FISH O MANIA

#1222

By: Eddie Trapp

What a mixture we have this week! A buffet of an article. While watching television Thursday night I was flipping around and came across England’s version of professional bass fishing. Called Fish O Mania and is Britain’s most popular fishing event. Doggonedist thing I ever saw. Instead of a huge lake and contestants scattered for miles in boats, there was a specially made, perfect circle pool about three hundred yards across. A small island was in the middle where apparently the judges rowed to in a small boat. Sixteen contestants sat evenly spaced around the pool at their spot called a “peg” as they fished for carp. Their catch was placed in a bag at the edge of the water. A contest lasts five hours with weigh in every thirty minutes so results can be placed on a leader board. Apparently the pool has been stocked with plenty of carp as action was fairly fast. Bait can be anything except live or dead fish, frogs, or artificial lures. That leaves things like dough bait, worms, and crickets. Every few minutes I was struck with something more bizarre than the previous. To attract carp to their fishing spot they are allowed to use a pole up to sixteen meters in length. A small cup fastened to the end contains a mixture of dirt, worms, and no telling what other secret ingredients. Carefully they extend the pole and cup out as far as they can then dump out the chum before casting the hook and line to the same spot. Only barbless hooks may be used. Like the advertisements on television say, “But wait, there’s more.” If the sixteen meter pole isn’t strange enough, they use slingshots, pocket rockets, or whatever you prefer to call them to shoot some kind of dog food looking pellets out to also try to lure a carp close to their hook. First prize is 25,000 pounds. The sport was started sixteen years ago and the championship is attended by about ten thousand each year.

Ivan, Scott, and Ashley Eftink just returned home to Missouri after hunting three days and we harvested four hogs. They wear what looks like regular glasses but are actually little video cameras called I-Kam Extreme, available from Cabelas and Bass Pro. Cost is about $129. There’s a chip or memory card inside and you can put your video on a CD or whatever you call those things. By using her lap top Ashley produced an excellent video of our hunt just a few minutes after we quit for the last day.

Granddaughter Baylie Findley works at the Dairy Queen in Mt. Vernon and told me of an upcoming contest. On March 24 from 7:00-7:30 p.m. there will be a hamburger eating contest. Burgers will be the double meat belt busters. Entry fee is ten dollars per person and winner takes all. Under seventeen must have parental consent.

Daughter Sheila went to the Dallas Aquarium recently and was really excited about the place. I thought she was talking about the very old one in Fair Park, but no, there is a new Dallas World Aquarium at 1801 North Griffin Street. In addition to an aquarium, there is a rainforest with birds flying everywhere, three restaurants, snakes, and many exotic species. Two of the cafes serve traditional Tex-Mex but “eighteen o one” offers items from Indonesia, British Columbia, Australia, and Fiji with, among other things, Lumpia Shanghai Springrolls, crab cakes, bacon and egg pie, jaffle of the day, and shrimp on the barbie. For more information search dwazoo.com or call 214 720 2224.

Wednesday, March 21 through Sunday, March 25 the world’s biggest hog dog contest will be in Winnfield, Louisiana with Saturday probably the main day. Wednesday’s contests are puppy bay then old and young. Thursday is round one of one dog competition and campfire cooking contest. Friday will be conclusion of one dog bay. Saturday we have two dog competition as well as attendance by the Campbell Family from American Hoggers and Pigman. Free t shirts and autographs. Sunday is youth bay and best of the best competition. Search Uncle Earl’s hog dog contest for more information. This is not a hog catching contest but a baying contest where dogs just bark at the hogs in a rodeo arena. Any dog catching a hog and holding on for five seconds is disqualified. In addition to the dogs in the contest there are hundreds for sale or trade. Vendors offer any kind of dog supplies you may need. The location is Winnfield’s city park and rodeo grounds. Running water and electricity. Camping permitted. Many stories are told while hunters sit around camp. Hundreds of pounds of crawfish are boiled and eaten. It’s really worth attending at least once.

Texting for seniors: ATD – At the doctor. BTW – Bring the wheelchair. BYOT – Bring your own teeth. CBM – Covered by Medicare. CGU – Can’t get up. CUASC – See you at senior center. FWIW – Forgot where I was. GHA – Got heartburn again. HGBM – Had good bowel movement. LMDO – Laughed my dentures out. LWO – Lawrence Welks on. OMMR – On my massage recliner. OMSG – Oh my! Sorry, gas. WAITT – Who am I talking to? WTFA – Wet the furniture again. WWNO – Walker wheels need oiling. GGLKI – Gotta go. Laxative kickin in.

Cousin Bill was bragging on his old pickup getting seventeen miles per gallon of gas. Ten on the highway and seven in town.

etra327@live.com

_____