Almost 30yrs ago, I was invited by a friend to fish a tournament on Truman lake here in Missouri. My friend worked in the HVAC field, and his company hosted this event each year. Between his company and another HVAC outfit, 35 anglers were fishing in a 2 day event. It was mid April, a time when we can have some bad storms come through Missouri. The first day was slow. We had trouble catching any keeper fish, and only brought in 1 bass between us. Other anglers didn't fair well either, due to a cold front the night before. The second day started out more promising. Overcast sky, humid spring weather. We caught bass on jig/ pig combos. We still needed 3 bass to fill our limit, and we're hoping for a big fish also. A storm had been predicted for late afternoon, and we were to be at Bucksaw Point marina by 2:00, for the weigh in. We found fish at the mouth of a cove, all the while the sky looking more threatening. My partner put on a spinnerbait, and caught a 4lb bass. I was throwing a chrome 1/2 oz rattletrap. The closer the clouds came , the better the fish hit. It was some of the fastest fishing I've ever had. It kept getting darker. A crappie fisherman who was fishing in some trees not far from us hollered" you guys staying out"? We said yes, we'll leave shortly. He fired up his motor and took off. It started raining lightly at first, then harder. I said we better get going! We jumped in the seats, and the storm was on us. We still had to go clear across the main lake to get back in. Large waves smashed into the boat. Two times the boat went vertical, smashing down on the water with a loud crashing sound. Basically, my partner had no control of the boat. We were at the mercy of the weather. At one point, a large log which had been washed in from the storm, smacked the side of the boat so hard I thought it would knock us over. By the time we made it back to the marina, the worst of it was past, and it was raining lightly. Everyone else was there already. They couldn't believe we made it back. I was soaking wet, cold, and exhausted. I had lost a nice rod and reel that went overboard, and, a cheap BPS fishing cap. At that point, I didn't care about my rod/reel, cap, money, fish, or anything else. I realized we were lucky to be alive. We did take 4rth place in the tournament. I received a small 6" trophy, and 50 dollars. The 50 bucks went to help with gas money, and a couple of burgers on the way home. I still have the trophy. It's a reminder to be safe out there, and to never put myself, or anyone else in that position again. It doesn't matter how good the fish are hitting. There's always another day.
