Oneida Elite Series

I am lucky enough to be attending the Oneida Elite Series event this weekend, but at the moment I seem to have lost my camera. So I don't have photos to share yet, but I will update tonight.

The crowds have been fantastic here. We are having the late take offs and late weigh ins and it seems to work so well to let the fans see the pros. There are so many people of all stripes here. It just amazes me that we all share this passion for bass fishing. Yesterday, I saw a woman in her 50's with a temporary tattoo featuring a pink BASS logo and the words "Bass Babe" beneath. You gotta love it.

It made me think of Sportscenter producer Don Barone's recent story and how he described the fans of fishing.

To a man, the pros are impressed with Lake Onondaga. This is a lake that's in the middle of town and it is just full of fish. And what a succes story. Because of polllution the lake was declared unsafe for swimming in 1940. By the 1970s, fishing was banned. Because of mercury contamination, the lake's bottom was listed as a Superfund site in 1994.

York State and the federal government continue to pursue remediation of these sites through the responsible parties. The State initiated a national resources damages claim in 1989.

Now professional anglers from as far away as Florida and California are singing the lake's praises.

I bet you will too when you see this episode of the Elite Series.

UPDATE: I just heard Jerry McKinnis and Jason Quinn say that New York had the finest bass fishing in the world on the 10am edition of Hooked Up on ESPNoutdoors.com. Now that ought to get the pot stirred!