Staff photo/TRAVIS BARRETT

Look, I'll put it right out there. I'm not the heartiest of hearty souls.

Not by a long shot.

That, at least to me, makes it even more impressive to see a group of more than 100 people fishing in a steady rain on a day when the temperature never gets out of the mid-40s. That's just plain cold and raw, and these people all fished for 8 solid hours.

It's a lot to ask. But, in some ways, it's not a lot to ask at all. The 59 2-person teams were all competing in the Maine Bass Open, held for the 19th year at Andy Wess' Lakeside Motel and Cabins on the shores of Cobbossee Lake. Better yet, the tournament is a fundraiser for Maine Special Olympics -- always has been.

About the only unfortunate part of the entire event, held last Sunday, was seeing a team "from away" win the overall title with an 8-fish total of more than 32 pounds, highlighted by a 7.55-pound largemouth bass.

That's a lot of fish to be caught on a day when the water temperatures rivaled the air temps.

Read the complete story in Tuesday's Kennebec Journal.

Even if you couldn't make it to the event, you can still help out. To find out how to donate to Maine Special Olympics, click here.

-- TB