I had my first fishing trip of the year and my first one since I too went down back in Nov. of '04. I had taken the boat out twice this spring....it ain't summer for 3 more days.....to test her out after some repairs done last year while I was laid up. The "shakedown" cruises left me with some new worries and so my time spent on the water until today was anything but restful.
Motorhead agreed to meet me this morning to "trouble shoot" on another "shakedown" cruise and if everything went alright....then we would try to drown some minnows. Now he had purchased some EXCELLENT minnows and I can attest to the fact that they were very resilient little fellows because at least two of them got off the hook while we moved from one spot to the next and I dangled them back in the livewell to keep them "Fresh".
We came through the NO WAKE zone at Lynnhaven without being hassled by the VBMP. Made it through the new "hole shot" hell with a Pilot boat on my stern, praying the whole time that my engine would not choose to fail NOW!!.....and proceeded without incident....HURRAH to the first Island .
There was a cluster of boats there that didn't seem to be doing much. Another cluster near the Yancey also didn't look promising. NO ONE was at the Small Boat Channel.....so we decided to bait up and drop our lines there.
Motorhead quickly dispatched the skunk by pulling in a short. He then felt the need to catch a clear nose skate. I explained to any of the gods that were listening and had nothing special to do, that this man was doing me a very big and special favor.....and I would like to see him rewarded with "earthly", preferably aquatic delights ....rather than a heavenly reward later on....or a sexual favor from one of the Ocean View girls later that evening! My prayers went unanswered!
Meanwhile, the guy who hadn't caught a flounder in two years,...the guy who let "the big one" fall through his net the last time that he fished with "the 3 Amigoes"......hooked up on 3 fish to 18 inches using the "sandwich" technique of squid and minnow. Apparently the boys were in a "deli" mood at the SBC.
We talked with Pawpaw on John's Addiction and Chuck who was with Dr. Ike. Pawpaw had hooked one at the 3rd and Chuck had hit a 28 incher which he quickly took to Taylor's for the early weigh in since Ike's boat was misbehaving somewhat. We weighed our options and "left fish to find fish".....and we all know how that story goes! Don't do it.....unless you care more about the company that you keep than what's "in the box".
Since I had 3 fish and a great fishing companion....and I wanted to put the boat through some "testy" maneuvers.....we went to the Baltimore Channel....where just about every boat registered on the Virginia Shores was located from the bayside bouys to Cape Henry wreck. Some were catching skates. Some caught some shorts. Motorhead caught a piece of coral.....a small one.
We decided that the day could be best spent by hassling Pawpaw and John with Evan on the bow, rather than watching the tide go slack, so we drove some circles around them trying to tangle their lines and mooned them at least twice.......and I showed them my protuberant, non pregant abdomen....discretely.....once!
We then decided to hit the ocean side of the span of the 3rd where there was at least a little current......and I was rewarded with one more flounder. It was then that my rod, one of Courtland's finest and reel, a Shimano named Calcutta decided to do their thing. The rod bent double....I mean heel to toe! It felt like I had just caught part of Harrison's Pier lingering from Isabele. I reeled and reeled......Chuck and Ike cheered me on.....I reeled and reeled....they got excited and told me that I could enter the tournament "late".......their eyes got big.....
And then I pulled in a 5 lb. Rock.....oh, not your striper variety.......nope....the Coral variety!
With that, Dave and I called it a day to enjoy a healthy Jimmy's Greek salad and an alcoholic beverage to raise our spirits....and our HDL's!
The boat ran well all the way back in and we even "tailed" a VBMP patrol boat chastizing them about the "wake" that we had to endure from their expensive antiterrorist boat and the glare from their shiney buttons on their uniforms making it difficult for us to stay in the channel.
Dave and I hope that each of you.......except Big Jim ....had an equally enjoyable day.....we know that Jim didn't....but then....God has bigger things in store for him!!!
