I am up late waiting for some pictures to download so I can enter them in the fair(I think I will be a famous photographer some day). As I was working on them, I came across pictures from some of our fishing tournaments. We love to fish, sometimes I think that is what helps us keep our sanity! Funny thing is, we always tell people how much fun we have. Ha! Sitting, going through those pictures, we are all smiles and laughing. But I think about some of the trips we've had and there have been some pretty bad times.
When most people think about fishing, they think of leisure days kicked back in the sun with a soda, just relaxing the day away. This is not true of the tournament fisherman.
The trip begins weeks before the tournament. Maps are pulled out, frantic searches through "Bass Master Magazine" to find that article that "I just read the other day", hours watching The Weather Channel and praying that the forecast cooperates (most times it does not - to hot, to cold, to windy - typical West Texas weather).
The night before the packing starts. This is one of the most exciting times. It usually goes something like this...
Brandi: "How cold (hot) is it going to be?"
Frank: "Not very. It should only be about 27 at safe light."
B: "Are you kidding me?! Do you want me to pack your long johns?"
F: "No, my long sleeve T-shirt should do the trick."
B:"I am packing jeans, my long sleeve T, long johns and a sweat shirt. Oh, will you go get the coveralls from the garage?"
F: "It is not going to be that cold. All you will need is a light jacket."
B: "Are you kidding me, all this is just for the motel room! I haven't started packing for the boat yet."
F: ***Silence***(Does anyone hear the crickets besides me?)
So, you can see how our trips start off and you can imagine how much fun they are when we start fishing! Some day I will tell you all the fun we have on the boat! It gets real exciting after 7 1/2 hours of fishing when it is 107 out and no breeze (yes there are days in West Texas when the wind doesn't blow) and there are no fish in the live well. Better yet all the stories about the problems with the boat. I do not remember our boat ever breaking down that we were not in a tournament. Imagine that!
I look forward to telling you all about our trips and how much fun we had. Hum, it is funny that sitting here writing, of all the trips we had, the one thing I always tell people is "Man, did we have a good time".
