Swallowing My Pride

[wassachu]

This is a fishing story! Saturday morning we went out to the mouth of the Piscataqua River. The tide was still going out and the winds were blowing across river from Maine to New Hampshire. We chummed and caught some Macs and put them into my live well. Then we tried drifting and live lining but the winds were against us so we tried to anchor. Finding a spot to anchor, away from the lobster pots, where the anchor would stick was taugh. Finally hooked the anchor and set the Macs out. My two fishing partners are novices so I opted for live lining on a bobber and they didn't. Suddenly we had a fish on a novice line. He faught the fish well, I put my rod in a rod holder to assist him. We landed his fish, THEN I heard a bang, turned around in time to see my Rod, Reel and Rod Holder going for a swim. Snapped that rod holder off right at the rail mount. We pulled anchor and found my bobber but by that time it was tangled in the lobster pots so all I retrieved was the bobber.
Now, this was a good casting reel I had just changed over to Braided line. I had no problems with backlash with mono before the change but afterwards I had several. I thought I had them all cleared. My drag wasn't tight so I must have had another backlash knot. Never saw anything other then the Rod, Reel and Rod Holder going for a swim.

My Rod Holders were black plastic purchased from Bass Pro Shop in the early 90's so were probably brittle. They'll be replaced.

I guess there was more then two novices on the boat that day. $160 Rod and Reel.

[nklinesider]

oouch that hurts better luck next time

[5 String Bass]

damn!
That had to sting a little...

I almost lost a rig last year during the fall run on a jetti. I had it in a spike, wedged well in a rock but mustve left the drag tighten to the max or SOMETHING. I was throwing plugs with my other rod and gotten too far away from it. I saw it get WHACKED once, then twice (bending like I had never seen that rod bend), then it popped out of the spike on #3 (just as I had finally gotten to the rod). Off it went, sailing down the jetti to the water. luckily, it the reel caught itself between 2 rocks on the waters edge (the rest the the rod was submerged) and the line broke.
3 lessons.
1. fish only ONE friggin rod!
2. check drag!
3. review 1 and 2 or be a jackass.


It was probably the fish of a lifetime, thats the worst part. I've caught large fish on that rod and never saw a bend in it like that! BTW, the rod was a 10' Ugly bait throwning indestructable beast stick. Most (including the largest) guides on it were destroyed. The reel, a 704 and the timex watch of reels, is still catching fish.