Confidence a very important part of successful fishing

If you are like me, it's hard to remember just how long it's been since you started fishing. It's not an age thing, it's more like selective recall.

I suppose it would be easier just to reflect on an incident at an early age. At least then I wouldn't have to count the years and readers wouldn't think of me as some sort of ancient mariner. Do you remember when hard-sided lunch boxes were the latest thing for school kids? Let's just say I used to pack my weekend fishing lunch with Roy Rogers.

My choice of fishing was a small stream in Clarksville, Tenn., which ran off of a larger lake known as Lake Taal. It was heaven for a kid my age. On occasion, I was joined by others. The group consisted of all the regulars, not foreign to any group you may find today. There was the know-it-all, the one-upper, the momma's boy, the rich kid, one or two daredevils and the always-present bully.

I had an advantage, as my place in the group was the peacekeeper. Like most boys our age, if left alone for any extended period of time, mischief soon found us. And so whenever we found ourselves with too much time on our hands, little funds and no transportation, we headed for the woods and waters.

Those were lean years, and I say that in both a physical and material sense (although the prior has changed, the latter remains the same).

Getting back to the story: With the exception of the rich kid, most of our gear was either borrowed, handed-down or homemade. But we made the best of every situation, and quite frankly, I don't recall many incidents where we didn't take our share of the bounty. Being the peacekeeper, I spent a good bit of my time convincing the rich kid to tune it down, to leave the glitter at home and opt for a cane pole like the rest of us.

Warfare usually centered around who caught the most or the largest and was reasonably settled with a game of mumbly peg, an old game of skill almost all boys played anywhere there was a patch of soft turf. Traditionally, one used a jack knife. The test was to see who could stick the knife in the ground by dropping it from different parts of their body, starting with each individual finger and progressing to the top of the head.

There was a certain degree of danger, especially when the loser of a round was on the receiving end of a toss which then dictated where his feet would be placed for the next round.

I seldom lost the game, which is how I came to be the peacekeeper. I suppose it came with a degree of luck, but truth be known, there was more to it. I was too young to grasp any formula relating to gravitational pull versus weight and drop angle. Physics would have been wasted on me at the time -- I hated math.A good quality Barlow knife and hours of practice is how I kept the title, and with it came a good degree of confidence.

The same degree of confidence kept me in the winner's circle when the day's tally of fish was measured and counted, a trait that has carried over to my latter years. I remember once during an interview, bass fishing legend Bill Dance was questioned about his fishing success.

Now this was long before he became famous and had his own show on television. It was about the time Ray Scott, the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsmens Society, launched the tournament trail. Dance had been successful in a number of tournaments and was beginning to make a name for himself.

When questioned about his skill, he said, "The name of the game is confidence. If you have a degree of confidence in your fishing tackle, the lure you are using and your fishing ability, you will increase your catch rate. The end result will bespending more time fishing to keep that edge."

The final question during the interview was which lure Bill preferred.

"There is really only one lure and that is a worm, and any color will work as long as it is blue."

This is confidence, and look where he is today.

As for me, well, I continue to fish and I get to write about it, which is something I enjoy. I don't play mumbly peg anymore, but on occasion, I am still called upon to be the peacekeeper. Today it is less a matter of settling disputes about one's fishing ability. It's more on the slant of who comes up with the best excuse, what excuse we all agree on and who gets to tell the wives why we are late. I suppose there is also a certain amount of confidence in this respect.

The Tide Is Right

The eighth semi-annual Sea Island Fly Fishers fishing tournament will take place Oct. 17-23.

The tournament, known as Friday and the Tide is Right, promotes the sport of fly fishing in the greater Beaufort County area.The event is tailor-made for beginning fly fishers. They will be put in a boat with an experienced captain who will help introduce them to the sport. There is no tournament fee, it's open to all and you don't need to bring your own equipment.

A $100 gift certificate will be awarded to the winner, determined by total spots on redfish caught on fly and released alive. The winner also will have their name engraved on a trophy.

The tournament has grown in popularity each year with numbers of boats and non-boaters growing steadily. Last April's event saw our first female winner, a novice who caught more fish and scored more points than any previous winner.

Beginning in 2008, the tournament format was changed to allow fishing on any single day within a one week window.This allows the captain to select the best day to fish. The dates for the event were selected to allow a shot at both low and high tide patterns. High tide success has been very good for some club members lately and we are anxious to see how some wading will affect the tournament results. An awards dinner will be held for all hands on Oct. 23.

Sign-up sheets are available at Bay Street Outfitters. For more information, contact Jack Baggette at 843-522-8911 or 843-441-4023.

Historical marker dedication set

A dedication ceremony for the Bache Marker, the southern point of the oldest intact survey line on the eastern seaboard, will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Environmental Learning Center at Edisto Beach State Park.

The Bache Marker has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The dedication will feature speakers, information on the remarkable mapping feat and refreshments.

For more information, call (843) 869-4430 or e-mail agrabman@scprt.com.

Under the direction of Professor Alexander D. Bache, the superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey and great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, the eastern seaboard was first accurately mapped in the 1840s.

An accurate mapping of the coast was critical to navigational charts to help prevent shipwrecks. The mapping of the coast was a time-consuming effort that involved identifying points and cutting a straight swath through forests between the points.

Bache developed a measuring device called the "bar of invariable length," allowing mapping to take place despite temperature changes. The device eliminated the long-standing source of mapping inaccuracies in instruments of the time.

Watch out for deer while driving

Motorists throughout the state need to be constantly aware of roaming white-tailed deer, according to the state's chief deer biologist. Despite a persistent rumor, neither the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources or any other state agency will compensate motorists for injuries or damages resulting from deer collisions. Besides practicing safe and defensive driving techniques, each motorist should carry adequate collision and comprehensive insurance.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety reported 1,921 deer-vehicle collisions in 2008, one of the lowest numbers since the 1980s. However, this decline may have more to do with lack of reporting for minor damages than with an actual reduction in collisions. Although deer-vehicle collisions are an issue in South Carolina, the state is in a much better position than most states, particularly states in the Northeast and upper Midwest. Many states have 30,000-50,000 deer-vehicle collisions annually.

State Wildlife Fisheries Group to meet

The Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Advisory Committee to the South Carolina Natural Resources Board will meet 10 a.m. Tuesday in the H. Cooper Black Recreation Area located in Cheraw. The meeting is open to the public.

Anyone with business for the advisory committee or that needs directions to the meeting location should contact Susan Johnson at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources at 803-734-3889.

Tackle Tip

A few weeks ago, I prepared a venison meal. I have been asked my secret for tenderizing the meat and removing the game taste. It's not so much a secret as it is a method handed down from the old school -- buttermilk.

I have always marinated my venison in buttermilk. The milk has an enzyme that tenderizes and removesthe taste of almost any wild game meat. Afterwards, I wash the meat thoroughly and will cook it or depending on the meat, re-marinate it in my favorite seasonings. Those seasonings will remain a secret.