Newspaper Page Text
PACE 2B
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008
Outdoors With Skipper
A true passion for sport of crappie fishing
T om Ellison, living at
the time at Corkscrew
in Florida, a part of the
Big Cypress Swamp down near
Immokalee, was deer hunting in
Homer with a friend.
Finding the folks so friendly and
liking the area, Tom decided to
move on up here. Three years ago
he did just that.
I had passed by where he was
living many a time, and observed
an unusual boat with an unusual
motor sitting beside his house.
What caught my attention was
that on the back of the boat was a
“Mud Buddy” motor, designed for
use in shallow water. I happened
to run across a picture on a web
site dedicated to Crappie fisher
men, and it was of a similar boat.
The picture with the highway
behind it looked real familiar. I
e-mailed the person and it turned
out to be Tom. After a phone call,
I stopped by and we had a great
visit.
Tom had used the boat down in
Florida for fishing and gigging
frogs in Fisheating creek. The
boat which is
a Gator Trax
and 18' long
will run in 8”
of water.
Tom now
uses it for
crappie fish
ing at night.
His favorite
spot is Lake
Russell up
in Cornelia.
Fishing from
dark till two or so in the morning,
and using Brinkman underwater
lights to attract minnows around
his boat, he usually can come up
with twenty or so nice Crappie.
Asking about some interest
ing things that happened back in
Florida, as the area he was in is
full of fish and wildlife. He took
me inside his house and on the
walls were five big black boar hog
heads. Big tusks were sticking
out of each of their mouths. Tusks
that would put you up a tree, if the
hog decided to come after you. He
told me of walking through tall
palmettos in Florida, and hearing
something around five feet away.
He figured it was some small pigs,
as he saw something black, and
ignored it.
He came back the same way and
it was still there, hard to make
out through the palmettos. All of
a sudden it took off and ran up an
oak tree. It turned out to be around
a one hundred pound black bear.
Tom and the bear had been
only feet apart through the thick
growth. Well, I figure it is a lot
less stressful fishing for Crappie
up here in North Georgia, than
tangling with hogs and bears.
Though he might find a bear or
two up here rambling around in
the woods. Tom glad to have you
in Homer.
If you have an outdoors story,
give me a call at 706-677-1520.
Skipper Smith is an outdoors
columnist for The Banks County
News. His column appears
weekly. Let him know about your
hunting or fishing adventure at
706-677-1520.
skipper
smith
UNIQUE BOAT
Tom Ellison of Homer shows off his tool of the trade when it comes to crappie fishing. Previously,
Ellison used the boat in Florida where he lived.
Football camping
TEAM BONDING
The Banks County High School
football coaches took the team
members to a lake home of
Peggy Ethridge after the scrim
mage game last friday. The
16,000 square foot home on
Lake Hartwell, was designed by
Ethridge and her late husband,
Ray Ethridge. The plan was
to have video game, pool and
ping pong championships. The
coaches challenged the players
and 54 Leopards attended the
all-nighter. Bo Garrison, Anthony
Seabolt, Sandy Roberts and the
Homer Baptist Church helped
provide the meals, and Chad and
Lori Hope, and Mark and Cindy
Autry helped prepare the meals.
Other BCHS Leopard supporters
contributed to the trip as well. A
devotion lifting up Cody Gowder
in prayer was also given. Team
bonding and fellowship were the
main goals of the get together
as well as having good old fash
ioned fun, BCHS head coach Blair
Armstrong said.
Banks Archery Club to host 3-D tournament Aug. 23
VICTORYLANE
Maysville's Joey Love took home his 15th first place trophy of the year Saturday night with a
victory at Lanier National Speedway. Photo courtesy North Georgia Sports Media
The Banks County Archery Club
will host a 3D Archery Tournament
Saturday, Aug. 23, at 150 Harden
Bridge Road, Commerce.
Shooters will draw down on 20
McKenzie targets. There will be
two money classes (Open Money
and BHR) and eight trophy classes
(Open Trophy, Senior Class, Hunter
Class, True Novice, Women’s Class,
Youth Class, Traditional Class and
Cubs).
Registration is from 8 a.m. to
2 p.m. Entry in the trophy classes
is $10, but kids 12-under shoot for
free; entry for the money classes is
$ 5 00 OFF
Ticket Of s 2(T 0 Or More. Valid with coupon Mon.-Thurs. only.
La Hacienda Commerce La Hacienda Braselton
173 Steven B. Tanger Blvd. 5391 Highway 53
706-335-7458 706-654-0070
| The Original Mexican Restaurant! Not affiliated with any other restaurant. |
KEEP AMERICA
BEAUTIFUL
GET A HAIRCUT
^ Wood's
o I——I
1441 North
^ Hwy 98
-
lla Road
1-
CO
£,
th
ens
Commerce's Only
Barber Shop
Family Haircare
Bill Wood. Owner
Walk-Ins Welcome
Wood Barber Shop
581 lla Road, Lot#l, Commerce
(706) 335-5392 • Mon.-Fri. 8-6
/■
N
Banks County Commissioners
SURPLUS PROPERTY
AUCTION
The Banks County Commissioners will hold a
surplus property auction on Thursday, September
4, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. at the Banks County
Courthouse located at 144 Yonah/Homer Road.
Items to be auctioned include office furniture
and furnishings. For more information, please call
the Commissioners Office at (706) 677-6200 or you
may view the surplus list at www.co.banks.ga.us.
V
✓
Local Racing
Love grabs win No. 15, Hills goes 3-for-3
$20.
Concessions and a practice range
will be available, and club T-shirts
will be given to the first 25 people
to register.
For information, call Melba Miller
at 706-335-4675 or visit www.
bankscounty archery club. com.
That's right...
EVEN
small ads
CAN GET
ATTENTION
Let us help you
market your business.
MainS treetNews.Com
BY BRANDON REED
As much time as he’s spent there,
you'd think Maysville’s Joey Love
could set up shop in Lanier National
Speedway's victory lane.
Love grabbed win number 15 of
the year Saturday night in the Outlaw
Modified Division, holding off Chris
Holbrook for the victory.
Mark Wilbanks, of Lula, won
his second Truck Division race of
the year at Lanier Saturday night.
Braselton's Shane Sawyer finished
third in the Pro Late Model event,
behind winner Shawn Simpson
and second place finisher Rodney
Benefield.
Jefferson’s Bobby Hill picked up
another win Saturday night in the
Hobby class at Toccoa Speedway. It
was Hill’s third win in a row at the
dirt track.
Commerce's Ty Lowe was hoping
to pick up another victory this week
end, but trouble gave him an 18th
place finish instead Friday night.
One race after picking up his first
career GAS win, Jefferson’s Nick
Potts earned a second-place finish
at New Senoia Raceway Saturday
night.
Potts was flagged as the third-
place finisher but was moved up
to second after Chris Dilbeck was
disqualified for refusing a post-race
engine inspection. The finish was
Potts ninth top 10 finish in nine
events in 2008.
Dacula's Russell Fleeman finished
ninth. Rookie of the Year contender
T.J. Reaid picked up the win, the first
of his GAS series career.
Former Jefferson resident Ryan
Crane had a rough weekend in the
Chill 100 at Five Flags Speedway in
Pensacola, Fla., Friday night. After
starting seventh, engine troubles pla
gued the number 10 Ford, and Crane
finished in 23rd. Senoia’s Bubba
Pollard picked up the win.
Lilburn’s Ken Butler III improved
on a bad qualifying run to finish
13th in Sunday’s Allen Crowe 100
for the ARCA series at the Illinois
State Fairgrounds, a race run on
a one-mile fairgrounds dirt track.
Watkinsville's John Wes Townley
finished 15th, while Suwanee dri
ver Michael Phelps finished 17th.
Nine-time ARCA champion Frank
Kimmel broke a year-long winless
drought by leading 83 of 102 laps to
take the victory.
Sugar Hill’s Kurt Johnson made
it to the Pro Stock semi-final round
of Sunday's NHRA Toyo Tires
Nationals in Reading, Penn., but
made it no further, as he red-lighted
against Jeg Coughlin, who went on
to win. Kurt’s father, Sugar Hill resi
dent Warren Johnson, lost in the first
round to Dave Conolly.
W & W METAL ROOFING
“We Got You Covered”
Residential • Commercial • Agricultural
• Ship Anywhere In The USA
• We Stock Your Metal Needs
• Visit Our Showroom
www.wwmetalroofmg.com
706-654-5836
imm
30 Year
Paint 4
Hwy. 60 / Candler Hwy. • Pendergrass, Ga.
Warranty
Sales
Service
Installation
COMING SOON
Ar
^ ^Christian
OOKSTORE
& COFFEEHOUSE
417 Pottery Factory Drive • Commerce, GA
Right behind Zaxby’s
www.booksncaffeine.com
GREG PAYS MORE
PLATINUM * SILVER * DIAMONDS
Greg Reeves Fine Jewelry
613 Hawthorne Ave., Athens • Mon.-Sat. 9-6
FREE APPRAISALS • FREE STONE REMOVAL
ASK FOR GREG
706-369-0000
Bring in this ad with your broken or unwanted
jewelry to receive an additional $20 cash.