Letters

Baldwin missed

I would like to offer a tribute to Gene “Baldy” Baldwin, a great sportsman and gentleman. This man was a great inspiration for me and many others like me. His talents inspired me to play rec-league softball, and whenever I knew Baldy was playing I would go to watch. In later years, when Baldy and his lovely wife owned the Hi Neighbor Tavern, we would go and visit them most Saturday nights.

Farewell, Baldy, safe journey home. Hope to see your smiling face when it’s my turn to leave this earth. BOB JOHNSON< Spokane

Just for the record

In response to “Big Money Fish Tournaments” by Mr. Fenton Roskelley, it’s obvious that your article is aimed at the Kettle Falls Governors Cup Walleye Tournament held this past July 23-24.

We all know that you are a fanatic fly fisherman that would feed arsenic to every worm on earth if you had the chance. With this in mind, let’s cover some facts.

1) Eighty-two teams spent $260 each to enter this particular walleye tournament which made money for motels, restaurants, taverns, grocery stores and sporting goods stores in Kettle Falls.

2) We were only allowed to use two ramps out of four at the marina so the people who were not involved were not inconvenienced.

3) All the boats I saw catching fish, including ourselves, were scoring and releasing fish one at a time instead of keeping the limit of three in our livewells because the water temperature was so high.

4) My partner and I killed 30 dozen night crawlers during this tournament and we loved every minute of it.

5) All the contestants fished in 106- and 102-degree temperatures without being able to leave the boat for ANY reason from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and they all attended the awards ceremony whether they were in the money or not.

6) If you and your fishing buddies are as good as you have said in your articles for the past 20 years, you could have entered the tournament and fished only 1 or 2 hours per day, winning several thousand dollars.

7) My partner and I entered strictly for the fun of it and we’ll be back next year, worms in hand. Everybody we met had the look of fun on their faces, whether they were in a 14-foot aluminum boat or a 24-foot land cabin cruiser. Oh, by the way, Mr. Roskelley, with all your expertise in the mighty outdoors, how much of a wake does a bass boat make? KELLY CHIVERS Nine Mile Falls