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The Road to Amistad Tour
Stop 1
By Lila Bass
It’s
2:00pm February 2nd, and I’m finally on the road! My very first
time to load up truck & boat, and head out all alone to a tournament, oh how I hope I remembered everything!. Only took an hour to get through Austin, another traffic tie up in San Antonio, and I roll into Del Rio
on fumes at 7:30. Quick fill-up and meet Robin & Christi at Angler’s
lodge. Whew! Diane fed us one of
her fantastic cheeseburgers, and then off to secure everything for sleep….found that I’ve forgotten the key to
the boat compartments….hauled in the really irreplaceable stuff, and try to sleep.
Saturday,
get key made for compartments, put in at Rough Canyon to fish all of Devil’s….some fish, but not the numbers I
want to have. Putting the boat on the trailer, popped a rivet and gashed the
fiberglass for a few feet! Stopped in at the Ranger dealership for help, and
the guys fell out in a crowd. They ground down the rivet, bolted the fender pads
better into place, and silicone the spots where I’d worn down some carpet. Then
took the time to check out everything….bolts on trolling motor, oil levels, etc.
Great folks! Certainly helped me to calm down. Sunday was lots of cove hopping all the way up to marker 19, not many fish, but comforting to be certain
I could find my way around.
Monday,
corporate work until noon, fished Evans creek, and Castle Canyon, not many fish, but the baits seem to be right. Pick up my link partner Lori Simison, visit about the next day, and plan to meet at 11:00, after my conference
calls.
Tuesday,
conference call run late. Diane makes sandwiches for us, and we are finally on
the water about noon. Ran to Box Canyon, Tulle, Caballo, then the mouth of Devils. All looks great, decide to cross my fingers and hope for the best.
Wednesday,
time to get the boat clean and get ready for registration, when I can’t find the boat registration card, boat insurance,
or the Mexican boat permit! Thankfully, I had copies of the insurance in my email,
Dianne let me print those in her office. Mike faxed a copy of the registration
card, and the tackle shop sold me a new permit. Just another heart attack and
$50 more to add to my stress level!
Finally! Tournament Day! This is what I’ve
been waiting for, but not the fog! Followed Robin around the point from Blackbrush,
sang, prayed, and we’re off! Fog isn’t too bad, so I run to Box to
catch one fish on a C-Rig just inside box at the Y. The weather’s getting
colder and windier, so I decided to run ahead to Tulle, fished the points with no luck….then ran back to the mouth of
Devil’s only to catch little fish. Weighed in my first fish as a boater,
1lb 11 ounces. A meeting was to be held (with photos….EEK!) after the weigh-in,
so I promptly lost the key to my truck. Thankfully, Robin loaned me hers (where
would I be without her!?!), and she and Jason found my truck key in the grass while I was gone. I need a babysitter!
Second
day, I was out on the boat retying my C-Rig, when my husband gets out of his truck, right beside me! I had tunnel vision about the day to come, walked right by his truck to get up on the boat! He completely surprised me, had driven all overnight, and slept in his truck to be there for me. Re-applied my makeup, put in, prayed, sang, and ran to Lunker Canyon.
Caught fish on KickerFish Shad Sticks watermelon candy all day, two keepers.
Didn’t make the cut, but made the cut of my life from co-angler to tournament angler.
Sunday
morning, I realized that the Championship was one week away, and all I’d done was make plane reservations. Long stressful drive home, thinking of all the work to be done. Thank
God I’m Fishing!
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THE ROAD TO THE CLASSIC
By Lila Bass
Sunday morning,
February 18th travel to Birmingham for the Women’s Bassmaster Tour National Championship! I’ve packed and re-packed and still have too much stuff for two check-in bags. It’s evident that I’ll have to check a third bag and pay the extra money. The sun rises and I cry my first tears. A wonderful lady at
check-in declares that once of my bags is necessary sporting equipment, and checks everything in with no extra charge. This is gonna be quite a week if I’m already crying on the first day!
While waiting
at DFW, I decide to pick a weigh-in tune, just in case…. I’m sure
about Stevie Ray Vaughn, but can’t decide on which tune. I talked the waitress
about where I was headed and the whole wait staff turns out to help be decide on “The House Is Rockin”…represents
my emotions and the state of Texas very well!
First cast
I made was at the hotel, from the tenth floor with the winners of the Junior’s Championship….they were walking
a white Senko down the stairs in the atrium, and it was such fun!
Monday was
still a corporate work day, then check-in with BASS. Tuesday was registration,
Triton boat training, load the gear, and media events, got to bed about 10. Wednesday
was cold and misty, in the trucks and gone by 4:30am. Practiced with Lisa Stenard,
got schooled on a couple of baits and a great tour of Lake Mitchell. Back to the hotel about 4:00, Mike arrived, more media
to meet, dressed up and went to the Elite’s dinner…very nice presentation.
Bed about 10.
Tournament
day, up by 3am, in the trucks by 4:30, on the lake to enjoy the fog by 6:30….Sang and prayed, then Tammy Muse and I
got to her spot about 8ish…and worked hard all day for our fish. I was
so proud to weigh in fish at the Championship, stood in 3rd place. Second
day, Lucy Mize and I fished very hard, had a fun time with our drive, Brian Atkins, and weighed in at the Expo stage….it
was awesome! Finished right where I started, in 6th place. Quick trip to the room for refresh, then off to see our sponsors at the Expo. Mike has been working the booths every day. Bed about 10 again. Third day, I played observer to Lisa as she searched for a limit. It was an unforgiving, cold, windy day. After sitting for
so long, I could hardly make the stairs, but nothing could scrape the smile from my face, I love this stuff. WBT enjoyed full run of the stage after the Elites weighed in….we accepted our awards, took lots
of pics, played, congratulated, and just soaked it all in. Quick dinner, and
bed by 10. (Oh, so very tired!)
Sunday was
work at CastAway, and Sworming Hornet, visits with new sponsors, and then off to the Classic Weigh-In. What a blast! The Armed Forces sang until no eye was dry,
the Pros kept us all on the edge of our seats, Terry McWilliams broke my heart, and Boyd just flat set the world on fire! After it was all done, well, I just wanted to rewind and do it all again. It’s so difficult to explain the excitement, joy, stress, and sheer solid work that went into every
day. And that’s after BASS/ESPN had set everything up for us! All I can say is that everyone should enjoy this type of incredible competition and recognition at least
once in their lives. It’s life changing!
Monday was
full of packing, re-packing, then just giving up to pay the toll. Home felt wonderful,
and the next tournaments way too close!
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2nd Tournament Stop the Road to Dardanelle
by Lila Bass
Friday morning,
5am, I meet Robin in Round Rock, TX at the outlet mall parking lot on I-35. We
journey without incident to Russellville, AR to arrive about 5pm. The Days Inn
has great boat parking, our room is good, and we set to practice. Saturday, I
found all the points, flats, and coves I was looking for, and many keeper fish. It
seemed too good to be true. Sunday was a little delayed, as I’d not plugged
in my charger, and waited for batteries for about an hour. Green lights by 8
and good to go. Again, fish in all the right spots, all my bait choices are hitting
the target, and I set down and cried at the patterns I found. Last of the happy
tears.
Monday,
I grabbed my link partner Lori, and we fished until 11:00. Ran back to the ramp
to hand her off to Robin, went to give my truck keys to Robin and promptly tossed them in the lake! We raked the rocks for a bit with our rods, then, pressed for time, I changed into my shorts, thanked God
for 3 foot, 65degree water, and went in after them. Quickly grabbed up the keys
with my toes (thanks Sebile for the suspending bait key chain!) Robin backed in my trailer, I was up and gone. Silly stuff! Worked until 9pm.
Tuesday, worked until noon, finally put the boat in, and something was wrong.
As I ran to my first spot I realized I hadn’t put the plug in the boat!
Found a shallow, tiny boat ramp, donned my shorts again, and went into the drink.
Plug in place, we fished for a couple of hours before the storms rained down.
We did wait under the I-40 bridge for about an hour, before making way to the ramp, and back to the hotel. Wednesday was boat cleaning, bait tying, registration, then off to sleep.
Thursday everything changed. No keeper fish wanted anything to do with
me. We fished hard every second of the day, and came back with dry wells. It was hard on me, but knowing I’d done all I could have done, and seeing the
folks that were in the same coves with me, I felt solid in my efforts. My draw
for the next day sat in 2nd place on the co-angler side, just can’t go out and insult that! We fished even harder on Friday. Seeing top names fishing
near me, and watching all the anglers running, I knew it was to be an interesting day.
The weather had died into a solid high pressure ridge, and the only things biting were tiny fish, and one 10lb black
drum that bit my crank bait. Finally, the wind came in, and with a vengeance. We raked brush piles off a point in very choppy water, pulling in short fish. My co caught one keeper off that point. I
got schooled. It was nice to be in the tank line, even though I didn’t
have a fish. I still just love this stuff.
Saturday,
I’d planned to launch my boat and go fishing, but the weather was stormy, so Skeeter stayed at the hotel. We prayed and sang our girls off, went to breakfast with the BASS crew, then I took a sentimental journey
up Hwy 64 to my high school alma mater in Ozark. Much is the same, much has changed,
but Arkansas is still one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.
The weigh-in
was very well attended, with the Mayor handing a lovely gold bass necklace to Sherry for her win. I want to fish here again and again. Sunday morning, I was
up and gone by 5:30am…drove over something in the road near Athens, TX…stopped to see a nail in my tire, and worried
over it all the way home, with no problems.
With all
the work, stress, struggle, disappointment, and silly mistakes, this continues to be just about the best time of my life. I just can’t wait to hit the road again.
Guntersville
beckons!
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