Photos by Dane Konop
At the 2019 Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament, more than a few Gabby Guys came to camp just to party and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gabby Founders’ first fishing trip to Kettle Creek and the Inspirational Gabby of 1969. A record ten of the 24 guys in camp stayed off the stream.
But Joe Towner Michael Ondovik came to camp determined to repair his fishing reputation. Having never caught a trout, his prospects did not look good.
At the 2016 Gabby tournament, Mike had come in second to a dog for “Rookie of the Year.” Neither he nor Max the Wonder Dog had caught a fish, but Max was the nearly unanimous selection by the assembled Gabby Guys because of his superior social skills.
This year, Mike had the last laugh on his canine competitor, when the once-humbled human’s 12-inch+ rainbow was the largest trout caught in camp. While Mike’s fish was the fifth smallest Gabby winner since trophies were first awarded in 1976, the size of the fish in no way diminished Mike’s accomplishment as only the 18th tournament champion, or his appreciation for the award. In a post-tournament interview, Mike said, “I had a rough 3+ months leading up to this and to catch a fish let alone a Gabby winner is beyond explanation.” Mike said frankly his friends and family were surprised “that me of all people won the award” and “equally impressed with the heritage that is tied to the camp…and trophy.”
His fellow fishermen in Joe Town, who had equally dismal performances in past Gabbys, were clearly ecstatic for Mike’s tourney win, with Julius claiming his fellow Joe Towners had been grooming Mike for just such a victory. Mike said, “I am honored to not only be a part of this amazing group but to have won this award on behalf of Joe Camp (sic). Those guys are not only gentlemen but true friends.”
Nearly all of the Gabby Guys had arrived in camp by Thursday. Everyone from the 2018 tournament returned in 2019, with the addition of Andy and Zach Anderson and Camp Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne, who was making an infrequent appearance in camp to celebrate Gabby at 50.
Fishing conditions were favorable on the early, April 13 opening day, with sunny skies and temperatures topping out near 70. The stream flow was low, dropping from just above the April mean at 400 cubic feet per second on Thursday to only 343 cfs on Saturday. The low water did make for easy wading, with only one reported “swimmer,” eventual champion Ondovik, who said he had a few splashdowns in his rush to get off the stream with his would be Gabby winner.
In housekeeping, following a head count, Mike Shanks announced that the cost of the firewood delivered to camp would be paid for by the “Steve ‘Fire Guy ‘ Mueller Memorial Fund, “established by the “Big Mouth Four,” best high school buddies of the late Gabby champion and camp favorite. With seed money from Steve’s friend Bill O’Connell and after expenditures for the campfire wood for 2019, Mike reported that the fund stood at $400. Shanks was named acting administrator of the fund, pending the camp release of his 2019 income tax filing.2015 (Dane Konop recap)
Columbus, Ohio, native Zach Anderson became the first Gabby “Second Genner” to win a third Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament with his catch of a 17-inch brown trout on Saturday, April 18, one of seven trout he landed that day. Zach hooked the big brown at about 3 p.m. on a Panther Martin in the stretch of Kettle Creek roughly halfway between Gabby Camp and Ole Bull, in the same area where Founder Patton Annegan caught the legendary “Inspirational Gabby” in 1969. This year’s Gabby is the first back-to-back win by Second Genners, as last year’s champion was Alex Bedont.
Zach faced stiff competition, with an all-veterans camp that included four of the five past Gabby champions in camp actively competing for the trophy, Founder Konop having retired from active competition with six Gabbys. Zach had opened the morning fishing with a small group of Gabby Guys in the deep channels below the fish for fun area at the Rt. 144 bridge. “I started with a Panther Martin but switched to salmon eggs when I netted a fish that (Founder) Dane caught with an egg. After awhile, I switched back to the Panther Martin and fished with it the rest of the day,” Zach explained. “Mike (Shanks) showed me a part of stream he fished in the past,” Zach said. “We had to walk about a half mile (from where they parked along Rt. 144), then had to climb down a steep bank and then walk way in to where we fished.” It was well worth the extra effort, as Zach’s brown was the largest Gabby landed since Jeff Cousin’s 17-inch brookie in 2011. It was also Zach’s third win with a brown, having won with 18 ¾-inch and 17 ½-inch browns in 2003 and 2010 respectively. Zach was the bridesmaid in 2014.
Mike Shanks, Senior Elder Mark Bedont, last-year’s Gabby Champion Alex Bedont, Gene “E-Rod” Rodriguez, Elder Byron “Andy” Anderson, Zach Anderson, Sergeant-at-Arms Karl Wendel and Founder Dane Konop were the first to arrive on Thursday, after a drinking and shooting stay-over at Mike’s camp near Snow Shoe. They were followed (in approximate order of arrival) by Tony Rose, Drew Rose, Ty Albert, Keith “Robbie” Robinson, (non-Native American) “Chief” Ed Grugan, and Joetown Joe and Chris. Gabby Guys set up their camps under nearly perfect cool and clear conditions. Delayed by a track coaching gig on Thursday, Second Genner Dane Christian Konop was the last to arrive in the pre-dawn hours Friday.
For the second year in a row, Mother Nature cooperated, providing nearly perfect weather and stream conditions for the 17 Gabby Guys in camp, 15 of whom fished. Although the ground was damp from a light rain Wednesday night, there was some uncertainty as to whether the standing fire ban was in effect. The delivery of a cord and half of wood and three bales of hay by local guy Aaron Churchill assured a warm and mostly mud-free camp, IF we could have a campfire. That question was made moot when a light drizzle arrived Thursday at dusk, just as “Fire Guy 2.0” Darien Bodahl began erecting Colaianneville II, followed by a fire. A light rain continued overnight, assuring the Gabby Guys could have a campfire throughout the weekend. Right on schedule, the rain let up Friday morning, with temperatures rising from the low 40s overnight to the mid-50s by mid-day. Most Gabby Guys spent a sunny and dry Friday fine-tuning their camps, readying their tackle or just luxuriating around the Colaianneville campfire. By Saturday morning, Kettle was running fairly clear at about 325 cfs, just slightly under the mean average of 350, making for relatively safe wading conditions. There were no Gabby swimmers and no reports of streamside injuries.
Just like the weather, the Saturday night business meeting and awards ceremony were remarkably similar to last year, efficient and brouhaha-free, with smoke breaks equitably distributed throughout the meeting to slow the pace of the proceedings. Sergeant-at-Arms Karl Wendel called the Gabby Guys to the Gabby Circle at a little after 9 p.m., his authority bolstered by a new state trooper’s hat that made him look a little like a military man, or maybe Col. Sanders on a bad day. After order was established, Founder Dane as master-of-ceremonies officially welcomed the Gabby Guys to camp, turning the dais over to Andy for the convocation--a rare moment of silence for those Gabby Guys who have passed on. After only one restart, the Head Count totaled 17 in camp, with 15 fishing. “Fire Guy 2.0” Darien Bodahl remained in camp all weekend tending his fire. Ty Albert missed out on fishing because his truck became disabled on Rt. 144 after he topped off his gas tank with water-laden gas at the gas station in Oleanna, which recently changed owners.
The group cost of camp, covering wood, hay and a case of “exotic” beer for Aaron Churchill totaled $172, or $10.11/person, up from $7/person for the 22 Gabby Guys in camp last year. Again, Aaron provided a jug of his mountain hooch. With 26 trout caught by 15 Gabby Guys, the resulting 2015 Gabby Fish Quotient was 1.73 fish/fisherman, up from last year’s 1.0, but well below the record high 5.0 set in 1986, when 85 fish were caught by 13 Gabby Guys out of the 17 on the stream.
In Old Business, Keith “Robbie” Robinson inquired about the status of last year’s nomination of Ed Grugan as a “Re-Rookie of the Year,” which had been referred to committee. Acting Sub-Awards Committee Chair Andy Anderson’s report was succinct: “We didn’t meet.” In New Business, Gabby Webmaster Mark Bedont reported on the successful revival of the Gabby web page (Follow the fun at GabbyHayes.net.) and thanked the Gabby Guys for their photo submissions. In other new business, Gene “E-Rod” Rodriguez, hobbled and recovering from serious, recent health problems, thanked everyone in camp for helping him on the stream and in camp, particularly Alex Bedont, who helped him fish at the gas line right of way.
E-Rod offered the simple but profound question: “What are we going to do to keep Gabby going?” At 65 and as one of the older Gabby Guys in camp, E-Rod overcame serious health problems to make it to the 2015 camp. He noted that over the years a number of Gabby Guys have died and others have been forced to stay home because of health problems, including this year “Fire Guy Emeritus” Steve Mueller, who had missed only one other camp since his first Gabby in 1981. Gene asked metaphorically, “Are we going to stay with the gray until we fall? Or are we going to regenerate?” Gene revealed he had conferred earlier on the subject with Founder Dane, who he said was “spot on” when he opined, “It’s not up to us (older guys). It’s up to the Second Genners.” With that, Founder Dane opened up the question for group circle discussion. Second-Genner and last year’s champ Alex Bedont, who attends camp each year with his father Mark, said he thought it was important to keep the Gabby spirit going with new blood, but pointed out, from experience, that not all rookies are the right fit for Gabby Camp. Keith “Robbie” Robinson, who has been competing in the Gabby since the early 1980s, is a three-time champion and consistently wins the Gabby distance award for having traveled the farthest to camp, said he thought we had a good core group of new guys and Second Genners that he believed could keep the Gabby going. D.C., Gabby Camp’s second Second Genner, said he was attempting to recruit in Shepherdstown, but that one of his friends mused, “Why would I drive five hours north where it is 10 degrees colder, when I can drive five hours south where it is 10 degree warmer?” Second-Genner Drew Rose cautioned, “I’m constantly looking for people. But I have yet to find the one I’d want to bring. There are guys I fish with and there are guys I drink with, but none of these guys would I want to do both with.” Drew’s father, Tweener Tony Rose, a generation younger than most Gabby Elders and a relatively recent addition to Gabby Camp, reported he likely would be bringing his younger son Justin to camp in the next few years. Zach Anderson said he is considering recruiting two new brothers-in-law and reminded the Gabby group of two of his cousins he’s brought in the past who are possible “re-recruits.” Elder Andy, a four-time Gabby champion, took a different tack. “There are already too many people in camp. I only fish a half a day and I don’t need any more competition.” Tweener Mike Shanks revealed, “I’m working on two guys.” To which Founder Dane quipped, “That sounds unseemly.” Newly installed Senior Elder Mark Bedont, who has been coming to the Gabby since the 1970s, longer than anyone except Founder Dane, nailed it when he said, “There couldn’t be a tighter bunch or a better bunch (of Gabby Guys). The Gabby is not just a fishing trip. The Gabby is an institution. (For the Gabby to continue), we only need to bring a couple of new guys a year. Take the effort to recruit.” Ty Albert said he had brought his nephew a few years back and would maybe bring him back. Ty also said he would call Dave Phillips and bug him about coming to the Gabby, just as Dave had bugged him in past years. Founder Dane wrapped up the discussion by suggesting we keep up our Gabby ranks through “retention (of current Gabby Guys), regeneration (by re-recruiting past Gabbyites) and recruitment (of new Gabby Guys).”
He pointed out that the Gabby has continued over the years because in the past we have made smart recruiting decisions, most notably recruiting our sons to come to camp. This move was made over the objections of Founder Larry Selby and a few other old-timers, who no longer attend, partly because of that reason. It will be these Second Genners and other relatively recent recruits like the Tweeners, he said, who will make up the core of future Gabbys. But be careful, he warned, of whom you invite, because once invited, a recruit cannot be uninvited and is free to invite whomever he is pleased to invite. The fabric of Gabby Camp is at stake.” Demonstrating for safety purposes that the gravity light was most definitely still on, Sergeant-At-Arms Karl Wendel ended the discussion with a full, backward somersault out of his chair, prompting a well timed smoke break.
When New Business deliberations resumed, “Chief” Grugan wound his way around the circle with a delicious and well received cheese and cracker serving, a catering extension, he said, of Grugan’s Streamside Tavern. Zach Anderson mentioned that seeing Founder Dane reduced to laying down hay around camp convinced him that a Gabby Grounds Crew was needed. Founder Dane immediately appointed him Acting Chief of Gabby Facilities Maintenance. Sergeant-At-Arms Wendel proudly reported that while he was on guard in camp Saturday morning when most other Gabby Guys were on the stream, Ranger Tubbs stopped into camp and told him, “Yours is the cleanest camp after you leave.” Founder Dane pointed out that this was due to a concerted group effort, paying local guy Aaron Churchill to collect our trash at the close of camp, and D.C.’s policing of Gabby Camp grounds after most others have left on Sunday. Foreshadowing what turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophesy, “Fire Guy” Darien hinted he is considering constructing a new Colaianneville, as Colaianneville II has survived, barely, well beyond its anticipated lifespan.
Recognizing the advancing age and precarious physical condition of E-Rod and several of the older Gabby Guys, himself included, Founder Dane announced that Mike Shanks has been appointed Acting Chief of Gabby Emergency Medical Services and that by virtue of his position as Senior Elder, Mark Bedont was appointed to head the Gabby Emergency Medical Services Advisory Panel. In advance of a draft Gabby Emergency Medical Plan commissioned for 2016, Mike Shanks reported that he had already begun making preparations and plans, including providing each Gabby Guy with an emergency noise maker for locating guys in trouble on the stream.
After only the fifth smoke break of the evening, the Awards Ceremony opened with a surprise when Founder Dane announced that “Fire Guy Emeritus” Steve Mueller was being awarded a Founders’ Award in absentia for his years of contributions to Gabby Camp, including his conceptualization, design and construction of the Selby Cup, initiation and scheduling of firewood delivery in camp, supervision of the annual erection of Colaianneville, and his penchant for instilling in Gabby Guys, particularly Gabby recruits, a knowledge and an appreciation of Gabby history. It is only the third Founders’ Award for service to Gabby Camp in the history of Gabby. Mike Shanks, who was recruited by Herr Dr. Mueller, accepted on his behalf.
The Awards Ceremony began in earnest with the Showing of the Contenders. No Gabby Stick measurement was necessary, as it was obvious that Zach Anderson’s 17-inch brown was larger than the Elder Bedont’s 13-inch and Robbie Robinson’s 14-inch rainbows. Last year’s champion Alex Bedont presented the trophy, a marble-based, brass cup topped with a leaping trout, to 2015 Champion Zach Anderson, who graciously accepted the award and offered teasingly, a la Dr. Trout, that he would be conducting a Panther Martin seminar at next year’s camp as a continuation of Dr. Trout’s Trout Academy.
With that, the meeting was gaveled to an end, well ahead of the traditional midnight closing.
In self-fulfillment of his earlier prophesy, Fire Guy Darien piled log after log on the Gabby campfire until it stood shoulder high, the flames bursting through the square center smoke hole of Colaianneville II. Then, inevitably, the tarp attached to the wooden block frame of the smoke hole burned through and separated on one side of the frame. The resulting near collapse of the tarp was reminiscent of the aftermath of the Dr. Trout induced Gabby Comet of 1998, which destroyed Colaianneville I in a flash. Fearing eminent entrapment and suffocation, several Gabby Guys cautiously moved out from under the precariously hanging tarp, which threatened to collapse but never did.
On Sunday, Gabbyites were greeted with sunny and warm weather, perfect for breaking camp. Right on schedule, Aaron Churchill stopped in camp at noon to pick up trash. Gabby Campers are reminded to kindly separate trash and recyclables at next year’s camp.
E-Rod was the last Gabby Guy in camp.
2016 (Dane Konop recap)
Mike Shanks dominated Kettle Creek on opening day April 16, at least in the p.m., landing nineteen trout that included rainbows and brookies. The largest of these fish, all around a foot long, was just large enough to win the 2016 Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament.
All but one of Mike’s fish, including the Gabby, were caught in the late afternoon on a Panther Martin spinner on the narrow, winding stretch of Kettle downstream from Ole Bull, the same stretch of stream and same lure that produced last year’s Gabby.
Of the 29 trout landed by the 16 Gabby Guys fishing, all but three were taken in the afternoon. Most Gabbyites were skunked, many having given up on the stream early.
It’s not surprising.
While water levels on Kettle were ideal, running just under 400cfs, and atmospheric conditions were nearly perfect throughout opening day, with clear skies and temperatures topping out in the 70s, the stream was very cold. The water temperature taken at 8:30 a.m. at the Rt. 144 bridge was 39.8 degrees, well under the ideal, temperature-driven feeding range for trout of 44-48 degrees. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, the creek hovered just below the 40-degree threshold when trout begin to feed. By 3 p.m., the temperature had edged up to the low 40s, topping out later that afternoon at 44 degrees.
It was an eventful year in Gabby Camp, as Gabby Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne returned to camp after a many-year absence, just in time to see the third reincarnation of the giant, smoke-vented tarp we call “Colaianneville” after its creator. Colaianneville III was constructed by Fire Guy Darien Bodahl, who salvaged the smoke vent block frame, suspension chains and center pole from Colaianneville II, which he lengthened by three feet. The result was a pristine tarp that incorporated all the technical innovations of earlier C-ville iterations. To top it off, Joetown’s Chris Miller graciously picked up the $200 tab for the 40 by 30-foot tarp. Although the standing fire ban was in effect in Potter County, lack of wind and a ranger to enforce the ban allowed for a cozy campfire under the tarp all weekend.
Assisted by Max the Wonderdog, Gabby Sargeant-at Arms Karl Wendel called the business meeting to order a few minutes after the announced starting time of 9 p.m. Saturday, with Founder Dane Konop conducting. Attending were eventual champion Mike Shanks, Ty Albert, Darien Bodahl, Jim Colaianne, Gene Rodriguez, Gabby Webmaster and 2009 champion Mark Bedont, 2014 winner Alex Bedont, Joetowners Joe, Julius, Chris and their rookie Mike, Ed Grugan, three-time Gabby champ Keith Robinson, D.C. Konop, Drew Rose, Tony Rose, and four-time champion Byron “Andy” Anderson. After a nearly seamless headcount and a fish count, the Gabby Fishing Quotient was calculated at a respectable 2.23 fish/fisherman, a half a trout above last year’s 1.73, thanks mainly to Mike.
In old business, each Gabby guy reported on his past year’s efforts to keep the Gabby going through “retention, recruitment and regeneration,” as discussed in 2015, with most Gabbyites reporting their own retention as their 3R accomplishment. Jim Colaianne’s miraculous return to camp was deemed a “resurrection.” Mike Shanks handed out commemorative flags made from the remnants of Colaiannevile II and collected $7.50 a man to cover firewood.
The only new business was the nomination of two Gabbyites as Rookie of the Year: Mike of Joetown and Max the Wonderdog. Although the result was never in doubt, nonetheless the vote was preceded by an unusually orderly discussion of the merits of the two rookies: Neither Mike nor Max caught a fish. Andy said he thought Max had the firmer handshake. Karl reported that Max was a big help to him patrolling camp. Julius said that Mike was very helpful with domestic chores in Joetown. It was noted that Max did occasionally bark, as dogs do, while Mike rarely spoke outside the confines of Joetown. Founder Dane said it was a close call, but he favored Max because Max greeted him every time Dane appeared in camp, while he and Mike only spoke twice. The eventual vote for “man or dog” was not close, with only Ed Grugan voting man, that is until it was revealed that Max had slept with one of the judges next to the fire overnight, forcing Andy to switch his vote to man because of the, to him, scandalous inter-breed behavior.
As usual the meeting ended with the rollout of Gabby contenders, measurements on the Gabby Stick, and the award of the 2016 trophy.
The first two contenders were a pair of rainbows caught by Philly Boys Grugan and Robinson, who fished in close proximity to each other all afternoon just down from the catch-and-release area. Ed never moved from the same spot he occupied last year, sitting on a lawn chair and offering cold Yuenglings to passing Gabbyites. Fearing the competition would drive a wedge between their 45-year friendship, Rob and Ed were visibly relieved when their catches both registered exactly 12 inches on the Gabstick.
Next up were Shanks and second-genner Drew Rose. With Founder Dane officiating and a gaggle of Gabby Guys crowding around the venerable Gabstick next to the campfire, Mike and Drew’s rainbows were laid side by side on the stick. It was immediately apparent that both were about an inch longer than Grugan and Robinson’s fish and that both were very, very close in length. The sentimental favorite of the crown clearly was the young Rose, who would be a virgin champion since the rainbow he caught at 8:30 just down from the fish for fun area was his first catch at Gabby.
After some fish juggling, straitening of the two stiff trout, and a final tail fin massage by Tony Rose of his son’s fish, Mike’s trout just nosed the 13-inch mark on the fish stick, while Drew’s feel just short, not much more than the length of a flaccid flea dick, one Gabbyite observed. The 13-incher winner is the fifth smallest Gabby in the 41 years of Gabby trophy presentations and an inspiration to those Gabby Guys who have never caught a large trout.
This year’s Gabby is Mike’s third, tying that Old Master, Larry Selby, Robinson, and last year’s champion, Zach Anderson, who was unable to go for back-to-back wins because of a so-called “promotion” at work. Zach’s father Andy presented Mike this year’s championship trophy, a beautiful, unique glass-sculpted trout on a
wooden base. After Mike received a hearty round of congratulations on his “Fair Weather” or “Flaccid Flea Dick” Gabby, as some were calling it, the meeting was adjourned.
2017 (Dane Konop recap)
In 2016, Mike Shanks’ Gabby-winning 12-inch rainbow trout was judged to be a flaccid flea dick longer than the next nearest contender. Of the record 139 trout caught in the 2017 Gabby Hayes Memorial Trout Fishing Tournament, none could contend with Shanks’ 22-inch rainbow, caught at about 8:45 a.m. with a gold Panther Martin on the big bend in Kettle Creek, just down from Gabby Camp.
Mike achieved a Gabby milestone by going back-to-back, only the fifth Gabby Guy to do so. His fourth Gabby win also ties him with Byron “Andy” Anderson and puts him behind only Founder Dane Konop and the late Jaymie “Dr. Trout” Smolens, who both retired from active competition in 2003 after six and seven victories, respectively. Upon accepting the 2017 award, Mike made the surprise announcement that he too was retiring from competition. We’ll see.
The catch of 139 trout, nearly all of which were released, was also a record for the Gabby tournament. With only 12 Gabby Guys fishing, the total produced the highest ever Gabby Fish Quotient (fish/fishermen) of 11.58. It was clearly apparent that unlike in some past years, there had been a recent stocking in “our stretch” of Kettle Creek.
The high production of fish was also partly attributable to the ideal weather and stream conditions. Although the temperature dropped into the 30s overnight Friday, by 8 a.m. Saturday the air had warmed to the mid-40s, with scattered sunshine and no wind to speak of, reaching a high near 80. With a discharge of about 250 cubic feet per second Saturday morning, the stream was running just a little lower than average for this time of year, making for easy wading and crossing. Water temperatures also remained in the prime fishing range, hitting the high 40s by 10 a.m., 10 degrees warmer than opening day 2016.
Thanks to these nearly ideal conditions, only three Gabby Guys were skunked. Despite repeated warnings in camp that the “gravity light” was on streamside, there were reports of two swimmers, both in ankle deep water. There were no reports of injuries, either on the stream or in camp.
Three-time Gabby winner Keith “Robbie” Robinson reported on the hot fishing action just downstream from the fly fishing only area. It’s a stretch of stream still called “near the beaver dam,” although the dam hasn’t existed for years. Rob said he had positioned himself streamside at 7 a.m., with no other fishermen in sight. But just before the 8 a.m. starting time, Gabby Guys began arriving en masse, including the father-and-son teams of Drew and Tony Rose and Zach and Byron “Andy” Anderson. On Rob’s first cast, he said, his line tangled, forcing him off the water. He muttered to himself in frustration from the shore as he watched Drew catch a trout on his first cast. Subsequent casts from the Roses and the Andersons also produced trout, much to Rob’s dismay before he was able to re-rig and re-join the action. Rob said he saw about 30 fish caught at the beaver dam area in the first two hours of fishing. He ended the day catching a record-for-him nine trout on white salmon eggs.
Three-time Gabby winner Zach Anderson caught 32 trout, most of them on a Panther Martin and all released, in the beaver dam area and downstream below the formerly deep hole called “Fish City,” in the stretch of water near the big bend in the creek.
The Roses caught 49 trout between them. “It was more fish than we both have caught in all the other Gabbys we’ve been to,” Tony said. They caught trout in the morning at the beaver dam and in the afternoon below Fish City.
Including the Gabby, Mike Shanks landed 31 trout, 30 of them rainbows and one a brook trout, all near the big bend in the creek.
On the way back to camp, freshman Gabby Guy Jamie Ross, recruited by his “Uncle Barney” Anderson, made a rookie mistake when he added his three trout to Rob’s stringer of five fish. In camp, Rob and Jamie were met by the local fish warden, who informed them it was illegal to have more than the individual limit of five fish on one stringer. Apparently believing the mistake was made unintentionally by the two out-of-state fishermen, the young warden said the $130 fine was less than it could have been.
Fire Ban Could Force Change of Venue
Despite the fishing success, Gabby Camp 2017 remained on edge and alert all weekend because of the standing fire ban in Potter County and an ominous paper sign tacked to a tree at the entrance to Gabby Camp that read “State Forest Land. No open fires permitted.” It was one of several posted along Rt. 144, where campfires by fishermen on state land have been tolerated but technically banned because of the spring fire threat. Remnants of other campfires near Gabby Camp revealed potential previous fire threats by other campers. There have been years when Gabby Guys were told by authorities to extinguish our campfire because of dangerously dry conditions. Other years, when it rained (or snowed), the ban was either lifted or not enforced. This is the first year a sign was posted explicitly prohibiting open fires where we camp.
At the Gabby business meeting Saturday night, the fire ban was the main topic in New Business. Founder Dane, hosting the meeting as usual, posed three questions: Should we continue to return to our usual camping ground until barred? What do we do if our road is blocked? Can we find another location to camp?
After discussing what we could do to have an even safer fire, the likelihood of the fire ban being enforced in future years and the merits of other locations such as Ole Bull State Park, the group reached a fairly quick consensus.
For now, if possible, all wanted to continue to camp at our traditional camping location in the pines, where we have held Gabby Camp since 1976 when the first trophy was awarded.
To determine whether the “no open fires” sign was an omen of stricter enforcement or just a restatement of long-existing restrictions on open fires, several steps were agreed to.
Founder Dane said he would try to contact the forest ranger for a clarification.
Mike Shanks said he would check with our local firewood supplier, Aaron Churchill, who had been surprised by the presence of the “no fires” sign when he delivered our firewood Wednesday. (The week following Gabby Camp, Fire Guy Darien Bodahl was told by a local real estate agent that the local authorities were indeed going to enforce future fire bans more strictly, especially in the state forest lands.)
Fire Guy Darien agreed that if in 2018, he and other Gabby scouts again get to the Gabby camp grounds on Wednesday and find the entrance blocked, he could then give a heads up to other Gabby Guys in transit, including those at Shanks cabin near Snow Shoe, to determine a course of action.
If we are surprised to find access to our usual camping grounds is blocked, the consensus was to gather at Kinney’s Bar to determine our course of action, which could include camping at Ole Bull (nearby fishing and small fires, but no booze) or moving to Mike Shanks’ camp to fish one of the numerous trout streams in the Snow Shoe area.
Darien revived the idea of renting or buying a piece of property for a new camp and volunteered to make some inquiries.
Rain throughout Gabby weekend 2018 could lessen the likelihood of a fire ban being enforced. If it doesn’t rain again on Gabby weekend next year, it was agreed, at least now we have a plan.
Gabby Awards Again Marred by Controversy
To open the Gabby award ceremony and close out the annual meeting, Founder Dane announced that the Gabby Founders’ Foundation would be presenting a Gabby Founders’ Award to a Gabby Guy who has made significant contributions to Gabby camp. It would be only the fourth Founders’ Award presented in the 42-year history of the Gabby tournament, he said. After erroneously declaring Mike Shanks the winner, the seemingly flustered Founder corrected himself and announced that the Founders’ Award and plaque were actually being presented to Camp Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne “for his significant contributions to the Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament, notably the giant campfire tarp we call Colaianneville.” As Jim was not able to attend camp this year, Founder Dane accepted the award and plaque on his behalf.
Shanks’ chagrin at the award snafu was quickly assuaged and the crowd’s snickers were subdued when he rolled out his catch of the day for display on the Gabstick. This time, Mike’s 22-inch rainbow trout was “The Gabby” beyond dispute.
After congratulations to the champion, the meeting adjourned at 11:37 p.m.
At the start of the business meeting, there had been some unexpected confusion in the head count used to divvy up the $160 cost of firewood and determine the Gabby Fish Quotient. For the record, there were 15 Gabby Guys in camp in 2017. By approximate order of arrival, they included: Fire Guy Darien Bodahl, Master-at-Arms Karl Wendel, Chris from Joetown, Gene Rodriguez, Mike Shanks, Andy-Barney-Byron Anderson, Zach Anderson, Jamie Ross, Tony Rose, Drew Rose, Keith “Robbie” Robinson, Founder Dane Konop, D.C. Konop, and Joetowners Joe and Julius, who arrived on Thursday but broke camp early on Friday because their busy lives had overtaken them, which it was noted is not an excused absence.
2018 Recap by Dane Konop
Kettle Creek, Potter County, Pa., April 14, 2018. Last year’s Gabby Tournament was a breakthrough year for the father-and-son team of Tony Rose and Drew Rose. The duo, known for their persnickety persistence on the stream, caught 49 trout between them. The senior Rose topped off last year’s performance by landing this year’s Gabby, a beautiful 15 ½-inch brook trout hooked on a whole nightcrawler, giving credence to the old adage “big bait, big fish."
Tony said he caught the big brook “halfway between camp and the wire around 11 a.m.” by drifting the crawler in rolling current without a bobber, working the worm around and over big rocks. “Best part was I was with Drew when I caught it,” Tony said.
Tony beat out 17 other Gabby fishermen who made it to the stream opening day, including two very ambitious rookies. Nearly half who fished were skunked. Some Gab Guys had tackle and equipment problems, including malfunctioning reels and leaky boots. But there were no swimmers, likely owing to this year’s relatively shallow water. Fifty-three fish were caught and mostly released, producing a Gabby Fish Quotient of 2.94, respectable considering the number of skunks, but well below last year’s record of 11.58.
Notably, before the start of the tourney, 2016 and 2017 Gabby champion Mike Shanks declared himself to be semi-retired from active competition, passing on a chance to match the only back-to-back-to-back Gabby win by the late Jaymie “Dr. Trout” Smolens.
Arrivals in Gabby Camp in the Pines (in approximate order of arrival) on Thursday were perennially best-dressed fisherman Ty Albert, three-time Gabby winner Mike Shanks, the Roses, three-time Gabby winner Keith “Robbie” Robinson, Ed “Chief” Grugan, Gene “E-Rod” Rodriguez and his ward Matt the Rookie, Founder, six-time Gabby winner (ret.) and author of this recap Dane Konop, Jeff Mueller and nephew Eric Mueller, Julius, Chris, and Mike of Joetown, Darien “Fire Guy” Bodahl, Darien’s rookie Jimmy, Sergeant-at-Arms Karl Wendel, and after sunset Son of Founder D.C. Konop. Friday arrivals were father-and-son Gabby winners Mark Bedont and Alex Bedont, followed by last-man-in-camp Joe of Joetown.
The Friday arrival of Senior Elder, Gabby Champion and Founder Award Winner Mark Bedont marked a significant Gabby milestone. Mark is the first Gabby Guy in camp at age 70, a hopeful and encouraging sign for those of us coming up fast behind him. Gabby Guys in camp ranged in age from Mark to Drew, the youngest at 23. Most decades in between were represented, a healthy sign for continuance of the tournament in years to come.
As usual, the primary non-fish-related concern of most Gabby Guys was whether we could have a campfire. Because of the dead vegetation on the ground this time of year, usually dry and highly combustible, coupled with the likelihood of gusty winds, there is a standing April fire ban in Potter County unless it’s raining or has just rained. In response, Gabby Camp’s campfire mantra has always been “no rain, no fire.” Fortunately, it has usually rained opening day weekend over the forty-six years of the tourney.
Following up on a commitment made at last year’s Gabby business meeting to investigate current campfire policies in the state forestland where we camp, Founder Dane introduced himself to the new area forest ranger on Thursday and got a camp permit for the entire Gabby group.
Ranger Shane Straub (no relation to the beer makers) was on his way through Gabby Camp to post a sign barring vehicles from driving any further into the woods. When Dane said, “We’re the Gabby Hayes Camp,” Shane replied, “We know you. You guys are legendary. Everyone around here knows you from your web page.” Dane and Shane talked fire safety, with the founder pointing out to the ranger that Gabby campers take careful precautions with our campfire, including a round-the-clock campfire watch. “There is always someone tending the fire, including overnight,” the founder said. “Most of us also have fire extinguishers,” he added. The gregarious, ponytailed and easy going Shane seemed satisfied that the Gabby Hayes Camp took campfire safety very seriously. Founder Dane also pointed out that we make certain we leave no trash behind, contracting local logistics supporter Erin Churchill for trash bag pickup on Sundays. “We also generally pick up trash left by other campers,” Dane said.
Gabby Camp welcomes rain. The giant tarp with a smoke vent we call “Colaianneville” coupled with the cord of wood we have delivered by Erin make it possible to have a campfire under even the heaviest downpour.
Over Gabby weekend, rain came and went at just about the right times, making for safe campfire conditions and a comfortable camp. Rain Thursday morning let up just as the first large contingent of Gabby Guys rolled into camp from a night’s layover at Mike Shanks’ cabin in Snow Shoe, Pa. The a.m. showers helped wash off the mud on the six vehicles that had snaked their way up and down mucky back roads near Mike’s camp. Not long after Colaianneville was erected, a light rain passed through. Friday was quite windy, with 30-mph gusts whipping tarps, tents and tree tops. But by then, most Gabby Guys had set up and pegged down their camps. It rained again Friday night, but was clear by sunrise Saturday. A forecast of rain early Sunday morning encouraged most Gabby Guys to prepare for an early departure. Fortunately, camp had cleared out by noon before the rain returned.
Throughout the weekend, temperatures were higher in the days than had been forecast, but lower overnight, with an extraordinary high around 80 degrees on a sunny Friday, and a high near 70 on a partly cloudy Saturday. Overnight lows were in the 30s, but well above freezing, as there was no a.m. frost on the ground.
Stream conditions were not ideal, but eminently fishable. The “problem” was low water. Kettle Creek’s flow steadily declined all week leading up to the Gabby tournament, dropping well below the mid-400-cubic-feet-per-second mean by Saturday. The low water level did make for easy crossing at numerous locations on the stream, but limited the number of deep holes preferred by many of the Gab Guys.
According to the USGS stream gage, water temperature remained well within the 45- to 65-degree range when trout are most active, dipping to only 48 degrees Saturday morning, and topping out at 54 degrees by late afternoon.
By about 6 p.m. the last of the Gabby Guys were off the stream and back in camp, cleaning fish and preparing chow.
The scheduled 9 p.m. start of the Gabby Camp business meeting was set back 15 minutes by a “food service” delay, as Mike Shanks served his traditional, tasty deer nuggets seared on the campfire coals to the Gab Guys in their lawn chairs arrayed in a circle around the fire.
Founder Dane opened the meeting by welcoming the Gabby Guys to the 46th annual Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament. “A special welcome goes out,” he said, “to our two rookies, Joey and Nat. I’m sure everyone is as thrilled as I am to have these two rookies in camp.” With Byron “Andy” Anderson absent, Founder Dane admitted he would be handicapped in presiding over the meeting by not having “his Ed McMahon” at his side. “And as anyone who has seen the Carson show without Ed can tell you,” the founder confessed, “it’s usually a clunker without him. With the help of some of you here tonight, I hope to avoid a clunker.”
The meeting followed the pattern set in recent meetings led by Founder Dane: housekeeping, committee reports, old business, new business and the finale--awards.
The standard head count around the circle had only one restart, a step in the right direction and an omen of smooth sailing ahead in the meeting. Mike Shanks followed the count with the firewood report, with the 21 Gabby campers splitting the $168 for a cord of wood and a half dozen bales of hay for ground cover.
The night’s first smoke break was called as Mike collected everyone’s share of the cost.
Carrying on a tradition of his late father Steve, and aided by Uncle Jeff, Eric Mueller gave the group a Gabby history lesson when he read off each year’s Gabby winner from the Selby Cup, which Steve had introduced to camp decades earlier. As their Gabbys came up, Rob and other past champs chimed in with amusing and insightful anecdotes about their Gabby victories.
In his sergeant-at-arms report, Karl Wendel praised the group for their trash-mindfulness.
The Gabby web page report by web page master Mark Bedont was short and sweet. “Remember, it’s GabbyHayes.net,” he said. The group was advised to check the web page after the tournament for the annual recap and for updates on the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Founders’ pre-tournament Inspirational Gabby of 1969.
At this point in the meeting, Founder Dane remembered he had skipped the usual convocation to open the meeting. Mike Shanks stepped in and led the group in a moment of silence remembering the Gabby Guys who have passed.
A smoke break, only the group’s second, followed. It should be noted that the smoke breaks originated years ago with the original Colaianneville when the group was forced out from under the tarp by smoke from the campfire. The smoke break early on morphed into a parliamentary maneuver, as well as a break to breathe. But this year, smoke breaks were hardly necessary, as very little smoke accumulated under the tarp. In his campfire and Colaianneville report, Fire Guy Darien noted the level of the tarp was raised about two feet higher than usual during this year’s erection, which apparently made all the difference. Parliamentary-wise, smoke breaks were fewer than usual as there was little meeting controversy, at least until the awards ceremony.
Founder Dane closed out the committee reports with a faux phone call from absent Andy with his Zoning Committee report: “We forgot to meet and have nothing to report.”
There was no old business
New business was dominated by a discussion of patches and other collectibles to commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary in 2019 of the Founders’ first trip to Kettle Creek and the Inspirational Gabby of 1969. Founder Dane’s Gabby jacket with a half dozen or so Gabby patches collected over the years was passed around the circle by way of examples. E-Rod and Julius jointly took the lead on commemoratives and were urged to use the Gabby web page to air their ideas for discussion by the group. Be sure to check out this space in coming months.
As usual, the awards presentation topped off the meeting. With two rookies in camp, Founder Dane opened the discussion with a question for the group: “Should we even bother with a rookie of the year award?” He advised that the award was never one of merit, just a popularity contest, reminding the group that Max the Wonder Dog beat out a human counterpart, Mike from Joetown, several years earlier. Max’s winning ways included not barking and greeting everyone as they returned to camp while sneaking a sniff at their butts, considered by many since then to be a mandatory maneuver for a rookie of the year candidate.
By voice vote, the presiding founder determined that the group wanted to continue with a consideration of a rookie of the year. E-Rod’s nomination and commendation of his rookie, 30ish Matt, was followed by a stirring testimonial from Drew Rose, who pointed out that Matt had worked side by side with him splitting the camp’s cord of firewood, an important and not an inconsiderable task that Drew often handles solo.
Darien nominated and extolled the gregariousness of his rookie, Jimmy, who appeared to be old enough to be a military school classmate of The Donald. Someone noted that Jimmy earlier had passed out nifty travel mugs to the gang. But someone else countered that the mugs were merchandizing handouts that were discontinued when the company where Jimmy works changed its name.
Much mostly unintelligible debate followed, until Founder Dane called for a decision, opting for a voice vote. The first vote resulted in boisterous shout outs for the rookies, with several Gabby Guys rooting for both. Dane declared the vote a draw, with hearing loss in both ears possibly diminishing his ability to detect significant differences in decibel levels.
Dane called a second voice vote, with results once more too close for him to call. Again, a tie. On the third vote, results were nearly identical. The de facto chairman declared the vote deadlocked and the voting, at least for this year, over, sending the matter to committee, with a possible reconsideration next year. Many in the group were in an uproar over the outcome, demanding a re-vote. But the founder stood firm, with a smoke break freeing him from further direct lobbying, at least for now.
Following the final smoke break of the evening, Founder Dane opened the Gabby award ceremony by issuing the call: “Bring out your contenders!”
Because the founder had left the Gabstick used to measure and compare contenders at home, Mike Shanks went old school, laying out two pieces of split wood side by side next to the fire to serve as a measurement platform.
Not knowing what to expect and with little sense of proportion, Rookie Jimmy laid out an approximately 12-inch trout. 2014 Gabby champ Alex Bedont quickly topped that fish with a slightly larger one. But the best was yet to come, as Tony Rose laid out his much more robust 15.5-inch brookie. Concessions were immediate, as last year’s champ, Mike Shanks, presented Tony with the traveling Selby Cup and the 2018 trophy, a stunning glass trout mounted atop a two-tiered wooden base that includes a photo of Gabby Hayes.
Following Tony’s acceptance speech, Founder Dane quickly moved that the meeting be closed. Mike Shanks seconded the motion, and Dane declared the meeting ended.
When an uproar of protest ensued around the Gabby circle from those Gabby guys who favored naming a rookie of the year, Founder Dane suggested they hold their own meeting, because he said, “This meeting is over.” With that he returned to his camp followed by a string of Gabby Guys, notably Ed Grugan and Drew Rose, who continued to argue passionately on Matt’s behalf. The Founder heard their hearty and sometimes heated pleas, but declared the matter was now out of his hands. Discussion was only halted when the debaters were felled by the combined effects of gravity and Capt. Morgan, the ultimate victors that night.
2019 Recap by Dane Konop
At the 2019 Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament, more than a few Gabby Guys came to camp just to party and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gabby Founders’ first fishing trip to Kettle Creek and the Inspirational Gabby of 1969. A record ten of the 24 guys in camp stayed off the stream.
But Joe Towner Michael Ondovik came to camp determined to repair his fishing reputation. Having never caught a trout, his prospects did not look good.
At the 2016 Gabby tournament, Mike had come in second to a dog for “Rookie of the Year.” Neither he nor Max the Wonder Dog had caught a fish, but Max was the nearly unanimous selection by the assembled Gabby Guys because of his superior social skills.
This year, Mike had the last laugh on his canine competitor, when the once-humbled human’s 12-inch+ rainbow was the largest trout caught in camp. While Mike’s fish was the fifth smallest Gabby winner since trophies were first awarded in 1976, the size of the fish in no way diminished Mike’s accomplishment as only the 18th tournament champion, or his appreciation for the award. In a post-tournament interview, Mike said, “I had a rough 3+ months leading up to this and to catch a fish let alone a Gabby winner is beyond explanation.” Mike said frankly his friends and family were surprised “that me of all people won the award” and “equally impressed with the heritage that is tied to the camp…and trophy.”
His fellow fishermen in Joe Town, who had equally dismal performances in past Gabbys, were clearly ecstatic for Mike’s tourney win, with Julius claiming his fellow Joe Towners had been grooming Mike for just such a victory. Mike said, “I am honored to not only be a part of this amazing group but to have won this award on behalf of Joe Camp (sic). Those guys are not only gentlemen but true friends.”
Nearly all of the Gabby Guys had arrived in camp by Thursday. Everyone from the 2018 tournament returned in 2019, with the addition of Andy and Zach Anderson and Camp Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne, who was making an infrequent appearance in camp to celebrate Gabby at 50.
Fishing conditions were favorable on the early, April 13 opening day, with sunny skies and temperatures topping out near 70. The stream flow was low, dropping from just above the April mean at 400 cubic feet per second on Thursday to only 343 cfs on Saturday. The low water did make for easy wading, with only one reported “swimmer,” eventual champion Ondovik, who said he had a few splashdowns in his rush to get off the stream with his would be Gabby winner.
In housekeeping, following a head count, Mike Shanks announced that the cost of the firewood delivered to camp would be paid for by the “Steve ‘Fire Guy ‘ Mueller Memorial Fund, “established by the “Big Mouth Four,” best high school buddies of the late Gabby champion and camp favorite. With seed money from Steve’s friend Bill O’Connell and after expenditures for the campfire wood for 2019, Mike reported that the fund stood at $400. Shanks was named acting administrator of the fund, pending the camp release of his 2019 income tax filing.
Notably, in old business, was the report of the 50th Anniversary Gabby Commemoratives Committee, comprising Julius from Joe Town and Pocono Tribe member Gene Rodriguez. First up, Julius presented the Gabby Guys with his self-designed, “rounded rectangle” anniversary patch, which featured “Gabby Hayes 50th Fishing Tournament 1969-2019” in gold lettering on a green background with fir trees and a red trim. E-Rod, introduced as the ranking member of the committee, presented the Gabby Guys with a memorable, circular commemorative patch featuring a fisherman wading in a winding stream with a camp in the background and “The Gabby Hayes Memorial Trout Fishing Tournament 1969-2019” stitched around the border of the patch. Both commemoratives were a welcome and much appreciated addition to the historic collection of Gabby patches, particularly as they were produced at no cost to the group.
For the most part, the Gabby business meeting followed Founder Dane’s script and past practice, with camp housekeeping and old and new business topped off by the awards ceremony.
Mike reported he was fishing by himself when he caught his rainbow around 1 p.m. in the main stem of Kettle, upstream from camp near two large holes. Using 6-pound test on a 6 ½-foot, long-handled rod more suitable for big water bass fishing, Mike worked a lure through the current, careful to avoid snagging the bottom. He had attached a chunk of night crawler to a yellow and orange Vibrax Classic Blue Fox spinner, which has internal rattles that generate a unique, low-frequency sonic vibration that the manufacturer claims triggers fish to strike. Could this be a trend away from worms and eggs to noisy lures?
The annual business meeting and awards ceremony Saturday night started off a little late, following Mike Shanks’ serving to the assembling Gabby Guys his marinated venison chunks seared on the Gabby campfire.
After a call to order by Master-at-Arms Karl Wendel, Founder Dane Konop in his usual master-of-ceremony role welcomed the guys to the 50th anniversary of the “Inspirational Gabby,” the first, pre-tournament fishing trip to Kettle Creek in April 1969 by Founders Pat Annegan, Paul Phillips, Larry Selby, and Konop. Founder Dane began the meeting with a group toast. Cups of Erin Churchill’s grape and blackberry wine, “The Recipe,” were passed man to man in the Gabby circle around the blazing campfire under Colaianneville. As Elder Andy Anderson assisted Founder Dane in the pouring, it was an extraordinary scene of unexpectedly well-coordinated and agile handling by the Gabby Guys, as one by one cups of wine made their way around the circle, with nary a drop spilled. With this group close order drill complete, glasses were raised to “our camp namesake, root-toot-tooting Gabby Hayes as portrayed by the sophisticated George Hayes. Cheers to Gabby Hayes!” The group’s hearty chant of “Gabby, Gabby, Gabby” topped off the toast.
Mike Shanks surprised the Gabby Guys by presenting Fire Guy Darien Bodahl with a new pair of fire gloves with “The Gabby” embossed in gold lettering and a 4-foot-long, custom-made, steel fire poker with “The Gabby” engraved on its oak handle. For aerating the fire, the new Gabby fire stick features a blowhole through the center of its steel shaft, which has a hook on the end for precise log manipulation, making it look a little like a short whaling harpoon.
Eventual Gabby winner Mike Ondovik equally astonished the crowd when he presented the Gabby group with a welded steel sculpture he had created depicting Gabby Camp, with a tent, two rod-bearing fishermen, and a banner reading “Gabby est. 1969.” Founder Dane took possession of the Gabby sculpture to be stored in safekeeping along with the Gabstick.
Founder Dane opened the Awards Ceremony by asking the crowd to acknowledge the three Founders’ Award winners in the crowd: retired Gabzette editor Keith Robinson, GabbyHayes.net webmaster Mark Bedont and Camp Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne, then announced that there was a 2019 Founder honoree. He asked the crowd to guess the awardee’s identity by reading the inscription on the 2019 Founders’ Award plaque: “Gabby Founders’ Award presented to Blank for his continuing, long-standing efforts to perpetuate and enhance the Gabby experience through his hospitality to Gabby travelers, his helpfulness in Gabby camp, and his humility as a Gabby Champion.” The answer came immediately and in virtual unison from the Gab Guys: Mike Shanks. Mike humbly accepted the Founders’ Award, which will likely become a shelfmate with his four Gabby tournament trophies.
With the “main event” of the evening, the Gabby Award, up next, Ondovik’s fellow Joe Towners clustered around him like bees around their queen, rubbing their hands in anticipation of a victory. Two Gabby Guys stepped up to the Founder’s call to bring out your contenders: Ondovik and Gabby sophomore Jimmy from the Pocono Tribe. This necessitated a measurement with the Gabstick, which was carefully positioned on a bale of hay that served as a makeshift tabletop.
Revealing his fishing naivete, Jimmy laid out a 9-inch rainbow, which was the typical size of the day’s catch and obviously well short of Ondovik’s 12-inch+ fish. Founder Dane certified the results and officially declared Mike the 2019 Gabby Champion.
Tony Rose, last year’s Gabby winner, broke with tradition (or maybe started a new one) when, in lieu of the usual trophy, he presented Ondovik with a custom-built, graphite trout rod and matched reel, with “Gabby 1969-2019” printed above the rod’s grip.
After a hearty round of congratulations to the 2019 champ from the Gabby Guys who didn’t win, Founder Dane adjourned the meeting at 11:45 p.m., the earliest closing ever.
For the record, 32 fish were caught by 14 fishermen, producing a respectable Gabby Fish Quotient of 2.29.
But Joe Towner Michael Ondovik came to camp determined to repair his fishing reputation. Having never caught a trout, his prospects did not look good.
At the 2016 Gabby tournament, Mike had come in second to a dog for “Rookie of the Year.” Neither he nor Max the Wonder Dog had caught a fish, but Max was the nearly unanimous selection by the assembled Gabby Guys because of his superior social skills.
This year, Mike had the last laugh on his canine competitor, when the once-humbled human’s 12-inch+ rainbow was the largest trout caught in camp. While Mike’s fish was the fifth smallest Gabby winner since trophies were first awarded in 1976, the size of the fish in no way diminished Mike’s accomplishment as only the 18th tournament champion, or his appreciation for the award. In a post-tournament interview, Mike said, “I had a rough 3+ months leading up to this and to catch a fish let alone a Gabby winner is beyond explanation.” Mike said frankly his friends and family were surprised “that me of all people won the award” and “equally impressed with the heritage that is tied to the camp…and trophy.”
His fellow fishermen in Joe Town, who had equally dismal performances in past Gabbys, were clearly ecstatic for Mike’s tourney win, with Julius claiming his fellow Joe Towners had been grooming Mike for just such a victory. Mike said, “I am honored to not only be a part of this amazing group but to have won this award on behalf of Joe Camp (sic). Those guys are not only gentlemen but true friends.”
Nearly all of the Gabby Guys had arrived in camp by Thursday. Everyone from the 2018 tournament returned in 2019, with the addition of Andy and Zach Anderson and Camp Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne, who was making an infrequent appearance in camp to celebrate Gabby at 50.
Fishing conditions were favorable on the early, April 13 opening day, with sunny skies and temperatures topping out near 70. The stream flow was low, dropping from just above the April mean at 400 cubic feet per second on Thursday to only 343 cfs on Saturday. The low water did make for easy wading, with only one reported “swimmer,” eventual champion Ondovik, who said he had a few splashdowns in his rush to get off the stream with his would be Gabby winner.
In housekeeping, following a head count, Mike Shanks announced that the cost of the firewood delivered to camp would be paid for by the “Steve ‘Fire Guy ‘ Mueller Memorial Fund, “established by the “Big Mouth Four,” best high school buddies of the late Gabby champion and camp favorite. With seed money from Steve’s friend Bill O’Connell and after expenditures for the campfire wood for 2019, Mike reported that the fund stood at $400. Shanks was named acting administrator of the fund, pending the camp release of his 2019 income tax filing.2015 (Dane Konop recap)
Columbus, Ohio, native Zach Anderson became the first Gabby “Second Genner” to win a third Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament with his catch of a 17-inch brown trout on Saturday, April 18, one of seven trout he landed that day. Zach hooked the big brown at about 3 p.m. on a Panther Martin in the stretch of Kettle Creek roughly halfway between Gabby Camp and Ole Bull, in the same area where Founder Patton Annegan caught the legendary “Inspirational Gabby” in 1969. This year’s Gabby is the first back-to-back win by Second Genners, as last year’s champion was Alex Bedont.
Zach faced stiff competition, with an all-veterans camp that included four of the five past Gabby champions in camp actively competing for the trophy, Founder Konop having retired from active competition with six Gabbys. Zach had opened the morning fishing with a small group of Gabby Guys in the deep channels below the fish for fun area at the Rt. 144 bridge. “I started with a Panther Martin but switched to salmon eggs when I netted a fish that (Founder) Dane caught with an egg. After awhile, I switched back to the Panther Martin and fished with it the rest of the day,” Zach explained. “Mike (Shanks) showed me a part of stream he fished in the past,” Zach said. “We had to walk about a half mile (from where they parked along Rt. 144), then had to climb down a steep bank and then walk way in to where we fished.” It was well worth the extra effort, as Zach’s brown was the largest Gabby landed since Jeff Cousin’s 17-inch brookie in 2011. It was also Zach’s third win with a brown, having won with 18 ¾-inch and 17 ½-inch browns in 2003 and 2010 respectively. Zach was the bridesmaid in 2014.
Mike Shanks, Senior Elder Mark Bedont, last-year’s Gabby Champion Alex Bedont, Gene “E-Rod” Rodriguez, Elder Byron “Andy” Anderson, Zach Anderson, Sergeant-at-Arms Karl Wendel and Founder Dane Konop were the first to arrive on Thursday, after a drinking and shooting stay-over at Mike’s camp near Snow Shoe. They were followed (in approximate order of arrival) by Tony Rose, Drew Rose, Ty Albert, Keith “Robbie” Robinson, (non-Native American) “Chief” Ed Grugan, and Joetown Joe and Chris. Gabby Guys set up their camps under nearly perfect cool and clear conditions. Delayed by a track coaching gig on Thursday, Second Genner Dane Christian Konop was the last to arrive in the pre-dawn hours Friday.
For the second year in a row, Mother Nature cooperated, providing nearly perfect weather and stream conditions for the 17 Gabby Guys in camp, 15 of whom fished. Although the ground was damp from a light rain Wednesday night, there was some uncertainty as to whether the standing fire ban was in effect. The delivery of a cord and half of wood and three bales of hay by local guy Aaron Churchill assured a warm and mostly mud-free camp, IF we could have a campfire. That question was made moot when a light drizzle arrived Thursday at dusk, just as “Fire Guy 2.0” Darien Bodahl began erecting Colaianneville II, followed by a fire. A light rain continued overnight, assuring the Gabby Guys could have a campfire throughout the weekend. Right on schedule, the rain let up Friday morning, with temperatures rising from the low 40s overnight to the mid-50s by mid-day. Most Gabby Guys spent a sunny and dry Friday fine-tuning their camps, readying their tackle or just luxuriating around the Colaianneville campfire. By Saturday morning, Kettle was running fairly clear at about 325 cfs, just slightly under the mean average of 350, making for relatively safe wading conditions. There were no Gabby swimmers and no reports of streamside injuries.
Just like the weather, the Saturday night business meeting and awards ceremony were remarkably similar to last year, efficient and brouhaha-free, with smoke breaks equitably distributed throughout the meeting to slow the pace of the proceedings. Sergeant-at-Arms Karl Wendel called the Gabby Guys to the Gabby Circle at a little after 9 p.m., his authority bolstered by a new state trooper’s hat that made him look a little like a military man, or maybe Col. Sanders on a bad day. After order was established, Founder Dane as master-of-ceremonies officially welcomed the Gabby Guys to camp, turning the dais over to Andy for the convocation--a rare moment of silence for those Gabby Guys who have passed on. After only one restart, the Head Count totaled 17 in camp, with 15 fishing. “Fire Guy 2.0” Darien Bodahl remained in camp all weekend tending his fire. Ty Albert missed out on fishing because his truck became disabled on Rt. 144 after he topped off his gas tank with water-laden gas at the gas station in Oleanna, which recently changed owners.
The group cost of camp, covering wood, hay and a case of “exotic” beer for Aaron Churchill totaled $172, or $10.11/person, up from $7/person for the 22 Gabby Guys in camp last year. Again, Aaron provided a jug of his mountain hooch. With 26 trout caught by 15 Gabby Guys, the resulting 2015 Gabby Fish Quotient was 1.73 fish/fisherman, up from last year’s 1.0, but well below the record high 5.0 set in 1986, when 85 fish were caught by 13 Gabby Guys out of the 17 on the stream.
In Old Business, Keith “Robbie” Robinson inquired about the status of last year’s nomination of Ed Grugan as a “Re-Rookie of the Year,” which had been referred to committee. Acting Sub-Awards Committee Chair Andy Anderson’s report was succinct: “We didn’t meet.” In New Business, Gabby Webmaster Mark Bedont reported on the successful revival of the Gabby web page (Follow the fun at GabbyHayes.net.) and thanked the Gabby Guys for their photo submissions. In other new business, Gene “E-Rod” Rodriguez, hobbled and recovering from serious, recent health problems, thanked everyone in camp for helping him on the stream and in camp, particularly Alex Bedont, who helped him fish at the gas line right of way.
E-Rod offered the simple but profound question: “What are we going to do to keep Gabby going?” At 65 and as one of the older Gabby Guys in camp, E-Rod overcame serious health problems to make it to the 2015 camp. He noted that over the years a number of Gabby Guys have died and others have been forced to stay home because of health problems, including this year “Fire Guy Emeritus” Steve Mueller, who had missed only one other camp since his first Gabby in 1981. Gene asked metaphorically, “Are we going to stay with the gray until we fall? Or are we going to regenerate?” Gene revealed he had conferred earlier on the subject with Founder Dane, who he said was “spot on” when he opined, “It’s not up to us (older guys). It’s up to the Second Genners.” With that, Founder Dane opened up the question for group circle discussion. Second-Genner and last year’s champ Alex Bedont, who attends camp each year with his father Mark, said he thought it was important to keep the Gabby spirit going with new blood, but pointed out, from experience, that not all rookies are the right fit for Gabby Camp. Keith “Robbie” Robinson, who has been competing in the Gabby since the early 1980s, is a three-time champion and consistently wins the Gabby distance award for having traveled the farthest to camp, said he thought we had a good core group of new guys and Second Genners that he believed could keep the Gabby going. D.C., Gabby Camp’s second Second Genner, said he was attempting to recruit in Shepherdstown, but that one of his friends mused, “Why would I drive five hours north where it is 10 degrees colder, when I can drive five hours south where it is 10 degree warmer?” Second-Genner Drew Rose cautioned, “I’m constantly looking for people. But I have yet to find the one I’d want to bring. There are guys I fish with and there are guys I drink with, but none of these guys would I want to do both with.” Drew’s father, Tweener Tony Rose, a generation younger than most Gabby Elders and a relatively recent addition to Gabby Camp, reported he likely would be bringing his younger son Justin to camp in the next few years. Zach Anderson said he is considering recruiting two new brothers-in-law and reminded the Gabby group of two of his cousins he’s brought in the past who are possible “re-recruits.” Elder Andy, a four-time Gabby champion, took a different tack. “There are already too many people in camp. I only fish a half a day and I don’t need any more competition.” Tweener Mike Shanks revealed, “I’m working on two guys.” To which Founder Dane quipped, “That sounds unseemly.” Newly installed Senior Elder Mark Bedont, who has been coming to the Gabby since the 1970s, longer than anyone except Founder Dane, nailed it when he said, “There couldn’t be a tighter bunch or a better bunch (of Gabby Guys). The Gabby is not just a fishing trip. The Gabby is an institution. (For the Gabby to continue), we only need to bring a couple of new guys a year. Take the effort to recruit.” Ty Albert said he had brought his nephew a few years back and would maybe bring him back. Ty also said he would call Dave Phillips and bug him about coming to the Gabby, just as Dave had bugged him in past years. Founder Dane wrapped up the discussion by suggesting we keep up our Gabby ranks through “retention (of current Gabby Guys), regeneration (by re-recruiting past Gabbyites) and recruitment (of new Gabby Guys).”
He pointed out that the Gabby has continued over the years because in the past we have made smart recruiting decisions, most notably recruiting our sons to come to camp. This move was made over the objections of Founder Larry Selby and a few other old-timers, who no longer attend, partly because of that reason. It will be these Second Genners and other relatively recent recruits like the Tweeners, he said, who will make up the core of future Gabbys. But be careful, he warned, of whom you invite, because once invited, a recruit cannot be uninvited and is free to invite whomever he is pleased to invite. The fabric of Gabby Camp is at stake.” Demonstrating for safety purposes that the gravity light was most definitely still on, Sergeant-At-Arms Karl Wendel ended the discussion with a full, backward somersault out of his chair, prompting a well timed smoke break.
When New Business deliberations resumed, “Chief” Grugan wound his way around the circle with a delicious and well received cheese and cracker serving, a catering extension, he said, of Grugan’s Streamside Tavern. Zach Anderson mentioned that seeing Founder Dane reduced to laying down hay around camp convinced him that a Gabby Grounds Crew was needed. Founder Dane immediately appointed him Acting Chief of Gabby Facilities Maintenance. Sergeant-At-Arms Wendel proudly reported that while he was on guard in camp Saturday morning when most other Gabby Guys were on the stream, Ranger Tubbs stopped into camp and told him, “Yours is the cleanest camp after you leave.” Founder Dane pointed out that this was due to a concerted group effort, paying local guy Aaron Churchill to collect our trash at the close of camp, and D.C.’s policing of Gabby Camp grounds after most others have left on Sunday. Foreshadowing what turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophesy, “Fire Guy” Darien hinted he is considering constructing a new Colaianneville, as Colaianneville II has survived, barely, well beyond its anticipated lifespan.
Recognizing the advancing age and precarious physical condition of E-Rod and several of the older Gabby Guys, himself included, Founder Dane announced that Mike Shanks has been appointed Acting Chief of Gabby Emergency Medical Services and that by virtue of his position as Senior Elder, Mark Bedont was appointed to head the Gabby Emergency Medical Services Advisory Panel. In advance of a draft Gabby Emergency Medical Plan commissioned for 2016, Mike Shanks reported that he had already begun making preparations and plans, including providing each Gabby Guy with an emergency noise maker for locating guys in trouble on the stream.
After only the fifth smoke break of the evening, the Awards Ceremony opened with a surprise when Founder Dane announced that “Fire Guy Emeritus” Steve Mueller was being awarded a Founders’ Award in absentia for his years of contributions to Gabby Camp, including his conceptualization, design and construction of the Selby Cup, initiation and scheduling of firewood delivery in camp, supervision of the annual erection of Colaianneville, and his penchant for instilling in Gabby Guys, particularly Gabby recruits, a knowledge and an appreciation of Gabby history. It is only the third Founders’ Award for service to Gabby Camp in the history of Gabby. Mike Shanks, who was recruited by Herr Dr. Mueller, accepted on his behalf.
The Awards Ceremony began in earnest with the Showing of the Contenders. No Gabby Stick measurement was necessary, as it was obvious that Zach Anderson’s 17-inch brown was larger than the Elder Bedont’s 13-inch and Robbie Robinson’s 14-inch rainbows. Last year’s champion Alex Bedont presented the trophy, a marble-based, brass cup topped with a leaping trout, to 2015 Champion Zach Anderson, who graciously accepted the award and offered teasingly, a la Dr. Trout, that he would be conducting a Panther Martin seminar at next year’s camp as a continuation of Dr. Trout’s Trout Academy.
With that, the meeting was gaveled to an end, well ahead of the traditional midnight closing.
In self-fulfillment of his earlier prophesy, Fire Guy Darien piled log after log on the Gabby campfire until it stood shoulder high, the flames bursting through the square center smoke hole of Colaianneville II. Then, inevitably, the tarp attached to the wooden block frame of the smoke hole burned through and separated on one side of the frame. The resulting near collapse of the tarp was reminiscent of the aftermath of the Dr. Trout induced Gabby Comet of 1998, which destroyed Colaianneville I in a flash. Fearing eminent entrapment and suffocation, several Gabby Guys cautiously moved out from under the precariously hanging tarp, which threatened to collapse but never did.
On Sunday, Gabbyites were greeted with sunny and warm weather, perfect for breaking camp. Right on schedule, Aaron Churchill stopped in camp at noon to pick up trash. Gabby Campers are reminded to kindly separate trash and recyclables at next year’s camp.
E-Rod was the last Gabby Guy in camp.
2016 (Dane Konop recap)
Mike Shanks dominated Kettle Creek on opening day April 16, at least in the p.m., landing nineteen trout that included rainbows and brookies. The largest of these fish, all around a foot long, was just large enough to win the 2016 Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament.
All but one of Mike’s fish, including the Gabby, were caught in the late afternoon on a Panther Martin spinner on the narrow, winding stretch of Kettle downstream from Ole Bull, the same stretch of stream and same lure that produced last year’s Gabby.
Of the 29 trout landed by the 16 Gabby Guys fishing, all but three were taken in the afternoon. Most Gabbyites were skunked, many having given up on the stream early.
It’s not surprising.
While water levels on Kettle were ideal, running just under 400cfs, and atmospheric conditions were nearly perfect throughout opening day, with clear skies and temperatures topping out in the 70s, the stream was very cold. The water temperature taken at 8:30 a.m. at the Rt. 144 bridge was 39.8 degrees, well under the ideal, temperature-driven feeding range for trout of 44-48 degrees. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, the creek hovered just below the 40-degree threshold when trout begin to feed. By 3 p.m., the temperature had edged up to the low 40s, topping out later that afternoon at 44 degrees.
It was an eventful year in Gabby Camp, as Gabby Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne returned to camp after a many-year absence, just in time to see the third reincarnation of the giant, smoke-vented tarp we call “Colaianneville” after its creator. Colaianneville III was constructed by Fire Guy Darien Bodahl, who salvaged the smoke vent block frame, suspension chains and center pole from Colaianneville II, which he lengthened by three feet. The result was a pristine tarp that incorporated all the technical innovations of earlier C-ville iterations. To top it off, Joetown’s Chris Miller graciously picked up the $200 tab for the 40 by 30-foot tarp. Although the standing fire ban was in effect in Potter County, lack of wind and a ranger to enforce the ban allowed for a cozy campfire under the tarp all weekend.
Assisted by Max the Wonderdog, Gabby Sargeant-at Arms Karl Wendel called the business meeting to order a few minutes after the announced starting time of 9 p.m. Saturday, with Founder Dane Konop conducting. Attending were eventual champion Mike Shanks, Ty Albert, Darien Bodahl, Jim Colaianne, Gene Rodriguez, Gabby Webmaster and 2009 champion Mark Bedont, 2014 winner Alex Bedont, Joetowners Joe, Julius, Chris and their rookie Mike, Ed Grugan, three-time Gabby champ Keith Robinson, D.C. Konop, Drew Rose, Tony Rose, and four-time champion Byron “Andy” Anderson. After a nearly seamless headcount and a fish count, the Gabby Fishing Quotient was calculated at a respectable 2.23 fish/fisherman, a half a trout above last year’s 1.73, thanks mainly to Mike.
In old business, each Gabby guy reported on his past year’s efforts to keep the Gabby going through “retention, recruitment and regeneration,” as discussed in 2015, with most Gabbyites reporting their own retention as their 3R accomplishment. Jim Colaianne’s miraculous return to camp was deemed a “resurrection.” Mike Shanks handed out commemorative flags made from the remnants of Colaiannevile II and collected $7.50 a man to cover firewood.
The only new business was the nomination of two Gabbyites as Rookie of the Year: Mike of Joetown and Max the Wonderdog. Although the result was never in doubt, nonetheless the vote was preceded by an unusually orderly discussion of the merits of the two rookies: Neither Mike nor Max caught a fish. Andy said he thought Max had the firmer handshake. Karl reported that Max was a big help to him patrolling camp. Julius said that Mike was very helpful with domestic chores in Joetown. It was noted that Max did occasionally bark, as dogs do, while Mike rarely spoke outside the confines of Joetown. Founder Dane said it was a close call, but he favored Max because Max greeted him every time Dane appeared in camp, while he and Mike only spoke twice. The eventual vote for “man or dog” was not close, with only Ed Grugan voting man, that is until it was revealed that Max had slept with one of the judges next to the fire overnight, forcing Andy to switch his vote to man because of the, to him, scandalous inter-breed behavior.
As usual the meeting ended with the rollout of Gabby contenders, measurements on the Gabby Stick, and the award of the 2016 trophy.
The first two contenders were a pair of rainbows caught by Philly Boys Grugan and Robinson, who fished in close proximity to each other all afternoon just down from the catch-and-release area. Ed never moved from the same spot he occupied last year, sitting on a lawn chair and offering cold Yuenglings to passing Gabbyites. Fearing the competition would drive a wedge between their 45-year friendship, Rob and Ed were visibly relieved when their catches both registered exactly 12 inches on the Gabstick.
Next up were Shanks and second-genner Drew Rose. With Founder Dane officiating and a gaggle of Gabby Guys crowding around the venerable Gabstick next to the campfire, Mike and Drew’s rainbows were laid side by side on the stick. It was immediately apparent that both were about an inch longer than Grugan and Robinson’s fish and that both were very, very close in length. The sentimental favorite of the crown clearly was the young Rose, who would be a virgin champion since the rainbow he caught at 8:30 just down from the fish for fun area was his first catch at Gabby.
After some fish juggling, straitening of the two stiff trout, and a final tail fin massage by Tony Rose of his son’s fish, Mike’s trout just nosed the 13-inch mark on the fish stick, while Drew’s feel just short, not much more than the length of a flaccid flea dick, one Gabbyite observed. The 13-incher winner is the fifth smallest Gabby in the 41 years of Gabby trophy presentations and an inspiration to those Gabby Guys who have never caught a large trout.
This year’s Gabby is Mike’s third, tying that Old Master, Larry Selby, Robinson, and last year’s champion, Zach Anderson, who was unable to go for back-to-back wins because of a so-called “promotion” at work. Zach’s father Andy presented Mike this year’s championship trophy, a beautiful, unique glass-sculpted trout on a
wooden base. After Mike received a hearty round of congratulations on his “Fair Weather” or “Flaccid Flea Dick” Gabby, as some were calling it, the meeting was adjourned.
2017 (Dane Konop recap)
In 2016, Mike Shanks’ Gabby-winning 12-inch rainbow trout was judged to be a flaccid flea dick longer than the next nearest contender. Of the record 139 trout caught in the 2017 Gabby Hayes Memorial Trout Fishing Tournament, none could contend with Shanks’ 22-inch rainbow, caught at about 8:45 a.m. with a gold Panther Martin on the big bend in Kettle Creek, just down from Gabby Camp.
Mike achieved a Gabby milestone by going back-to-back, only the fifth Gabby Guy to do so. His fourth Gabby win also ties him with Byron “Andy” Anderson and puts him behind only Founder Dane Konop and the late Jaymie “Dr. Trout” Smolens, who both retired from active competition in 2003 after six and seven victories, respectively. Upon accepting the 2017 award, Mike made the surprise announcement that he too was retiring from competition. We’ll see.
The catch of 139 trout, nearly all of which were released, was also a record for the Gabby tournament. With only 12 Gabby Guys fishing, the total produced the highest ever Gabby Fish Quotient (fish/fishermen) of 11.58. It was clearly apparent that unlike in some past years, there had been a recent stocking in “our stretch” of Kettle Creek.
The high production of fish was also partly attributable to the ideal weather and stream conditions. Although the temperature dropped into the 30s overnight Friday, by 8 a.m. Saturday the air had warmed to the mid-40s, with scattered sunshine and no wind to speak of, reaching a high near 80. With a discharge of about 250 cubic feet per second Saturday morning, the stream was running just a little lower than average for this time of year, making for easy wading and crossing. Water temperatures also remained in the prime fishing range, hitting the high 40s by 10 a.m., 10 degrees warmer than opening day 2016.
Thanks to these nearly ideal conditions, only three Gabby Guys were skunked. Despite repeated warnings in camp that the “gravity light” was on streamside, there were reports of two swimmers, both in ankle deep water. There were no reports of injuries, either on the stream or in camp.
Three-time Gabby winner Keith “Robbie” Robinson reported on the hot fishing action just downstream from the fly fishing only area. It’s a stretch of stream still called “near the beaver dam,” although the dam hasn’t existed for years. Rob said he had positioned himself streamside at 7 a.m., with no other fishermen in sight. But just before the 8 a.m. starting time, Gabby Guys began arriving en masse, including the father-and-son teams of Drew and Tony Rose and Zach and Byron “Andy” Anderson. On Rob’s first cast, he said, his line tangled, forcing him off the water. He muttered to himself in frustration from the shore as he watched Drew catch a trout on his first cast. Subsequent casts from the Roses and the Andersons also produced trout, much to Rob’s dismay before he was able to re-rig and re-join the action. Rob said he saw about 30 fish caught at the beaver dam area in the first two hours of fishing. He ended the day catching a record-for-him nine trout on white salmon eggs.
Three-time Gabby winner Zach Anderson caught 32 trout, most of them on a Panther Martin and all released, in the beaver dam area and downstream below the formerly deep hole called “Fish City,” in the stretch of water near the big bend in the creek.
The Roses caught 49 trout between them. “It was more fish than we both have caught in all the other Gabbys we’ve been to,” Tony said. They caught trout in the morning at the beaver dam and in the afternoon below Fish City.
Including the Gabby, Mike Shanks landed 31 trout, 30 of them rainbows and one a brook trout, all near the big bend in the creek.
On the way back to camp, freshman Gabby Guy Jamie Ross, recruited by his “Uncle Barney” Anderson, made a rookie mistake when he added his three trout to Rob’s stringer of five fish. In camp, Rob and Jamie were met by the local fish warden, who informed them it was illegal to have more than the individual limit of five fish on one stringer. Apparently believing the mistake was made unintentionally by the two out-of-state fishermen, the young warden said the $130 fine was less than it could have been.
Fire Ban Could Force Change of Venue
Despite the fishing success, Gabby Camp 2017 remained on edge and alert all weekend because of the standing fire ban in Potter County and an ominous paper sign tacked to a tree at the entrance to Gabby Camp that read “State Forest Land. No open fires permitted.” It was one of several posted along Rt. 144, where campfires by fishermen on state land have been tolerated but technically banned because of the spring fire threat. Remnants of other campfires near Gabby Camp revealed potential previous fire threats by other campers. There have been years when Gabby Guys were told by authorities to extinguish our campfire because of dangerously dry conditions. Other years, when it rained (or snowed), the ban was either lifted or not enforced. This is the first year a sign was posted explicitly prohibiting open fires where we camp.
At the Gabby business meeting Saturday night, the fire ban was the main topic in New Business. Founder Dane, hosting the meeting as usual, posed three questions: Should we continue to return to our usual camping ground until barred? What do we do if our road is blocked? Can we find another location to camp?
After discussing what we could do to have an even safer fire, the likelihood of the fire ban being enforced in future years and the merits of other locations such as Ole Bull State Park, the group reached a fairly quick consensus.
For now, if possible, all wanted to continue to camp at our traditional camping location in the pines, where we have held Gabby Camp since 1976 when the first trophy was awarded.
To determine whether the “no open fires” sign was an omen of stricter enforcement or just a restatement of long-existing restrictions on open fires, several steps were agreed to.
Founder Dane said he would try to contact the forest ranger for a clarification.
Mike Shanks said he would check with our local firewood supplier, Aaron Churchill, who had been surprised by the presence of the “no fires” sign when he delivered our firewood Wednesday. (The week following Gabby Camp, Fire Guy Darien Bodahl was told by a local real estate agent that the local authorities were indeed going to enforce future fire bans more strictly, especially in the state forest lands.)
Fire Guy Darien agreed that if in 2018, he and other Gabby scouts again get to the Gabby camp grounds on Wednesday and find the entrance blocked, he could then give a heads up to other Gabby Guys in transit, including those at Shanks cabin near Snow Shoe, to determine a course of action.
If we are surprised to find access to our usual camping grounds is blocked, the consensus was to gather at Kinney’s Bar to determine our course of action, which could include camping at Ole Bull (nearby fishing and small fires, but no booze) or moving to Mike Shanks’ camp to fish one of the numerous trout streams in the Snow Shoe area.
Darien revived the idea of renting or buying a piece of property for a new camp and volunteered to make some inquiries.
Rain throughout Gabby weekend 2018 could lessen the likelihood of a fire ban being enforced. If it doesn’t rain again on Gabby weekend next year, it was agreed, at least now we have a plan.
Gabby Awards Again Marred by Controversy
To open the Gabby award ceremony and close out the annual meeting, Founder Dane announced that the Gabby Founders’ Foundation would be presenting a Gabby Founders’ Award to a Gabby Guy who has made significant contributions to Gabby camp. It would be only the fourth Founders’ Award presented in the 42-year history of the Gabby tournament, he said. After erroneously declaring Mike Shanks the winner, the seemingly flustered Founder corrected himself and announced that the Founders’ Award and plaque were actually being presented to Camp Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne “for his significant contributions to the Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament, notably the giant campfire tarp we call Colaianneville.” As Jim was not able to attend camp this year, Founder Dane accepted the award and plaque on his behalf.
Shanks’ chagrin at the award snafu was quickly assuaged and the crowd’s snickers were subdued when he rolled out his catch of the day for display on the Gabstick. This time, Mike’s 22-inch rainbow trout was “The Gabby” beyond dispute.
After congratulations to the champion, the meeting adjourned at 11:37 p.m.
At the start of the business meeting, there had been some unexpected confusion in the head count used to divvy up the $160 cost of firewood and determine the Gabby Fish Quotient. For the record, there were 15 Gabby Guys in camp in 2017. By approximate order of arrival, they included: Fire Guy Darien Bodahl, Master-at-Arms Karl Wendel, Chris from Joetown, Gene Rodriguez, Mike Shanks, Andy-Barney-Byron Anderson, Zach Anderson, Jamie Ross, Tony Rose, Drew Rose, Keith “Robbie” Robinson, Founder Dane Konop, D.C. Konop, and Joetowners Joe and Julius, who arrived on Thursday but broke camp early on Friday because their busy lives had overtaken them, which it was noted is not an excused absence.
2018 Recap by Dane Konop
Kettle Creek, Potter County, Pa., April 14, 2018. Last year’s Gabby Tournament was a breakthrough year for the father-and-son team of Tony Rose and Drew Rose. The duo, known for their persnickety persistence on the stream, caught 49 trout between them. The senior Rose topped off last year’s performance by landing this year’s Gabby, a beautiful 15 ½-inch brook trout hooked on a whole nightcrawler, giving credence to the old adage “big bait, big fish."
Tony said he caught the big brook “halfway between camp and the wire around 11 a.m.” by drifting the crawler in rolling current without a bobber, working the worm around and over big rocks. “Best part was I was with Drew when I caught it,” Tony said.
Tony beat out 17 other Gabby fishermen who made it to the stream opening day, including two very ambitious rookies. Nearly half who fished were skunked. Some Gab Guys had tackle and equipment problems, including malfunctioning reels and leaky boots. But there were no swimmers, likely owing to this year’s relatively shallow water. Fifty-three fish were caught and mostly released, producing a Gabby Fish Quotient of 2.94, respectable considering the number of skunks, but well below last year’s record of 11.58.
Notably, before the start of the tourney, 2016 and 2017 Gabby champion Mike Shanks declared himself to be semi-retired from active competition, passing on a chance to match the only back-to-back-to-back Gabby win by the late Jaymie “Dr. Trout” Smolens.
Arrivals in Gabby Camp in the Pines (in approximate order of arrival) on Thursday were perennially best-dressed fisherman Ty Albert, three-time Gabby winner Mike Shanks, the Roses, three-time Gabby winner Keith “Robbie” Robinson, Ed “Chief” Grugan, Gene “E-Rod” Rodriguez and his ward Matt the Rookie, Founder, six-time Gabby winner (ret.) and author of this recap Dane Konop, Jeff Mueller and nephew Eric Mueller, Julius, Chris, and Mike of Joetown, Darien “Fire Guy” Bodahl, Darien’s rookie Jimmy, Sergeant-at-Arms Karl Wendel, and after sunset Son of Founder D.C. Konop. Friday arrivals were father-and-son Gabby winners Mark Bedont and Alex Bedont, followed by last-man-in-camp Joe of Joetown.
The Friday arrival of Senior Elder, Gabby Champion and Founder Award Winner Mark Bedont marked a significant Gabby milestone. Mark is the first Gabby Guy in camp at age 70, a hopeful and encouraging sign for those of us coming up fast behind him. Gabby Guys in camp ranged in age from Mark to Drew, the youngest at 23. Most decades in between were represented, a healthy sign for continuance of the tournament in years to come.
As usual, the primary non-fish-related concern of most Gabby Guys was whether we could have a campfire. Because of the dead vegetation on the ground this time of year, usually dry and highly combustible, coupled with the likelihood of gusty winds, there is a standing April fire ban in Potter County unless it’s raining or has just rained. In response, Gabby Camp’s campfire mantra has always been “no rain, no fire.” Fortunately, it has usually rained opening day weekend over the forty-six years of the tourney.
Following up on a commitment made at last year’s Gabby business meeting to investigate current campfire policies in the state forestland where we camp, Founder Dane introduced himself to the new area forest ranger on Thursday and got a camp permit for the entire Gabby group.
Ranger Shane Straub (no relation to the beer makers) was on his way through Gabby Camp to post a sign barring vehicles from driving any further into the woods. When Dane said, “We’re the Gabby Hayes Camp,” Shane replied, “We know you. You guys are legendary. Everyone around here knows you from your web page.” Dane and Shane talked fire safety, with the founder pointing out to the ranger that Gabby campers take careful precautions with our campfire, including a round-the-clock campfire watch. “There is always someone tending the fire, including overnight,” the founder said. “Most of us also have fire extinguishers,” he added. The gregarious, ponytailed and easy going Shane seemed satisfied that the Gabby Hayes Camp took campfire safety very seriously. Founder Dane also pointed out that we make certain we leave no trash behind, contracting local logistics supporter Erin Churchill for trash bag pickup on Sundays. “We also generally pick up trash left by other campers,” Dane said.
Gabby Camp welcomes rain. The giant tarp with a smoke vent we call “Colaianneville” coupled with the cord of wood we have delivered by Erin make it possible to have a campfire under even the heaviest downpour.
Over Gabby weekend, rain came and went at just about the right times, making for safe campfire conditions and a comfortable camp. Rain Thursday morning let up just as the first large contingent of Gabby Guys rolled into camp from a night’s layover at Mike Shanks’ cabin in Snow Shoe, Pa. The a.m. showers helped wash off the mud on the six vehicles that had snaked their way up and down mucky back roads near Mike’s camp. Not long after Colaianneville was erected, a light rain passed through. Friday was quite windy, with 30-mph gusts whipping tarps, tents and tree tops. But by then, most Gabby Guys had set up and pegged down their camps. It rained again Friday night, but was clear by sunrise Saturday. A forecast of rain early Sunday morning encouraged most Gabby Guys to prepare for an early departure. Fortunately, camp had cleared out by noon before the rain returned.
Throughout the weekend, temperatures were higher in the days than had been forecast, but lower overnight, with an extraordinary high around 80 degrees on a sunny Friday, and a high near 70 on a partly cloudy Saturday. Overnight lows were in the 30s, but well above freezing, as there was no a.m. frost on the ground.
Stream conditions were not ideal, but eminently fishable. The “problem” was low water. Kettle Creek’s flow steadily declined all week leading up to the Gabby tournament, dropping well below the mid-400-cubic-feet-per-second mean by Saturday. The low water level did make for easy crossing at numerous locations on the stream, but limited the number of deep holes preferred by many of the Gab Guys.
According to the USGS stream gage, water temperature remained well within the 45- to 65-degree range when trout are most active, dipping to only 48 degrees Saturday morning, and topping out at 54 degrees by late afternoon.
By about 6 p.m. the last of the Gabby Guys were off the stream and back in camp, cleaning fish and preparing chow.
The scheduled 9 p.m. start of the Gabby Camp business meeting was set back 15 minutes by a “food service” delay, as Mike Shanks served his traditional, tasty deer nuggets seared on the campfire coals to the Gab Guys in their lawn chairs arrayed in a circle around the fire.
Founder Dane opened the meeting by welcoming the Gabby Guys to the 46th annual Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament. “A special welcome goes out,” he said, “to our two rookies, Joey and Nat. I’m sure everyone is as thrilled as I am to have these two rookies in camp.” With Byron “Andy” Anderson absent, Founder Dane admitted he would be handicapped in presiding over the meeting by not having “his Ed McMahon” at his side. “And as anyone who has seen the Carson show without Ed can tell you,” the founder confessed, “it’s usually a clunker without him. With the help of some of you here tonight, I hope to avoid a clunker.”
The meeting followed the pattern set in recent meetings led by Founder Dane: housekeeping, committee reports, old business, new business and the finale--awards.
The standard head count around the circle had only one restart, a step in the right direction and an omen of smooth sailing ahead in the meeting. Mike Shanks followed the count with the firewood report, with the 21 Gabby campers splitting the $168 for a cord of wood and a half dozen bales of hay for ground cover.
The night’s first smoke break was called as Mike collected everyone’s share of the cost.
Carrying on a tradition of his late father Steve, and aided by Uncle Jeff, Eric Mueller gave the group a Gabby history lesson when he read off each year’s Gabby winner from the Selby Cup, which Steve had introduced to camp decades earlier. As their Gabbys came up, Rob and other past champs chimed in with amusing and insightful anecdotes about their Gabby victories.
In his sergeant-at-arms report, Karl Wendel praised the group for their trash-mindfulness.
The Gabby web page report by web page master Mark Bedont was short and sweet. “Remember, it’s GabbyHayes.net,” he said. The group was advised to check the web page after the tournament for the annual recap and for updates on the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Founders’ pre-tournament Inspirational Gabby of 1969.
At this point in the meeting, Founder Dane remembered he had skipped the usual convocation to open the meeting. Mike Shanks stepped in and led the group in a moment of silence remembering the Gabby Guys who have passed.
A smoke break, only the group’s second, followed. It should be noted that the smoke breaks originated years ago with the original Colaianneville when the group was forced out from under the tarp by smoke from the campfire. The smoke break early on morphed into a parliamentary maneuver, as well as a break to breathe. But this year, smoke breaks were hardly necessary, as very little smoke accumulated under the tarp. In his campfire and Colaianneville report, Fire Guy Darien noted the level of the tarp was raised about two feet higher than usual during this year’s erection, which apparently made all the difference. Parliamentary-wise, smoke breaks were fewer than usual as there was little meeting controversy, at least until the awards ceremony.
Founder Dane closed out the committee reports with a faux phone call from absent Andy with his Zoning Committee report: “We forgot to meet and have nothing to report.”
There was no old business
New business was dominated by a discussion of patches and other collectibles to commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary in 2019 of the Founders’ first trip to Kettle Creek and the Inspirational Gabby of 1969. Founder Dane’s Gabby jacket with a half dozen or so Gabby patches collected over the years was passed around the circle by way of examples. E-Rod and Julius jointly took the lead on commemoratives and were urged to use the Gabby web page to air their ideas for discussion by the group. Be sure to check out this space in coming months.
As usual, the awards presentation topped off the meeting. With two rookies in camp, Founder Dane opened the discussion with a question for the group: “Should we even bother with a rookie of the year award?” He advised that the award was never one of merit, just a popularity contest, reminding the group that Max the Wonder Dog beat out a human counterpart, Mike from Joetown, several years earlier. Max’s winning ways included not barking and greeting everyone as they returned to camp while sneaking a sniff at their butts, considered by many since then to be a mandatory maneuver for a rookie of the year candidate.
By voice vote, the presiding founder determined that the group wanted to continue with a consideration of a rookie of the year. E-Rod’s nomination and commendation of his rookie, 30ish Matt, was followed by a stirring testimonial from Drew Rose, who pointed out that Matt had worked side by side with him splitting the camp’s cord of firewood, an important and not an inconsiderable task that Drew often handles solo.
Darien nominated and extolled the gregariousness of his rookie, Jimmy, who appeared to be old enough to be a military school classmate of The Donald. Someone noted that Jimmy earlier had passed out nifty travel mugs to the gang. But someone else countered that the mugs were merchandizing handouts that were discontinued when the company where Jimmy works changed its name.
Much mostly unintelligible debate followed, until Founder Dane called for a decision, opting for a voice vote. The first vote resulted in boisterous shout outs for the rookies, with several Gabby Guys rooting for both. Dane declared the vote a draw, with hearing loss in both ears possibly diminishing his ability to detect significant differences in decibel levels.
Dane called a second voice vote, with results once more too close for him to call. Again, a tie. On the third vote, results were nearly identical. The de facto chairman declared the vote deadlocked and the voting, at least for this year, over, sending the matter to committee, with a possible reconsideration next year. Many in the group were in an uproar over the outcome, demanding a re-vote. But the founder stood firm, with a smoke break freeing him from further direct lobbying, at least for now.
Following the final smoke break of the evening, Founder Dane opened the Gabby award ceremony by issuing the call: “Bring out your contenders!”
Because the founder had left the Gabstick used to measure and compare contenders at home, Mike Shanks went old school, laying out two pieces of split wood side by side next to the fire to serve as a measurement platform.
Not knowing what to expect and with little sense of proportion, Rookie Jimmy laid out an approximately 12-inch trout. 2014 Gabby champ Alex Bedont quickly topped that fish with a slightly larger one. But the best was yet to come, as Tony Rose laid out his much more robust 15.5-inch brookie. Concessions were immediate, as last year’s champ, Mike Shanks, presented Tony with the traveling Selby Cup and the 2018 trophy, a stunning glass trout mounted atop a two-tiered wooden base that includes a photo of Gabby Hayes.
Following Tony’s acceptance speech, Founder Dane quickly moved that the meeting be closed. Mike Shanks seconded the motion, and Dane declared the meeting ended.
When an uproar of protest ensued around the Gabby circle from those Gabby guys who favored naming a rookie of the year, Founder Dane suggested they hold their own meeting, because he said, “This meeting is over.” With that he returned to his camp followed by a string of Gabby Guys, notably Ed Grugan and Drew Rose, who continued to argue passionately on Matt’s behalf. The Founder heard their hearty and sometimes heated pleas, but declared the matter was now out of his hands. Discussion was only halted when the debaters were felled by the combined effects of gravity and Capt. Morgan, the ultimate victors that night.
2019 Recap by Dane Konop
At the 2019 Gabby Hayes Memorial Fishing Tournament, more than a few Gabby Guys came to camp just to party and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Gabby Founders’ first fishing trip to Kettle Creek and the Inspirational Gabby of 1969. A record ten of the 24 guys in camp stayed off the stream.
But Joe Towner Michael Ondovik came to camp determined to repair his fishing reputation. Having never caught a trout, his prospects did not look good.
At the 2016 Gabby tournament, Mike had come in second to a dog for “Rookie of the Year.” Neither he nor Max the Wonder Dog had caught a fish, but Max was the nearly unanimous selection by the assembled Gabby Guys because of his superior social skills.
This year, Mike had the last laugh on his canine competitor, when the once-humbled human’s 12-inch+ rainbow was the largest trout caught in camp. While Mike’s fish was the fifth smallest Gabby winner since trophies were first awarded in 1976, the size of the fish in no way diminished Mike’s accomplishment as only the 18th tournament champion, or his appreciation for the award. In a post-tournament interview, Mike said, “I had a rough 3+ months leading up to this and to catch a fish let alone a Gabby winner is beyond explanation.” Mike said frankly his friends and family were surprised “that me of all people won the award” and “equally impressed with the heritage that is tied to the camp…and trophy.”
His fellow fishermen in Joe Town, who had equally dismal performances in past Gabbys, were clearly ecstatic for Mike’s tourney win, with Julius claiming his fellow Joe Towners had been grooming Mike for just such a victory. Mike said, “I am honored to not only be a part of this amazing group but to have won this award on behalf of Joe Camp (sic). Those guys are not only gentlemen but true friends.”
Nearly all of the Gabby Guys had arrived in camp by Thursday. Everyone from the 2018 tournament returned in 2019, with the addition of Andy and Zach Anderson and Camp Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne, who was making an infrequent appearance in camp to celebrate Gabby at 50.
Fishing conditions were favorable on the early, April 13 opening day, with sunny skies and temperatures topping out near 70. The stream flow was low, dropping from just above the April mean at 400 cubic feet per second on Thursday to only 343 cfs on Saturday. The low water did make for easy wading, with only one reported “swimmer,” eventual champion Ondovik, who said he had a few splashdowns in his rush to get off the stream with his would be Gabby winner.
In housekeeping, following a head count, Mike Shanks announced that the cost of the firewood delivered to camp would be paid for by the “Steve ‘Fire Guy ‘ Mueller Memorial Fund, “established by the “Big Mouth Four,” best high school buddies of the late Gabby champion and camp favorite. With seed money from Steve’s friend Bill O’Connell and after expenditures for the campfire wood for 2019, Mike reported that the fund stood at $400. Shanks was named acting administrator of the fund, pending the camp release of his 2019 income tax filing.
Notably, in old business, was the report of the 50th Anniversary Gabby Commemoratives Committee, comprising Julius from Joe Town and Pocono Tribe member Gene Rodriguez. First up, Julius presented the Gabby Guys with his self-designed, “rounded rectangle” anniversary patch, which featured “Gabby Hayes 50th Fishing Tournament 1969-2019” in gold lettering on a green background with fir trees and a red trim. E-Rod, introduced as the ranking member of the committee, presented the Gabby Guys with a memorable, circular commemorative patch featuring a fisherman wading in a winding stream with a camp in the background and “The Gabby Hayes Memorial Trout Fishing Tournament 1969-2019” stitched around the border of the patch. Both commemoratives were a welcome and much appreciated addition to the historic collection of Gabby patches, particularly as they were produced at no cost to the group.
For the most part, the Gabby business meeting followed Founder Dane’s script and past practice, with camp housekeeping and old and new business topped off by the awards ceremony.
Mike reported he was fishing by himself when he caught his rainbow around 1 p.m. in the main stem of Kettle, upstream from camp near two large holes. Using 6-pound test on a 6 ½-foot, long-handled rod more suitable for big water bass fishing, Mike worked a lure through the current, careful to avoid snagging the bottom. He had attached a chunk of night crawler to a yellow and orange Vibrax Classic Blue Fox spinner, which has internal rattles that generate a unique, low-frequency sonic vibration that the manufacturer claims triggers fish to strike. Could this be a trend away from worms and eggs to noisy lures?
The annual business meeting and awards ceremony Saturday night started off a little late, following Mike Shanks’ serving to the assembling Gabby Guys his marinated venison chunks seared on the Gabby campfire.
After a call to order by Master-at-Arms Karl Wendel, Founder Dane Konop in his usual master-of-ceremony role welcomed the guys to the 50th anniversary of the “Inspirational Gabby,” the first, pre-tournament fishing trip to Kettle Creek in April 1969 by Founders Pat Annegan, Paul Phillips, Larry Selby, and Konop. Founder Dane began the meeting with a group toast. Cups of Erin Churchill’s grape and blackberry wine, “The Recipe,” were passed man to man in the Gabby circle around the blazing campfire under Colaianneville. As Elder Andy Anderson assisted Founder Dane in the pouring, it was an extraordinary scene of unexpectedly well-coordinated and agile handling by the Gabby Guys, as one by one cups of wine made their way around the circle, with nary a drop spilled. With this group close order drill complete, glasses were raised to “our camp namesake, root-toot-tooting Gabby Hayes as portrayed by the sophisticated George Hayes. Cheers to Gabby Hayes!” The group’s hearty chant of “Gabby, Gabby, Gabby” topped off the toast.
Mike Shanks surprised the Gabby Guys by presenting Fire Guy Darien Bodahl with a new pair of fire gloves with “The Gabby” embossed in gold lettering and a 4-foot-long, custom-made, steel fire poker with “The Gabby” engraved on its oak handle. For aerating the fire, the new Gabby fire stick features a blowhole through the center of its steel shaft, which has a hook on the end for precise log manipulation, making it look a little like a short whaling harpoon.
Eventual Gabby winner Mike Ondovik equally astonished the crowd when he presented the Gabby group with a welded steel sculpture he had created depicting Gabby Camp, with a tent, two rod-bearing fishermen, and a banner reading “Gabby est. 1969.” Founder Dane took possession of the Gabby sculpture to be stored in safekeeping along with the Gabstick.
Founder Dane opened the Awards Ceremony by asking the crowd to acknowledge the three Founders’ Award winners in the crowd: retired Gabzette editor Keith Robinson, GabbyHayes.net webmaster Mark Bedont and Camp Engineer Emeritus Jim Colaianne, then announced that there was a 2019 Founder honoree. He asked the crowd to guess the awardee’s identity by reading the inscription on the 2019 Founders’ Award plaque: “Gabby Founders’ Award presented to Blank for his continuing, long-standing efforts to perpetuate and enhance the Gabby experience through his hospitality to Gabby travelers, his helpfulness in Gabby camp, and his humility as a Gabby Champion.” The answer came immediately and in virtual unison from the Gab Guys: Mike Shanks. Mike humbly accepted the Founders’ Award, which will likely become a shelfmate with his four Gabby tournament trophies.
With the “main event” of the evening, the Gabby Award, up next, Ondovik’s fellow Joe Towners clustered around him like bees around their queen, rubbing their hands in anticipation of a victory. Two Gabby Guys stepped up to the Founder’s call to bring out your contenders: Ondovik and Gabby sophomore Jimmy from the Pocono Tribe. This necessitated a measurement with the Gabstick, which was carefully positioned on a bale of hay that served as a makeshift tabletop.
Revealing his fishing naivete, Jimmy laid out a 9-inch rainbow, which was the typical size of the day’s catch and obviously well short of Ondovik’s 12-inch+ fish. Founder Dane certified the results and officially declared Mike the 2019 Gabby Champion.
Tony Rose, last year’s Gabby winner, broke with tradition (or maybe started a new one) when, in lieu of the usual trophy, he presented Ondovik with a custom-built, graphite trout rod and matched reel, with “Gabby 1969-2019” printed above the rod’s grip.
After a hearty round of congratulations to the 2019 champ from the Gabby Guys who didn’t win, Founder Dane adjourned the meeting at 11:45 p.m., the earliest closing ever.
For the record, 32 fish were caught by 14 fishermen, producing a respectable Gabby Fish Quotient of 2.29.
