“We back, we back, we back in the saddle…”
Dateline: Witch’s Ditch
“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.”
— James Allen
Allow me two things here: One, to set up this story with some history and storytelling.
And: Two, to simply say “thank you” for sticking with us through these unprecedented times. May we be a small escape filled with smiles, hope and a sense of family and familiar times.
Keep us in your prayers as we shall keep you in ours.
“…back on stage making the whole place rattle…”
Now for some history … Kennedy style.
Almost from my day one, hour one at B.A.S.S., Steve Kennedy and his wife Julia were like family, as were Kevin and Kerry Short.
Many “abentures” (how their young daughter Sophia pronounced “adventure,” but for my wife and I it will always be spoken … abenture) along the way over the past 13 years.
And so this column is about a friend whom I know very well, and whom I believe is as close to a “Natural” as we have out here. I have learned more about fishing from Steve Kennedy, and I have zoned out more when listening to Steve Kennedy talk about fishing than any other person on this planet.
True story: We are somewhere at a restaurant where they serve those “mudbug” things by laying a sheet of white paper on your table and then dumping your “dinner” on top of it. I watch as everyone but me consumes dozens of the things, but I hear Steve ask the owner where he got the “food.” When he found out “local” he asked to go into the kitchen to see what color the creatures were so if we fished that lake sometime he would know what color bait to throw.
I watched Derek Jeter once handle several bats before picking the one to take to the plate.
When you are around “born to do,” it is a special invite, very much so.
I tell you this because I know … know … how special this lake here that he’s fishing on for this tourney is to him. Listen: “I grew up fishing on Eufaula with my father, first time on it I was 3 years old.”
He may not tell you this, but I know for a fact he has with him right now maps of this lake from 1958. “This is my dad’s place. We would fish it when I was young, and we’d have almost the whole lake to ourselves.”
Understand his quote here: “This is my dad’s place …”
Van, or “Poppy” Kennedy, Steve’s dad, is a stick in these parts, and my guess is any “parts” he fishes on. In his 70s now he still competes … and wins.
Perspective: Tiger Woods’ son stepping up to the first tee at Augusta. Number 23’s son picking up a basketball. Gretzky’s son lacing up his skates.
Yeah, this is a B.A.S.S. tournament, just that pressure, uh-huh.
“I’m nervous about it, I know what to do, know what it will take to win it, I know this lake so well …”
Me: “So what’s the issue? (I say that because I can tell when his voice drops an octave or two, when the excited jittery talk is gone that something is up.) You know this water, do you know it too well?”
There is a pause, a pause between friends, “I don’t know about that, if I know it too well because it changes, there is more pressure on it, I don’t know …” And his voice drops off, we are talking via cellphones but in my mind’s eye I see he rubbing his chin, looking around, constant movement, so I wait, let his engineer brain work that question out …
“You know db, maybe, maybe I’m just fishing ghosts.”
Fishing what it was when he and “Poppy” fished it decades ago, not as it is today.
Fishing, ghosts.
“…back with the A-Team train on the track…”
Now for some story … Kennedy style.
“db so you know what …”
I don’t, with Steve many times I don’t know what. In fact, I thought the interview was over.
Guess not.
“… how big a gator you ever seen?”
Um, huh, um, never actually been asked that question before.
“Well when I was a kid when my father and I came here, sometimes even with my brother, we would always go over to what’s called ‘Witch’s Ditch’ and there would be the biggest gator I, we, ever saw…”
I’m wondering exactly why you would keep going to a ditch to see the biggest gator you ever saw …
“… for 40 years we would go there, I went there myself the other day to see this gator, but he hasn’t been there now in 10 years or so, do you have any idea how long gators live …”
Um, huh, once again…
“… you know his jowls were the size of a basketball …”
I truly have no idea what that means, but Steve’s voice is gaining octaves so I’m thinking basketball jowls are bigun’s.
“… and he was as long as our boat when dad brought us there I’m guessing 16 feet easy, easy …”
So…
“… biggest gator ever when you saw it you knew it was big, have never seen one since even close to that size …”
… an alligator longer than my Tundra, oh yeah …
“… someday I’ll take you to Witch’s Ditch.”
… oh joy.
“… thought we were gone but you wrong …”
Now the close … db style.
Do you ever wonder if what comes our way in life, is not random at all, that maybe, just maybe, the path we take was laid in place for us long before we arrived?
I’m beginning to believe that, especially now.
Those who fish with B.A.S.S., those who work for B.A.S.S., many of you out there in the fan seats or home on your couch watching, are simply family and placed here for all of us to gain strength from in good times and weird times.
It is unlike any other professional sport I’ve been around.
And here’s photographic evidence … the photo up above is of me holding Steve and Julia’s first-born child, Sophia, known as SoSo to myself and family. I’m told I got her first wave and that here in that photo she is about 10 months old in 2009.
Now comes this photo …
In almost the same pose, 10 years later, I’m dancing with SoSo at my daughter’s wedding.
Never wonder when we say B.A.S.S. is a family because trust me, we have proof it is.
May you stay safe, may your family be well.
It’s good to be back,
db
“…now it’s on, we back.”
We Back
Jason Aldean
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
– Robert Frost