Heres to proof....

[buzzking]

heres to proof the earlier you get your kids started fishing the more successful they will be at it. The boys from down at richmond have done it again, finishing second in the FSN and bringing home a BIG PAYDAY for their club. All those guys have been fishing tournaments since they were old enough to and its payed off. Im sure they owe a huge part of their success to youth organizations like the ABC and KBF and such. Now I know, i know, fishing tournaments isnt the center of the universe to some of you but I think everyone here would agree we are all here to be better fishermen and women. So unplug the X-boxes and make the extra effort to get your kids interested in fishing. Good job EKU, you guys are my heros :P

[Trex]

Well said Kyle. You hit the nail right on the head in you"re assement.
These young men started fishing very early and became adept to their own styles of fishing and have grown up fishing together.
A lot of their experience comes from ABC and The Wilgreen Jr. tournament held each year.
Andrew fished his first tournament from my boat and has developed into a sucessful working young man and full time student. He fished with me as a jr. in our ABC tournaments. I'd be proud to call him my own.
I fished a 2-day tournament on Barren with Michael, and we had a ball, must not have corrupted him to badly.
It's great now to see that they have gone full circle and become the good fishermem and great young men they are.
Each time one of them do well it pleases me to know that I played a small role in their development, and I share their winning feelings with them, and that may be as good as winning myself.
Congradulations to, Andrew Luxon, Michael Blanton, Drew Sadler, and Richard Cobb IV. You have done you're friends, university, city, and state proud..........
Rex Allen

[redneckshadrap]

Good job fellows,

I have those jigs ready. Let me know when oyu guys will be in Lexington and I'll bring them to you.


Billy Elkins

www.thecreekbank.com
It's easier to let the cat out of the bag than put it back in

[artcarney_agr]

That's so true! The more you know, the more places you'll go!!!!

[flippindrew]

Rex you are very correct. You played a large role in mine, michaels and andrews development as fisherman. The funny thing is that we all three grew up in the same neigborhood learning and fishing together. As a matter of fact I can remember the single day that I knew that I was hooked and that I wanted to fish for a living. (this may be long, but it has a lot of value to me) I was fishing the kentucky river with my dad one morning, we were fishing the grassbed on the clays ferry pool. we were throwing buzzbaits and my dad fussed at me to stop throwing so far into the grass because i would get hung up. needless to say i didnt listen to him and persisted to throw way up into the grass. after about 3 casts i was bringing the buzzbait through the thickest pile of grass that i could find when WHAM a 15 incher nailed it. at that specific moment i knew that there would be no other way that i would be content in life unless i could make a living out of fishing. i can also remember my very first tournament when i was 10 i believe. it was the krb kids tournament on the kentucky river on the irvine pool. i remember we had a meeting at the restraunt under the bridge on the river the week before the tournament. the most memorable part was when michael blanton and i were standing on the porch overlooking the river analyzing our strategies for the tournament. i can even remember michael and i talking about how the small rock shoal that we could see would be a great place to throw a crank bait. i also remember the day that i got andrew luxon hooked on fishing. i took him to his very first tournament on wilgreen lake in which was brutally cold. we were around 13 years old i believe and it was one of the sunday open tournaments. we won that tournament and got big fish. and then there were the abc tournaments. one year we had a problem with our boat and i fished with rex allen for 3 or 4 tournaments. most memorable was the tournament on laurel lake i fished with rex. that was the day he got me hooked on the dredded jig. we started of fishing the day throwing topwater which rex gave up on after 5 casts lol. we then started flipping 80ft deep bluffs wearing the small fish out. i then remember fishing a tapering bank with a jig and getting frustrated cause rex was wearing me out. i remember being astonished that day because we were cathching the fire out of fish in the crystal clear waters throwing solid black jigs. we also had an extensive conversation about how important it is to throw clear lines instead of clear blue in very clear water. and then there is now, i dont think there are 5 consecutive seconds in my life that has 3 seconds of thoughts about fishing in them. im in college now and im doing every possible thing i can to try to make it somewhere in fishing before i have to get a real job. my life revolves around it and is consumed with bass fishing. and at the roots of this burden is my dad, who has gotten me to this point. he is the one responsible for all the madness, but i can do nothing but be thankful for having someone like him as a fater. i also have to be thankful for rex. that dog is the one resposible for me not being able to go 5 min on the water without makeing at least a couple casts with a jig. which is my number one go to bait and the bait that i always rely on. so far, my fishing adventures have been one heck of a ride, hopefully (dreaming) one day i can be fortunate enough to do something i love this much for a living. sorry for the long post, but ive got a lot of memories. heck im only 20 but ive been fishing seriously for some 14-15 yrs lol. Drew Sadler.

[flippindrew]

By the way, I cant tell you how proud it makes me to see my two best friends doing so well. Good job guys, you make us all proud!

[RC5]

I too contribute all my success in fishing to the ABC, especially to Rex and Wayne. My first tournament I fished was with Rex though he isn’t a very good bass guide on Wilgreen he's one hell of a crappie guide. That day I learned the importance and the power of a jig. I asked Rex what’s your favorite bait he told me a jig then I said your second favorite he replied a jig I said 3rd he replied jig then he said 1 though 6 was a jig and maybe 7 was a worm. Also Wayne putting up with me those couple of years him and me fished together. Teaching me the basics that I would use and then build upon adopting me, well, pretty much a fishing son!!! I thank both of these guys for having such an impact on my life. I guess all I can say is that whoever reads these messages, take a kid fishing, it will make a difference. They wont do drugs and then they’ll go to college and kick all the other college's asses that didn't learn to fish when they were young.

[buzzking]

that was long, brought tear to my eye :-(

[flippindrew]

lol, just for clarification i was in no way shape or form claiming some great success like others may claim. i was simply talking about some of the people who have taught me so much and the memories i have gathered along the way. i didnt think it sounded like that but just wanted to make sure others dont percieve it that way since someone else is claiming such great success. those were just some of the most memorable times ive had on the water. Drew Sadler.

[EJHick]

Ahhh the first time I knew I wanted to fish for a living was my spring break in 4th grade. Every spring break my dad and I packed up our things for a week and headed down to Leitchfield and switched between Nolin, Rough, and the watersheds. Well on that particular spring break, my second cousin was showing us around some watersheds that had been producing some hawgs. And that is where I got hooked on the dreaded jig as well. It had rained and got the water way up, muddy, and it was the first of March. I remember pulling up to his house and telling us he had been waiting for a day like this for a while. We went around walking the watershed banks with a flippin' stick, 30 lb line, and 1/2 oz blk/blu jig WITH A RATTLE. I had never caught so many 3 and 4 lbers on less than 7' of line out. We would walk the bank, drop our jig on some brush, laydowns, etc. and sit there and hop it. Actually he told me to constantly tap on the rod handle with my fist to get those rattles uh shakin and do this for 1-2 minutes without moving the jig. WHAM!!!! I set the hook and look at me now...I got the hook set hard in me because I will do this until I die. I LOVE IT, I have fished tournaments since I was 10, not always had the best of funds for this expensive sport which I beleive hinders ALOT of youth who want to get involved, but my dad bought our first boat a BassTracker when I was 10, we started fishing some open tourneys; then got into local clubs, then fish BFL non-boater together, and the list can go on and on. My favorite fisherman has to be my dad and I hope my son (who is almost old enough to hold a pole...6 weeks old!) will say the same thing about me one day. Yes my father gets full credit of all I accomplish, well both my parents do! But hunting and fishing is the greatest thing my dad introduced me to. Now he is not as serious as I have become, so it is nice to be able to help him out now and share experience with him. He's the man!!
Eric Hickman Jr.

[flippindrew]

good one eric

[mastin03]

Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to the EKU boys....y'all are for real, and a class act at that. It was a pleasure to meet you guys and I look forward to fishing with y'all in the future. I've only been bass fishing seriously for about 3 years and only tournament fishing for about a yr and a half, and Im already hooked, but I can definately see where Im at a disadvantage...which just makes me want to fish more and more to catch up. Lookin forwad to fishin with and against y'all in the future. Clayton Mastin