Rain Not Slowing The Catching

It is OCARC tournament time again!John Thomas and his special needs clients are set to host their annual fishing event August 6th and 7th. Just as in past years, the tournament will start at 5:00 p.m. on the sixth with weigh-in set for 5:00 p.m. the following afternoon. Certification for eligible winning fish will start at 3:00 p.m. You will have to excuse Thomas and his hard working group of clients if they seem a tad giddy about this year’s event. For the first time in the history of the tournament they will be working under a covered weigh-in site and that is no small thing this time of the year. The weigh-in will take place in the shade of the new Riverside Pavillion located immediately adjacent to the Orange public boat ramp. Twelve categories will pay out a total of $4000. Thanks to the support of Dominion, Inc. the largest bass will earn some lucky angler a $750 check. Dow is also donating the same amount of money for the biggest speck. Both the largest flounder and redfish are worth $300. The remaining six categories which include “Sarge’s” catfish, white perch, sunfish, croaker, black drum and the “Janae Borel” grinnel are worth a $100 payday. The “Don Hubbard” mudcat will earn a lucky entrant $50 while the “Gopher” Appaloosa red is valued at a tidy $250. The ten categories pay out a total of thirty places, but an angler can only win one check in each category. The thirty dollar entry fees benefit the Center and it’s special needs clients. All children under the age of sixteen fish for free, but must be accompanied by a parent or another adult entered in the tournament. For more information or an entry fee drop by the Center located on 8th and Park in Orange or give them a call at 886-1363.

“We only had one ling weighed in and were a little short in the bass category, but we still saw some great fish,”reported weigh master, Steve

Simmons.Steve is a S.A.L.T. club member as well, but he also weighs in darn near every fish in every local tournament as well. His glowing report was not only in regards to the fish, but to a turnout that produced a standing room crowd for the awards ceremony. “Every chair and even the kitchen was full,” said Simmons. The forty-sixth annual S.A.L.T. Club Summer Classic hosted 185 anglers this past weekend and even the weather was fisherman-friendly. “I really weighed some solid fish,” said Simmons. “We had a pile of nice snapper caught in the off shore division and the winning trout almost made the five pound mark.” Easily the two biggest winners, however, were David Sartin and Bryson Edwards. Sartin won the grand prize drawing of $1000 and Edwards won the drawing for the lifetime fishing license in the Kids Division. Anyone care to guess what that youngster’s win will be worth over the course of the next fifty to sixty years? The Club has some special events planned for the near future and would love to have you join in the fun. It is very much a family oriented organization that meets the first Tuesday of every month.

Louis Moore called earlier this week with a reminder, “Don’t forget about us!”The “us” he was referring to was the Orange CCA Chapter. The

group will host their 13th annual Banquet and Auction at the Orange County Convention and Expo Center located on hwy. 1442 on August

12th. Everything kicks off about 6:00 p.m. Lou added that while ticket sales have been out the roof that as of Monday evening they still had one or two tables available. The table packages are a great deal for larger groups.

Apparently the non-stop rain events have not slowed the bass catching down in local bayous to date. Lightning is an entirely different matter, but the water is still in good shape and producing everything from good

numbers to good size. Larry Prosperie said he caught marsh bass virtually non-stop for the better part of an hour on a Wacky Worm recently and Darrel Aucoin released a 4.8, 5.0 and 5.9 lb. bass Monday morning. Aucoin said he didn’t catch many fish, but the ones he caught were the largest he had caught all year. He was pitching a green pumpkin craw worm in the thicker grass. Those three bass would certainly work in a Tuesday afternoon Sabine River Shootout!