Give Jeremy Sellman a fishing pole and an idle afternoon, and he’s a happy camper.
Same goes for Jeremy’s son, Xander, a sophomore at Iola High School.
But this Sunday afternoon was a bit too idle.
The Sellmans were in the final day of the final Kansas Crappie Trail Tournament of the season, a six-month series of fishing competitions that ended Sept. 12 at Clinton Lake just west of Lawrence.
A points race — based on how teams finish in each week’s tournament — was neck and neck between the Sellmans and a father-son duo out of Lawrence.
How the Sellmans wound up coming home with the prize as the state’s top father-son fishing team — and a lifetime fishing license for Xander — is a testament to dogged determination, some luck and, in Sunday’s case, a change of attitude.
Jeremy and Xander entered the Sept. 11-12 tournament with a slight lead over another father-son duo out of Lawrence.
And after the first day of successful fishing, they’d even extended the lead.
But as the final day began, the fickle Kansas weather intervened.
Warm, gusty winds made the lake choppy and the fish just weren’t biting.
After starting at sunrise, the Sellmans had landed a single fish — they needed seven to earn a top score — with an hour left to compete.
With such a small catch, the Sellmans were almost certain to see that grand prize slip away.
“That was the most stressful fishing for me in my entire life,” Jeremy admitted afterward. “I knew what was on the line. I really wanted to get that lifetime fishing license for him,” Jeremy said.
Right about 2 o’clock, an hour before the competition ended, Jeremy lost a fish as he attempted to reel it in.
“I kind of melted down,” he admitted.
That’s when Xander, 15, spoke up.
“Dad,” he said. “It really doesn’t matter. If we win, we win. If we don’t, we still had a lot of fun.”
