It is over with! if it wasn't for bottled water I would be dead right now. It might be nice and cool in Kansas but it is hotter than heck down here and with no wind, wow, as for the fishing......... alot better for me.

John and I started about a half mile from take off at this public dock. As we pulled up to the front of it I looked at the depth finder and seen we just pulled into a little channel. John stated he was going to fish infront of the dock which had a ledge and some very scattered brush on it, well this left the whole drop off I just seen all to me. John had an old man on the dock try to start a fight but John shut him down when he mentioned how much of a bad example he was setting for the young kid fishing on the dcok with his father. After about 5 minutes of fishing on the drop off behind the boat I get my first bite and in the boat it comes, not a big fish but I didn't have to measure it (that's always a good thing). After 20 minutes of fishing at the dock a crowd starts to gather on the dock and out of the 11 people on the dock 8 have stopped to do nothing but watch John. I mentioned to John how it is funny that the old man hated us being there but 8 people have went out there road to watch him. He decides it is time to go to Lake Kissimmee and as he ties everything down he yells at the crowd and tells them that if they want to learn how to fish they needed to talk to the man that has been fishing  that dock for 52 years. That sparked the old man and got him cussing us again while all the people on the dock laughed at him.

We make it to and through the lock to Kissimmee then pull up to his primary spot. It doesn't look like much but after a while I started to ask John what made it special and he pretty much said "wind". The only damn problem is there was no wind, none, zero, zip! and it never blew all day or atleast it never blew enough to cause current to move the shad. Any how John catches a couple and I get to switching baits, then I get to realizing I have caught all my fish except for one yesterday on the same bait...... the watermelon red senko. I grabbed the rod it was on and caught a keeper with in 10 minutes, at that time I decided to throw nothing but that the rest of the day.

John decided to move to one other place and with in 10 cast I catch another keeper. He turns the boat a little and I mention are you going on down this bank he says, no. So I cast down the bank to the base of a tree and as I watch my line I knotice it has not stop falling so I set the hook and tolld him he should of went on down the bank and he instantly sets the hook on a fish himself, mine keeps his doesn't. With 4 in the well I am starting to think maybe a limit might be possible. We are still setting where I caught the 4th and I make a cast down the side of the Kissimmee grass and as I am dragging it I "think" I am hung in some grass. The I realize it is not grass and set the hook, I miss the fish and see the swirl that was a very nice fish but oh well.

We move back to the 2nd stop again, still no wind. I start dragging my senko along where I think might be a drop off (which it happens there wasn't one) and I swing and miss another fish. About 5 minutes later I swing and get number 5, the elusive limit. At this time I am tickled to complete death for myself but John is 100% sure he will make the Classic if he gets one more to make his limit and he is so nice of a guy I am really hoping he gets it.

I am completely staying out of his road and casting out in the middle of the channel to make sure I am out of the way in case he sets the hook. Check in is at 3 and at 1:30 he says lets go back to the dock we start on, he has stopped there at the end of each day also.

John boats a short and I think he is going to drop kick the damn thing he wants a keeper so bad. 10 minutes later he sets the hook on a good solid keeper and half way to the boat jumps and come off. At this time I am damn near to start crying for him, after he gets done with the after math (that rod will break soon) he grabs another rod and catches number 5. I am happier for his 5th than mine, hell I just watched a guy make the Bassmaster Classic how in the heck could I not be excited for him.

At weigh in I am mashed in line between John and Gary Klien, cool (Yesterday Denny Brauer was right behind me inline). When I weigh in the announcer says I am in the top 12 with 12.12lbs for 3 days. I ended up 14th and John is on the way to classic, James Neggemeyer (day 2) weighs a limit of 19.1lbs with a 7.15 lbers and makes the top 12 plus he might make the classic, Matt Sphar (day 1) weighs 4 and should be in the classic.

All in all, I had 3 great partners and made a check......... what more besides winning could I want, it just doesn't get any better than that.

T-Man is ready to go home and ride his bobby car so I guess that means it is time to go, Mike