Well I'm back home finally from the long trip to Clear Lake. It was a great trip minus the trailer and truck problems that i ran in to on the way down and back. The fishing was great during pre fish a little slow for the clear this time of year but as you know the weather hasn't been the greatest on the westcoast. Had a good jig bite during prefish and a few swimbait fish but the fishing was really tuff. My pattern just seemed to die off the closer i got to the big day. Had afew fish on beds but not nothing big till tuesday 6 1/2 but that was the biggest for me the hole time. Had one fish mouth the swim but pulled it out right after she inhaled it. Most of my fish I got during the tourny came off a jig others double wide beaver with a oz and 1/2 tungsten weight and and bead. back in the sloughs. Wed. and Thurs. didn't fill my limit untill about 1/2 hr before weigh in. Friday caught them all day just couldn't get a big bite. Spent most of my day on a drop that went from 6ft to 19ft and they just kept coming up the more the wind blew. Caught probably 30 fish on that one drop in about 4hrs. just could not get one over 41/2. Got a late penalty on Friday for 1lb. which would have moved me about 10 places but thats fishin. Lesson don't run your live wells on auto for 10hrs because it will drain your battery!!!!!!!!!
     All in all I had a great time and lots of fun which is what I set out to do. Most of all I'm taking the steps to the front of the boat, and that is what I am most pleased with. Can't say I did bad because I didn't finish last and for my second time on the lake I was pleased to even get fish with how tuff it was. Just gotta keep my head up and keep fishin. As long as I'm learning I am pleased with my place. Final weight was 38-03 before late penalty for 3 days for me not bad I'll get' em next time. Delta here I come.

You are very right Chuck. I am not just a on looker anymore and that in it self is something you have to get use to. I am learning fast about all the things that come with being a boater. The person in the back is just that a person in the back, and I should not worry so much about him and his success but more about me and mine. Thats hard for me because i hated being in the back because thte guy in the front doesn't care about how you do. I just worry about that bad name you get "Back Seater". I am there for one reason and one reason only for me and that first place. I just have to make sure its fun for me to because I love doing this also and thats very important too. I love having noone to blame but me it tends to make you work harder. That way you have to come up with less reasons why you didn't do good.
  My son is doing very well. He has made a full recovery and lets just hope it stays gone. Thanks for asking.