surfk9 Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 (edited) Su a view from the "Top" of the age spectrum of TXC Day 2....as were many, I was looking forward to TXC Day 2, as I missed the first due to illness...as many of you may know, I reported on my cancer diagnosis at that time...happy to report, last week my doc informed us tumors had shrunk 70-80%!!! I was determined to attend TXC 2....contacted Ceaser about camping the the night before, explaining I had a 350 mile round trip, plus I had health issues...no problem , touch base with me when you arrive, spoke with Ceaser he explained the setup and were to park...Upon arrival I realized my age set me apart from others that I saw (2 months shy of 68 )...Wearing my TXC BTS hat i was sitting in the covered area at Russos, I was approached by two younger attendees who asked if i was here here for Toxic Day....so began my 24 hours of the Toxic World of Swim Baiting ...These first two swimbaiting enthusiasts were River & David, who came together, were from Chico area...we ran thru our experiences & exchanged Instagram user acct's...over the next 24 hrs we spent time talking on/off...Awhile later I was speaking with two fishermen who arrived from Las Vegas for the tournament ...I mentioned my drive wasn't as long as theirs, but I'm in my late sixties dealing with cancer when to my surprise one said "SurfK9", I'm "Striper Addict"...it was a pleasure to meet a fellow SU member, Anthony & his partner Kevin...I was stuck with a feeling of camaraderie and belonging...so the evening progressed...saturday evening I was approached by many attendees whose age I more than doubled...no worry, all that I met had a common thread thru their lives, Bass & Swim Baits...Some of the people I met..Ceaser ( of course) who struck me as a generous & humble host, we spoke briefly a couple different times...I was introduced to Brad Kowalski @ Bank Beaters, thanks for the stickers, shirt and lure...more importantly the feeling of inclusion in something special..."BassFishing Is Not A Crime"...Late in the evening I met another SoCal fishermen who was prepping for the tourney Anthony Amato...he spoke about spooling his reels and fishing in general and fishing the Delta...over and over again I felt, at 68, a feeling of belonging to this younger group of enthusiastic fishermen...so the weekend progressed...the main event beginning early Sunday morning as vendors began arriving & setting up...that in itself is another story altogether...approximately a dozen vendors sharing their creations...willingly imparting their perspective on swimbaiting & of the methods of their baits....I realize I'm rambling at this point...all in all I can say the 24 hours of Toxic Day 2 reaffirmed my belief that we can all come together...I felt that I had met a long lost "Family"....Thank you all for including me in something Special...I met many people I haven't mentioned by name ...senior thing with remembering, although my wife says its Chemo Fog, not a senior thing, LOL...michel...Go Fish!!!....included is a pic of items I scored...left to right...a soft plastic line thru shad bait from Jaw Jack'n Baits ( a freebie...thanks guys), toxic Micro-Mink, a couple plastic frogs from Rat Trap Lures, a snack size walking gill from Brad @ Bank Beaters, a three pc Chorizo from Ceaser @ Toxic, soft plastic from Magnum Baits a six inch blue craw and the Toxic Day 2 tote bag. Edited July 10, 2019 by surfk9 Add pics chevro1et, MA Frog Man, ricardo and 21 others 23 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefchris Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 Nice recap Michel 1st off glad to hear about the update on the big C, any progress is great about 80% is awesome. And yes it’s chemo fog and not your age playing a big part in that. I feel like certain types of fishing just bring people together, mainly at least in my experience it’s surfcasting here on the east coast/New England and swimbaits over the whole country. Its a niche thing and guys that are passionate about it, love sharing it and talking about it all the time. Ive met a lot of people thru this forum and others I use that are now life long friends instead of just user name and avatar pics. Sounds like you had a great time! StriperAddict, MA Frog Man and Noreaster603 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StriperAddict Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 21 minutes ago, surfk9 said: Su a view from the "Top" of the age spectrum of TXC Day 2....as were many, I was looking forward to TXC Day 2, as I missed the first due to illness...as many of you may know, I reported on my cancer diagnosis at that time...happy to report, last week my doc informed us tumors had shrunk 70-80%!!! I was determined to attend TXC 2....contacted Ceaser about camping the the night before, explaining I had a 350 mile round trip, plus I had health issues...no problem , touch base with me when you arrive, spoke with Ceaser he explained the setup and were to park...Upon arrival I realized my age set me apart from others that I saw (2 months shy of 68 )...Wearing my TXC BTS hat i was sitting in the covered area at Russos, I was approached by two younger attendees who asked if i was here here for Toxic Day....so began my 24 hours of the Toxic World of Swim Baiting ...These first two swimbaiting enthusiasts were River & David, who came together, were from Chico area...we ran thru our experiences & exchanged Instagram user acct's...over the next 24 hrs we spent time talking on/off...Awhile later I was speaking with two fishermen who arrived from Las Vegas for the tournament ...I mentioned my drive wasn't as long as theirs, but I'm in my late sixties dealing with cancer when to my surprise one said "SurfK9", I'm "Striper Addict"...it was a pleasure to meet a fellow SU member, Anthony & his partner Kevin...I was stuck with a feeling of camaraderie and belonging...so the evening progressed...saturday evening I was approached by many attendees whose age I more than doubled...no worry, all that I met had a common thread thru their lives, Bass & Swim Baits...Some of the people I met..Ceaser ( of course) who struck me as a generous & humble host, we spoke briefly a couple different times...I was introduced to Brad Kowalski @ Bank Beaters, thanks for the stickers, shirt and lure...more importantly the feeling of inclusion in something special..."BassFishing Is Not A Crime"...Late in the evening I met another SoCal fishermen who was prepping for the tourney Anthony Amato...he spoke about spooling his reels and fishing in general and fishing the Delta...over and over again I felt, at 68, a feeling of belonging to this younger group of enthusiastic fishermen...so the weekend progressed...the main event beginning early Sunday morning as vendors began arriving & setting up...that in itself is another story altogether...approximately a dozen vendors sharing their creations...willingly imparting their perspective on swimbaiting & of the methods of their baits....I realize I'm rambling at this point...all in all I can say the 24 hours of Toxic Day 2 reaffirmed my belief that we can all come together...I felt that I had met a long lost "Family"....Thank you all for including me in something Special...I met many people I haven't mentioned by name ...senior thing with remembering, although my wife says its Chemo Fog, not a senior thing, LOL...michel...Go Fish!!!....included is a pic of items I scored...left to right...a soft plastic line thru shad bait from Jaw Jack'n Baits ( a freebie...thanks guys), toxic Micro-Mink, a couple plastic frogs from Rat Trap Lures, a snack size walking gill from Brad @ Bank Beaters, a three pc Chorizo from Ceaser @ Toxic, soft plastic from Magnum Baits a six inch blue craw and the Toxic Day 2 tote bag. Was a pleasure to meet you my friend and look foward to seeing you at the next evrnt. This time we will take you out and fish if you decide not to bring the boat. Stay strong brother and keep in touch! surfk9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noreaster603 Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 Awesome brief and happy to hear your health is progressing, keep it going man. It is nice to hear how welcoming everyone was, a lot of times we find ourselves competing with one another without even realizing it so when people come together it is a powerful thing. Hopefully I can make the journey out to this event in years to come. surfk9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbass Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 Glad you are making to great recovering. Best going forward. Brian surfk9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzed bait Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 Good stuff man, much luck with your continued recovery!!! surfk9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toro blanco Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 Nice write up, glad to hear you are doing better! It was my first meet up too. A lot of cool people and great weather! Shout out to Ceasar for a great show! surfk9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogervang Posted July 10, 2019 Report Share Posted July 10, 2019 Good to hear your doing a lot better! I saw your tent on the way in and did not cross my mind at all it w as s you. Sorry Michel, I will for sure look you guys up on the next event if you can make it. surfk9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggfeast Posted July 11, 2019 Report Share Posted July 11, 2019 Awesome @surfk9, wish I could’ve attended and met you myself. The Swimbait community (especially here on SU) is pretty special. surfk9 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfk9 Posted July 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2019 (edited) 1181D264-C1D5-45B3-B08D-D4FD4CE49C80.MOV Edited July 11, 2019 by surfk9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfk9 Posted July 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2019 Chemo fog!!! lol....not sure of the issue the above video was made Saturday evening @ Toxic Day 2 ...Ceaser & Luke spoke about fishing the Delta with swim baits...got luke missed C...video is not great but u can hear the audio, enjoy ... michel.. Go Fish!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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