It's been a busy week here at home; we've mainly been getting things done around the house. The kids have been extremely busy with school. Little Alton has had either a test or major paper due every day of the week at college and had his last English test today.
When he got home he said he's going fishing and I said, 'Alton, it's blowing 30 miles an hour outside!' He said that he didn't care, was done with school for the week and was going fishing. So he and a buddy are headed out to Lake Waco as we speak. I'm to the point when it's blowing 30, I don't fish unless I have to. He's at the point where fishing is fishing. So, he's going to go fight the conditions for a bit.
The rest of us are getting ready to celebrate Easter this weekend. It's an important holiday for our family. Christmas is important, too, but without the resurrection on Easter, His birth at Christmas wouldn't be nearly as important. To us, this is the most significant holiday week we celebrate as Christians. We remember what Christ did for us when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. To celebrate, we'll be going out to Coleman, Texas, where Jimmye Sue's family lives. We'll be spending time with her parents and her sister and brother-in-law, hanging out and enjoying family.
We're still dealing with mechanical issues we encountered when we were going to and from California. The motor home is in the shop and we got word back today that it needs all the fuel injectors replaced as well as the fuel pump. Those mountains were as tough as I thought they'd be! Fortunately, Caterpillar is going to warranty all the work for us, so there won't be a repair bill to go with that, just a bit of a hassle. It will be in good shape so we won't have to worry about it anymore for a few years.
It's about time for me to start organizing tackle. I've got to de-California-ize my boat and Virginia-ize it. Are those real words? Anyhow, I'm getting ready for normal fishing and am looking forward to it. I'll still take some swimbaits with me, but the vast majority will stay under the motor home. I'll carry a small swimbait box of the smaller ones, like the Money Minnow. I do think at several tournaments they will be a weapon, but the smaller versions. This is also going to mean I'm putting lots of spinning rods in the boat, especially for Smith Mountain. That deep, clear water demands it.
However, I'm going to reserve my comment on the water clarity until I see it. They've had record snow and rainfall this year in that area. There's going to be a lot more runoff in that area, and it wouldn't surprise me if there is a little more stain in the water, especially in some of the creeks which could bring some heavier tackle into the game a little more. There could be a good flipping bite, a spinnerbait bite and maybe even a buzzbait bite. I'll just have to wait and see what the water looks like when I get there.
When I get to Virginia on Saturday the 10th, there are several of us pros that are doing a "Meet the Pros" night in a church there near Moneta, Va. Randy Howell, Brent Chapman, Marty Stone, Shaw Grigsby and James Niggemeyer will be there as well, and perhaps a few more. We'll all be sharing some fishing tips along with the importance of our relationship with Jesus Christ. It's open to the public and is located at Good View Baptist Church at 1057 Grace Court, right there in Good View, Va. We're expecting several hundred people in attendance, so we'd love to see you out there! Come enjoy good food, fellowship and fishing talk.
I'm watching the weather very closely and it looks like they're in a major warming trend in that area. My hope is that it's warmed up enough there for those fish to go ahead and begin spawning by the time we get there. That's one lake that really is a lot more fun to fish when the fish are up on beds and you can see 'em.
Oh, one other thing. Unfortunately, coach Scott Drew — the men's basketball coach for Baylor — has time to go fishing with me now. We lost in the Elite 8 to Duke. However, the Lady Bears have advanced to the Final Four and we play UConn Sunday night. I want to wish my best to coach Kim Mulkey and the Lady Bears. Hopefully we can keep them from another perfect season. We won't be able to make it to this first game, but if they make it to the final, you can bet Jimmye Sue and I will be there in San Antonio!