A good fish and a great guy.......

[robc22]

It's 1985 and I am not much more than a teenager......working at a local tackle store I get the heads up about a late season spot on the south side.....There is a jetty than can be fished.......First night I fish the jetty I get my clock cleaned by a monster.....I'm fishing a 11.6 zippy conv.with an abu 7000 and 30 pound test stren.....I'm throwing a 1 3/4 oz Gibbs black needle....I look to my right and see a local doctor from falmouth hospital releasing a +50 pound fish he caught on eels.......the next nite I come back with my reel spooled with 40 pound maxima.....it is nov. 4......fishing the same type of gibbs plug I hook a monster .......after an awesome fight and tough landing( the surf was rough that nite) I have my prize......dragging the fish back to my car a falmouth cop happens to drive by......spot light,blue light, holy ---- was his response.......he helped me load the fish in the back of my car.Most awesome guy Paul Kernicki always told me......If you get a big one ,wake me up and we will weight it in my shop.......So at 2.30 AM on nov.4 thats what I did..........the fish weighted 46 pounds and is my best plug caught fish to date.Then, paul and his wife fed me some of the best left over american chop suey I had ever tasted...... I would bump into paul for years after that nite and he would say with a grin" you plan on waking me up tonite?"........I have caught a few more fish in the forties in that spot althought nowadays it seems there are nothing but seals there.......But I will always remember that nite, that fish , that cop and a very kind Mr. paul kernicki who weighted my fish and fed me a hot meal on a cold nov. morning...........

[Rob Rockcrawler]

Nice story, good read.

[BigFish]

Very great story!

[Slipknot]

Great story Rob

[Back Beach]

What a great guy Paul Karnicki was. He was one of the first guys I ever met down the canal and he treated me like gold from day 1.

I can't count the number of times he had me over the shop to B.S. and talk about fishing. You could stop by there any time and Paul was always happy to see you. Stan Kuzia used to be there often too, along with many of the canal regulars of the day.

Here's a good story:

I was about 16 and just got my license when I met Paul at Bell Rd one day. It was the fall of 1986 and I was standing out in the rain casting when he pulled up next to me and asked me where I got the zziplex. He thought it was it my father's rod

I told him some guy named Rob(It was Robc22 I later found out) was fishing with one up near the herring run one night and he told me where to get one, so I got one from Ron Arra shortly afterwards.

I never ran into Robc22 again for over 25 years, then saw a couple of his posts here and connected the dots.

[Nebe]

Nice post Rob.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[PaulS]

great story!

[OLD GOAT]

Gosh It's awful to hear names and not being able to put a place with a name.
I think of Karniki and all I can think of is a guy they called (the mad Russian) from my casting years ago.
Don't get old cause you'll spend more time thinking than doing.

PS Great stories guys

[DZ]

Originally Posted by robc22

.....I'm throwing a 1 3/4 oz Gibbs black needle....the next nite I come back with my reel spooled with 40 pound maxima.....it is nov. 4......fishing the same type of gibbs plug I hook a monster .......the fish weighted 46 pounds and is my best plug caught fish to date..

Nice story - the plug mentioned has taken SOOO many big bass. Really amazing that not many others fish it.

DZ

[bigbuck28]

Great story

And congrates on that canal monster you posted on SOL. That thing is a PIG

[numbskull]

Nov, 1985, local doctor from Falmouth Hospital, fishing eels, releasing a 50+? Yet another Sauerkraut sighting it seems.

[JohnR]

1985 behind the Stuttgarter Hofbrau tent, Mercedes flatbed, German girl had more hair under her armpits... Oh, wait....

Sorry - Seriously, cool story

[PNG]

Great story thanks for posting

[Gobi]

Very cool. Thanks.

[SAUERKRAUT]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Nov, 1985, local doctor from Falmouth Hospital, fishing eels, releasing a 50+? Yet another Sauerkraut sighting it seems.

Wife, and other naysayers tell me that I never forget a striped bass. Meanwhile, I forget b'days, anniversaries, and all sorts of other non critical aspects of life.

I certainly remember the young lad hanging on my rock and mooching "my spot" night after night, fishing his black needlefish. Nope, I didn't release any
"50's" in that area or that arena, but I appreciate his recognition.

[numbskull]

Go get a smaller hat. He wasn't referring to you with the "nice guy" comment.

[SAUERKRAUT]

Originally Posted by numbskull

Go get a smaller hat. He wasn't referring to you with the "nice guy" comment.

Friend: I would never make the error of thinking that I was a nice guy. I was entirely referring to the fact that I wasn't releasing an extra "50" in my life that really wasn't.

[stripermaineiac]

Very nice

[Piscator]

nice story as I enjoy my lunch