Gold Mine Bass
| Wally and Ken became excited when they heard that a bass tournament would take place on a nearby lake. The fishing duo spent many hours getting tackle ready and pre-fishing for the big event. They explored areas at the far northern part of the lake where they had never fished before. It was there that they discovered a waterfall. The base of the fall was loaded with three to five pound feisty bass that hit anything cast in their direction. On tournament day, boats from the entire region waited patiently for the flare to signal the blast off. Wally and Ken laid back to prevent other boats from following them to the secret spot. Upon their arrival, they were disappointed to find that boats were already fishing the falls. They watched with disdain as bass after bass was taken from the water at the base of the cascade. Four hours later, the bite slowed and one by one the boats moved off to fish other parts of the impoundment. The youthful pair seized the opportunity and motored to the exact spot where bass had been plentiful the week before. Unfortunately, the other fishermen had either caught or scared off the reminder of the fish. With no bites, they finally became disgusted and decided to try another spot. As they pulled away, Ken pointed to what appeared to be a cave behind the waterfall. With fishing rods in hand, they motored to the area. The river that ran through the cave was full of bass. It wasn't long before both anglers were catching fish. In the semi-darkness, they noticed a golden sparkle on the drops of water shed by the jumping bass. The boys quickly caught the limit and headed toward the cave opening. Ken lifted the lid of the live well to view the catch. Then they realized what they had. With boggled minds, they skipped the tournament weigh-in and headed home. When the boat was safely behind the closed garage door, they opened the live well to re-inspect their haul. The bottom of the live well was covered with gold. Flakes of gold coated the tongue and gills of the bass swimming in the aerated water. They collected two sandwich size baggies full of gold flakes. The next day the boys skipped school and headed back to the falls. On this morning, they left the rods and reels at home. The boat was loaded with picks and shovels. ...........Be reminded that small fish have large Tales! Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and a full time Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' with Gus! at http://www.fishingwithgus.com/ or call 704 617 6812. For additional information, e-mail him at Gus@LakeNorman.com. |
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| November 2005 |