That Sinking Feeling

Today I made a cast net throw, to end all cast net throws!! At least for that cast net anyway. Yep, another one of those damn lessons, I forgot to loop the end of the throw rope around my wrist. I threw it and couldn't get it back, what a sinking feeling that is. :) Andrea said the look on my face was priceless. I was honestly more concerned about any wild life that might be harmed by the net. We're always so cautions about fishing line and here I just tossed about 10 pounds of it, with weights no less, over the side of the boat.

Other than that we had a GRRREEEEAAAAAAT day. The weather was soooo beautiful and I caught a big ol' trout. I caught a lady fish and another little trout too. Andrea didn't catch anything but she worked her fanny off rigging the poles and manning the snacks. Just joking.

The highlight of the day though was that we docked at a local waterside restaurant and ate lunch. We hadn't ever done that before and we got quite a kick out of it. Our boat looked so tiny next to all the boats that were docked there but we were so proud!!

A big thank you goes out to my dad!! He came to our rescue at the dock with a screw driver when we needed to do some minor repairs. Note to self, get a tool kit for the boat. Actually, I'm sure that Andrea stopped on her way home and picked one up. She's such an Eagle Scout!!

Our Fishing Trip with Jason

Andrea and I went out on Jason's boat one Friday morning in early November. We left at 4:30am. It was early, it was chilly, but it was fun. Jason really knows what he is doing. We caught a snook, OH YEAH!! We also went about 7 miles off shore and trolled for Spanish Mackerel. We caught 3 really good sized ones. Andrea gutted two of them on the boat and also cleaned a couple when we got back to Jason's. We had a blast.

Lessons, Lessons, and more Lessons

Ahhhhh fisherman, we live for the ultimate bend in that fishing rod. There is nothing better than that screeching sound of the line being pulled off of your reel and watching the rod double over under the strain of a really big catch. What a rush!!

But what a buzz kill it is when you realize that what you've caught is your own boat. Yup about 10 feet of line wrapped around the prop like a spool of thread. Lesson number 342, don't put the boat in reverse while someone's fishin' outta the back.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you ran over one of those crab trap things with your boat? Lesson number 343, the rope that attaches the buoy to the trap is pretty long so the trap isn't necessarily directly under the warning buoy. Now I've heard rumors that some of you guys feel that my fishing buddy is being wrongfully picked on, so I would like to personally take the fall for this little catastrophe.

Now I'm supposed to be the lookout and I usually do a pretty good job. But lately I've been avidly watching fishing shows and I have become particularly interested in a fish called the Triple Tail. They are elusive and hang out right beside bouys. Those damn fishing shows make everything look so damn easy. Every damn buoy they went to, low and behold, there was a freakin' Triple Tail. I'm sure you can probably see where this is going without my belaboring the point. Lesson number 344 when you're the lookout, YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT!!

Well, we finally got some toilet paper for the boat. No, we don't have a toilet, but since Andrea averages about three bowel and bladder attacks on each trip out she's mastered what some might call, "hangin' it over the side." She absolutely refuses to wear Depends.

Lesson number 345, don't try to remove a wind knot from your line while driving into the wind. Last week while riding from point A to point B I noticed a little wind knot on my spool. I'm thinking, "I'll just pull a little bit off, ok, just a bit more, oh almost got it, a little more, a little more, I have this under control." My thoughts are interrupted by Andrea saying, "Kim, is there a problem?" "What? Huh? No, no problem", I say as I look down at my feet that are tangled up in about 5 feet of fishing line.

Finally and quite possibly most important is lesson 346. When you add a 3 ounce weight to your line you most certainly do not have to heave it with all your might. Especially when you are very close to a bridge that has a fishing catwalk and multiple pedestrians. Can you say involuntary manslaughter?

We haven't been catching a lot of fish but we have laughed a lot. Owning a boat has truly been a character building experience. I'm sure many onlookers have thought, "Look at those two characters!!"

Pictures are coming very soon, I promise!!