Pond of Dreams
| Oil of La Bass, a cream moisturizer popular with the rich famous, was originally formulated by Dr. Fletcher Fishmore. This ritzy skin care product took the country by storm. Its popularity allowed Dr. Fishmore to invest much of his new found wealth in a tract of land just off an interstate highway that links the northeast with Florida. Fishmore's "Field of Dreams" wasn't a baseball diamond, but a Disney-like chain of lakes. When viewed from above, the lakes resembled the silhouette of a sow bellied largemouth bass. The lakes were to be stocked with bass so large that each female would outweigh the long standing record of 22 lbs. 8 ozs. To attain his dream, Fishmore gathered a group of creative marine biologists to bio-engineer a strain of giant hybrid largemouths. It was no coincidence that Fishmore's Pond of Dreams was a cast away from Montgomery Lake in south Georgia. You may recall that George Perry caught the world record bass there in 1932, more than seventy years ago. Bulldozers connected the chain of lakes with a system of canals, locks and dams. Special care was given to create a perfect environment for raising trophy bass. Each lake had its own identity, but each was roughly a half mile wide and two miles long. Thick vegetation along the banks made fishing from the shore impossible, but provided the perfect habitat for a bass' diet of forage fish, insects, frogs, snakes, birds and small animals. Television, newspapers and magazines heralded the opening of Fishmore's Pond of Dreams. Pictures portrayed bass that resembled over-inflated footballs with fins and gills. The nests of spawning bass were the size of a Rogue Elephant's footprint. A television commercial showed a bass leaping from the water to wrestle a bald eagle from the sky, and another featured Clydesdale size bass pulling a beer wagon across a shallow place in a river. Ten renowned anglers were selected to compete for the honor of breaking the long-standing world record. The rules were simple; one bass per angler, no culling allowed. Each fish brought to the weigh site must be released alive. A one million dollar penalty would be accessed for any dead fish. On the eve of the big tournament, a fierce storm rolled through the region Lighting and thunder filled the night sky and the wind and rain blew for hours. By daylight, the storm had passed and a beautiful sunrise signaled the beginning of the event. Opening festivities were covered by all of the national TV.networks. Television trucks and satellite dishes filled the rural south Georgia landscape. Interstate highway traffic was backed up to both state lines. Anglers were furnished with identical Jon boats, each having a 36-volt trolling motor and an extra large live well. The tournament began at 7:00 a. m. By noon, no fish had been caught. Camera crews became frustrated as the pros continued to fish until dark. Not one fish was caught from the Pond of Dreams. The tournament finally ended in a ten-way tie for last place. What would have been a public relations/advertising ploy had ended in disaster. Disgruntled fishermen and biologists were embarrassed. The next day's headlines read, "Pond of Dreams… a Hoax." Fletcher Fishmore's reputation was so tarnished that he disappeared from sight and was not heard from again. The Pond of Dreams never officially opened. The following week, a thirty-two pound bass was caught by a Boy Scout fishing from the bank of a lake a short distance away. The scout was there to earn a fishing merit badge when the lunker struck a top water plug. In the days that followed, the record was broken over and over again by youngsters attending the summer camp. The boys were featured on television talk shows and in popular outdoor magazines. By summer's end, the fish quit biting but not before another record was established. The new world record tipped the scales at an even fifty pounds. How the bass got into the summer camp lake is anybody's guess. The accepted theory was that a tornado had accompanied the big storm, drew the trophy bass out of Fishmore's Pond, and deposited them in the lake where the scout's were fishing. ..................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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| July 2005 |