Awesome return to the MadWags

[Revtro]

Guys, I gotta say it was great to see so many of you that I've been out of touch with for the past couple years.  We had an awesome turnout and the weather cooperated.  It was a blast fishing with all you fine gents.

I'd especially like to thank Dartag for being an awesome host.  Man, what a fisherman!  He got all the bigguns while I just got the little ones out of his way.   Steve, you were a true gentleman and a great guy to fish with!!  I had a truly great time hanging out with you.  Let's not make this the last time my friend.  I'd be honored to spend a day with you any time.

Not only was Dartag a great host, he opted to donate the winnings to a charity my wife runs through our church called The Shepherd's Toy Shoppe.  For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a Christmas Toy Shoppe we run where we provide 4 toys, 4 stocking stuffers, and some household items to poor and homeless children.  Rather than "a toy" per kid, we try to provide a whole Christmas per kid.  Last year we served 700 children from our little church and this year our goal is 1000 kids.  The best part is parents get to come and "shop" (all is free of course) for their kids giving them the chance to pick out exactly what they want to give their children.  It's truly a great charity and thanks to Steve's generous spirit, my wife will go shopping this week to continue stocking up for this year's giveaway. 

Now, the fishing:  What a day.  The action was steady all day.  We got into an area with about 20 other boats, but there were still enough fish to go around.  I learned a bit today too which is always a bonus.  Our best action was on dropshots and tubes in very shallow water.  I got one to hook up on a blade bait but it popped off.  I lost 2 more on a hook that wasn't sharp enough.  Once that was rectified, I don't think I lost another one that was hooked up.  So that was another lesson.  Check the hooks before you fish.  I just grabbed a jig hook and didn't bother to make sure it was as sharp as it needed to be and it cost me a couple of fish.  Hey, what can I say, I'm out of practice.  LOL  Oh, and another thing, never leave your good sunglasses in your car!  Stupid me wore the wrong ones out of habit and ended up without the polarized ones.  So seeing the dark spots was pretty tough.  Steve on the other hand was clicking on all cylinders.  He boated all the big fish including a 5 pound anchor fish that got us 2nd Big Bass of the day.  My 2-1/2 pounders were no help at all.  I'm sure some of the fish would have weighed even more.  Steve caught some CHUNKS.  I was throughly impressed with fishing skill and knowledge. 

Surprisingly there were fish bedding.  I would have put money on not seeing a single bed all day but Steve started catching them off beds.  I think he estimated maybe a locked on fish in about 1 out of 10 beds.  So casting to those spots paid off.  If I recall, I think the dropshot ended up being his best bait of the day. 

I'm so glad the weather held off for the most part and we were all able to fish however and wherever we wanted.  The forecast called for building and shifting winds all day, but near the middle and end of the day, it was flat calm for a while and not too rough when we headed in.  That was a nice change from what it's been like for weeks out there.  The hangout after was really great.  It was great to reconnect with some of you guys I haven't seen in way too long.  Seth, Mike, Vince, Jason, Jack, Kevin, Rick, Steve, plus a few more I'm forgetting because I'm tired... it was really good to see you again. 

Ok that's my report of the day.  Steve's report went something like this:  "Got up, went fishing, had fun, went home."  LOL  That about sums it up.  It was a fun day and I'm truly grateful to know and be associated with such a great caliber of men and fishermen.  See you all on the water!

[21XDC]

Great post and great time... I was a little bummed out about how fast the after party broke up... I was really hoping to spend more time meeting others that I didn't know well...

8^(

[Revtro]

Yeah it did dissipate rather quickly.  You know, the BBQ is great, but I'd like to make a suggestion for next year that might actually make for an even better post tourney hangout.  Mikes on the Water has a whole room that we can probably reserve that would hold us all just fine.  There's plenty of parking and the food is great.  Or we could opt for someplace close to Harley. 

The point is, I bet if we did something like that, we'd see guys hanging out for longer.  Just a suggestion.  I think it could work especially if launched somewhere down toward Mike's or even Crocker if they get that ramp cleaned up and revamped a bit by next year.  The 9 mile ramp isn't very big, but plenty of parking.  Blossom heath has 2 ramps, so launching there would be a bit slow, but could work.  Lots to consider.

[JasonFox]

I had a blast today! I wish I could have contributed a little more in the way of catching fish. It was tough watching Mark G. reel in all those fish, looked like hard work.

It was nice meeting all of you and I'm looking forward to fishing with you all again!

[dartag]

Sometimes a plan works out. Tom and I have talked about fishing together for years.  His post about wanting to fish Muskamoot suited what I wanted to do.   Myself and Kevin ( Fishon1219 ) fished there Tuesday.   We never saw a bed but found areas that were stirred up so I figured the fish were making beds.   When we got over there you could not see them so we dragged a tube and caught some nice ones.   When the light got better I could see the dark spots.  Never did see a fish on them.  We just casted to dark spots.  When the rain came in it smoothed the water off making it easier to see.  Tom was at a disadvantage without polarized glasses.  It was great chatting with him hearing about his church and the things they do for the community.   I was happy to donate the winnings to his church for the Toys program.  The tackle bags will go in the box of baits I have for the Tips For Troops event on Kent lake June 11.

Thanks to Dan for all the work putting the event on.  Looking forward to next year.

[djkimmel]

Thanks for some excellent stories already! Lets hear a few more stories from more of  you, how about?

I had a great day. I just couldn't get half the fish in the boat for some reason... We had fish around us most of the day but they got off a lot. Not all of them were bass though as we caught some big white bass and sheepshead, and I think one of the better fish I lost was a walleye though I didn't get a good look at it. I even lost one nice bass on a crankbait earlier the day. We never got on the bigger bass anyway so even if we landed everything we lost we weren't going to threaten the 20 pound sacks.

21XDC is a great boat driver and fun to fish with. I hope we get to do it again sometime. I thought the after party went pretty well, and thank the weather for being kind to us. I know some people had a long drive and had to get on the road. Some of you came a long ways, getting up real early to get there so I appreciate the turnout and the patience. Thank you! And good luck the rest of the year fishing.

[Hollada]

Sorry to have missed it, but I got to see four years of tuition culminate in my son walking the stage to collect his degree from MSU in supply chain management.  Very proud of him - got it done in 4 years!

Sparty on.  Go Green.

[mikballa]

Had a great time with everyone had a great time on the water my boater kevin fishon was a super person to fish with showed me many pointers even let me use one of his rods, he is a great angler and sportsman put us on fish all day very nice boat to ride in, bbq was very nice glad to see a few people havent seen in a while Revtro, ypsi bass, and my good friend MOOOJO. Thanks Dan!! and to everyone who helped out and brought stuff. Our cook done very good with the hotdogs, thinking about hiring him for mine! First time fishing Mad Wags got second place thanks to Kevin Fishon for taking up my slack LOL.  Thanks Again!! Mike Balla.

[markgoetsch]

I had a blast today! I wish I could have contributed a little more in the way of catching fish. It was tough watching Mark G. reel in all those fish, looked like hard work.

It was nice meeting all of you and I'm looking forward to fishing with you all again!

Had a great time fishing with Jason we saw alot of st. clair but didn't catch anything near what I expected.  But have to thank Jason for his area that I caught the 4lb 14oz!

[djkimmel]

Next year the day will be more conducive to everyone catching more bass. Somehow. We'll get it done. Glad people had a good time because that's what it is about.

I think I'm going back tomorrow for a rematch because the fish won against me yesterday. Have to see if I still know how to do it. After that, with the weather they are calling for, I should have time to get the results done!

[21XDC]

Dan was not much of a net man, Oh... That's right, I didn't put us on any net worthy fish this time. 8^( 

Sorry for not doing a better job Dan... I think we both made the best of the day 8^)

I had a great time, even w/o any bass over 2 1/4 lbs.

[djkimmel]

Guess we shouldn't have thrown away those possible squeakers early either . Like how I kept hopefully asking if you needed the net. That's my eternal hope shining through... that each new fish on could be the big one to weigh!

We'll get 'em next time. It was an odd day for the Mile Roads. Happens sometimes.

[Mojo]

Had a great time with everyone had a great time on the water my boater kevin fishon was a super person to fish with showed me many pointers even let me use one of his rods, he is a great angler and sportsman put us on fish all day very nice boat to ride in, bbq was very nice glad to see a few people havent seen in a while Revtro, ypsi bass, and my good friend MOOOJO. Thanks Dan!! and to everyone who helped out and brought stuff. Our cook done very good with the hotdogs, thinking about hiring him for mine! First time fishing Mad Wags got second place thanks to Kevin Fishon for taking up my slack LOL.  Thanks Again!! Mike Balla.

So fellas, this quiet guy is dying to out on the water and learn Smallies.  if anyone EVER has a back boat open, send him a PM. you'll be doing yourself a good man deal.

[mikballa]

Thanks Mojo that was very kind words made my day!! You are a great sportsman to our sport you gave me a lot of info in the past! always willing to help, you are a great funny person to be around, life of the party!! i am glad to have met you and call you my friend!!! Thanks Again!!!  Mike.

[SteveR]

Thanks to everyone who helped organize the tournament. I had lots of fun and will do it again next year for sure.

Sorry for not hanging around any longer ... getting up at 3am after only a couple of hours of sleep made for a very long day and a long drive back home

Would be nice to see how we ranked as we didn't expect to be any good but it sounds like most people were cathing smaller fish  as well.
Are the final ranking posted anywhere?

Cheers!
Steve

[djkimmel]

Will be posted soon with at least the sheets I had turned in. I think we forgot to turn in our sheet. We only wrote down 3 keepers for around 5 pounds after throwing some small ones away early because they wouldn't help us! Whoops!