| Bruce Camp's Local Fishing Report Dec. 23rd edition |
Bruce Camp
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KOSA
The Kosa retirees have been bombarded by weather that makes fishing not a lot of fun. So they have missed several weeks but all I have talked to just laugh about it and say, “they’ll be better days, it’s just too darn cold for me to go now”. I agree with them.
Andy Montgomery
Readers of my articles over the years know of Andy and the fact that he fishes professionally now. Andy will have what he and I agreed is a dream come true in a few weeks. The Blacksburg, South Carolina angler has qualified for the prestigious Bass Master Classic. This years Classic starts on February 18 and is going out of the Louisiana Delta in New Orleans. This will make Andy’s first Classic appearance ( I don’t look for it to be his last though) and he is very excited. “I am very excited, I can’t wait to get down there”, said an enthusiastic Montgomery. “I have always dreamed of making the Classic”. The twenty eight year old says he spent about 5 days down there some weeks back and informed me that he and most others will likely be making 100 PLUS mile rides-ONE WAY each day. “WHAT” ?, I asked. “ How can you justify running that far? Is the water that much warmer? The fishing that much better? What”?, I asked. “The fishing is that much better and the fish are that much bigger”, was his reply. Andy added that being from around these parts, you can not imagine just how huge this place is and how much water is there. Asked what he thought the pattern would be, Andy says, “it will likely be a shallow water, flipping kind of tournament. The water should be in the 50’s and could even be low 60’s depending on the weather the week of the event. Growing up, Andy credits his dad, Chuck (a very good angler locally himself) and his grandfather, Jake with being his major influences in fishing. As for professionals he looked up to, he was quick to say, “KVD”. Kevin VanDam for those who do not follow fishing or may have lived under a rock. I also took the time to ask about the new ownership in B.A.S.S. “I think change is usually for the better, it had become sorta stagnant and these guys have been around and will bring new ideas in and make it better”, says Montgomery. Best of luck to Andy in February.
My Thoughts
As I mentioned in the Kosa report, the cold has been a little much for many, myself included and the last few weeks have given me time to reflect back over the years. I’d like to share some of my thoughts, some funny, some true and some probably meaningless. I will be 49 in February.
• I look back at Johnny, Don and some of the older guys that were in the Bass Casters when I started and how they didn’t want to fish early when it was cold or get up real, real early to leave. Now I know how they felt. Sorry guys.
• Age, like I was warned has slowed me down in more ways than I could have imagined. Let me count the ways.#1-my eye sight. I used to make light of my long time partner and father-n-law Gilbert, who I miss dearly, for not being able to see to tie a knot. “How can you have it right in front of you and not be able to see it”, I always asked. Now I know all to well.
#2, my knees, especially in the cold don’t want to get around the boat like they once did. Of course a few too many double whoppers over the years haven’t helped either.
#3, sleeping in, rather than getting up at 3:30 seems a lot more reasonable than ever before.
*I have never been one to think I needed the best of everything, the fastest or whatever to fish. But nowadays, if you believe all you read, you need GPS, depth finders that see the actual fish, and in all angles imaginable, 250 horse power outboard and a 22 foot boat, and $40 and up baits to catch fish.
I will stop at those for now. Merry Christmas to all.
If anyone has any suggestions on stories or pictures of their catch or kill, you can e-mail me at plail5@carolina.rr.com. TITLE THE E-MAIL STORY OR PICTURE “FOR SHOPPER” OR I WILL ASSUME IT’S JUNK MAIL AND NOT OPEN IT.
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