We have all been treated to the Water War News for the past 20 years, and we have found out basically that Atlanta's thirst for water and it's not willing to spend the money to fix its problem is one answer to the Appalachicola River's problems. However, that is not all the river's problems. In the lower end of the river there are two to 300 floating hunting and fishing camps that have no legal means of disposing their waste water. It is dumped straight into the river, creeks or sloughs untreated and raw. These are not over 15 to 18 miles from saltwater. Seems like someone could get that fixed in Florida.

Now for a sad note, tournament fishermen will be saddened to know of the passing of "Stan Sloan" who won Ray Scott's first tournament on Beaver Lake, Ark. and also won the last Scott Benefit Tournament for the Pintlala School on Ray's lake in his front yard. I was at both of the tournaments but was not able to make it to the funeral due to things beyond my control. Ray Scott and Bob Cobb did his eulogy. His thoughts on the new fangled trolling motor was, "that he could always pull a chain better than pushing it." He was the first to mount his trollin' motor on the bow of the boat instead of the transom.

Jake Jeter, of Faceville, GA, with his winning catch in the July 3rd Jack Wingate Thursday Night Big Fish Tournament Now a bit of information for the bass fisherman. In my early days of guiding, I had a man and wife team to take about every two weeks. She would beat me and him every time from the middle of the boat, even though she and us were fishing the same thing most times, but here is the reason. She came to the boat with a wash rag, wash pan and a bar of Camay soap. After a few casts, she would wash her hands with a pan of water and soap, then put her hands over the side of the boat to get the soap scent off her hands, one trip she beat us 7 to 2. She was of Cherokee descent and very pretty.

One boat reported 24 bass taken on worms. This is a worm that had to be built by him as I seen him pinching the tail off the whole fresh pack of worms. He knows something. I talked to the man Saterday about the white spider with legs catchen the Talapia in South Florida. He sed it really worked.

Kim Brown, of Quincy, FL, with his winning catch in the July 10th Wingate Thursday Night Big Fish Tournament hosted by the Hydrilla Gnats Bass Club out of Wingate's Lunker Lodge This week in the Jack Wingate Thursday Night Big Fish Tournament hosted by the Hydrilla Gnats Bass Club out of Wingate's Lunker Lodge, Kim Brown won with almost 6 pounds. His son, Clint Brown took second place with 3+ pounds. There were 16 boats this week and we expect more next week. This is a great tournament with a 90% payout.

Bream, catfish and perch have slowed down for the most part. Only a select few can go out and bring in a good mess of perch this week. However, it will change. It always does. We can look forward to more afternoon and evening showers like the one that hit Faceville Saterday, 4 inches in less than an hour. We have at Wingate's got 2/10th's/

Keep a tite line until next week.