A funny story Ridin With Dee

[Fast Eddie]

One day, I get a phone call from Harvey Naslund Won Bass Director, and he tells me he has a traveling partner for me. Not knowing who it was, I agreed. Harvey said he needed someone older. (Thanks Harvey, I was in my 40's) That's when he told me it was Dee Thomas. Man was I excited.
Well one of the first tournaments we were going to fish was at Lake Mead (maybe the US Open I don't remember). I met Dee at his house, met Terry, and off we went. Stop one at the McDonalds in Wasco for sausage biscuits and coffee. Then onto Mead. Day 1 pre fish, and were fishing a small cove up near the narrows, having a good time and while throwing a crankbait I catch a 2lbr. Dee swings around on his butt seat, looks at me and say's "you're a better fisherman than I thought" and we both started laughing. Later on day 2 of pre fish we were up in the Virgin in a cove. The sky was starting to darken and we could hear thunder rumble in the background. I asked Dee, "Do you think we should go?" Dee said I'll tell you when we'll go. So, I made a cast to a manzanita bush with my worm and my mono fishing line bowed straight up into the air, and wasn't sinking. I dropped my rod immediately and as the line started back down to the water, picked it up, reeled it in and got real low in the boat. That voice rumbled "What the hell are you doing" and I replied getting as low as I can so someone can drag you butt back to the ramp when you get struck. He laughed and continued fishing when a brite flash and ear splitting noise rumbled overhead. (A bolt of lightning hit the top of the hill in our cove). Dee turned to me in Dee fashion and said "I believe you're right, lets go!" From that day forward, he would always ask me about the weather, and at times called me the weatherman. God I'm gonna miss him. There are all kinds of stories I could tell, like being in a room with just him and Dave Gliebe listening to their stories, or the time I drew Dee in a West Coast Bass Tournament at Oroville where he told me to drive the boat to my spot and run the trolling motor.. The other interesting thing I found out was the attraction. Everybody who knew him would come up to him before competition and tell him what was happening. Didn't matter where we were, as soon as they saw Dee, they were spilling their guts. He was an amazing guy.
God Bless You Dee
Say Hi to Aaron, Forrest, Ron, Harvey and all the guys
God Bless
FE (aka Weatherman"

[kb]

Great story Ed.....

kb

[Turkeyman]

Fast Eddie, I was told the same thing about Dee from Big George Hawley. He said it was the craziest thing that guys would be lined up outside their room and they would come in and tell Dee what, where and how they were fishing.

[JL]

As good of a bass fisherman that Dee was, he probably didn't even need those reports on the bite! I think he was one of those guys that "Did his homework" before the tournament.

[benwilliams]

I fished as Dee’s non boater for six years in the early eighties. Back then he was the undisputed king and everyone wanted a piece of him. And yes they spilled their guts. AND they all asked me what HE was doing knowing we practiced together. Of course I never told them anything. In all those years I NEVER saw Dee change his strategy based on what he heard. He followed his own instincts. To this day I’ve never seen anyone who could run a trolling motor like him. Once on Clearlake on a super tough day he said “watch this” and on the next flip stuck a 13 1/2 pounder. The guy was amazing.
Ben