Opening Day - Badwater Bass Club - Watkins Lake

The Club (nice sponsor/ad placement there)

Opening day, it doesn't get any better. Just like baseball, the Badwater Bass Club's opening day is a dawn of a new era with a clean slate for everyone, even 2011 basement dwellers Raj and myself. At 6 AM on Watkins Lake yesterday morning, I was in a 16-way tie for first place. After a pretty productive spring training, this is going to be the year when I make the standings!
After catching my limit (way to put us on the fish Captain Doke), the victory cigar was ready to come out. Even though Al also got his limit in our boat and had more overall poundage, the top four spots get points and a fourth place/one point finish would have suited me just fine. This was going to be the day.
Well, guess who got fifth? Oh, so close. Like Ricky Bobby says though, "If you ain't first, you're last." We're just going to have to try a little harder next weekend at Pettibone Lake. 

A fine lake Watkins was is in terms of production though. With the Bass Club rule change this year to only include bass species, it was ironic that there were so many pike being caught yesterday.
An exciting season it will be.

Trail Head

Team AMSOIL

 

reward for the millionth cast at Dunham

You know how some stores celebrate when customer number X comes through the checkout line? I think that is what Doke got yesterday for what was probably the millionth cast on Dunham Lake. And quite a celebration he received in the form of a 27 inch, six pound walleye, a nice pike, and an assortment of fat bass. Pike slayer Gus took in three of the toothy kind when the weekend was complete and Raj worked the bobber/hook/worm game for a handful of panfish. A tasty fish fry it was later that evening.
Let the countdown begin for the upcoming Mother Cup in early June!
Trail Head

another panfish for Raj

2012 No-Mo - I got to use my ruler this year!

Proud Lake - about 6:30 AM

After getting skunked at last year's No-Mo (non-motorized) fishing tournament, there was only one way to go but up. After playing around early on with a carp who I think caught his tail on my hook and catching a few Dunham lakers, I thought I was in for a re-do. At least I was catching something this year. I literally did not catch a fish at last year's tournament. Tough love there.  The key to winning this tournament is not to catch the most but to catch a little of everything, ugly carp and drums included. You can catch 20 bass but only your biggest is counted. Four categories; bass, teeth, pan fish/perch, and miscellaneous. The ugly, but monster, carp and drums get equal love in this tournament.

official No-Mo ruler

At about 10 AM, my luck turned as the pink wacky brought in a nice 18+ inch bass. I then went back looking for that carp that was jumping around earlier and bam, on comes a 25 inch pike. With last year's tournament champion having a little over 50 inches for the victory, I felt like Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber, when he says, "So you're saying there's a chance!" Well, my celebration was short-lived at check in as the guy in front of me was deciding which pike, which bass, and which drum to choose from of the twelve or so that he caught. While I was fighting for a few fish on Proud Lake (no complaints - great atmosphere), this guy was on Lake St. Clair, the home to MANY fish. The rules are any public access body of water in Michigan so I can't complain. That early carp I had on, however, could have been the difference in putting me over the top. Waaaaaa.... 

Thanks go out to fishing scouts Raj and Slick for making it out today. A fine day's catch there.

Trail Head

Saturday registration - Wyandotte

sometimes we fall....and sometimes the entire city of Hamburg is there to help

The person in this photo is unknown to me but apparently he had a bad spill tonight at Brighton Recreation Area. As Mark and I rode through, every member of the Hamburg emergency unit were attending to this down biker. They brought in a 4x4 golf cart to get him out with an ambulance nearby to........take him back to his car as it turns out he just had a twisted knee!!!!???? What kind of a wuss (not sure how wuss is spelled) has to get all that VIP treatment and not end up going to the hospital for some reason? Fake it dude! In comparison, poor Mark C. a couple years back had an ankle held up by skin and tendons and had to get carried down a hill at Pontiac Lake just to meet the ambulance; and he did go to the hospital for a fix.

I guess the moral of today's story is if you are going to hurt yourself on the trails, do it at Brighton Recreation Area. That is some sweet service.

Ha

Trail Head

Tiger game - over before it started

A beautiful day it was yesterday afternoon at the CoPa, if you were a Texas Ranger fan. By the time Kelly and I had sat down in the first inning, they were down 6-0, soon to be 8-0. I hadn't even touched my beverage yet! Oh, well. A great afternoon to watch a comeback attempt (did not come) and people watch as the place was sold out. It was a "who's who" in the crowd as Kelly's sister was there with some co-workers. I ran into Doke, Raj, and the Clarkston posse with them. Last but not least, there was a Joe and Tania M. sighting! I made a small donation to Greektown Casino after the game (quickest loss of money ever!).

Go get 'em Tigers!

Trail Head

Riding Time

The 13th year of the mountain bike tour is upon us and hopefully, the little league schedules will open up to allow the riders of yesteryear another chance to fly (well, kind of fly) through the woods.

Under normal season conditions, the trails would just about be getting close to rideable as winter's deep freeze would take awhile to thaw as spring slowly showed its face. Well, as we all know, we didn't have a normal winter so the riding gods gave us an earlier riding season. The bike tour commissioner's riding clock, however, didn't adjust to post a schedule earlier so here it is!

And no, I don't know any of the people in these pictures (cool views though).

April 19 - Island Lake
April 26 - Brighton
May 3 - Pontiac Lake
May 10   - Highland
May 17 - Milford
May 24 - Island Lake
May 31 - Brighton
June 7   - Pontiac Lake
June 14   - Highland
June 21 - Maybury
June 28 - Island Lake
July 5 - Brighton
July 12    - Lakeshore Park
July 19  - Highland
July 26  - Pontiac Lake
August 2   - Island Lake
August 9 - Brighton
August 16 - Pontiac Lake
August 23 - Highland
August 30 - Hickory Glen
September 6 - Island Lake
September 13 - Brighton
September 20 - Pontiac Lake
September 27 - Highland

October 4 - banquet, location TBD

Trailhead meeting time is 6 pm. Times, dates, and locations are subject to change. Non-riders are, as always, welcome to join in for post ride hanging. Sunday morning riding (the Church of Tim) will again commence this year at various locations throughout the area.

Hope to see you all out there on the trails or in the parking lot. 

Trail Head 

new member to the bike tour

That's right, Mr. Shipoopi himself, SOL member Slick, hoping to reclaim his vocal ensemble spryness, was tearing it up tonight on the trails at Island Lake Recreation Area! He was passing people on the left and the right; amazing display.

Yep, that's what happened.

Welcome to the tour Slick.

Trail Head