BASS BUMS

The stories in this book are grounded in truth, although the stories, the location and the characters are fictitious. They are based on 65 years spent on the water pursuing the addiction of bass fishing. During this time, it has evolved into tournament angling, which is fiercely competitive and largely a male sport. Tournament money tends not to be big, but the bragging rights, ego and connivary is huge. Many fishermen will pull out all the stops to try to win a tournament, however big or small. And many a husband or dedicated worker has fallen from grace because of his addiction on the water. The setting is Wharton Lake, a popular bass lake in the deep south straddling Alabama and Georgia. The characters should be familiar to any competitive fisherman, being rascals and heroes, and often a blend of the two. Macbeth would argue that bass fishing signifies nothing, while I maintain that it reflects the many human aspects of keen competition, victory and defeat, with karma mixed in.