Official Winter Fishing Get Together will be held out of Horse Creek Marina on Dale Hollow Lake, Home of the World Record Smallmouth, December 18-20. Agenda is as follows:
For accomodations:
If you want to stay in the Big Cabin, sleeps 10, or Elnutsmalljaws Cabin, sleeps 7, get in touch with Elnutsmalljaws via PM on this board. To make reservations for your own cabin or hotel room at Horse Creek Marina, contact Thomas at Horse Creek at 931-243-2125 and make sure you tell him you are coming for the Winter Get Together. Thomas has special rates for all that are staying for this event that pretty much comes down to $25 per man per night based on cabin rental. He may have some special rates for the hotel rooms but I don't know them so call him.
December 18, 6pm CST (7pm EST) - Meeting will be held either in the Big Cabin located in Horse Creek or at the Volunteer Fire Station House about a mile or so down the main road from Horse Creek Marina. The final location will be determined within the next couple of weeks and depends on the final headcount for the Get Together.
At this meeting, Elnutsmalljaws will give a presentation on the Float N Fly technique - which is an excellent way of catching suspended fish during the winter months. Smallmouth, Ky Spotted Bass, Largemouth and Trout all will hit this technique and winter is an excellent time to catch some TROPHY Smallmouth Bass. Steve Headrick, Owner of Punisher Lures and The One Stop plus known as "the Smallmouth Guru" who has been asked many times to speak on his expertice of Smallmouth Bass at such locations as Bass Pro Shops and Gander Mountain will be on hand to give a presentation on Football Head Jig, Asprin Head Jig (Hoss Fly), Silver Buddy, anything that I miss on the FNF, plus other winter fishing techniques. Hopefully between the two of us, all will receive some helpful information that will improve everyone's chances of landing that next trophy. There is also a Door Prize Pool that everyone has an opportunity to get involved if they choose, BUT IT IS NOT MANDATORY FOR YOU CAN ATTEND AND NOT GET INVOLVED IN THE DOOR PRIZES. The Door Prize Pool is $20 per person, payable in advance of the meeting and all checks and or money orders will not be cashed until the first of December before my initial trip down to Dale Hollow to purchase the Door Prize Gifts. We also have several items that have been donated and/or will be donated to the Door Prizes and will be given away as well to anyone involved in the Door Prizes. As it stands, it looks like about $1600 worth of items will be given away at the meeting for Door Prizes.
Donated Items to the Door Prize Pool:
Dave Stewart, Bass Buster Guide Service, has graciously donated a 1/2 day guide trip on Ky Lake - which is a good $200 value and worth every penny. I have been in Dave's boat several times and you will be hard pressed to find anyone that knows more or will teach you more about Ky and Barkley Lakes than Dave. Thanks Dave, Dave will not be at the Get Together for he is WAY TOO OLD for the cold weather and will be sipping drinks and eating Crab in Florida with his lovely wife Becky while we are freezing our butts off at Dale.
Doug Meyer, Meyers Boat Restoration, has graciously donated all the labor to perform a total boat re-carpet job. All you do is purchase the material and Doug will add the labor for free. No telling what this is worth, Doug will know, but my guess is a good $300 + dollars worth of labor in this job. Again, Doug has done work on my boat plus has replaced the carpet in Dave Stewart's boat and always has done an excellent job. Thanks Doug, Doug will be at the Get Together by the way so we can thank him in person.
Smacktackle.com has donated 21 Flitterbaits to be given away. You can find the Flitterbait at their website and these are the same people that make the Gizz3 and Gizz4, which I have used and had success in catching Stripers and Walleye at Lake Cumberland. The Flitterbait is sort of a cross between the Silver Buddy and Rattletrap that is designed to be fished like both baits. If they produce as good as they look or as good as the Gizz baits then they will catch fish.
Vaun Cummings has graciously donated 3 memberships to the IGFA, which are all worth $50 each. Thanks Vaun, Vaun will be at the get together.
FCFishman, sorry don't have your full name, is donating a Spinnerbait, Buzzbait and Football Head Jig for every person that attends. These are handmade baits and he is painting the heads as I type.
Elnutsmalljaws, hey that is me, is making FNF bobbers left and right in hopes to have at least 2-3 per person to give away to all that attend.
Steve Headrick, Punisherlures.com and the One Stop, has agreed to give everyone that attends a 10% discount on all Fishing Tackle and Pizza's from the One Stop during the Get Together weekend. Steve carries basically everything that you will ever need in fishing tackle in his store at very reasonable prices to begin with so the 10% additional off can help us get an early start on Christmas (whatever it takes as my wife would say).
Dalehollowfishing.com is in the process of looking thru their Prize Bin and has agreed to donate some gifts to the get together. Check out their website for it is fairly new but a good source to get information on Dale Hollow Lake and if you sign up tell them Elnutsmalljaws sent you.
Backwaters of Lexington has agreed to donate gifts to the get together. John and the boys at Backwaters is a very good stop for bait and tackle in Lexington and we all need to continue to support to keep our small fellas in business to compete against the big boys. You can find FNF material, Silver Buddy's, Asprin Head Jigs, Football Head Jigs and other winter time fishing tackle plus a full line of year around stuff at Backwaters.
Others have expressed interest in donating some items but nothing set in stone as of yet. As they do, I will add more post acknowledging them.
Once the total headcount for the Door Prize Pool is complete then the prizes will be distributed as follows: I will take a Brown Paper Bag per headcount and place all the purchased baits (with the $20 per man that I receive) plus any donated baits evenly across each bag. My guess is that will be probably $40-$50 worth of stuff in each bag alone, which more than doubles the initial investment. This will contain mostly winter fishing items, football head jigs, aspring head jigs, FNF jigs, FNF bobbers, Fish Dope, 3-way swivels, Fireline, Flourocarbon Line, Silver Buddy's and such. Then one bag EACH will recieve the Dave Stewart Guide Trip, Doug Meyer Carpet Labor, 3 bags will each get IGFA memberships and 2 bags will receive 10' Lexus Silstar FNF rods (that I got very reasonable on closeout a few months ago). This totals 7 bags getting "the larger" door prizes not counting what Backwaters or Dalehollowfishing.com donates, so if they are "big" prizes then they will be in additional bags. All bags will be stapled shut and brought to the meeting that way. In the meeting someone will be chosen to number each bag at random, the same numbers will be put in one hat with names of the fellas in the Door Prize Pool in another hat then draw a name - draw a number and that is the bag you get. Totally random - totally fair. Even if you can't make it to the meeting due to getting into Horse Creek late you can still participate in the Door Prize pool and can pick up your bag at my cabin when you arrive.
Saturday - December 19, 6pm CST (7pm EST) - All are invited to meet at El Ray's Mexican Restaurant in Celina to eat supper. They have a back room that can seat about 15 or so but I think we could squeeze in more if needed. Really good Mexican food and a pretty good Steak.
Lodging and Participation as of 11/19:
Big Cabin - Sleeps 10
Geobasser, Boone, Catchemall, Redskeeter have all paid for both nights and are all in Door Prize Pool.
Onemorecast56, FishinisLife and his buddy, Eric Aldridge, Redskeeter's 2 buddy's have all expressed interest in attending and staying in the big cabin but no deposits have been made as of yet. I believe these 6 will attend but I need to get the big cabin deposit to Horse Creek by the first week of December when I go down. $25 per person per night for the cabin and $20 for the door prize pool if you want to get in on that as well. I only need 1 night lodging for a deposit and you can pay the second night when you arrive if you choose but do need the door prize money in advance, no offense but I am not going to spend my own money and then get stuck with the tab of some don't show up. All checks will not be cashed until the first week of December before I leave to head to Dale Hollow on my first trip. This totals 10 in the big cabin.
Elnutsmalljaws Cabin - Sleeps 7
Elnutsmalljaws, 3sons and Bonefish are in the cabin and all are in the door prize pool. We are actually coming down Wednesday thru Sunday so if anyone wants to come early and stay with us you are more than welcome, just let me know.
Shinerman and his buddy, 21ssExtreme and his son, ON3 3Y3D Willi3, Know1 and his brother are all getting their own cabins/hotel rooms and are all in on the door prize pool.
FCFishman and his buddy are getting their own lodging and will get in on the door prize pool but I am awaiting on the door prize money as of today.
My address to send Big Cabin or elnutsmalljaw Cabin or door prize pool check or money order:
Elwood Lumpkins
113 Appletree Court
Frankfort, KY 40601
cell is 502-226-0935, if you have any questions
With me heading down to fish December 6-10 and December 16-20 plus any other days that I think the fishing will be good, I will have to put a cutoff date to get in on the Door Prize pool and that date is DECEMBER 11. All Door Prize Pool money MUST be received by then in order for me to have time to take it and purchase additional prizes for the pool.
Long Post but just trying to keep it straight for everyone on the board that knows about the get together but others from other boards are being directed to come to this post to get all the information as well to decide if they want to attend.