BestSweet connected to Rolaids recall - Carolina Weekly Newspapers

“A Visit from Capt. Gus” has become aLake Norman tradition and is being repeatedagain this holiday season. Enjoy!‘Twas the night before fishing, and allthrough the lake,Not a creature was stirring, not even asnake;The poles werestuck in the rodholders with care,In hopes that abig fish would soonbe there;The kids werenestled all snug inthe vessel,While dreamingof fishes they soonwould wrestle;And mama in herwinter duds and I inmy fishing cap,Had just settled down on our waterymat,When out on the lake there arose sucha clatter,I sprang to my feet to see what was thematter.I flew to the stern where I saw a bigsplash, andBefore I knew it, I heard a big crash.The moon on the breast of the water belowGave a luster of silver and made everythingglow,When what to my wondering eyes shouldappear,But a miniature boat pulled by eight tinyfish, or were they reindeer?With a tall old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be a trick.More rapid than bonefish his coursersthey came,And he tooted and shouted, and calledthem by name;“Now, Bass! Now, Trout! Now, Breamand Flathead, too!On, Striper! On Perch! On Crappie andBlue!To the top of the dam! To the head of thefalls!Now swim away! Swim away! Swim awayall!”As waves that before the wild hurricanefly,When they meet with an obstacle, mountto the sky,So up to our vessel the coursers theyflew,With a boat load of fish and Capt. Gus,too.And then, in a twinkling, I heard with aswishThe flipping and flopping of each littlefish.As I drew in my hand, and was turningaround,Down the mast came Capt. Gus with abound.He was dressed in Red Gore-Tex, fromhis head to his toe,And his clothes were all smelly fromscales and minnows;A box full of tackle he carried on hisback,And helooked like afish peddlerjust openinghis pack.His eyestheylookedfishy! Hisdimples howmerry! Hischeeks werelike redfish,his nose likea cherry!His drolllittle mouthwas bowedlike a rod,And thebeard on hischin was aswhite as acod (fish).OpinionA twist on a Christmas classicFISHINGWITH GUSGUSGUSTAFSONCourtesy of Gus GustafsonCapt. Gus Gustafson dressed inhis red Gore-Tex suit.The end of a fishing line he held tight inhis teeth,And the smoke from the motor encircledhis head like a wreath;He had a narrow face and a flat littlebelly,It didn’t shake much like a bowl full ofjelly.He wasn’t chubby and plump, just a tallold elf,That made me laugh when I saw him, inspite of myself;A fishing rod in hand and a twist of hishead,Soon gave me to know I had nothing todread;He spoke not a word, but went straightto his work,And filled all the stringers, then turnedwith a jerk,And laying his finger aside of his nose,and giving a nod, up the mast he rose;He jumped in his boat, to his team gavea whistle,And away they all swam with the speedof a missile.But I heard him exclaim ere he drove outof sight,“Merry Fish-mas to all, and to all a goodnight.”Tips from Capt. GusHere’s a last minute gift idea: The besttime of the year to purchase marine electronics(fish finders, GPS and radar) is betweenDec. 15 and Jan. 15, when the 2010models are closed out at large discounts.Hot spots of the weekCold weather has slowed the fishermen,but not the fish. Lots of spotted bass andwhite perch are being caught on jigs andbucktails in most major creek channels. Afew stripers are biting live bait up river.Catfish are in the warmer waters of Ramseyand McCrary creeks.Capt. Gus Gustafson of Lake NormanVentures is an outdoor columnist and afull-time professional fishing guide on LakeNorman. His website is www.fishingwithgus.com. Contact him at 704-617-6812 orGus@LakeNorman.com. 9615-A NorthCross Center Ct., Huntersville(across from home depot at northcross)704-895-3858www.lakenormandentistry.com www.mooresvilleweekly.com Mooresville Weekly • Dec. 24-30, 2010 • Page 13