To make it to the top of the ranks in the bass fishing world, it takes starting at the local level with the home town bass clubs.

The Picayune bass club has filled this need for 33 years in this area and recently held its spring out of town tournament on Lake Bruin in St. Joseph, Louisiana.

Tournaments are held monthly, with two tournaments a year being fished out of town, so to speak.

Most regular tournaments are held at close locations like Bayou Lacombe or one of the Pearl River locations.

his out of town Louisiana rendezvous paid off big time for the team of John Walker and Gerri Grubbs.

John and Gerri made the trip with a game plan in mind and stuck to it to come out on top big time.

The spring weather warming the water began the fish bedding and the duo made good on this action.

There were 23 anglers that made the trip and at the top of the leader board was John Walker and Gerri Grubbs with a total boat weight of 34.93 pounds.

This was an impressive limit of fish with an anchor fish of the creel weighing 4.87lbs.

This lunker bass not only put the team on top of the leader board, but also gave John Walker the Big Fish honors.

The team of Billy Cooper and James Buie took the second place spot with a limit weighing in at 32.72 pounds.

After three tournaments fished, the top six anglers are Dwight Bond holding on to first place, Brannon Clymer second, Billy Cooper in third, Daryl Alford in fourth, Leroy Kellar in fifth and Bob StAmand in sixth.

If you would like to join these anglers and try your hand at competitive bass fishing and be amember of the Picayune Bass Club, call Steve Adams or Dwight Bond at 601-798-5101

Local hunters to be aired on Outdoor Channel

Many of you have heard me preach about one of my favorite organizations and the impact it has had on my life. The Wheelin’ Sportsman organization, operated through the National Wild Turkey Federation, ranks in the top two along with the Catch-A-Dream foundation. This past deer season, local hunter Lane Balch and his father were able to make the trip to Pearl Mississippi and be a pert of the Ultimate Celebrity Team Up Hunt hosted by Bass Pro Shops. The hunt was a huge success with Lane and his father Donald being paired up with Mike Pawlawski, former quarterback with the Tampa Bay Bucaneers and current host of the outdoor show “Fall Flight”.

The show with the Balch boys is scheduled to air this coming Thursday at 5:30, 8:30 and 11:30pm on the Outdoor Channel. I hope that many of you will tune in and see the impact that the hunt had on the lives of these young folks. the Wheelin’ Sportsman program is creating outdoor enthusiast through this program and changing family lives by giving the chance for parents and children to get in the woods together and experience the thrill of the outdoors and hunting.

To bring you up to speed on the Balch boys since the hunt. Lane and Donald were invited back to Jackson to hunt, and Lane and Donald both were able to take a deer and now both are waiting on next deer season. Lane and Donald have had the opportunity to attend National Wild Turkey Federation Banquets and share their story of how much the Wheelin’ Sportsman program means to them. Be sure to tune in and hopefully you too will become hooked on Wheelin’ Sportsmen.

Family, friends

and the outdoors

I would be sorely amiss if I did not mention that I was proud of my niece Rindi Wallace for showing that the girls can catch big fish too. Rindi was fishing with Bretin Hariel in a family pond, when she hooked up with a lunker. The bass weighed in at 5lbs and was the first big bass she had ever caught and made the Wallace record books. Way to go Rindi, UDAGIRL.

It is great to see young folks getting the thrill of catching big fish and hunting wild turkeys or deer. I have to wrap it this week because it is 6am on Saturday morning and Colby and I are getting ready to go listen for a turkey, inspite of the cold front that blew in last night. be sure to get your young person outdoors and let them see the wonder of spring blooming out from the cold of winter. and as always, get outdoors and enjoy what God has given us.