by Mike Carey, July 21, 2008

It was one of those perfect mornings for WL.com members heading out to the 2nd annual WL.com picnic extravaganza. Clouds slowly burning off, weather a pleasant low 70s, calm winds… in short, the perfect day for a picnic.

I arrived at 6:20am promptly, only to find BigBassDez had got there ahead of me! There were two other guys who I naturally assumed were part of our group. I introduced myself and they responded puzzled, which made me realize my mistake – too funny! In any case Dez and I quickly grabbed the ideal spot for the picnic. We set up the tables and secured our zone. A little later several WL.comers landed their boats and I watched enviously as they zoomed off in pursuit of the excellent smallmouth bass fishery the lake has to offer.

As the morning passed my family arrived. My wife JoAnn, always the practical one, further arranged the picnic area to her liking. My sons Matt and James hung around (to my surprise) the whole time. They even were helpful and hung with each other without getting into a fight. As 11am rolled around, people started to show up. This was a good thing as I had visions of throwing a party and no one coming. But no need to worry as much to my pleasant surprise just about everyone that signed up showed up. We had around thirty five WL.comers and I’ll tell you what, a nicer group of people I have never met. I generally don’t do well in crowds but this felt a lot like family. Maybe it was the shared interest in fishing, or maybe it was the fact that all those members finally had faces and live personalities. Whatever it was we, had a blast! With Fishnislife MCing and BigBassDez running the casting contest, it was a day to remember. More food than we could possibly eat, fun times, and a raffle for all.

Prizes were duly awarded for farthest traveled ( Carlos R from Bellingham), Youngest angler (Emily, age 5?), oldest angler (Bill W, age Top Secret), Young Casting Contest Winner (Tanner), and for the second year in a row, the Casting Contest Winner went to Gringo Pescador – way to go!
I think I speak for all when I say it was great to meet fellow members and get to know them a little better. I’d be happy to go fishing with any of this group. If you missed this year’s event, I hope you’ll join us next year. We’ll find a new lake to enjoy and more memories to live. See you then!