Boys Camp, Big Bass, and Stomach Flu?

Every year during high school boys camp I push the extreme limits of my ever aging body. Even with growing just a bit more padding every year to protect my bones, muscles, and joints I still come out of the boys camp weekend barely able to move.


Boys camp weekend consists of bringing together about 120 high school boys from our churches across the midwest and about 75 counselors and helpers to make sure things run smooth. On friday we played football, basketball, soccer, dodge ball, ultimate frisbee, some other extreme games and of course had the 2x4 throwing competition. To just come out and say it bluntly holding nothing back, I actually am the 4 time reigning 2x4 throwing champion. This year I threw the 8 foot chunck of wood a whopping 76 feet! Probably my combination of brute strength and all my years cutting and nailing 2x4's is the key to my success there. I have to admit I was a little worried going into this years competition and even at one point had determined not to enter just to avoid losing. You see I am getting a bit soft and realize that with each hour sitting in a boat or behind a computer I just simply am not as good as I once was at physical activity.






One thing I found out this weekend though is that I am still as good once as I ever was. That country music song by whoever sings it just kind of became my theme for the weekend as I was dodging dodge balls and getting tackled in 2 hand touch football. Let me just say that by the time Sunday morning rolled around I could barely move. Simple activities like scratching, itching, and eating would just cause all sorts of pain in places I didnt know pain existed. I think I pretty much was so wore down that I actually couldnt fight off the stomach flu or some sort of food poisoning or something that now has my stomach all tied up in knots. I also have a fever that comes and goes and makes me freezing cold and then sweating hot.






I havent been able to eat real food since gorging on all kinds of fathers day meat and desserts sunday evening and actually had to wear a coat just to stay warm as I attempted to work this morning. Basically I still feel like I got hit by a train and then fed poison and then kicked in the head after being punched in the stomach.






I have yet again vowed the same vow as usual. Next year I will be in shape for boys camp.






So moving on, the week leading up to boys camp I spent traveling all over the place helping people learn about their lakes and ponds and fish. I remember being in Decatur, Congreville, Canton, Fairview, and East Peoria. Justin and Allen were in Princeton, Tiskilawa or something like that, Chillicothee, Tremont, East Peoria, Canton, Metemora and Congreville. Basically we spent like $600 in truck fuel just last week alone.






We do have some fish pictures from last week that are kind of cool. I am still waiting for a big bass pic to be emailed over from my client from our electrofishing survey near Fairview. She was a PIG! (the bass, not the client)

Also was sent these pics from a lake I have been working on outside of Princeville for a couple years. I cant really take credit for growing these big bass, cause the lake is just a big fish producing machine, but can take credit for helping sustain the fishery a few years down the road. I expect good things (and more big fish) from these lakes.






I think I would rather fish with Tony than with Chris. On a trip with Chris it looks like I would have to just keep taking pictures the whole time. With Tony I can handle just snapping an occasional pic. Whats the deal Tony, 5 to1?????

Over time these lakes will overproduce and the average size fish will actually go down, not up. They are managing one of the lakes for Huge bass and one of them for Huge bluegill. The plan is fairly simple, it is to move all the small bass out of the trophy bass lake and into the trophy bluegill lake. Then move all the small bluegill out of the trophy bluegill lake and into the trophy bass lake. I like to keep trophy bass lakes overcrowded with small bluegill and trophy bluegill lakes overcrowded with small bass. Doesnt make sense to most people and isnt really natural balanced, but quite frankly it works.

On Sunday Justin took out his grandpa fishing for just a few minutes. It was hot, the lake was still stirred up pretty good from boys camp on saturday and a whole slew of people on sunday, but they managed to catch a couple real nice fish. With just a couple casts from our VIP dock they were able to get a nice hybrid striped bass and a nice golden trout for dinner. We named the dock the VIP dock, because the only people allowed to ever fish from the dock are quite frankly VIP. Justin's grandpa by marriage, a life long fisherman, but first timer out to Norris definitely qualifies as a VIP. Here are a couple pics to remember forever:



Here is a video of boys camp:

(Judy, the music is a bit too loud on the video and way too old fashioned for high school boys, and the video is a bit too long to keep my attention) Remember this is for boys camp, not grandma camp. A four to five minute boys camp video with a bit of funny and lots of action would be much easier to watch than a 9 minute video.

I do apologize if I am a little harsh in this post. I havent eaten in exactly 24 hours and am just a tad bit cranky at the moment. You can count on one hand the number of meals I have missed over the last 10 years, and in general after about 6 hours of not eating typically tends to be my crankiest time of life. Not my usual chipper self. I am actually going to eat dinner tonight just for old times sake and quite frankly I dont care which end it comes out or how fast it comes back out. I need to EAT!