Lessons Learned

[DZ]

J,
Was the tide coming in?

DZ

[RIROCKHOUND]

Dennis... good thread...
First fall fishing SoCo, 18 and full of %$%$%$%$.... walked out on the end of C-Town during a serious blow.. SW 20 with a serious SE Swell on
scoffed mentally at all the guys fishing the channel.... whimps....
took a monster in the chest on my second cast, knocked my flat back on my ass... packed up my stuff and left... lesson learned... fished further east for a few weeks so noone recognized me as that kid who got his backside handed to him...
Lesson Learned... actually havent fished there in a number of years.... mainly because of crowds and the ratio of schoolies to decent fish I've taken there....

[Goose]

Do not walk out so that the swells are to your arm pits and just as your about to lay into your cast your plug is under water,,, 10' glass and braid makes you go convench.

Do not leave a crap load of plugs on the seat of your car then when you realize your wicked late you run and jump in the seat ...trebles in my azz trebles in the seat me cryin oh boy

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by DZ

J,
Was the tide coming in?

DZ

Actually, Yes... AT the hill. No one else around. Thankfully it was only about 1/8" of the meat between the Thumb and index finger

Could have been MUCH worse.

[bart]

when wading boulders, make sure there isn't a rock directly behind you when a roller comes in.

when fishing a bail-less 704, make sure you have the line roller situated on the left side of the rotator cup. took me 2 broken rods and a bunch of lost plugs before i realized what was happening...

[Canalman]

Don't observe moderate waves from shore on a rock about 300 feet out, and make the againizing wade out there, F18 and I made this mistake last June, when we arrived at the rock 4 huge waves in a row blasted us coming from high above our heads with the force of a freight train. Needless to say we gathered our scattered debris, cried a little and went back to shore to empty our waders .... objects 300 feet out in the dark are bigger than they appear.

I got more I just have to think....

[Canalman]

oop I got another....

Same rock different day.... now you'll understand why we call it bloody boulder.

This day the surf was not rough at all. On the way out the rock I stepped between two small rocks and severed the strap to my left corker. And I'm not walking 1.5+ miles back to the truck so i can go home and go to bed right?? So I did what any dedicated surfcaster (idiot) would do. I continued on, crossed the channel on the 2 slippery rocks with out falling, climbed to the top of the rock without falling, made the long descent into the crevace you have to fish from with out falling, made several succesful casts without falling.... finally bang I've got a fish and its a good fish. I'm trying to keep in mind that my left foot is out of commission, so I'm favoring my right foot, natuarally. The fish suddenly goes left like a bullet... one wrong step down I go, I put my hand down to break my fall and I'm met with the distinct sharp pain of parting flesh. OK OK I'm not gonna look, I have to land this fish, finally she's rolling the wash against the bottom of the rock, My fishig partner slides her up onto the rock, a quick glance at my hand reveals copius bleeding... Suddenly the fish is thrown into my lap while he retrieves the camera. Two quick pale faced photos of my 46" prize... never weighed her. Back she goes. Woozy and adrenalized I run to the top of the rock... now I'm faced with a dilemma.... should I take the chance of missing out on more big fish and go home or should I bite the bullet and keep fishing.... it is now that I will remind you that I am an idiot... I cleaned the cut out with Gatorade.... cut a strip of my t-shirt off and made a bandage and kept fishing.. Later inspection showed the cut was clear to the fat in the meat of my thumb. No more big fish that night... what a rush. So the moral is... modify your corkers in the manner suggested by the author of this thread DZ... replace the studs with 3/4 stainless bolts and and the straps with looped garden hose. You will not lose your corkers again.

-Dave

[shadow]

DON'T bury dead fish in yard if you have a dog.he will dig it up just as it is nice and ripe then run around the yard ever so happaly tearing it apart.clean fish at the beach leave carcass for the crabs.

[Clogston29]

A couple pieces of TP in two zip lock bags tucked in the pouch of your plug bag can save a night. I figured this out only after "sacraficing" two t-shirts

[jklett]

Originally Posted by Clogston29

A couple pieces of TP in two zip lock bags tucked in the pouch of your plug bag can save a night. I figured this out only after "sacraficing" two t-shirts

I gotta remember that one. That would prevent me from having to explain to the wife why there are so many single socks!

Another thing: don't flyfish near a busy road. Backcasts will prove to be tricky and that arbor knot won't hold up against a southbound buick.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by Clogston29

A couple pieces of TP in two zip lock bags tucked in the pouch of your plug bag can save a night. I figured this out only after "sacraficing" two t-shirts

Hahaha. Sage advice. I do the same.

[Christian]

bring an extra light.
i had to climb through a boulder field one of those foggy pitch black nights where you cant even see your hand about 300yards to my vehicle. all the while with a 20lb fish for added fun...and it was fun trying to find my way back, i just woundt want to do that again.

[crash]

The $10 led hedlamp may look stupid, but it's nice to have when your hands are full of pissed-off fish.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by Christian

bring an extra light.
i had to climb through a boulder field one of those foggy pitch black nights where you cant even see your hand about 300yards to my vehicle. all the while with a 20lb fish for added fun...and it was fun trying to find my way back, i just woundt want to do that again.

I actually carry 3; one around my neck, a headlamp, and then one more light hiding in my plug bag. Call me a wimp or whatever, or not hardcore, but I like to have light when I need it.

I see a lot of people say they don't carry a light at all, or only carry a very small lamp. Emergencies happen though, and I'll be sure to have quality light if and when it happens.

[ProfessorM]

#1 Make sure when you go into the brush to do a #2 in the dark that you pull your waders all the way down. #2 Make damn sure you check before you pull them back up. #3 Make sure after the sun has come up and you have taken your waders off and start to wonder why there is mud all over your pants and a distinct smell coming from the stains and it finally dawns on you what has happened that you don't reach into the waders to turn them inside out to clean them and find out there is something squishy still in there P.