Is putting a jigsaw puzzle together luck? When we were little, our aunt taught us the only way to do it was through an organized, methodical process. The first thing you’d do is dump the pieces out on a flat surface and turn them right side up so you could see all of them at one time. Then you’d sort out the border pieces and slowly match the rest of the pieces by color or the contents of the picture until they fit together. Simple, right?
Competitive fishing is a jigsaw puzzle with a twist. It has a time limit. It’d be nice if you could see all the pieces under the water at one time to sort them out but that wouldn’t be too healthy for the fish. So fishing against other fishermen is working a jigsaw puzzle somewhat blindfolded with a time limit.
You will you will often hear fishermen talk about luck but they don’t really mean it. They may say they have a lucky rod or lure and never go near the water without it. Many have lucky rituals. I know of one that eats at Skipper’s seafood on south Main Street the night before EVERY tournament. And, it works. While it may seem a bit eccentric to say the least, it still isn’t luck. It is the same organized, methodical process of preparation before, and execution at, tournament time.
Our favorite senior fisherman, Clayton “Lucky” Proctor put the pieces together Saturday May 1 at beautiful Lake Reese near Asheboro. Clayton had 5 fish weighing 13.09 pounds. His boat partner, famous James Lewis said he felt a little like a good luck charm given he spent most of his day netting Clayton’s fish including big fish of the tournament at 4.17 pounds. His honor Archdale Bass Club President Dean Calloway charmed enough fish to take second place with 10.94 pounds. Steady contender Ed Brady took third with 9.75 pounds. 13 of the 15 competitors caught fish making it another outstanding tournament on Lake Reese.
The next tournament will be May 22nd at Tuckertown. This little pond on the Yadkin River has become more like a salad bowl with gracious plenty of aquatic weeds. While they can me a nuisance to fish, they definitely harbor big bass. Last summer, Tuckertown spit out remarkably large stringers of 5 fish in the mid 20 to 30 pound range. Very few lakes in this area have that ability on a consistent basis. So, anticipation will be high for this one. And, don’t count on being lucky enough to find us around the house much in the next three weeks. You’ll know where to find us. We’ll see you on the water.
Van Murray
William Frazier