...Headed to the marina @5am...with - Bait/Gear
& snacks!!...
...approached the gate and it was locked
...NO KEY!...so I carefully placed all my gear over this 6 foot fence using a rope when needed. Climbed to the top...put a leg over and "stuck a bun"..
Not much blood so I was off to the skiff. Rowed my way across the water and happily climbed aboard. I retied my skiff to the Mooring...and was on my way.
As I headed out into the bay I noticed some schools of baitfish dancing on the surface with no signs of distress. I circle them wide one time just to observe them from a distance. It was incredibly overcast and fogggy this morning which was making it great for spotting fish on the surface (ripple-wise). It was extremely calm, (
the calm before this WINDBLITZ we're having now! ). I decided to pass up on this for now....as they'd be stuck somewhere behind me and we'd eventually meet up again. I headed south towards my hunting grounds. It seemed we were the only ones out there (1 guest). We had the whole place to ourselves, and no one would be driving their boat into a middle of blitzing fish
A Big NO-NO..for you new boat owners You don't want them to go down...heck, you don't want them to MOVE!!! I usually try to see which direction they're moving versus wind direction (pushing the boat) and possible water currents. I like them to come at me...if possible, I'll let them come right under the boat
but thats a temptation hard to resist. But anyways...I'm chugging along, about 4000 Rpms...and suddenly...
CRACK!!
...the boat slows down drastically and suddenly stops. Meanwhile the engine is still at a roar. I put her in neutral...and slowy give it gas. The engine revs but the boat doesn't move
. I raise the leg to see if the prop is still there...YES, it's there....I give it a spin to see if its free...YES, its fine. I give it some more gas, the engine revs...but still no movement. I raise the leg once more...and now slowly give gas while its out of the water.
There are grinding/clunking noises coming from inside the leg. My mechanic had warned me that there were some parts inside the leg that needed replacing but he could not find them anywhere. He warned that I may have problems in a year or two...it was lot less than that!! So now here I am, (still hadn't signed up for SeaTow)...STUCK!!. We make a few calls and find a friend of a friend who can help us out. We give him our bearings, and await his arrival. After some time the fog starts moving in, and so do those schools of bait that were dancing around before. I take out my rod and knowing that I can't reach...give it a try. No Fish...I watch them slowly swimming past me..just out of reach. I am stubborn, I continue to cast and cast and cast...I mean, what the hell else can I do??? I'm STUCK!!!
After continuous casts I decide to change strategies. I rig up some squid and catch a scup. I had prepared a live-line rig just for this moment. I hook the scup and drop him in. I don't, however give up on the schooling bait. I continue to cast as the fog, (very sneakily, I might add) closes in on me. I can no longer see any land/landmarks...buoys, NADA!! I laugh to myself and think "If I had of stayed around that bait the first time I spotted them...the outcome may have been different"...but anyways, still NO FISH!...The friend calls on the cell phone...and asks our position...
I no longer know..all I can tell him is that the compass is saying I'm facing SouthWest. With the help of God and a GPS he finally finds us. The winds had been picking up and he arrived in the knick of time. He towed us all the way back up the river while all I could do was curse and curse...
..As we approached the BigMaime (Battleship Massachusetts @ the Fall River Battle Cove) she started firing off her September 11th memorial salute to the people who died in the tragedy. I gotta say, it scared me chit-less...but suddenly I realized how small my problem was compared to so many others'...and I felt this anger lift off my chest. I bowed my head in silence and said a short prayer. This was kind of a reality check for me. If it didn't or doesn't happen to you anytime soon, try and remember the freedom you still have compared to the ones who lost their lives...and don't let the "little" things take down your towers!! Keep your head up, and stay strong...and KEEP FISHING...BOAT OR NOT!!!
..the best part of the story is that I still had to go to work when I returned
and YEAH, of course I'm still pizzzzed about my boat!!!
bloo's September 11th 2,002
...it finally happened, there are no more secret spots
... 
blue christmas
Hybrid Mode
