THE IDIOTS BACK!!!!!

[analfisherman]

First and FOREMOST........

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT THROUGH A TRYING YEAR! 

Next,
the Fishing Clinic Update.

13 kids
youngest 8......oldest 15
THANKS to ULTIMATEBASS CREW and their GREAT GENEROSITY every kid started with a lure package that included,
hooks
weights
plastic worms and swim baits and trailers
jigs
a couple of Hard crank baits
and a surprise, I conned a local tackle shop into........spinning rod and reel 

I got three fishing guides and three policemen (well one lady  )
three firemen(felt having a few paramedics along couldn't hurt  ) and 4 buddies (ALL GREAT ANGLERS) to participate.
Took place in LaCrosse, Wi. because the a-holes in Janesville wouldn't work with me.
Most were little brothers from the Big Brother Program so we had their brothers too.

Pettibone Park Lagoon right off the Mississippi River was the spot.
5 hrs.........the reason for five......I had each volunteer switch every 30 mins to a new kid.
I wanted every kid to have a partner every min. they fished and as we all know.....every angler has their own strengths and views on how a technique should be done.
Every 30 mins the kid got a new 'partner'.
Every 30 mins. the child had to move to a new spot on which I had scouted out already for whether or not it 'could or should' hold fish.
Plus different techniques shined at different spots so the kids could try different baits and techniques every half hour.
These included lay downs, bridges, rock piles, mats, grass, weeds, different shore drops from gradual to straight drop off, depth from zero to 40 feet deep, etc. etc.
I fished this lagoon heavily from a 10year old to my early 20s.
I knew where fish 'should' be. 

Prizes were for biggest bass.
1st-3rd got a four hour guided trip with one of the guides. Plus five lures of their choice from a grab box.
4-8.....got a grab bag with a bunch of lures pre-choosen from the staff.
9-13 got to pick from a box of baits till it was gone....but after they got three baits the whole 13 rotated and choose a bait one at a time till they were gone.
Oh and most fish caught got a big box of baits.
Rules:
Only fish that the kids caught qualified.
Kid MUST have a 'SMILE ON' when the the official WEIGHT PUTZ showed to weigh fish.
(Incidentally the weight putz was me.   I had a golf cart to buzz around on to each spot because this Lagoon is huge.) I felt the fish should be weighted on the same scale similar to Bassmasters. Scales accuracy can vary soooooooo much on hand helds.


We had a group of female buddies cook Brats and Burgers (all the burgers were venison) plus fried Sunnies and Crappies and Walleye (YA I/WE CATCH MORE THAN JUST BASS IN WISCONSIN  )
My son provided Goose Jerky and 'Pulled Pheasant & Grouse'. (basically BBQ sauce with slow cooked birds  )
A lot of the crew brought personal wild game dishes that were personal favorites and I supplied chips and Pop/Soda PLUS this park has an Artisan Well with some of the best water you have ever tasted with a pump and bubbler/fountain connected to it.
Seeing we had a large fryer for the panfish I got a potatoe slicer that you put whole potatoes in and make/slice your own fries with. (Kids loved this deally.  )
So we basically ate ALL 'harvested' chow. (Ya the chips and soda were harvested from the store shelf......BUT harvested all the same.  )

Results.
Third
3.4 lb. Smallie caught by a 9 year old on a NuJig flipping/pitching under a bridge that was loaded with rock below it. (Confession, kid snagged and lost a traditional jig and I replaced it with a NuJig from my tackle But I did the same for a kid who lost one flipping trees..........which brings me to 'second'.....
Second
4.1 lb. LGM caught flipping trees from shore I'll remind you and bringing back jigs through branches from the trunk base is no easy feat even for an experienced angler but after the lost/swapping to a NuJig the kid had a ball.
Third
4.3 LGM on a Senko type stick bait, wacky rigged tossing to open water 6 feet over grass.
Most
TWELVE FLUKING BASS FROM SHORE TO NEWBIES WITH UNTRIED BAITS. 
Now this kid was the oldest and the most experienced BUT still....pretty good.
Every single kid caught at least 5 and three pike were also caught and YES.....I think a few Pike are/were swimming around with lost baits in their bellies. 

Many stayed and fished after we ate and passed out prizes and many put in 8hrs. plus fishing that day.

There are so many stories I could share but seeing I like to keep my posts short  ,I'll share more another time.

Again, THANK YOU ALL for making this the MOST MEMORABLE clinic I EVER HELD!!!!!!!!!!

[Lipripper]

Glads you had a great outing for the kids. Since when did you worry about short post. and great to see you on line again

[cortman]

Good job, sir, and welcome back!

[Lee Smith]

That's GREAT!   

Glad your back ya old fart! 

[cojab]

Welcome back Anal!
Great job on that clinic. That lagoon sounds like a gold mine to me!

[nats]

Just awesome, let us know when your next lure drive is, me and the misses will be honered to help

[Smallie_Stalker]

Well, it's about time you got your old rump back here.    Truly glad to see you back. We really missed you around here buddy.

[LgMouthGambler]

Very nice to hear it went well. And welcome back!

<")))>{

[flowerjohn]

Good to see you back man! Hope you are good.


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[Princeton_Man]

Good to see you back man! Hope you are good.


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Well, it's about time you got your old rump back here.    Truly glad to see you back. We really missed you around here buddy.

Welcome back Anal!
Great job on that clinic. That lagoon sounds like a gold mine to me!

That's GREAT!   

Glad your back ya old fart! 

Good job, sir, and welcome back!

X2
What they said! 

[analfisherman]

Thanks my friends!

Lip, I don't have a clue how folks can handle being a twit.
I Nit Wit I can understand but a twit.......I wouldn't even be able to say hello properly. 

[zippyduck]

This is great news. Love the story and when do we send more baits.

[analfisherman]

Thanks everyone!!!!!!!

After all the hassles locally and seeing my home is almost three hrs. from LaCrosse now, I promised myself this was the last one............then the day was sooooooooo entertaining and the Big Brother Organization thanked me so much and so many people saw us fishing and asked questions and the fire fighters had so many folks stop at the stations with questions I literally have personally received at least a dozen letters from strangers asking about next year.

But I don't want it to get too big because the beautiful thing for me was letting the kids get one on one attention!
Plus you get too many chiefs involved and EVERYONE always seems to think they have better ways to do it.

Then I know so many people that even though I stayed three days I fished for literally 32 hrs. and everyone was pissed that I didn't stop and say hello.

BUT..........I'm already got some ideas running through my mind about next year and one thing I really want to do is talk to the Big Sister Group, fishing in LaCrosse is not just for boys by any means.......sooooooooooooooo...........just a hunch.........it will happen again. 

Oh I forgot to mention, the only other rule we had was that the kid HAD TO tie the lure on themselves.
These kids didn't just get to catch fish but they learned why the fish would hit certain baits using different techniques at different locations.
In other words, "The Whys of Fishing"   

Thanks AGAIN everyone because without YOU anglers this never would have happened!!!!!!!!!

[Polaris425]

welcome back!

[Pferox]

Glad to see you back, hope all is well with you and you are feeling better to boot.

Congratulations on the successful seminar.

[Oldfart9999]

X2
What they said! 

Yep, what they said!
Rodney

[Donald Garner]

Glad to see ya back on line 

Congrats on the successful kids event also.

[Mike Cork]

What an awesome event Anal, thank you for hooking your area kids up 

Thank you for swinging by as well, I had about figured you for 6 feet under....

Did you notice the new Bank Bass Fishing Board