RvW
01-16-2003, 11:20 PM
I'm sure anyone whos spent a fair amount of time on a boat has one. Heres one of my earlier recolections of getting wet when I didnt want to, theres a good fishing story in here too.
My grandfather and I made it a habit to fish the warm summer nights on the east coast, in a little pond called "hoyt road marsh".
Catfish were the target, an old oil lantern, a flashlight, as many nightcrawlers as we could find the night before, and a fve gallon bucket were required for the trip, along with the rods and few cork bobbers we were in bizness!
Load the boat, wait for dark, and dont forget the bugspray was routine, mosquitos were ruthless carnivores back there in Northern New England.
We always did well and never came home skunked unless we forgot the bait, or gramps forgot his special thermos (which was unlikely) of coffee I was not allowed to drink.
One particular eve, we had an exceptional night on the "marsh", we caught so many pan sized catfish that we ran out of bait. As I got ready to make our way back to the dock, I set my rod to the side, and put a few things together for the trip.
My grandfather asked why I was still fishing, and I said "I'm not", he said "well, your pole is!
I picked it up, sure enough, a fish on the hook, that couldnt have been more than a few inches in the water WITH NO WORM ON IT!
He tossed his line out, with no worm, and nailed a fish and we sat there for another 30 minutes, dragging our hooks in the mud at the bottom of the bait can and catching fish on bare hooks. My grandfather couldnt speak other than to say "dont ever tell a soul what happened tonight, they will lock you in a padded cell, and throw away the key".
Needless to say, we actually filled the bottom of the boat with 10 to 12 inch fish who bit bare hooks, and got tired and headed back to shore.
I was very excited, and could not wait to get home and show off our catch. I was sitting on the transom, as my grandfather hooked the trailer winch line to the boat, and with a quik snap of the electric winch, sent me backwards off the boat and into the water. I had no idea which way was up, and being about 10 years old, the dark water was not a place I wanted to be.
I found my way to the bank, to find my grandfather and uncle who was out on his own boat sitting down laughing uncontollably...I was very angry, not to mention soaked...a wool sweater weighs how many pounds when wet?
Well, I got into the old dodge (which my grandfather said was named a dodge on the front because it had no horn) and took the lecture I had coming all the way home.
The best part was, I had on a brand new pair of green cords, and they bled alllll over the seats of his pickup. I found it funny, he didnt, until I took the jeans off on the front porch, and waltzed towards the bathroom with he and my uncle laughing hysterically as I passed them..
Seems my legs and white fruit of the looms were a bright chartruse green as well, and stayed that way for a week!
My grandfather and I made it a habit to fish the warm summer nights on the east coast, in a little pond called "hoyt road marsh".
Catfish were the target, an old oil lantern, a flashlight, as many nightcrawlers as we could find the night before, and a fve gallon bucket were required for the trip, along with the rods and few cork bobbers we were in bizness!
Load the boat, wait for dark, and dont forget the bugspray was routine, mosquitos were ruthless carnivores back there in Northern New England.
We always did well and never came home skunked unless we forgot the bait, or gramps forgot his special thermos (which was unlikely) of coffee I was not allowed to drink.
One particular eve, we had an exceptional night on the "marsh", we caught so many pan sized catfish that we ran out of bait. As I got ready to make our way back to the dock, I set my rod to the side, and put a few things together for the trip.
My grandfather asked why I was still fishing, and I said "I'm not", he said "well, your pole is!
I picked it up, sure enough, a fish on the hook, that couldnt have been more than a few inches in the water WITH NO WORM ON IT!
He tossed his line out, with no worm, and nailed a fish and we sat there for another 30 minutes, dragging our hooks in the mud at the bottom of the bait can and catching fish on bare hooks. My grandfather couldnt speak other than to say "dont ever tell a soul what happened tonight, they will lock you in a padded cell, and throw away the key".
Needless to say, we actually filled the bottom of the boat with 10 to 12 inch fish who bit bare hooks, and got tired and headed back to shore.
I was very excited, and could not wait to get home and show off our catch. I was sitting on the transom, as my grandfather hooked the trailer winch line to the boat, and with a quik snap of the electric winch, sent me backwards off the boat and into the water. I had no idea which way was up, and being about 10 years old, the dark water was not a place I wanted to be.
I found my way to the bank, to find my grandfather and uncle who was out on his own boat sitting down laughing uncontollably...I was very angry, not to mention soaked...a wool sweater weighs how many pounds when wet?
Well, I got into the old dodge (which my grandfather said was named a dodge on the front because it had no horn) and took the lecture I had coming all the way home.
The best part was, I had on a brand new pair of green cords, and they bled alllll over the seats of his pickup. I found it funny, he didnt, until I took the jeans off on the front porch, and waltzed towards the bathroom with he and my uncle laughing hysterically as I passed them..
Seems my legs and white fruit of the looms were a bright chartruse green as well, and stayed that way for a week!