What was I thinking?

[Mello-Yello]

I did something really stupid this past week. I was fortunate that I got away with it, but the more I think about it, and what the potential outcome could have been, I thought I'd share it with everyone. Perhaps my ignorance might prevent someone else from having 'a really bad day'.

If you've read my posts the last few days of our excursion off Port Orford, you've read about the 5' blue that hammered my rigging as I was pulling it in, peeling at least 100' of line off my pinched down reel before I could even get a hand on my drag to back it off. My stubby hali pole was bent over like a fly pole!

On our very next drift, a steep swell turned the boat and my line got wrapped in the prop (we were back-trolling against the drift). I realized immediatly what had happened and dashed to the front to kick my motor into neutral. I killed the engine and raised the motor out of the water. My line wasn't wrapped too bad, but try as I may, couldn't get it undone. So, using my harpoon, I was able to get ahold of my line below the prop, pulled it into the boat, cut it and pulled the pole end of my line free from the prop. This is where I got really stupid.

Rather than lose a few bucks of rigging, and not wanting to leave 600' of tuffline drifting around, I started pulling the line in by hand. Hand over hand I pulled. Once I had a good handfull of line, I'd drop what I had and continue. To say the least, at any given time I had a lot of wraps going w/both hands. I even recall making a comment as I was doing this "Sheesh, can you imagine if another Blue Shark hammered this thing as I'm pulling it up?"...

These words still haunt me two days later. What the heck was I thinking? "I feel lucky today?" Had another blue hit my rigging like the previous one had. I'd be lucky to have any fingers at all. Those who have used Tuff-Line, or any spectra line, know what it can do just tightening a knot.

While the odds of another blue hitting my gear were pretty slim, what if? Even a chicken following my rig off the bottom could have had me learning to pick my nose w/my toes.

What can I say..."You can learn a lot from a dummy"...

[img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img]

Do not try this at home, these are trained professionals!

[corrirod]

I've made the same mistake more than once Mello so you're not alone.
[img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

[Hook-up]

We usually find a plastic pop bottle, WD 40 can or something like that and wrap it on that. If something hits it just let go of the whole thing.

[EVERREADY]

That would have left a mark. Last time I had to cut my line at the surface I just tied it back on and reeled it up. I just set the pole aside to deal with it on land and used my spare reel.

[8knots]

Thanks for the reminder. I do my share of " less than well thought out " things. I try to do most of them on dry land since offshore the little things can turn into big things in a hurry. Guys who boat with me think I am a nut about the routines and keeping everything in its place, but it is all for safety reasons. I have a small scar on a finger from grabbing a line fishing offshore with my grandfather when I was a kid. Brings back great memories of fishing with him, but it has kept me from grabbing fishing lines when ocean fishing for the last 40 years.

Why didn't you tie the Toughline together with a dbl uni knot and use your reel?

[Fishplay]

Yep, the new spectra lines are nasty. Last year we saw a guy trolling around bouy 10 with a blood soaked towel wrapped around his hand.

He had tried to hand line a fish. Cut him clear to the bone.

If this happens or a scenario like Mello describes cut the line and cleat it off as soon as possible. Then tie it onto an opperable reel.

Good post M.Y.

[Mello-Yello]

C'mon Keta.

I already used the word 'stupid' twice, [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

'ignorance' once, :whazzup:

and capped it off with 'dummy'. [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img]

The answer to your question lays within...

Not a judgment Mellow :smile:
We all have the opportunity to say D’OH at times :blush:
I also like to wear a pair of gloves, blue toughs preferably, when fishing.

[Miss B Haven]

There are stories floating around about deck hands missing fingers from this. Some charters won't let you use your own gear if you have tuff line.
It also is real ugly if you get it wrapped around the prop and can't get it all out. It cuts seals and can score a shaft (so I've been told).

Gotta be real careful with that stuff. That said- best thing they ever invented for deep water fishing!

[seasquid]

What I have learned about the stuff....

When deep water halibut fishing -- the skipper runs the boat and does not fish while reversing into the swells...secondly, always inspect the prop after fishing deep-water in close proximity to other boats -- I have had many times when I did a thorough check after the deep-water thing only to find tuff-line wrapped around the prop -- no idea how it got there, other than I ran over the stuff somewhere...thirdly, I have warned my crew to not wrap that stuff around their hands/fingers if they want to keep them.

ss

[Lovestafish]

Hmmmmm.... I did the same thing last year out halibut fishing - I thought I had some kind of fish on, only to find out I'd snagged someone else's rigging, so I hand pulled it up. It's quite a chore - I don't recommend it. I like the idea of using a rod & reel; what a concept! :smile:

[fish assassin]

Hey Mel! How do you know this???


-assAssin-

[greenbuttskunk]

we went though a ton of line this weekend. Got some back and spliced it into a reel and kept fishing. I was using fireline 50lb, and the stuff is so slippery, twice we got bites, set the hook and,
BINK! slack line. sucks to loose 500' feet of expensive line and the poor fish who has it stuck to him. Very regretable.

[ 05-19-2003, 03:16 PM: Message edited by: greenbuttskunk ]

[Miss B Haven]

greenbuttskunk - I don't get it, how were breaking 50 lb filament. If I get hung up with that stuff I have to wrap it around a fish bat and run the boat to break it! I sure can't do it with the rod and reel. You get some bad stuff or what?
:whazzup:

[fishwhenican]

Sea Squid: I only use the kicker to reverse into the swells. If line gets tangled and renders one motor unusable I'd rather it be the kicker than the main motor.

Mello: I had my own temporary memory lapse, went to Port Orford for halibut last friday and left my GPS at home. I was only off by about 1 mile, and 5 min. on my estimated run time to the spot. Maybe I could have been more accurate if the chart wasn't sitting next to the GPS at home

[Mello-Yello]

Heya Fishwhen U can, a mile isn't too bad for a run like that! We were doing drifts that averaged .7 of a mile.

How were the seas on Friday? We were all set to go but the 3am forecast had upgraded the windwaves, especially from Blanco south. So, I sat at home wondering if I'd made the wrong call all day. (and cleaned the boat and packaged ALOT of shark meat.

Did you get into the fish?

M-Y

Seasquid,
You got me thinking there :shocked:
Spectra floats and you could have ran over it running. Scary thought :depressed:

[Miss B Haven]

Woven Poly lumber tarps float and you can run over them too. :shocked: Don't ask me how I know this! [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

[fishwhenican]

Mello: it was a little sloppy but mainly from the swells being good sized. the wind came up about noon so we packed it in pretty quick after it did, but running with it we averaged 20 mph on the way back. I also had to be back home at a decent time for my daughters birthday. We did get 2 out of 3 fish, it seems that circle hooks are great some days and some days too many fish come unbuttoned. Of course I may be doing something wrong? I didn't look at the 3am forecast, because my plane was 3hrs late getting back from Denver and 5hrs of sleep isn't enough for me. We decided to look at the conditions, and I listened to the weather on the way out of the port, figuring bottom fish if not halibut.

[Mello-Yello]

Circle Hooks...IMHO...two things...put a swivel on them...and let the fish take and take before setting the hook. Every fish I caught was buried good in the cheek and it was an effort to get the hooks out. The only hard part is letting the fish take and take...