Scott Hammer TOXIC
Well-Known Member
I was going to post this last night but my wife came in and found me asleep at the keyboard!! LOL.
Went out yesterday with "at risk" kids who were in a "bridge program". If they keep their noses clean, have perfect attendence and get good grades, they get rewarded by participating in a fishing tournament on lake Anna every year. Each child is chaperoned by a school official or teacher (or in my case, a school board member). All of the "prominent" lake guides participate, the Mid-Atlantic HawgCaller Pro-Staff (I am also in this group) as well as a group of tournament fishermen depending on how many kids make the cut. We had NITRO, Ranger, Skeeter, Triton, Gambler and Bullet boats there
I was blessed to have an 11 year old girl, LaVonnelle and a school board member (can't remember the lady's name) neither of wich had ever had a fishing pole in their hands. Ya just goot love my luck of having all of the raw luck catagories covered..women, kids, non-fishers!!
It was a pretty awsome sight with 20 boats all docked at the marina and all of us swapping lifevests and gear as the Guide/Student draw was made. We had 11 year olds that were 240lbs. and 40lbs. We loaded them all up got them in their vests and motored out to the center of the lake in front of the nuclear powerplant and every captain gave a little speech on how the lake was formed, how the plant uses the lake and nuclear power 101 (that was pretty tough for the Ranger guys but we gave them crib sheets....LOL...now I can get Rob AND Mac in the same slams!!). Then it was blast off time (limited blast off, most of these kids had never been in a boat). Everybody goes BLASTING off up lake, downlake, mid-lake and I just sit there. They are both looking at me and I wihsper shhhhhhh, my secret spot is right over here. Their eyes were as big as saucers as I idled up to the restriction buoys for the powerplant and started down the bank. The lady was asking me if the fish were irradiated and I told her they were but there weren't too many because they glowed in the water and were easy to catch at night. We got a good laugh out of that. The rule was that if I hooked a fish I could hand my rod to the student to reel in. The chaperone lost a 3+ at the boat and I thought she was going in after it!! This was only a 1/2 day tourney with weigh in and lunch at noon. We fished right up to the limit, I couldn't get them to put the rods down, once I got them casting my trusty Zebco 202 and Shakespear, LOL (I only got my ear pierced once!!). I had them all pumped up for the weigh in and I blasted into the bay of the marina at a good clip and did the sideways slide to a stop. Had everyone's attention and did the fast idle and parallel park thing between 2 Rangers, a brand spankin new 521 and a NASCAR edition, I knew the owners and watched them fill their drawers as I did it!! We got out and I started yelling "Team NITRO's here, make way, the money boat has docked"!! I was talking trash all the way to the scales doin the moonwalk and the "don't hurt em' Hammer/Can't touch this song all the while my "team" was pumpin their fists and singin along (I saw my partner Teddy and he was trying to crawl under a picnic table, he is in charge of all the Mid-Atlantic HawgCaller pro's so he was in full tourney attire and tryin to be Mr. Professional, LOL. Everyone else was in full hysterics. We were last to weigh in and guess what......WE WON!!
If I live to be 100 I don't think I will ever see a repeat of the look on that little girls face or the feelings I had when we were the last to be called up at the award ceremony and she opened her envelope to find a $50.00 bill as first prize. She broke down and cried and hugged me for 10 minutes. Let me tell you, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. There's no tellin how many Christmases, Birthdays and Holidays have passed this liitle girl by and I can guarantee you she had never held a fifty dollar bill<
Went out yesterday with "at risk" kids who were in a "bridge program". If they keep their noses clean, have perfect attendence and get good grades, they get rewarded by participating in a fishing tournament on lake Anna every year. Each child is chaperoned by a school official or teacher (or in my case, a school board member). All of the "prominent" lake guides participate, the Mid-Atlantic HawgCaller Pro-Staff (I am also in this group) as well as a group of tournament fishermen depending on how many kids make the cut. We had NITRO, Ranger, Skeeter, Triton, Gambler and Bullet boats there
I was blessed to have an 11 year old girl, LaVonnelle and a school board member (can't remember the lady's name) neither of wich had ever had a fishing pole in their hands. Ya just goot love my luck of having all of the raw luck catagories covered..women, kids, non-fishers!!
It was a pretty awsome sight with 20 boats all docked at the marina and all of us swapping lifevests and gear as the Guide/Student draw was made. We had 11 year olds that were 240lbs. and 40lbs. We loaded them all up got them in their vests and motored out to the center of the lake in front of the nuclear powerplant and every captain gave a little speech on how the lake was formed, how the plant uses the lake and nuclear power 101 (that was pretty tough for the Ranger guys but we gave them crib sheets....LOL...now I can get Rob AND Mac in the same slams!!). Then it was blast off time (limited blast off, most of these kids had never been in a boat). Everybody goes BLASTING off up lake, downlake, mid-lake and I just sit there. They are both looking at me and I wihsper shhhhhhh, my secret spot is right over here. Their eyes were as big as saucers as I idled up to the restriction buoys for the powerplant and started down the bank. The lady was asking me if the fish were irradiated and I told her they were but there weren't too many because they glowed in the water and were easy to catch at night. We got a good laugh out of that. The rule was that if I hooked a fish I could hand my rod to the student to reel in. The chaperone lost a 3+ at the boat and I thought she was going in after it!! This was only a 1/2 day tourney with weigh in and lunch at noon. We fished right up to the limit, I couldn't get them to put the rods down, once I got them casting my trusty Zebco 202 and Shakespear, LOL (I only got my ear pierced once!!). I had them all pumped up for the weigh in and I blasted into the bay of the marina at a good clip and did the sideways slide to a stop. Had everyone's attention and did the fast idle and parallel park thing between 2 Rangers, a brand spankin new 521 and a NASCAR edition, I knew the owners and watched them fill their drawers as I did it!! We got out and I started yelling "Team NITRO's here, make way, the money boat has docked"!! I was talking trash all the way to the scales doin the moonwalk and the "don't hurt em' Hammer/Can't touch this song all the while my "team" was pumpin their fists and singin along (I saw my partner Teddy and he was trying to crawl under a picnic table, he is in charge of all the Mid-Atlantic HawgCaller pro's so he was in full tourney attire and tryin to be Mr. Professional, LOL. Everyone else was in full hysterics. We were last to weigh in and guess what......WE WON!!
If I live to be 100 I don't think I will ever see a repeat of the look on that little girls face or the feelings I had when we were the last to be called up at the award ceremony and she opened her envelope to find a $50.00 bill as first prize. She broke down and cried and hugged me for 10 minutes. Let me tell you, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. There's no tellin how many Christmases, Birthdays and Holidays have passed this liitle girl by and I can guarantee you she had never held a fifty dollar bill<
