O.C.A.R.C. Event Yields Quality Fish

The 33rd annual O.C.A.R.C. weigh-in started a little differently for me than the previous thirty-two and it wasn’t for the better. No sooner had I parked my truck than I noticed a young woman nearby crying on her cell phone with her two sweating toddlers and an irate wiener dog only making the situation worse. The young Mother had a flat on her mini- SUV with no idea what to do. After getting everyone a bottle of water, including Fritz the wiener dog, we managed to locate the instructions as well as the spare. That alone is a challenge when everything you touch is hot and the jack, which was buried beneath the floor, did not even resemble the one depicted in the manual. I won’t mention the make of automobile as it has a very good reputation, but woe be unto anyone that has to change a flat. I returned to my truck and found that my generic jack worked just fine. By the time we got her family back on the road, the young Mom was still crying, the dog was still barking and we all looked like we had fallen out of the boat!

The rest of the evening was hot, but enjoyable.

In spite of the heat, the winning weights were predictably very good. The white perch category check went unclaimed, but that is not unusual this time of the year.

No entrant had a better day than Ricky Adams as he earned $250 for the Gopher sponsored Appaloosa red with 14 spots and $750 for his winning 4.52-lb. trout sponsored by Dow. Any trout approaching the five pound mark is worthy of a second look right now. Louie Peco’s winning bass was no less impressive. His 5.12-pound largemouth earned him $750 compliments of Dominion, Inc.

The heaviest redfish was worth $300 and Cody Lopez earned that check with a 6.81-pound red. Andy Allen rounded out the big four with a very solid 4.47-pound flounder that netted him a $300 check and Jerry Myers won $100 in doing justice to the “Sarge’s” Catfish category with a beautiful 19.05 fish.

Branden Jones took home $100 for his .39- pound perch as did Greg Savage with a .96-pound croaker, and Austin Clark with a 13.39-pound black drum.Lela Hyatt cashed a $50 check for her 1.17-pound “Don Hubbard” mudcat and Jody Jackson took home $100 for his 8.29-pound grinnel. The

Borel family has owned that division for years and it was unusual for them not to win it again. That category is now titled the “Janae Borel Grinnel” in memory of their daughter.

I haven’t talked with Director, John Thomas, as to the final number of fishermen and the amount raised to help support the special needs clients at the center, but there was a good crowd on hand and Thomas does his sponsor work well in advance. Well done! No more procrastinating.

The Orange County CCA Chapter will host their annual banquet at the Convention Center on Hwy 1442 tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. The event not only raises money for countless saltwater projects, but provides a powerful voice for saltwater anglers. Great food, auction and raffles make for a very enjoyable evening. Your ticket includes your CCA membership dues. For last minute information regarding tickets call Lou Moore at 409-988-4849 or Scott Bandy at 409-988-3667.

After a year of Tuesday evening qualifiers, the Sabine River Shootout series will host its Championship event this Saturday. All entrants must have fished at least eight events to qualify. Entry fee is $80 with a $40

side pot. Weigh-in is set for 2:15 p.m. Just finding time to even go fishing can be a chore, but if you aren’t paying attention to Solunar tables and tide charts, you could be fighting a losing battle. Because the heat and unpredictable thunderstorms already minimize quality time on the water, there is a real need to at least fish the prime hours if possible. The local bass bite, while most of them are small keeper size fish, continues to be the best bet for a successful trip right now. Small topwaters and Whacky worms are providing the best numbers with the better fish falling for jigs and crawfish imitations pitched around structure like matted grass and pilings.