Because he fishes every day, Dr. Bob Weiss has more fishing partners than a bass pro wannabe on the co-angler circuit.
One of his favorites, though, is Metairie attorney Ricky Trahant. In fact, Trahant was one of the anglers, along with lake legend Chink Sumas, who fished with Weiss in May to win the St. Matthew’s Rodeo with a 31.6-pound five-fish trout stringer.
“Ricky and I have won the last nine rodeos we’ve fished together,” Weiss said. “I’m not talking finishing second or third; we’ve won them.”
Weiss’s contribution is the major part of that success, Trahant said.
“I’ve fished countless rodeos with Doc, and he’s a weapon,” Trahant said. “When we fished the Jesuit rodeo in June — it was Doc, Chink, Stewart Beatty (who is an excellent fisherman) and myself — and for two days we fished — and it’s bait fishing, so you say OK, it’s all luck and what piece of live bait the fish decides to bite — I think out of the four fishermen we had on the boat, Doc caught every one of the five trout on the stringer we weighed.
“Wherever he moved, whichever way he cast, that’s where the fish were. He’s that dialed in; he’s that attuned to what the conditions are, where am I going to cast, which way is my bait going to go, how is it going to present.
“It’s happened too many times for it to have anything to do with luck.”
Trahant said sometimes he just has to sit back and enjoy the show.
“It’s an incredible illness with (Weiss),” he said. “We all love to fish, and I’ve been fortunate enough to fish with some of the best fishermen out here on the lake, and there’s a difference between loving to fish and having a complete, uncontrollable illness for it.
“I can honestly say — and I’ve spent well over a thousand hours on the water with Doc — he is separate and distinct from everyone in that every single fish he ever catches is like the first one he’s ever caught.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, and I don’t think I’ll see anything like it again.”
