Log 39; Day 128; Paris Landing Marina

Log 39
Day 128
Friday, September 26, 2008

6:50 AM CDT
Location: Paris Landing Marina
To see our exact location on Google Maps (click here)
Weather: 60* with light winds; forecast is for sunny and 84* and a 10% chance of rain

What a great morning I have already had. I have spent the last 45 minutes talking to one of the top bass pro’s in the country. His fishing name is “Brody on the Lake” and here is how this started.

Yesterday was an easy day of cruising. At 7:50 we untied the lines and moved the boat from our slip to the fuel dock. After putting 220 gallons of diesel on (note...we are getting 1.44 miles per gallon...very good mileage for a boat our size), and pumping out the holding tank, we left the dock at 8:30 and arrived at Paris Landing Marina at 1:30; a trip of 51 miles. This part of our trip is about as easy cruising as you get on the Loop. The lake is wide...the channel is wide...and it is very forgiving if you get out of the channel. We had PERFECT weather...and a great cruise. As we cruised south we saw a LOT of bass boats and I mentioned to Deb that there must be a bass fishing tournament somewhere in the area. It turns out I was right...it was at our marina! Almost as soon as we tied up I started seeing boats come in and then I heard a loud speaker announcing “let’s get started”. That was at 2:30...they kept coming in until 5:00. I did not count them...but my guess was there had to be at least 75 to 100 boats. I went over to the weigh in, and it turns out it is an official Bass Masters Tournament and ESPN was broadcasting. As they crossed the stage, they announced folks from at least 20 states surrounding Tennessee (from as far away as California), and they had every kind of boat, and every kind of sponsor. I stood behind the tent where the guys check in, and have their fish inspected by a bass master official. It was really cool to see these fisherman (who fish for a living) come to the check in. It was like being in the garage at a NASCAR race. I’ve never been to anything like this...and it was cool. It was also very interesting to see all these guys put their boats on trailers...you see every technique in the book. But mostly they use power...lots of power.
This morning I got up early to go out and see all the boats get ready for today’s tournament. I had planned to walk over to the ramp and watch all these boats put in, but as I got off the boat there was a bass boat tied right behind our slip with 2 guys in it, so I just said “hi” and for the next 40 minutes I learned everything there is to know about professional bass fishing. It was a fun discussion.
Here are some quick highlights:
· The guy I met is one of the top personalities on the tour and his web site is http://www.brodyofthelake.com/aboutbrody.html
· He ranks 125th in the world right now.
· He told me there were 175 boats registered for this tournament one of the bigger ones on the tour
· This tour is one step below the Bass Masters Elite tour where the top 100 anglers around the world fish
· The top 30 fisherman out of the 175 boats registered (based on the total weight of the best 10 fish you have caught in the last 2 days) will get to fish tomorrow for top prize money of $65,000
· Each boat pays $1000 to enter the tournament

Today...we are in no hurry...and will be heading about 30 miles south to Pebble Isle Marina in New Johnsonville, TN. The weather forecast promises another beautiful day and it should be a great cruise and a great day.

I’ll keep you posted.

BK.