John Buck
John's Club Report
Covering The Pensacola Hawg Hunters
2005 Season

Email: John Buck

Founded In 1975

Blackwater River
Total Fish Caught 28
Total Dead Fish 0
Total Limits 2
Big Fish
4.60
Total Fish Weight 45.95 lbs

Total Year Standings
Total Fish Caught 489
Total Dead Fish15
Total Limits 51
Big Fish
8.25
Total Fish Weight 733.25 lbs
Place Name Fish Weight
1. Brian Metcalf 5 7.60
2. John Buck 5 5.45
3. Dewayne Kembro 1 4.60
4. Frank Kelly 1 4.00
5. Wayne Thomley 4 3.80
6. Tony Boyette 2 3.35
7. Rich Carnelius 2 3.30

*** Tournament Winner ***
Brian Metcalf
5 Fish - 7.60 lbs

Also Fished:
Ken Repine, Mitch Gardner,
Walter McCartney, Dan Nash,
C.J. Garrison, Jim Bailey Sr,
Dave Dyess,
Lee Brannon

Guest:

BobMickelson

Place Name Fish Weight
8. John Gasparak 1 2.95
9. Ron Fairbanks 1 2.65
10. Chris Maleno 2 2.15
11. Jere Jaillite 1 1.80
12. Jeff Weaver 1 1.75
13. Pete Potter 1 1.30
14. Rich Renner 1 1.25

PENSACOLA HAWG HUNTERS
TOURNAMENT REPORT
JULY 23, 2005


The Hawg Hunters found themselves at Carpenters Park on the Blackwater River for the July outing.
We had 12 boats with 22 members and 1 guest fishing. The
weather was HOT! Highs in the mid 90’s with the heat index pushing over 110. The water temp was 86 at 6:00 AM. Skies were clear in the morning with a few scattered clouds near noon. Water color was clear to stained depending on where you fished. The farther up river the more stained the water. In the lower areas the main river had a little color and the creeks were mostly clear.

Thank goodness our weigh in time was 2PM because I don’t know if many of us
could have stood the heat and sun any longer. As it was we had a couple of guys get sick from the heat, and they wisely left early.

Talk around the launch before blast off was about finding the one fish that lives in Blackwater and surviving the heat, and the short ride home at the end of the day. John Gasperak was my partner for the day.
He’s new to the club
but hung in there all day like a veteran. We started out on the main river just above the Hwy 90 bridge and fished some rocks where I found fish a couple of weeks earlier.
I missed a short strike on top and threw back in with a
black worm and caught a keeper.
On the next cast I caught a short. In fact I
caught fish on the next 4 casts. I only managed 1 keeper there, but hey, it was a start and I now knew that Blackwater had more than one fish in it.
We worked
the area for the next 45 minutes but couldn’t get another bite. We worked a couple of places downriver and my partner suggested that we try Pond Creek. So we ran up Pond creek almost to Hwy 90.
I started pitching a black plastic
crawfish and picked up another keeper. I gave one to my partner and we just
pitched and flipped the outside bends in the channel where there was current.
It wasn’t too long before John G. hooked up with a heavy fish. Sadly it turned out to be about a 3 lb jack fish, but at least it was some action. I managed another keeper and 2 more short fish. From Pond Creek we went to
Pelican Bayou and ran to the back and started fishing the same pattern.
I
managed another keeper and a couple of shorts, all on the black craw. The real story here however, was my partner. He pitched up near a piling and set up on a nice fish that turned out to be a 2,95 lb largemouth.
What a beauty she was!

We fished the area until we’d swept it clean and then headed back to the rocks where we caught fish earlier in the day. I was able to pick up my 5 keeper on the black craw on a small sand bar extending out from the sawgrass about 1 PM. That was it for us, but we felt really good about the day considering the conditions and where we were.

At the weigh in we found that most of the guys had caught at least one keeper again disproving the myth about the 1 fish in Blackwater. Bryan Metcalf took 1st place with 5 fish for 7.60 lbs. He anchored his creel with a 4.20 lb toad. I managed to take 2nd with my small limit weighing 5.45 lbs. 3rd place went to Dwayne Kimbrough who finished with 1 fish at 4.60 lbs. He also took the lunker honors. There were several nice fish weighed in besides Dewayne’s lunker. Frank Kelly finished 4th with a 4.00 lb tub. Ron Fairbanks ended his hot streak by finishing 9th, but hey he caught a fish! I’m glad the Connecticut Yank finally slowed down a bit. If he’d learn to eat grits he’d catch more fish! One thing that I was really proud to see was that most of the fish were alive and appeared in good shape for release. Thanks for all the extras you fishermen do in caring for your catch in the hot weather.
I thought we had an
excellent release from the tournament. Fish came on a variety of soft plastics, worms, flukes, craws, critters, etc.

Our next tournament is scheduled for August 20, out of Upper Bryants Landing on the Tensaw River. It’s hard to imagine the heat we’re having and it’s not even August yet. I certainly won’t hold my breath for heat relief in August but I can wish for it!
Please remember in the heat drink plenty of fluids. It’s
best to start drinking extra water a couple of days in advance in order to really hydrate you body for a day in the boat. Most of all use common sense and know the warning signs of heat stroke etc.



Til next time…Keep your hooks sharp!!
Creek Chub

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