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Friday, June 16, 2006
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Lake Charles, LA. While most OWAA members and guests arriving
yesterday and today were unpacking their luggage or complaining about
the hot, muggy weather they knew would await them here, Jason Mitchell,
a new member and fishing guide from Devil's Lake, ND attending his first conference, bought a 5-day
fishing license, a Zebco 202 and rod and a bucket of shrimp, and had a
ball catching about a hundred redfish, speckled trout and other species today, right from
the beach about 12 miles from the hotel. Most fish weighed several pounds, but one red drum may have
tipped the scales at 20 pounds or more.
"He burned out the drag on my Zebco 202," Mitchell said.
Mitchell waded in shorts and sandals, and reported finding not only
good numbers of feisty fish, but also plenty of evidence of Hurricane
Rita.
"I bumped into stoves, refrigerators, high chairs, just about
everything you'd find in a house," Mitchell said. "I ran out of bait
three times and had to buy more."
Well, he didn't have to, he wanted to because he loves to fish, and the
brackish waters here are teeming with reds (channel bass) and specks
(weakfish, or speckled trout). Rita, it seems,
brought in the salt water, and these ocean species came with it. Lake
Charles is teeming with shrimp, too, reported South Dakota TV and radio
personality Tony Dean, and that has given the fishing a boost.
"Most of the commercial fishermen can't work because they lost
their docks," Dean pointed out. "They have nowhere to put their boats,
so no one's catching the shrimp, and the fish are just going nuts! One
of the locals also showed Jason how to catch crabs, and he's got a
cooler full of them."
Some folks just know how to get a conference off to a rousing start.
Mitchell is one green-ribbon member who will be going home with more
than just a story.
Mitchell almost didn't get to tell that story, however. He was
literally swept off his feet by a passing freighter that sent a wave
over his head. Fortunately, he regained his footage and continued
fishing.
Later...
11:59:23 PM
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LAKE CHARLES, LA. June 16, 2006.
Heavy rains held off long enough for all teams to finish the 8th Annual
OWAA Golf Scramble, held here today at Mallard Cove Golf Course. Claude
Bain, D.A. Ray and Chris Nelson won the 18-hole best-ball event with a
scorching 8-under par score of 64. Skip Jernigan, Bruce Brown and Dan
Small placed second, with a respectable 4-under par score of 68.
Merchandise prizes were awarded to first- and second-place teams and to individual golfers as follows:
Closest to left bunker on drive: Dan Small
Closest to pin, hole 4: Skip Jernigan
Longest drive: Claude Bain
Closest to tree in fairway: Bruce Brown
Closest to pin, hole 16: Claude Bain
Bain, of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, is already planning
next year's golf tournament, to be held June 15, 2007, at the Roanoke
conference. Roanoke's more temperate climate may allow next year's
event to be scheduled in the afternoon, which Bain hopes will encourage
more golfers to participate.
Keep checking this site for more news from the OWAA conference, being held here at l"Auberge du Lac, June 17-20.
Later...
6:16:40 PM
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© Copyright
2006
Dan Small.
Last update:
6/19/06; 1:03:50 AM.
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