From February 21^st thru the 24^th, Sportsman’s Resort hosted the Annual White River Fishing Classic. A group of thirty fishermen, most Texans, but one all the way from Oregon, fished in two man teams and as individuals for a host of prizes and years worth of bragging rights. They fish the first two days with our guides and the last day on their own. This year each team had another player in the boat…her name was "Mother Nature" and she threw everything in her bag of tricks at them. These guys endured temperatures in 20’s and low 30’s, windy, freezing rain, sleet, cold cold rain and even snow flurries. Weather wise it was just plain miserable. But not the fishing. It was great.

I commend each one for their ability to persevere against the elements and end up having such a great time. Each evening as we served dinner and they waited for the days tally, you would have thought we were fishing in summer. The only weather statement I heard was, "It could have been worse." These men are hard-core. (The age range was from twenty-something to eight-three…that’s right, eighty-three)

On Saturday evening following a steak dinner was the award ceremony. This is the highlight of the trip. Based on weighing five fish a day, awards and prizes are based on teams and individuals and run the gambit from largest brown, rainbow, cut and brookie to most weight per team and the biggie…most weight per individual.