DAN SIMMONS Sportsman's Quest MORE COLUMNS SPECIAL TO THE PVT Ron Cross shows off one of his latest catches. SPECIAL TO THE PVT Ron Cross shows off one of his latest catches. Advertisement

Ron Cross, professional bass fisherman and Shadow Mountain Feed Store owner, has been at it again. He and his fishing partner, Steve Foster, fished a bass tournament at Norris Lake near Nashville, Tenn.

Steve, who practiced chiropractic here for years, now lives in Tennessee, so the boys have a tricked-out boat at both ends of the country and have become well-known on the circuit.

This Norris Lake event wasn't without incident, though. It seems Ron hooked a big water moccasin, while casting and Steve is petrified around snakes. All turned out well, though, and they finished the day with a good catch of bass.

The next day was not without interest either. It seems a rubber snake somehow became attached to Ron's hook and as he brought it in, I'm told, "Steve left the boat."

This may be one of the reasons Ron doesn't have too many friends and has to travel so far to find a fishing partner.

I fished with him once, in his new bass boat, but the G-force was so great as we flew across, and over, the water I decided to stick with my old northern canoe.

Well, they didn't win the $10,000 tournament prize, but they did gain enough points to participate in the National Tournament of Champions at Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas this coming October.

The team has already won thousands of dollars with this hobby and hopes to win some of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes and cash while visiting the Lone Star state.

Ron told me confidentially that he has more than 60 secret GPS points on Sam Rayburn Lake and feels pretty lucky. I'm telling you this in secret too, so don't tell anyone. But, then again there aren't a lot of people excited to know Ron's "secret" locations.

There are people, though, who find Ron one of the greatest bass fishermen ever, and he has a strategy to develop these individuals to become his new fishing partners.

He raises and trains them, as he did with his greatest fan, grandson Parker Erickson. Parker is 10 years old and even when he won a chance to fish at a benefit tournament with well-known angler, Brent Uhleur, he chose to fish with his "Grandpa Ron."

They came close to winning the first prize too -- a new bass boat. Actually they would have won it, but they spent the last two hours of the tournament letting Parker drive their bass boat around the lake.

You see, Parker became tired of fishing and grandpa felt it was better to spend some quality time with him and create not a negative, but a winning, situation.

When it came time to weigh in they were just short of first place, and when Parker stepped up to the podium he claimed, "I caught every fish -- in the net." He became the hero of the other fishermen and was himself hooked on fishing.

I think this was a winning situation for both, and Ron will have himself a new fishing partner for years to come. With his unusual sense of humor I won't be surprised if he may one day need one. I, for one, will fish with him anytime, in my canoe, as long as there are no rubber snakes around.

Ron also helps out locally with the Bowman Pond Youth Fishing Program, here in Pahrump, sponsored by the Focus Property Group and Tim Hafen.

Ron is my friend.

What's new

Ron Cross and Steve Foster have their secret GPS points at bass lakes all across the United States, and they also have their favorite lures.

Now, I have been told these in confidence also, so you know that I am going to share it with you. Here's the list and they are all from Rapala: Glass Shad Rap, for low-light conditions; the Classic Shad Rap, everyone's favorite; the Skitter Walk, when the fish are taking top lures; and finally, with all respect, Ron's favorite, the Glass Fat Rap.

These and a bunch of rubbery hula-skirted wormy-looking things are what they use to win the big bucks and I hope that they help you too. For more information go to www.rapala.com.

Update

While tournament fishing has been one of the fastest growing sports in America, we don't want to leave out our salt-water fishing friends. The offshore fishing has really been picking up all along the Baja and Southern California coasts.

It's time to go so pack up your gear and log onto one of these Web sites get a daily fish report, make a reservation and don't forget to take pictures and let me know how the trip went. Go to www.hmlanding.com, www.freedomsportfishing.com, or www.redrooster3.com.

Events

Ducks Unlimited will be holding its annual banquet Oct. 2 in Las Vegas. For more information or to confirm participation, call Scott Bowels at 702-461-8779.

The Las Vegas Fly Fishing Club holds its monthly meeting the third Tuesday of the month at Bass Pro in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. For more information call 702-876-2005.

Recipe of week

When you're on the shore relaxing with your friends or family after a great day of fishing (and catching), there is not a better way to enjoy your fish then with a great shore lunch. Plus, you get to enjoy the "leftover" beer from making this recipe. Grandpa Ron likes the beer and Parker likes the bass.

Grandpa's Beer-Battered Bass

Six fish fillets approximately 1/2 pound each; juice of one lemon; 1/2 cup flour; 5 Tbs cornmeal, 1 tsp dried dill weed; 2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt; 2 tsp white pepper; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1 12-oz bottle of beer; oil for cooking.

Sprinkle fish fillets with lemon juice; combine flour, cornmeal, dill weed, seasoned salt, pepper, and onion powder; stir in enough beer to make a medium thick batter; pour oil into a pan and heat to approximately 375 degrees; dip fish into batter and drop into oil; remove when nicely browned on both sides; serve with sliced potatoes and onions wrapped in foil and baked in the coals and a creamy coleslaw.