BMNA BUDDY TOURNAMENT AND FAMILY PICNIC   August 22, 2009

Bassmasters of North Alabama believe there is a lot more to a bass club than just tournament fishing. We believe that our interaction and fellowship not only includes the competitive aspect of pairing up our anglers every month for a day on the lake to test our fishing skills and have some bass chasing fun, but we need to be good stewards of our natural resources through our conservation efforts; good citizens through community involvement; and mentors of our youth through our Junior Bassmaster club and other support activities such as C.A.S.T. for Kids and Fishing for Kids organizations and Castingkids events, etc. Also high on that list is our involvement with our friends, relatives, neighbors, and folks that are interested in fishing but do not have a boat with our Annual Buddy Tournament and Family Day Picnic. The Buddy Tournament gives us the chance to give back to our community by involving individuals who might not otherwise have the opportunity of enjoying a day on our beautiful lakes of North Alabama and catching a BASS. It also gives us the chance to attract some new anglers to the club.

This year we staged the Buddy Tournament and Family Day Picnic out of Mallard Creek Launch and Recreation Area on Saturday, August 22, 2009. For those of you that have not taken advantage of this facility on the Tennessee River, you have missed a treat. Not only does the facility have a great launch, but there are abundant picnic tables, a covered pavilion, a swimming beach, excellent parking, and a top grade RV park on the property.

During the morning hours, we launched our boats and went bass fishing. Some boats had three anglers and a couple had four fishermen to ply the waters of the Great Tennessee River, a top grade fishery of our nation. A number of the Junior Bassmasters of North Alabama joined us for this day on the water.

While the fishing was a little tough, we had a couple of boats that did right well as noted in the photos that accompany this article. We also had a couple of events that we never like to encounter but must be prepared for on every trip that we make to the lake. Even with everyone involved in ensuring we took ample safety measures, we had a couple of anglers that wound up with treble hooks imbedded in the old body. Craig Connell had one stuck deep in the finger and Jimmy Morgan got one in the back. Craig's sticker was the result of a bass shaking and embedding the hook from a crank bait and Jimmy's was from daughter Dakota pulling a crank bait from a hang-up on the bank. Bassmaster Don Gowen removed the hook from Craig's hand with the proven "cord method of extraction" while Craig and Jimmy were able to remove the hood from his back. Every angler needs to be extra careful when casting these type baits and especially when removing the hook from a fish. Also, all anglers need to practice the hook removal method to be prepared the next time an embedded hook occurs....and it will.

After the weigh-in at the launch area, we proceed to the covered pavilion where Ruth's Chris Manager Peter Carulo had the hot dogs and hamburgers the size of t-bones on the grill. Peter had taken care of all the fixings and the ladies brought in some excellent cakes, pies, and other sweets to cap off a great picnic lunch. We had (45) participants at the picnic and everyone had a great time eating the fine meal Peter had prepared, telling fish tales, meeting the family members of recent new members, socializing about everything under the sun, and the kids playing on the beach and enjoying the play area of the facility. It was late in the afternoon when we departed, everyone full and relaxed after a great time with friends and fishing buddies and their families. It is just an ole BASSMASTERS OF NORTH ALABAMA TRADITION. Come join us next year for a day in the sun with a lot of fun.