"The Road to the Championship" blog 1

Championships...recently we were treated to a couple of the greatest championship games on the planet. The Superbowl and the NCAA College Football Championship, unfortunately my teams didn't even get a sniff at the chance to contend for it but I enjoyed watching both of the games. I love watching the intensity and heart that a player puts out during "the big game". I've always thought that if I was faced with competing for a championship that I'd put forth the same effort.

    In my 46 yrs on earth, I've only played in two Championships... The 1978 " Santa Bowl" where the Pepperell Dragons Mite football team (my team) won and the 1991 "Buchel Bowl", a flag football championship where we lost in the final seconds. I don't really remember how it felt to win that big game but I do remember explicitly the pain felt with the loss. I personally know people that have won state championships in wrestling, football, baseball and even two friends that have NCAA Football National Championship rings but I've not been blessed with the opportunity to compete on the really big stage...until now. The Kayak Bass Fishing National Championship...on March 19 and 20th 2016 almost 400...yes 400 Kayak anglers will go at it on Tennessee's legendary Kentucky Lake to see who is the best that there is. For us that eat, breath and live kayak fishing this is the ultimate championship...this is our Superbowl.

    As I stated before, I don't have a lot of experience in preparing for championships but I do have a plan...have you ever seen the movie "Dodge Ball"? There is a scene where the underdog dodge ball team meets their new coach, Patches O'Houlihan. Patches is a salty old dude that's bound to a wheel chair. Shortly after meeting the team he decides to run a drill where he pulls some wrenches out of a bag and starts throwing them at members of the team...when asked why he was throwing wrenches he says, " If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." It makes perfect sense to me...until the week of the tournament when I will be on Kentucky lake for practice, I will fish no matter what the weather is or how I feel and I will fish in lakes that are known to be hard lakes to fish like Lake Allatoona (aka: the Dead Sea)...if you can consistently catch Bass in the "Dead Sea" I believe you can probably do it anywhere.



With this blog series I am inviting you along with me on my journey to the greatest game I've ever played in. The next month and a half will hopefully be entertaining and I'm sure a little adventurous. So tag along and win or lose I'm going to give it all that I have. It's game time folks and I'm all in. Peace and thank god for little plastic boats!


Note: I ask if you would please leave in the comments where you're from and any other information you'd like to share...anything from criticism to a secret bait for Kentucky lake or where some schools of GIANT largemouth may be lurking in the lake.
                            Thanks, Jim

http://jacksonkayak.com/communities/kayak-fishing-community/

   http://www.kayakfishinggear.com/

https://bendingbranches.com/

The Big Rig's "B" Side

At any given time of day there is a good chance that one of two things are going on inside my head. There's a good song playing or I'm scheming for my next kayak fishing trip.

 I'm always listening to music and its been that way since I was a young boy. I grew up in the mid 70's - early 80's and the highlight of the week was going to the record store at the mall with my $5 allowance. I'd buy a new single record from my favorite band and then hit the arcade for a few games of Pac Man. A single was a record with two songs. It had an "A" side and a "B" side. The "A" side was always the feature song and the most popular. The "B" side was normally a forgettable song but every so often there was a hidden gem on that "B" side. I remember buying The Police's "Every Breath You Take" single and the "B" side had a song called "Murder by Numbers" which is still one of my favorite Police songs.

   Now that I'm much older and in the age of music downloads the "B" side is a forgotten term and I no longer save money for records, now I save to buy kayak fishing equipment. Last year I purchased a brand new Jackson Big Rig kayak from my local Jackson dealer, Cohutta Fishing Company. They had the urban camo edition standing on its end just inside the front door and I was impressed. The boat came from the factory completely rigged and ready to fish. They laid her down on the floor and asked me to try the seat. It was the most comfortable kayak seat I'd ever sat in. I knew it would be stable due to the width, the side fishing rod troughs were perfect for the type of fishing I do because I tend to get in some brushy areas. The storage capacity and weight limit would more than suit my needs for multi day float trips, the leaning rail really excited me because I could picture slowly drifting the grass flats of St.Joe's Bay in the Florida panhandle for schools of redfish. This boat's "A" side was exactly what I was looking for. I went home and tried to do some research on this newly released boat and found some very good reviews. They all talked about the stability, deck rigging, seat and the ability to stand while fishing which were the same features I'd been told about at the dealer. I decided to buy what seemed to be the perfect boat for me. I stopped at a public lake on the way home and paddled my new Big Rig for the first time and I loved it.

   My passion is river fishing and my first trip was to my favorite North Georgia tailrace river for a true boat test and hopefully a trout or two. On this river is where I discovered my boats dynamic "B"side. The Big Rig has a very shallow draft and allowed me to float through areas that my last boat wouldn't. I expected some added resistance in the river current due to the boat's size but it actually turned and maneuvered very well allowing me to duck into pocket eddies along the river. When I came to a favorite section of river that is slower and deeper I stood up. As I stood there drifting in the standing position I realized that for me, this is the perfect river boat. That higher point of view offered me the ability to see underwater structure, eddies, current breaks and even fish from a distance that allowed me to cast before the fish were aware I was around. On that trip I landed my largest brown trout ever, a 24 inch 5 pound female beauty.

   Since that first float trip I've owned my Big Rig for 14 months. I've had it on the water over 175 times, its been on 7 different rivers ranging from the mountain tailrace I mentioned above to a blackwater river in North Florida.  This boat is by no means a "whitewater" kayak but I've ran some decent class 2 plus rapids in it. I've had it loaded down with enough equipment for a 3 day float trip plus my fishing gear and the boats performance was only slightly affected. Best of all, I stand for hours on end fishing. I can cast and set the hook without feeling unbalanced and I can stand and sit with ease. It is literally like having a bass boat on my favorite trout river. The Big Rig has added a whole new dimension to my river fishing that I didn't expect. I've caught more fish and I'm a better fisherman because of it.

   I don't know if Jackson had planned on the Big Rig being such a diverse fishing platform but this unknown side of my boat is the most exciting feature I've found. It is an outstanding kayak for all types of water and fishing applications and if you're in the market for a new kayak this boat should definitely be on your list to try. Her "A" side is a huge hit but the "B" side rocks too.

Jackson Kayak blog: Riverbassin Cartersville re-cap

http://jacksonkayak.com/blog/2015/12/27/cartersville-riverbassin-team-rivergoat/

Jackson kayak blog: peace of mind

This article was posted on the jackson kayak site on christmas eve...Merry Christmas to me.
http://jacksonkayak.com/blog/2015/12/25/finding-peace-mind-home-water/

Haley's letter

On Thanksgiving morning I'll take my daughter to catch a flight to Big Sky ski resort in Montana. She's accepted a job that will last until April...


Leaving home and everything that is comfortable is hard, it'll be the hardest thing youll probably ever do. You won't have me to point out the briar patches or the thick mud like I did on our fishing and camping adventures. This is all you and I'm confident that you'll be fine. This may a bit cliché but its in your blood...you can groom this urge for further adventure or put it on a shelf.

Fear will tell you to quit. Don't listen. Be hard headed and prove to yourself just how tough you are.

You are going to change but it will be good change...some people call it a soul search...this is a time that you realize just how strong you are, when you understand things that you've been clueless about in the past. You'll realize how smart you are and just how ignorant you've been. It's OK, learn from it...this will only make a better "you".

You'll realize that what scared you in the past was silly and that the real fear is not living...you have a ticket to live large, to see beauty that others only see in books. Take it all in and thank god for the opportunity and courage to go on this adventure.

This is the time in your life that you go with the flow... you'll see that Rome Georgia...as awesome as it is has its faults...Have an open mind and embrace what every single person you meet brings into your life, whether it's positive or negative, tuck those observations back in your mind because 20 years from now what information you gathered will be nuggets of wisdom. It will make life much easier down the road.

Never turn down a chance to see the country side...especially with a local. It could be a river, a ski run or a restaurant. Go check it out. They don't call it Big Sky country for nothing.

Don't worry about home...I've got this. It'll be here when you return.

If you need anything... Call me. I have been exactly where your mind is right now. I've felt the same fears and anxiety that you'll feel. I've also skied down an 10,000 foot mountain, dove in to local culture and had the time of my life. It changed me too...

So, these tears that you may see flowing down my face on Thursday may alarm you...don't let them. Not one of them will be sad tears...they're simply tears of pride and happiness. You see, I see some of me in you. I want you, my daughter, my teammate to live life like its an ongoing adventure.

Make friends...

Work hard...

Play harder...

This is all you...kick some ass.
I love you

"My First Ultimate Adventure "

    My friend Bill Clifton's mom, very bluntly said, "you're 19, school or the service."

Those words hit home...not what I wanted to hear but definitely something I needed.
I had never folded, ironed or washed clothes, hell, I'd only shaved a couple of times but I went to see the recruiter and I chose the United States Air Force Security Police.

On 28 November 1988 I flew to San Antonio Tx for basic training...I was green, scared and the prototypical Mamma's boy. After 14 weeks in San Antonio and  4 weeks of training at Fort Dix NJ I emerged a changed man and could iron the hell out of some clothes and could put a sweet shine on a pair of jungle boots.

My first duty station was Carswell AFB (aka...CarsHELL) in Fort Worth Tx. The duty was less than desired but I have some great memories and made some great friends...Joeseph G. Schmauss III, Ali Turon, Andreas Liss, Bob DeLeon were some of the best people I'd ever met.

Word got around our dormitory that a pile of orders were at headquarters and they thought I was going to Turkey...oh hell naw! I had requested Germany, Guam, the Azore's, Italy and Japan...something had to be wrong but then again I hadn't requested Fort Worth Texas in the previous "dream sheet" either.

When I arrived at headquarters I found that I indeed had orders but to my surprise, they were orders to an fairly unknown base in Germany....Buchel Air Base.

 Buchel was actually a German Base known as Fliegerhorst Buchel with a small US detachment of about 100 Americans. It was on top of a mountain surrounded by agriculture fields, farms and small villages. In the valley below was the Mosel River and wine country. It was some of the most beautiful country I'd ever seen with it's castles, vineyards and cobblestone streets.

I left a sunny 70 degree Atlanta day knowing  that this leg of my military service was the adventure that I had sought. I landed 12 hours later in a rainy cold Frankfurt Germany and was met at by fellow airmen Dave Torok and Mike Fluck at my gate. I remember thinking on the ride to Buchel, "Hoss, I'm a long long way from home." While that was true, everybody else was a long way from home too.  I made friends with David Towler, Dan Smith,  Eric Nollman, Don "Ski" Swiatkowski, Paul Flaherty, Dave Mapus, Jeff Richardson, Bill Haldeman, Wolf Shiedel, John Cunningham, Cephus Sturdivant and Greg Murphy (RIP)...we were all in the same boat. We partied hard, worked hard and played hard. We won best USAF small unit and in our off time went to numerous wine fests and skied in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

While I'm much different now than I was then, those 4 short years were the single most educational, mind opening piece of my life. It was a pleasure to serve and a blessing to have served with the quality of men that I did.

"We All Need a Playground "

Every kid needs a playground...playgrounds come in different flavors. You've got your usual ones with it's swing sets and slides, others have baseball fields and basketball courts and some are simply just a patch of woods.

As a kid I was bored on a traditional playground and the only thing interesting was when I'd take the flexible rubber seat of the swing and wrap it around my head, lean back until the chains were taught and press the seat tightly to my ears. When I did that it made almost the same sound as the scuba gear that Jacques Cousteau used in his underwater shows. I would listen to that sound and imagine I was one of the crew of the Calypso swimming alongside Cousteau looking for lost treasure or studying a distant coral reef. I'm sure if an adult would've noticed they'd wondered what the heck I was doing but a bored kid with a vivid imagination can have fun anywhere. Also, if you don't believe me about that sound give it a try next time you're at a playground... Just be sure to wipe it down with that antibacterial stuff because obviously there are some nasty germs floating around now that weren't here in the 70's.

Sports, I didn't like playing sports all that much...I hated losing (still do), I'm not a great team player and I was a chubby kid so the playground with the basketball courts weren't my idea of a barrel of fun. I did play a few seasons of football and in a youth church basketball league where I got ejected a couple of times for "profanity", it just wasn't my game.

The playground I enjoyed was a swamp located across the road from my house that we called " the ponds" and the entire length of Silver Creek. I could explore, build traps, hunt, fish and put my imagination to work. I noticed what birds were in and out of the area with the seasons, I'd then look them up in my Audubon bird book, a favorite was the Cedar Waxwing. I noticed how the fish I caught out of the tanic water at "the ponds" were almost black and differed from the brightly colored fish I caught in Silver creek. I noticed, observed and actually went home or to the library at school to research what I'd seen.

(*note*I do realize you can't hunt or trap on city property*)

Now days a kid doesn't have wild places to roam, everything is private and unless the kid is privileged enough to have parents or family members that own property then they're out of luck. I have no idea what I would've done if I didn't have land to roam on but I am thankful that I did. I didn't turn out perfect, I've had low points just like others but I do like who I am. I still have that same imagination and spirit that those woods I roamed help propagate.

That is why Burwell Creek Wetlands is so important to our community. In my opinion, if one kid gets a spark of imagination from seeing seasonal birds, frogs, odd plants or neat animals then it is worth saving. The truth is...it's not gonna be one kid but many kids and adults that will benefit from this place being kept a park area. Can you imagine walking a board walk over a working beaver swamp, seeing great blue herons and their little cousins the green heron stalking minnows, wood ducks, mallards, maybe even a mink; if you are quiet, you may see a whitetail doe and her fawn ease out of the privet and cross the trail front of you...this isn't my overactive imagination at work, this is one hundred percent possible.

This place is owned by the taxpayers and citizens of Rome, it's sitting there right across the street from Starbucks for heaven's sake. It's ours and ALL of the incumbent Commisioners on the ballot don't give a rip, literally. All that has to happen for this to be reality is ...

if you are a Rome city resident

1. Vote the incumbents out, to do this only cast your votes for the newcomers. *All three of the newcomers are for nixing the sale of Burwell Creek Wetlands to Ledbetter Properties and keeping it as public green space. That's it!

2. Spread the word that this is an important city election...a lot of citizens aren't interested in a boardwalk over a swamp, others aren't gonna go walk on our public trail system BUT I guarantee you that most city residents could care less about a "luxury" apartment complex or another cookie cutter "strip" mall. This may seem like small beans but it's actually huge in the sense of keeping Rome on its progressive path to a more beautiful and family friendly city for future generations.

3. If you are not a resident but like our neat little town, come to the First Friday concerts, chili cook off, walk our trails, fish our rivers, simply love nature and I might add because of it's relevance in this situation... Dislike "the man".  Please, share anything you see about saving Burwell Creek Wetlands. Talk to your city resident friends about this situation, be vocal and help us to defeat this ill conceived plan. Help us to do the right thing.

Sometime this month, when you pull out of the drive thru at Starbucks with your delicious lattè or venti dark roast with 12 cubes of ice (my drink). Pull over at the " lane to nowhere" on the right side of Riverside Parkway at the bridge over that little Creek, yes, that's Burwell Creek, step up on the sidewalk and find you a clear view down into that beautiful beaver swamp. Try to conjure up that imagination from your childhood and envision the trails, a boardwalk leading to an outdoor classroom sitting on stilts. I bet you would've loved a field trip to a place like that when you were in the fourth grade...lets make it happen, we've only got a few weeks!

                                                  Peace, Jim Ware