But every weekend many of us try to beat Mother Nature by catching the most — and biggest — fish we can.
Whether you stand on the bank or sit in a boat, your success depends on how well you can take the fake lure and make it look, sound, and feel real.
Summer fishing makes it even harder. No matter what the conditions are or what you use as bait, it is all competing.
When you are standing at your favorite fishing hole with a friend, thinking you are going to beat him or her again, remember it takes more than dragging something fake around on the lake bottom to win. Visualize what a worm would do on the bottom or how the crawfish would act when a fish confronts it. Make it look as natural as possible and you not only will beat your friend, but you also will beat Mother Nature.
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Twenty-six boats competed in the Thursday Night Tournaments directed by Tony and Marian Parson. With all of the lures in the water, only nine boats had fish to weigh in.
Brandon Bolton and Brad Wilkerson won the event with 7.85 pounds. Carey Upton and Lance Moore finished second (5.80 pounds). Jason and Craig Mitchell took third (5.23). They also took the big bass money with a 3.65-pounder. Will, Dusty, and David Wesley Dupler took fourth (4.13), and Justin Atkins and Matt Johnson were fifth (3.87).
Marian said there are only about eight more Thursdays left for the season, so come out and enjoy the rest of the season with us.
For more information, call Parson at 662-386-9629.
Good fishing and God Bless.
Kevin Forrester is Outdoors writer for The Dispatch. He can be reached at: [email protected].
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