Warriors hit water inland

Last year, Hal Abshire of Cameron, Greg Lahr of Fayetteville and Bob Cunningham of Spout Springs -- all Desert Storm veterans and avid bass anglers -- put together a bass tournament to honor their comrades in arms.

The event at Shearon Harris Lake drew 57 boaters and military anglers and was considered a huge success by those involved.

This year? "Everything tripled in size," Abshire said.

One hundred and forty-nine service personnel fished. Sponsors numbered 100, up from 60 in 2006. Even the lake was bigger -- Jordan Lake's 15,000 acres provided a larger venue than Harris' 4,000.

This year's edition of Warriors on the Water started May 9 with an icebreaker at the Sports USA complex at Fort Bragg. Bass fishing icons Forrest Wood, founder of Ranger Boats; Charlie Evans, CEO of FLW Outdoors; and Jimmy Houston, the bass tournament and TV personality, flew in. Abshire estimated 400 people were fed, with Powers-Swain Chevrolet in Fayetteville, Abshire's employer, picking up the tab.

At the icebreaker, each angler from the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps was paired with a boater.

On tournament day, they met at the New Hope Overlook public boating access. A Junior ROTC group from Western Harnett High School presented the colors. Dr. Greg Poplin of Mount Pleasant Christian Church in Lobelia led a prayer. Brook McLaurin, Miss North Carolina 2005, sang the national anthem. As the final notes faded over the water, a C-130 Hercules flew over.

"You should have heard everybody hollering," Abshire said. "That put tears in my eyes. I've been tournament fishing 25 years and never had a flyover."

Abshire said a bald eagle flew by at the same time, adding to the moment.

In addition to the local boaters, national bass pros Marty Stone, Gerald Swindle, Preston Clark, Steve Daniel, Keith Phillips, Mark Rogers and Jeremy Starks showed up to host soldiers.

But soldiers lead unpredictable lives.

"Logistically, it was hard matching up anglers who were getting called out [for missions]," Abshire said. "We were replacing them up to the last minute."

FLW Outdoors lent its tournament stage and sound system. On the stage, boater Tony Monaco of Aberdeen and partner John Crowe of Fort Bragg won the event with a catch of 19 pounds, 1 ounce. The pair won custom rods made locally by JB Custom Rods and Skeet's Custom Rods, along with Bass Pro Shops rods and reels. Crowe also won two special prizes -- a Carolina Hurricanes jersey autographed by the team and a trip for Crowe and a guest to the FLW Championship in Hot Springs, Ark., in August, courtesy of Ranger and FLW.

In keeping with the spirit of the event, there was no cash purse. The only money to be won was an optional big fish pot costing $5 per angler.

"We don't want it to be about money," Abshire said. "We want it to be about saying thank you. It's a tournament about appreciation."

Evidently, the idea has caught on. Abshire said he had 146 e-mail messages waiting for him when he returned to work the Monday after the tournament, mostly from people thanking him or congratulating him on the event.

Planning for 2008 is under way.

(LEARN MORE: Find more details about the Warriors on the Water event online at the Web site www.warriorsonthewater.com.)