FISHING IS AN ATHLETIC SPORT!

FISHING IS AN ATHLETIC SPORT! (Glen Arbor Sun)

Well, if you search long enough, your bound to eat your words. I wrote a blog the other day about the Pentagon, and the millions that they spent, sponsoring athletic events and teams, "even fishing," which I said "wasn't a real sport." I stand corrected, admitting now that fishing can be a sport, and participants take their sport seriously.

I have been fishing, even caught a few of the scaled, slimy, wiggly critters, "if that's what you call them," and found the worst part.....the very worst part was having to clean them. Scaling, cutting them open from stem to stern and taking the innards out and then chopping their heads off. Not my kind of sport. I like to eat fish, but like a cow and hamburger, I don't really need to know where my dinner comes from, or the process that makes it eatable.

I can count on one hand the number of times that I baited a hook with a worm, another slimy, wiggly critter that fish must like, because they fall for the hooked creep, wiggler, or winkler, "other words that can be used when describing a worm on a hook."

I can remember the time when I chased my sister, Elaine, around our yard with a worm, I almost gave her a heart attack. She deserved it, she always knew exactly which "buttons" to push to make me see red. After the worm thing, she kinda left me alone.

Now I learn of a bass fishing tournament up near one of my old Michigan haunts near Interlocken, Michigan.....Green Lake. Professional fishing has "exploded" according to the Glen Arbor Sun article, written by Joe Blondia. There are numerous club events throughout Northern Michigan, and the Green Lake event was held on May 21st. It was a competition of 11 teams from 4 area schools.

A total of 11 boats with 2 fishermen and a Captain in each boat readied for the launch horn which was scheduled to sound at 10:00 A.M. As the horn time approached, the gathered crowd of parents, girlfriends and other assorted people waited in hushed silence.....for the horn to go off.

Precisely at 10:00 A.M. the horn sounded and each boat scurried off to their favorite fishing spot. Although there wasn't any play by play, the young anglers didn't mind one bit. The caught bass couldn't be kept, or even weighed, the season wasn't officially opened, so a catch and release rule was strictly enforced.

The winning of the tournament, which ran from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. would be the team with the most catch and release bass. Number 1, with an impressive catch of 24 fish was the Benzie Central Huskies, with 24. Number 2 was the Leelanau Schools, "which I remembered as being the Indians," but with the now politically correctness that has swept the country, they sadly are called the Thunderbirds, anyways they had 14 fish.

3rd. and 4th places went to the Suttons Bay Norsemen with 11 catches and Elk Rapids Elks with 8. To me the standings, or the number of fish caught and the released didn't mean a thing, it was good, clean fun and experience that was had, especially since all the fish were thrown back, "no cleaning."

The 2 fellows that organized the tournament, Bob Sonnenberg and Joe Blondia of the Leelanau Schools are to be commended, they went above and beyond in their duties as educators and the Leelanau Schools are lucky to have them on their staff.

The excitement and  interest that was generated by the tournament, according to Bob Sonnenberg, people should expect more events during this summer's months. I wonder if they will schedule any winter ice fishing, and do they still use those flagged tip-ups?