Blessing t-shirts... want one?

For those of you who did not see them, these are what the Blessing tees look like this year. We sold out Saturday evening, but if I get enough people wanting more, I can do a re-order and have them in pretty quickly. They are $12 each. I know several people told me the night of the Blessing that they wanted shirts if I did a re-order, but naturally I have forgotten who you are! Please e-mail me at jabetwade@yahoo.com or info@pontiaccove.com, or call 417-679-3676 if you want a Blessing tee. I need to know how many and what sizes. I'd like to get the order in by Monday, if possible. So, let me know asap! THANKS!

Blessed and ready for summer!

The fourth annual Blessing of the Fleet has come and gone... and it was a huge success! THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the boat parade - about 45 boats were blessed. Deacon Joe, from Ava, was here for the second year in a row. He told me he really enjoys giving the blessing and would be glad to come back again next year. The Pam Hicks crew - the Thriller bunch - won all the awards by a landslide: Best Costumes, Most Original Theme and Best in Show. They worked on their theme and dance moves for months! They are such a fun group, and I want to give a special shout out to them for taking the time to dress up and decorate. We also had a great turnout for the picnic in the park. We served about 130 dinners. A big thanks to all the workers who cooked and served and collected the money - Bill, Bob, Roger, Matt, Gabe, Debbie, Lois, Mary Beth, Vita... couldn't have done it without you! As always, Revolver provided great entertainment throughout the evening. Overall, I think a good time was had by all. :)

I'll write more and post lots o' pictures soon.

Two in one week?!

It seems we aren't the only ones enjoying this warm weather... Look what I spotted crossing the road this afternoon! He slithered out of the ditch on the marina side and was headed toward the park side... I had just come up the hill from the lower road at the dock when I saw him. Harmless black snake? Perhaps. But, it was large one, and I most definitely did not get out of my car to take a closer look...

I kept trying to get a shot of his head, but he was moving fairly quickly...

It looked like he was headed toward the "outhouse" on the hill just above the marina... yet another reason to avoid that place. Thank goodness the "nice" restrooms are now open in the park, eh?

Nice Catch

Glen Hegger caught this crappie while fishing the Verne Cubbage Memorial Fishing Tournament on Saturday... too bad it was a bass tournament. :)

New Hours

We are now opening at 7 a.m. daily. Our latest hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

Tournament Results

Thomas Lloyd, Springfield, and James Lloyd, St. Charles, (pictured above) took first place in the third annual Verne D. Cubbage Memorial Fishing Tournament on Saturday at Pontiac Cove Marina on Bull Shoals Lake. They are the grandsons of John and Del Lloyd, of Pontiac. They won with a total weight of 11 pounds, 8 ounces. They also won the Big Bass pot with a 3-pound largemouth. Mark and Ofelia Sanders, Ava, took second place with 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Buck and Bob Comstock, Protem, took third place with 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Rodney and Jared Harper, Beebe, Ark., took fourth place with 7 pounds, 15 ounces. Bob Gunkel and Justin Avery, Pontiac, took fifth place with 6 pounds, 5 ounces. The tournament is held in memory of Verne Cubbage, who enjoyed fishing on Bull Shoals Lake for many years. A portion of the entry fee was retained for Gainesville High School’s extracurricular activities clubs.

Unwanted visitor...

Josh caught this little guy slithering around the parking lot out in front of the marina this morning. We tried to determine whether it was poisonous, but we concluded it was just a harmless water snake... anyone beg to differ?

It's BLESSING week!

Only five days until the fourth annual Blessing of the Fleet. Check out the weather forecast for this week... fannnnntastic! Looks like Saturday should be a glorious day to be on the water and a fabulous afternoon/evening in the park. Just a reminder that the Blessing ceremony begins at 2 p.m. If you plan to participate in the parade of boats, you should be outside the breakwater a little before 2:00. Afterward, there will be some downtime before the picnic in the park - an opportunity for you to cruise the lake and soak up some much-needed sunshine. Food will be served in the park starting around 5 p.m. Cost is $8 for adults; $5 for kids under 12. All proceeds go to the Pontiac Fireworks. We'll also be selling raffle tickets, t-shirts, caps and memberships to the "One Minute Club." (Did you know it costs approximately $300 for one minute of fireworks?) Revolver will provide live music for the evening.

As always, our #1 goal is for everyone to have fun and have an excuse to come to the lake (as if you need one!), and also to help us raise money for the Pontiac Fireworks. We hope to see you there!

Tournament Update

Well, we had 20 boats enter the Verne Cubbage Memorial Tournament, which took off without a hitch at 7:00 this morning. So far the weather seems perfect for fishing. It's warm, cloudy, a few rain drops here, a few there... just perfect. This is the third year we've hosted this tournament, and so far this is the most entries and the best weather we've had. If you're in the area this afternoon, you're welcome to come down for the weigh-in at 3:30 p.m. on the 500 dock (that's our newest dock, out by the launch ramp). The walkway is connected to the shore at the launch ramp. Hopefully there will be lots of fish to weigh!

Latest Park Update

This is the latest Pontiac park/campground update from the Mountain Home Corps project office, as of yesterday...

-Tree-trimming crews are still working, close to finishing
-The "nice" restrooms/showerhouses in the park will be open before the Blessing on April 25, per my request
-Campground will for sure be open by May 15, and hopefully sooner than that
-If there are still no park attendants by May 15, the park will open regardless, using the "honor" system for collecting fees
-Bottom line: The campground will be open this year!

That's all I know, folks! If you want to speak to someone at our local project office personally, please feel free to call 870-425-2700 and press 1 for park and campground information.

A good day fishin'

Matthew Edmondson caught this 13-inch crappie while fishing with his grandpa, Milt Hoefle, on Saturday.

A few updates...

Just a reminder that the Verne Cubbage Memorial Bass tournament is this Saturday. Take-off is 7 a.m., weigh-in at 3:30 p.m. There will be lots of prizes handed out at the weigh-in, as well as cash prizes for the winners. Cost to enter is $100 per boat, plus an additional $10 per boat for the big bass pot. A young fisherman award will also be handed out. A portion of the proceeds will go to Gainesville High School's extracurricular activities clubs. There will be a pizza buffet afterward at Just Jackie's.

A tree-trimming crew has been working in the Pontiac park since the middle of last week. I still don't know when the park will be open to campers, but hopefully very soon. I will check with the Mountain Home Corps project office mid-week to see what the status is. If you'd like to speak with someone at the Corps office, call 870-425-2700.

As I write this, the guys are moving the walkway to the 500 dock (newest dock out by the launch ramp) from the main dock to the shore. If you'll recall, that's how the walkway was set up before the high water last year. There is a gate on the 500 dock, and only annual stall customers are allowed beyond the gate. The first 10 slips on that dock are for short-term renters.

The fourth annual Blessing of the Fleet is coming up on April 25. If you are planning to decorate your boat and/or yourselves, you should be thinking about your theme now! You don't have to decorate, but it has been fun in the past to see what folks come up with. The blessing ceremony will take place at 2:00 Saturday afternoon, then a picnic in the park will follow at 5:00 - money from the food sales will go to the Pontiac Firework Fund. Revolver will play live music that evening until closing. We'll be selling t-shirts and hats the day of the Blessing as well.

Update: Pontiac campground

A tree-trimming crew began work yesterday cleaning up the Pontiac park. The last I heard, the Corps is shooting for April 15 to re-open the campground to campers. I'll keep you posted on their progress. For more information or to make reservations at the Pontiac campground, call 877-444-6777.

Another good fishing report...

Tony Allbright (right) and Lloyd Hunter caught several nice crappie last week...

Is it skill? Or is it just good luck? You be the judge...

Justin likes to go fishing in his spare time...

And lately he's done quite well...

Poker Tournament Results

I haven't had a chance to talk to Vita or Mary Beth, but I did hear the Ladies Club Texas Hold 'Em tourney on Saturday raised about $500 for the Ozark County Food Pantry. Great job, everyone!

Good-to-know Info

Here are a few safe boating tidbits from Seaworthy Magazine, as summer draws near...

Five Reasons to Change Your Prop
Everybody knows to change the engine oil, swap out the impeller every year or two, change belts, etc. but the prop is much more likely to be overlooked. Choosing the wrong prop or continuing to use a prop that is damaged can not only cause your boat to perform poorly, it can increase your fuel consumption and even damage your engine and transmission.

Trailer Tires
Here's something for trailer boat owners to think about this summer when they're zooming down the road with thousands of pounds of boat bouncing along behind the car: If you're traveling at 50 mph, the trailer's 12-inch tires will be going 60 mph; 10-inch tires will be going 70 mph; and 8-inch tires will be going 90 mph! This spring you can avoid a lot of headaches by taking a few minutes to make sure your tires are healthy. Most trailer tires are left outdoors and fail because they "rot" over time (look for spiderweb cracks on the sidewall). That's true even if the tires are rarely used.

Life Jackets and Kill Switches
A man in Arizona was taking his 18-foot bass boat out onto a lake by himself one night, as he had done many times before, when he struck a jetty that had recently been built. In an instant, he was catapulted off the bow and landed, unconscious, in the water... Prior to getting under way, he attached the engine's kill switch to the life jacket he was wearing. If he hadn't bothered with the life jacket or the kill switch, he would likely have been run over by his own boat, cut up by the prop and drowned. Instead, the engine was stopped before he hit the water and he floated quietly beside the boat until he regained consciousness. Despite a few broken ribs, he was able to climb back aboard, start the engine, and return home. It could be argued that there is no need for a good swimmer on a boat to always wear his or her life jacket in all conditions. But when you're by yourself, especially at night or in foul weather, a life jacket certainly makes a lot of sense. As for the kill switch, it should always be attached to whomever is at the controls when the boat is under way. Always.

Fishing Tournament Details

The third annual Verne Cubbage Memorial Fishing Tournament is April 18. Any two-person team is welcome to enter. Entry fee is $100 per boat, plus $10 for the big bass pot. I expect that as good as fishing has been this spring we should have a pretty good competition this year! Those of you who were around the past two years have surely not forgotten the challenging weather conditions the fishermen/women have faced. Maybe the weather in two weeks will be a little nicer. :)

As usual there will be tons of prizes given away at the weigh-in, plus cash prizes awarded to the winners. A Young Fisherman award will be given to the boy or girl 16 years old or younger who catches the biggest fish. Rodney Harper - Harper's Pure Country Taxidermy - has offered to mount the big fish for the young winner for free. After the weigh-in there will be a pizza buffet open to all the fishermen and women and their families and friends at Just Jackie's. Entry forms are available at PCM and can also be downloaded here. For more information, call us at 417-679-3676.