The first few years that Rich and Melanie Chatmas owned Lake Waco Marina were a little rough, to say the least.

Years one and two were marked by extreme drought conditions that left much of the marina — including its bar and grill, store and gas facilities — sitting on dry ground. The following season showed promise as late spring rains began to fill the lake again, but the rains kept coming until the lake was shut down for months because of severe flooding.

All the while, I kept encouraging Rich to hang tough, because his plan for a full-service marina on Lake Waco was just what the lake needed — a place for people to go and enjoy being outdoors.

Flash forward a year or so, and Lake Waco Marina’s blueprints have become reality. Not only can you tie off for supplies or to enjoy a meal and drinks at the Slippery Minnow, but you can also set up camp at an RV site or rent a cabin, fish along the marina’s shoreline, or rent a pontoon boat or houseboat for a day or night on the water.

You can reserve the Slippery Minnow’s top deck or even the whole facility for private events when the marina is closed, which is Monday through Wednesday during the summer season.

Next time you need a break, check out the Lake Waco Marina. You can catch a fish, catch a band performing on the deck, then catch 40 winks aboard a houseboat or in a fully-furnished cabin.

For more information, visit www.lakewacomarina.com.

Bon voyage to Carter

Bon voyage and a big thanks from the outdoor community to Bryan Carter of Academy Sports & Outdoors, who is transferring to Temple to manage the store there.

While in Waco, Carter provided support to a host of outdoor events and was instrumental in setting up the store’s official scales for weighing and measuring fish caught after hours or on weekends.

Spirits high at tourney

Thunderstorms and heavy rain didn’t dampen the spirit of anglers at last Saturday’s first-ever Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex South 40 Shootout bass tournament at Lake Waco.

One hundred teams signed up for the $5,000 first-place prize, which was won by the team of Travis McCollough and Kenneth McCollough, who only caught two fish all day.

But those fish happened to weigh 17.07 pounds and included the tournament’s big bass, a whopping 10.5-pounder.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex Scholarship Fund.

Snakebite vaccination

Hunters and other people who take their dogs into the woods and fields now have a new means of protecting their pets against rattlesnake bites.

A vaccine recently became available through veterinarians that is designed to lessen the damaging effects of snakebites. With the vaccine, bites are described by one vet as looking more like bee stings than snakebites.

But the serum isn’t magic, and bitten dogs should still be taken in for examination and treatment.

Even without vaccination, roughly 85 percent of dogs bitten by rattlesnakes survive. The new vaccine simply reduces the degree of tissue damage and other unpleasant side effects.

Fishermen landing limits

Reliable sources tell me that limits of white bass are being reeled in by bank fishermen wading the shorelines in Airport Park and Reynolds Creek Park.

The summertime pattern seems to be kicking in, as excellent action is coming early and late around sandy and gravel points on Road Runners, Little Georges, and jigs with Mister Twister tails.

Whites are a lot of fun and relatively easy to catch. They swim in large schools, are aggressive and scrappy. When you catch one, you’re likely to catch a dozen more, especially during topwater feeding frenzies, which can cover acres of water.

Lake Waco catfish are biting strong, too, with reports of cats in the trees in 3-5 feet of water.

George Courtney (714-0882) says a lot of small cats were caught last week, but he and Joe Johnson ended up keeping 23 nice ones on Friday weighing between 2 and 6 pounds using Big Marv’s Punch Bait.

Record-setting carp

Josh Sears called last week about a record-setting diploid grass carp that he caught. Look for more details on this amazing catch in next Sunday’s Tribune-Herald outdoors column.

Also look for information on an upcoming game camera photo contest conceived of and sponsored by Dr. Jim McGregor of Waco.