Elaine "Pookie" Glover:  

PRESENT ENDEAVORS: FLW TOURNAMENT TRAIL: Because I love fishing a great fishery, I've moved to Lake Fork, TX from now until winter sets in...I can fish everyday on a lake that a lot of people would like to fish there once in a life time - I'm blessed! I'm off on a new adventure! Of, course, those that know me - know it has something to do with bass fishing.... I received a phone call from Bill, the Tournament Director with the FLW last Wednesday (07/11/13). Bill called to ask, if I would be willing to work the FLW Tournament Trail; and the upcoming tournament – the "2013 Forrest Wood Cup," Tournament here on the Red River, Shreveport, La. Expo: Aug. 16-18. He needs someone to oversee the weigh-in's and someone that knows the behind the scene responsibilities. There are an enormous amount of cables and wires, multiple aerated tanks for the Anglers to use to keep their fish alive or they are penalized. The Anglers may they have weight deducted from their overall weight during the weigh-in if they have fish dead in the live well. There are runners to help with the fish at most tournaments. I am really excited to have the chance to work with the FLW! I'll be meeting a new crew and making new friends. The FLW Tournaments are similar to BASS/BASSMASTER Open and Elite tournaments. If you work hard enough and have enough and you have the points to qualify, you can move up to fish the 2014 BASSMASTER Classic. PRESENT ENDEAVORS: I am still working BASSMASTER Tournaments when I have been able to this summer. Tournaments are something that I will never give up, Although, many of the tournaments require driving cross country. My body is not ready for long road trips quite yet. I hope to be at maximum speed next year. After having had 3 surgeries last year - the hardest one was my 7th Lumbar surgery with 2 levels fused with bone plugs, reinforcing the spine with titanium rods and screws.That was in May but I had, had to have knee surgery before then in March. The third was in August and it was heart related. It is taken me awhile to get back on my feet - so I have not worked as many BASS events this year. However, I did work an Elite here on the Red River and I am scheduled to work another Elite in August. I really enjoyed my first tournament back on the tournament trail this past Spring here on the Red River. Of course, I love the BASSMASTER CLASSICS with all its pomp nad circumstance but its really the intensity among the best of the best Anglers. I was able work the BASSMASTER CLASSIC but instead of working with my weigh-in team, because they were short the number of Marshals needed. So, I worked as a Marshal to help out in an area that is hard to fill in Feb, when its cold or cold and raining as it was this year and in years past. As a Marshal, you ride with one of the Anglers for the full day. You draw a different Angler everyday. A Marshal is there to record all fish caught that meets the BASSs Rules for length. You record any fish and approxlmate weight before they go in the livewell. Everything recorded is entered in to a hand held device, called a BASS-TRAC and any bass that may be culled after the Angler has his limit of 5 bass. If he catches a fish that weighs more than one of the fish already in the livewell - he is allowed to release that bass for the larger bass. Some Anglers have a camera boat following them as they fish....in that case you can get in the camera boat so that the camera man can be in the boat with the Angler. The rule is - the camera boat has to stay right by the Anglers boat because as a Marshal, you have to witness every fish caught and culled. It was a great experience and all of the Anglers were great but I will not do it ever again. You leave the launch at 7:00am with the Angler and you are out on the water with them until its time for their wave or check-in time...starting at 3:00pm. I really enjoyed spending the day with the professional Anglers - except that I had to watch him catch bass and I couldn't wet a hook. For me - that is a difficult thing to do.I like the guys that I work with on the weigh-in team from BASS/ESPN and I would much rather work with the Anglers coming in, in the afternoons. for the weigh-ins. I can fish all day - after the 7:00am launch and fish until around 2:00pm. At 2 pm I head in to play, I mean to work....its more like going to have the best time with a bunch of your friends.. Because of my health issues I decided to tender my letter deeming me semi-retired from the Board of BASS LIFE until I felt I could give 100 per cent to the organization. I had been a Member of the Board of Directors of an non-profit organization - BASS LIFE ASSOCIATES, INC. I have been a member of BASS LIFE for 7 years. We are DEDICATED TO THE FISHERIES OF THE ARK-LA-TEX. We hold one big fundraiser every April at the Shreveport Convention Center. All of the funds that we raise each year, goes right back into the local fishing community. Several of our projects - we sponsor children's fishing tournaments, where we provide the fishing equipment and bait. We try to make sure that each child gets a trophy. BASS LIFE sponsors a Wildlife and Aquatics Education Program for all 5th graders for any of our schools that want to enroll in 2 parishes, Caddo and Bossier Parishes. Every year we fund the City of Shreveport by sponsoring the Fish Hatchery on Cross Lake. I personally work with the biologist at the Hatchery after our fundraising event and Sportsman's Dinner. When the ponds are drawn down at the Hatchery, I haul those Florida Black Bass Fingerlings in our BASS LIFE aerated double tank trailer and release them from a boat launch site. Wildliffe and Fisheries decides where the fingerlings are to be released. The fingerlings that I haul for release or usually sited for release to 1 of 2 pools on the Red River and several of our area lakes. Caddo Lake, Cross Lake, Black Bayou Lake...etc. We would love to make fishing a family sport and reach as many children, those that would otherwise never have had a chance to go fishing. I am also a Member of the Toledo Bend Lake Association. .I have not been able to bass fish as often as I would have liked.. I was barred from riding in a boat by my neuro-surgeon until my bone plugs had fused. This year we had the early rains that really helped with the water levels in the river and lakes after last years lack of rain. We will actually have water to safely fish in this summer...especially on Toledo Bend.. I will continue to work with BASS/ESPN on the BASSMASTER Classic and Elite Series Tournament Trail until they kick me out. Working with my weigh-team is where I am planning to stay . Dave Mercer and Tripp Wheldon are on the BASS on the stage for every weigh-in and Tommy Sanders and Mark Zona are in the BASSMASTER Commentators booth during all of the weigh-ins. I work behind the scenes with the tournament director and the Anglers. I am working at the tanks as the Anglers are waiting...moving from tank to tank with their bags - keeping their fish aerated, just waiting until it's their turn to take the stage. Each Angler has to sign for their weigh slips each day. Sometimes I work at the weigh slip machine and other times...I am making sure that the fish stay alive until their release. There are multiple aerated tanks that the fish must remain in until they are taken by a runner to the Catch and Release Barges. If an Angler has a fish die from lack of aeration in his livewell - he's pentalized and losing weight from his daily weigh-in total. That cost Gerald Swindle 250,000 dollars when he fished at Toledo Bend. G-man was in first place ut had a fish die - he had 2 ozs taking from his final weigh-in total. Gerald is on the "Hot Seat" and the final angler was up on the stage and his catch was 1oz over Swindles. G took 2nd place and would have won by 1 oz if that one fish had not croaked. Alton Jones won the Battle on The Bayou. We have runners at most tournament locations and at other locations - we have tanks or chutes on the stage where Tripp can place the bass until they can be loaded on to the barge for release. Each Angler is given a weigh bag to put their bass in when they come. All fish to be used for the weigh-in - must be taken from their livewells but not before they come in for the weigh-in. The limit per weigh-in is 5 bass.The only fish that can be removed from the liv ewell beforehand - is when an Angler is culling. Weigh bags are counted and all of them must be accounted for between waves. There are waves where so many Anglers leave out or return in 15 minute intervals - depending on their placement. The Angler with the highest weight class each day, leaves out first, 2nd placement - 2nd and so on... There are 99 Anglers on the roster and they begin to cut the roster. By the 4th day, the final 12 Anglers fish. The winner of the BASSMASTER Classic receives a check for 500,000 dollars and the Elite Series winner gets a check for 250,000 dollars. MY THOUGHTS ON HAVING 2 GRADUATION CLASSES: I'm worki...Expand for more