With the dog days of summer setting in, it can be a grind to do just about anything in the heat. With no breeze to push away the humidity, you can be sweating through your shirt by 9 a.m. – and that is not the most pleasant feeling.
But there was one more official fishing event left. One more hoorah before we gear up for the new season: the Summer Shootout.
Hosted by – and exclusively for – members of the Boerne Bass Club, the Summer Shootout is an opportunity to build relationships with our families, provide a low-pressure experience on the water, enjoy some friendly competition among our kids, and spend good old-fashioned family time together. But there is a catch, pun intended. The winning team takes home custom-made championship belt buckles, and that is a serious bragging right.
This event had been hosted at Lake LBJ for the past eight years, and it was due for a change. Inks Lake State Park was chosen for its lower boat traffic, state park amenities, smaller body of water, and fantastic summer fishing reports. Boy, did it pay off.
Denise and I rented a house on the lake for the weekend to host our family and manage all the moving parts needed for the event. Between us, we pulled the team boat, our personal boat, the team trailer, two dogs, and six people. That made for a full house – and driveway.
Having the house allowed us to prepare for a successful event while also enjoying some decompressed family time together in the evenings. That usually looked like pizza dinners, sunset fishing, storytelling, and a bottle of wine or two.
Preparing for the event is serious work. Ty, Ellie’s boyfriend, prepared 86 cheeseburger patties. Ellie and Karlee, Hunter’s girlfriend, prepared the weigh-in station. Denise managed participant questions, breakfast, herding all the cats, and driving the trailer to the setup location. Together, they set up the entire site: the demo boat display, pop-up canopy, cooking station, merchandise table, weigh-in location, and more. It is no simple task, but I think we have really dialed it in, and I am incredibly grateful for their support.
At 5 a.m., my alarm sounded. I woke up instantly feeling rested. Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for a successful day on the water, and I was feeling great. Denise got up with me and made breakfast. We spent some time talking and enjoying a cup of coffee before the day took off like a tarpon.
At 6 a.m., my two young anglers arrived at the house, packed and ready to go. I had launched the boat the night before and docked it at our house, making the morning that much more relaxing. Any preparation you can do beforehand will greatly pay off on tournament day.
We walked down to the water, got loaded up, and situated ourselves. By 6:15, we were making our way across the lake to our first spot. The sun was just barely coming up, but it was bright enough to travel without concern. With such a small lake, it seemed as if the only people on the water were those competing in our tournament.
Those feelings start to set in with the cool breeze and open water – the dawn of a new day and an orange sunburst sky. Vaqueros del Agua.
This weekend, I had a young boy and girl on the boat. Both had some experience, but not enough to use a baitcasting reel yet. The night before, I prepared three spinning reels for each child: one with a topwater lure, one with a Texas rig, and one with a weightless Senko. They were simple, proven setups.
With the water conditions and temperature, I expected some action right away on the topwater. That did not happen.
We spent the first hour sticking to our morning plan with no success. It was time for a change, and we were ready for it. I knew our location was perfect, so we did not stray. I put both kids on a Texas-rigged craw, and that was the moment things changed. Our day was dialed in.
Clarissa caught a couple of good-quality keepers right away. After a few hours, we made our way across the lake and began working down a main-lake point into a cove. There was a fishing pier with about six kids, each casting lines in all directions. They watched us, and we watched them.
Parker made a cast toward the shoreline into some grass peeking about six inches out of the water.
“I got one!” Parker yelled.
I made my way to the back of the boat and grabbed the net. By this point, all the kids on the pier were watching. As I dipped the net into the water, I saw the bass coming toward us with its mouth open. This was a big fish, and she was about to jump and shake that little hook out of her bucket mouth.
Before she had a chance to throttle down and shoot out of the water, I dipped the net in and scooped her up.
“This is the biggest bass I’ve ever caught!” Parker screamed.
I lifted it into the air so all the kids on the pier could see it, gave Parker a high five, and secured it in the livewell before we made any mistakes. Then it really sank in: I had just helped this young man catch the biggest bass of his fishing career. It felt pretty satisfying.
We fished the rest of the morning, catching plenty and keeping our three biggest fish for weigh-in.
At noon, it was last cast. We stowed the rods and throttled over to the event location. As we got closer, I could see all the people gathered around. I saw my family at work and the beautiful sight of everything they had worked so hard to put together.
Denise was working like a busy little bee, multitasking. Ty was on the grill making nearly 100 cheeseburgers. Karlee and Ellie were at the most adorable little weigh-in station, getting a first look at the fish coming in. Hunter coasted up next to me after doing some fishing of his own, now back to help out.
That is a pretty special feeling.
We beached the boat in the sand and jumped ashore. It is rewarding to watch the kids dip their hands into the livewell and pull out the prize bass they worked so hard to catch. Everyone gathered around to watch the kids pull up and see what they had caught. One by one, each boat disembarked its crew.
This weekend was exceptional for bass fishing and produced the healthiest, largest bass count of any Summer Shootout tournament we have ever hosted. It was such a confidence booster for the young anglers and helped motivate them to press on and keep pushing until the very end.
Looking back on the weekend, I have a few takeaways.
One: If you do things for the right reasons, you – and the work you do – will be blessed. Keep what it is about, what it is about: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. When you stray – and we all do – you will know it in your heart. Listen to it.
Two: Be a leader. The world is full of people looking for someone to step up. Be that someone. Find out what is important to you and work on it. Build something worthy of respect from your family and community.
I want to close this article with my gratitude. I am incredibly thankful for the full support of my wife, Denise, and my children, Hunter and Elizabeth. Over the years, my passions and hobbies have been somewhat consuming at times. Thank you, and I love you.
Without the support and generosity of so many Boerne citizens, we would not have these opportunities for kids. I commend every person and business that has helped us along the way.
To the parents: Thank you for stepping outside the box of normal extracurricular activities and giving us a chance to share the passion of the outdoors with your children.
If you have a child interested in the club, or if you have a boat and are interested in being a volunteer boat captain, please reach out to us. We are hosting a membership and informational meeting Tuesday, August 11, at 6 p.m. at Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. Everyone is welcome.
Cheers!
Jed Mazour has written for The Kendall Gentleman’s Outdoors section before in The Boerne Bass Club: The Tug Is the Drug and Passion and Christ. For more from this issue, read Renita Reavis’s Back to School – Whiskey Style.
