Life's Funny That Way

Butterflies and Big Bass

The last thing I got butterflies-in-the-stomach excited about....

It was last fall.  I had made my first Championship tournament in a bass fishing series that I only fished for one year - and one tournament the year before, but I could hardly count that.  We made the Championship.  That meant we would spend three days and two nights in a town about two hours away from home.  We left the pups in good company.  I knew they would be fine... but as a "parent" of fur-kids, you always worry.  I knew one of the three probably wouldn't eat the whole time we were gone, but I resigned myself to the fact that this would be his own fault (the puppy-sitter spent WAY longer than anyone could ask to get him to eat a few crunchies at every meal, bless her heart).

I was fishing a body of water that I knew nothing about - nothing other than the fact that it was very long and very narrow.... well, that and the fact that some boats had been almost swamped by other, faster boats shortly after take off during the qualifier tournament on that lake.  Now, in a tournament bass fisherman's life, this isn't really a bad thing... it is almost to be expected to an extent.  Best laid plans try to ensure that does not happen.  But, let's be truthful - it just does.

Now, let me say a little more about myself versus the "average tournament angler" (if there is such a thing).  First of all, I cannot swim.  I don't float, which poses a problem in the area of swimming in general.  I wear an inflatable life jacket at all times when I am on the water.  If I hit the water, it blows up almost like a car airbag going off.  They are pretty sweet, really, but I don't want to see mine in action, to be honest.  Another difference between myself and the "average tournament angler" is that I have absolutely no desire to go over 45 mph in a boat... especially at take off when the water looks like the old Frog In a Blender game and boats are bouncing around in and out of the water (it all looks terrifying, but I think it looks worse than it is).  Most bass boats will go over 60 mph, and many around 70... or more.  At any rate, I am not a big fan of that.  I understand that sometimes you need to be the first to the spot to capitalize on the fish that will allow you to cash a check in any given event.  I totally get that.  It also makes me a bit sick to my stomach to think of it.

At this point you are probably wondering why I tournament fish at all.  Well... because I really enjoy the rest of it.  I don't like going fast in the boat, but I love figuring our the puzzle.  I hate take offs, but I love coming in and talking to other anglers about the day.  It's strange that a geek-o-saur-us like me would pick tournament bass fishing as a hobby/sideline.  But I did.  And that brought me to this day.

I'm a couple hours away from home, fishing with my hubby but against a bunch of guys that I don't really even know - I just know they will do what they have to in order to win, even if that means flying by us in a narrow part of the river (which is okay, but still makes me nervous).  I don't get to sleep in my own bed, and there is a lot of hype about the tournament going on.  The rules are read and anglers are joking and laughing.... and I have butterflies in my stomach that will not quit.  I try to sleep that night - to no avail.  Thankfully I was up early enough and sleep-deprived enough from a long work week that I finally drifted off, much later than I should have.

In all, we did not fair that well in the tournament, but the good news is:  Everyone was really cool; there was a 3-hour fog delay on Day 2, and I got to know a lot of the people better that I will fish against again this year; the flowage was not as bad or dangerous as I had made it out in my head; and I did not have to test my life jacket!  Yay!  In the end, I realized that the butterflies were as much about the things I couldn't control as they were about the things I could:  my ability to catch fish and to be recognized by these bunch of guys as "one of the crowd" rather than the one girl fishing with her husband in the series.

It was a great experience, and I know it has made me not only a better angler, but also much more prepared to take on the same challenge again this year.