Are there Bass in Heaven ?

Today is a gloomy overcast day here... Somewhat fitting I guess.

I heard this morning that a very good friend lost his battle with
cancer last night.
I guess I'm writing this not so much to inform others, but to
give myself a chance to recall some memories ..and yes create
something to look back on and remember.
Names are not important in these times ..He was not a classmate
or someone that I hung out with, he was much younger and ran
with a totally different crowd.
To set the stage ..I worked and fished with this guys father
for thirty some odd years . As his two sons grew up .. they too
became avid fisherman..much better than me and their old man
I can assure you . They fished together in local tournaments
and did very well.
I had a tradition of going south for a week of bass fishing at
a lake in Virginia every spring with a group of guys. But as
things sometime happen , some of them got into different things
and the group kinda fell apart. Enter my friend and his sons.
We started going south together and really had a good time.
he youngin's would challenge us and of course we
would badger them... all in fun of course.
Us 'mature' guys knew the lake a little better and held our own
in the fish catching but those kids were into fast boats
and good times and found more fishing holes in the first two
years than we found in fifteen. Not without problems mind ya..
We towed them in more than once with broken props and
blown up motors but one thing was always certain..When they
were running .. they were flying. I remember each time they
would fly past us as we fished we would always hear a
loud 'YE HAWWWWWWWWWW ' from their boat

Ahhh Youth !!!

The last 'out of hospital' meeting with the brothers was in
July at Jamboree in the Hills.. another one of our yearly meeting
spots. I teased my friend about borrowing his faster boat for
a tourny and he said.. "Your family.. take whatever you want"
It was the next week that he found out about the cancer... a tough
pill to swallow.
I visited him several times in the hospital and made him vow to
fight .. which he did. I guess it just wasn't enough.
He returned home several weeks ago and continued
to fight to the end, which we all have to face someday I guess.
I'm not sure what time he passed...maybe it was just a dream..
maybe not..but I recall hearing a distinctive YE HAAAAAAAA in
he night. I'm sure my buddy is on the ride of his life !