Neighbor catching my supper pickerel

I have not done any fishing yet this year.  But some have

FLASHBACK TO FIRST TIME FISHING IN NEW BOAT

Saturday, May 10, 2014

First fish in the new boat

 

 

 

Chuck came out Thursday to fish the first fish caught in the new boat  or drink coffee, depending on the weather.

Of course, Chuck generally takes care of the weather.  He brings the warm sun to Florida when he arrives.  He arranges things pretty good, and this day was no exception.

We were supposed to have thunderstorms in the morning., but not a cloud showed up.

It was also supposed to be cold, and it was very cold early in the morning when I stepped out on the deck so I dressed in three layers of pants.  Well, that was a mistake.  

Once Chuck came it warmed right up.

It was nice to have some help loading the boat.  I expected to get exercise rowing this boat, but just getting all the gear down to it is exercise in itself.  

I wanted to launch the boat myself, so I  had Chuck hold the rope on the  dock and ask him not to help.  

Well, I pushed and I pushed and I pushed.  

Nothing.

“This sure is bear of a boat.”  I said.

“Well,” Chuck said, “ I know you wanted to do this all by yourself so you see how it goes, but I’ll bet it goes a good bit easier if you untie the front of the boat from that post.”

“Gee, ya think?”

And he was right!

Down in Florida Chuck had been there when I forgot  to pull up the anchor and complained of the difficulty navigating away from the pier and then how strange the boat handled in the river until I remembered the anchor. was still out.

Of course I wouldn’t do that this morning.

I couldn’t remember where I put the anchor.

So out we went using the electric motor and choosing the  Second Lake.  I was overtired, had a headache and felt pretty bad in general, so I did not want to try going through the pipe.

Besides, I know some goo fishing spots on the Second Lake. and  don’t know Third Lake that well.

At one point Chuck cast and all the line went out and off his reel.  

It floated on the water, so we could retrieve it and save the lure.

Most of the day he had been making side comments about anchors and pushing on a tied boat, but just then he did not say much.

I really expected yellow perch, but the bluegills were biting.  We hit them drifting and in the course of a day had nine fat ones.  Chuck got one yellow perch.

At the buoy marking the rock pile on the Second Lake  I hit a fish I thought was a pickerel.

It spit the hook.

Then I hit it again and brought it up to the boat a couple times, so I could see it was a really fine  smallmouth, perhaps one of the largest I have hooked.  I had forgotten the net, and before it tired for a two finger jaw grab, it was off the hook.  

So I missed that photo.

On one of the next casts I hit another bass, a largemouth.  This one we landed and photographed.  

 

I can’t ever remember hitting bass so close together or at that spot for that matter.

On the way home, using what he said was his last worm for the day, Chuck hit a bass as well.  

 

 

 

So it was a fine day.

The motor is a joy for fishing.  I can be fixing a line or untangling a pole and drift close to docks or shore and just give that handle a twist and off we go.  Having a reverse it just great.  I had not had that on my old motor for the last ten years I owned it.  It broke and when I rewired it, I did not get the reverse wired.

The 50 pounds of thrust from this motor pushed her along just fine.  We did not troll much but the lower settings will allow some good white perch fishing.

Chuck went off to some of his meetings.  Soon he will really be retired and there will be no meetings.  I’m suggesting his new position is Dean of  Bass.

I had some chana dal, cleaned the fish and went to bed for a nap.  Again, I did not sleep although  I was now very, very tired.  

I decided at least to try out my  rigged up oars.  They worked fine.  The angle of the oar from the boat to the water  is wide enough so the full paddle catches water horizontally, and so the  boat is  much easier to row.

There was no wind so I decided to test going through the pipe.

My ‘passage” as Almberg calls it.

The boat just fit but it fit fine and the depth of the boat gave me a comfortable place to squat down.  I pulled myself through and then rowed a bit on the Third Lake.  

On the way back a light wind helped me through.  I just had to squat and wait.  Very nice.

 

Chuck loved the comfortable seats in the front and the whole stability of the boat for standing or changing seats.  As age  disrupts my balance, this is a great benefit.

I chained the boat to the dock because the weather was supposed to be sunny.  Then we had two days of rain.  So there will be another first once the rain stops,  the first bailing of the new boat.

Once home we fried up the fish in the classic way my mother did them. 

 

So thanks again, you five boys, for a great gift and for moving me to  get such a fine boat.