Tournament bass fishermen (of which I am one) sometimes get a bad rap from non-tournament anglers for various reasons, some of which may be justified and others of which may not.
I’ll be the first to admit that with any group of people, whether tournament anglers or pleasure boaters, one bad apple can leave a bad taste in the mouth of whoever was subjected to whatever it was they were subjected to. I’m readily willing to express my objections when I see what I believe to be damaging to the resource or reflecting negatively on the sport of bass fishing, tournament angling or otherwise. With this being said, I believe that the vast majority of tournament bass fishermen are good, honest sportsmen who care about stewardship towards the fish, the sport itself and towards helping others. There are untold numbers of bass tournament held across the country every year that raise money for charitable causes.
This past month one such tournament was held here in southeastern North Carolina at Sutton Lake. Team Bassmasters, a local Wilmington area club, held their annual Toys for Tots tournament on November 16 with 30 teams participating. Each team member is required to bring a new unwrapped toy to be donated to needy families in the area to help ensure a Merry Christmas to local children. This year’s tournament was even more significant than in previous years in its outreach towards helping those in need. A member of Team Bassmasters’ teenage stepson, Drew Dooley, was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and the local fishermen as well as a number of area businesses stepped up to make this a dual fundraising event. Monies were donated to help with doctor’s bills, items were raffled and a 50/50 draw took place. A check for over $4600.00 dollars was presented to Drew’s parents. In addition, some tournament winnings and the winner of the 50/50 also donated his winnings to the family, bringing the total raised to over $6000.00. The fishing was a little slow for most but some good food was provided to the contestants after the weigh-in and the tournament was a great success for all the right reasons.
If anyone would like to donate to “Team Drew” feel free to call Neal Smith at (910) 612-7770. I wish you all a Merry Christmas!