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I had been planning this midweek excursion for over two weeks, searched for reports, looking for accommodations at an RV park, getting the boat ready & lining up a fishing partner.
All was set when a text comes telling me that my fishing partner "can't make it"...... I should have just bagged the whole trip but as stuburn as I am I just "sucked it up" and went anyways.

I arrived at the RV park at 9:30 pm, dropped the boat, got the camper off the truck & reconnected to the boat. During the last hour of setting up the site I pop my right shoulder & it's hurting pretty bad so I iced it, ate dinner, took some pain meds and crashed at 11:30.

I awoke at 4 o'clock but snoozed till 4:30 and got to the Speeliya boat ramp around 6:10. Got the boat launched & tied to the dock, took my stand in fishing partner for a short walk to do her business.....
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I actually got started fishing at 6:30 and went right out to the waterfall area and nailed a big 13 incher at 7am (34' OTW (on the downrigger wire)) thinking that this was going to be a stellar day of lake Merwin Kokanee fishing like the old days!!!!
I didn't have another bite for over 2 hours till about 9am, when heading west around the waterfall the port rod trips but nothing was on the other end.....:s0110:
At 10:50 the starboard rod popped and connected with a 13 inch Fatboy and into the cooler it went, was down 52 feet on the rigger right by the point headed towards Speeliyia bay.
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I'm done at 12:30 with two fat fish so i put the kicker into neutral & the cable snapped!!! Then while reeling in the last rod it breaks 4" from the tip...:s0054: ARRGGHHH there will be no fishing tomorrow. Yes I have more than one rod but that's not the point.... Im Done.
I go to the RV park to register & pay for the accommodations and since it's after 1 pm I had to pay for 2 nights.... no problem but damn.:s0124: I'm headed home anyways...

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I have had many a fishing trip through out the years with ant mishaps at all (well ok, maybe a few minor ones) but all of a sudden "WHAM".... :s0009:

I used Les Davis & DV flashers with purple, orange & pink mini hoochies with tuna & bloody tuna scents.
There was a white Alumaweld with a lone occupant that was pulling fish in with regularity, I was in the marron Jetcraft fishing the same waters.

To be continued when I can remember some of the ones from years gone by....:s0142:
 
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Was out fishing for salmon a number of years ago in Puget Sound. We were having fantastic luck at 60-70 feet OTW. Rod ends popping up every few minutes. Caught our limit in an hour and a half and decided to head back to the launch with our coolers full. Anyway, the guy I used to fish with all the time (and owner of the boat) decided he wanted to roust a sea lion that had crawled up onto a buoy. So he throttles down and swerves toward the buoy but he made an error in judgement. WHAM!! Port side transom takes a huge it and knocks a huge hole in the boat. He immediately slows down and we start to sink. So he throttles up the jet drive to get the nose in the air and we speed towards the launch. Unfortunately we hit the no wake zone in front of the Coast Guard port. We fly past it at full speed so not to sink. Out of port comes a cutter at full speed with lights and sirens and a machine gunner training a belt fed at us. We slow down a little and they pull up right next to us. I start yelling that we can't slow down or we will sink. The cutter drivers can clearly see the hole in the boat so they speed up and give us an escort and clear the launch area. My buddy drove that boat all the way up the launch and grounded it (actually did a really good job). Coast guard talks to us and inspects the hole. My buddy says he hit "something" but wasn't sure. They let us go with a warning about safe piloting of boats. Got her on the trailer and went home. Two weeks later with a brand new shiny aluminum patch we were back on the water. This time leaving the sea lions alone. ;)
 
2nd story:

Was out with a different friend crabbing up by Port Townsend. We decide to go pull/check pots about 10am. We jump in the boat, wearing shorts and tank tops because the pots were only a couple hundred yards off shore. Pots had a few so we decide to soak them a bit longer. There was an island visible from the shore so we figure we would make a run around it. On the backside of the island (out of site from the shore line and our RV camp) the outdrive lets go in a BIG way. Bang! Dead engine. He has no radio, flares, flag, water, nothing. We start drifting out farther and farther. Hours start racking up. I start to really get worried. Even better its starts getting dark and we have lost our bearings so we don't know shore from sea. Finally I see a pinpoint of light. I luckily had my EDC light on me so I start SOS flashing it toward the light. After what seemed like forever I hear the faint hum of a boat motor. It gets closer and closer. Sure enough, the light I was seeing was from a guy that lived on the beach there and he just happen to have been looking through his telescope at the sea line and saw my light. He threw us a rope and towed us all the way back to the shore. Our camp group was panicked and had already called the coast guard, who just minutes after we got to shore buzzed us in a helicopter and we gave them the thumbs up. I never went out on THAT friend's boat again. :rolleyes:
 
Ok so back in the day I was really into water skiing and owned a Mastercraft direct drive ski boat. If you don't know they have the engine in the middle of the boat. Well needless to say my wife and I get to the lake and meet a buddy of mine. I am just all kinds of excited to go skiing because the water is just glass! So my buddy jumps in my truck and we launch the boat. I start idleing out past the no wake zone when I see water at my feet. Thinking WTF it hits me I was so excited to get going that I forgot to put the plug in which is in the bottom of the boat under the front of the engine. Can't do that myself so I throttled it all the way down, called my buddy to turn around and meet me at the launch. He gets there cuts four other people off getting the trailer back in the water, Ranger is standing on the dock and I just totally broke the no wake zone. The whole time I'm thinking thats going to be a nice fat ticket. I think I hit the trailer at about 10 mph by the time a backed off the throttle.

Got the boat back on the trailer drained the lake out, put the plug in and went skiing. The ranger just laughed and the people we cut off to get back to the launch were all understanding. :D
 
Yea, I have done the plug thing, and the stern straps as well! Worst was a blown engine on my newly rebuilt Mako 23 I had spent all winter rebuilding the boat and getting every thing set up and ready for the season, took it out for a test run, and Ka-Blewey, engine parts all over the inside of the engine cover, were talkin inside parts now on the outside blown! Never did figure out what failed, and the damage was so bad there was nothing to give any clue to the what and the why! Any way, a nice older couple and their kids towed me back to the ramp where I had to hand crank the boat on the trailer from way out! $12k later and a brand new shiny 5.4 Supercharged Ford now resides under the cover driving a brand new American Turbine Pump! You know what they say about boats, they are a great big hole in the water you pour gallons of money into! LOL:cool:
 
Was out fishing for salmon a number of years ago in Puget Sound. We were having fantastic luck at 60-70 feet OTW. Rod ends popping up every few minutes. Caught our limit in an hour and a half and decided to head back to the launch with our coolers full. Anyway, the guy I used to fish with all the time (and owner of the boat) decided he wanted to roust a sea lion that had crawled up onto a buoy. So he throttles down and swerves toward the buoy but he made an error in judgement. WHAM!! Port side transom takes a huge it and knocks a huge hole in the boat. He immediately slows down and we start to sink. So he throttles up the jet drive to get the nose in the air and we speed towards the launch. Unfortunately we hit the no wake zone in front of the Coast Guard port. We fly past it at full speed so not to sink. Out of port comes a cutter at full speed with lights and sirens and a machine gunner training a belt fed at us. We slow down a little and they pull up right next to us. I start yelling that we can't slow down or we will sink. The cutter drivers can clearly see the hole in the boat so they speed up and give us an escort and clear the launch area. My buddy drove that boat all the way up the launch and grounded it (actually did a really good job). Coast guard talks to us and inspects the hole. My buddy says he hit "something" but wasn't sure. They let us go with a warning about safe piloting of boats. Got her on the trailer and went home. Two weeks later with a brand new shiny aluminum patch we were back on the water. This time leaving the sea lions alone. ;)

Bloody HEII!!! That is one for Sports Afield.... Lucky guys!!!
 
2nd story:

Was out with a different friend crabbing up by Port Townsend. We decide to go pull/check pots about 10am. We jump in the boat, wearing shorts and tank tops because the pots were only a couple hundred yards off shore. Pots had a few so we decide to soak them a bit longer. There was an island visible from the shore so we figure we would make a run around it. On the backside of the island (out of site from the shore line and our RV camp) the outdrive lets go in a BIG way. Bang! Dead engine. He has no radio, flares, flag, water, nothing. We start drifting out farther and farther. Hours start racking up. I start to really get worried. Even better its starts getting dark and we have lost our bearings so we don't know shore from sea. Finally I see a pinpoint of light. I luckily had my EDC light on me so I start SOS flashing it toward the light. After what seemed like forever I hear the faint hum of a boat motor. It gets closer and closer. Sure enough, the light I was seeing was from a guy that lived on the beach there and he just happen to have been looking through his telescope at the sea line and saw my light. He threw us a rope and towed us all the way back to the shore. Our camp group was panicked and had already called the coast guard, who just minutes after we got to shore buzzed us in a helicopter and we gave them the thumbs up. I never went out on THAT friend's boat again. :rolleyes:

There ain't no good feeling when your dead in the water....
Ok so back in the day I was really into water skiing and owned a Mastercraft direct drive ski boat. If you don't know they have the engine in the middle of the boat. Well needless to say my wife and I get to the lake and meet a buddy of mine. I am just all kinds of excited to go skiing because the water is just glass! So my buddy jumps in my truck and we launch the boat. I start idleing out past the no wake zone when I see water at my feet. Thinking WTF it hits me I was so excited to get going that I forgot to put the plug in which is in the bottom of the boat under the front of the engine. Can't do that myself so I throttled it all the way down, called my buddy to turn around and meet me at the launch. He gets there cuts four other people off getting the trailer back in the water, Ranger is standing on the dock and I just totally broke the no wake zone. The whole time I'm thinking thats going to be a nice fat ticket. I think I hit the trailer at about 10 mph by the time a backed off the throttle.

Got the boat back on the trailer drained the lake out, put the plug in and went skiing. The ranger just laughed and the people we cut off to get back to the launch were all understanding. :D

It's funny the conditions under which you meet people. My buddy & I came back to the launch after a successful morning of shooting at ducks & geese. We motor up slowly as a boat is being backed down the steep ramp. He did it just like I launch solo, tie the front line to the trailer winch , back her off the trailer & wait for line to get taunt & slowly pull forward till the craft makes land then tie off to a tree or something. Just a stellar job he did. We waited for him to park his rig & mosey on down to a slowly sinking boat...... The transom had about a foot before it went under & the guy is just stone cold locked up in horror. We assist said boat owner with instructions for how to get the plug in & water out & loaned him my I gallon per bucket to start bailing after he got wet putting in the plug at the rear of the transom......... We are actually friends & my buddy is really good friends with him, we gave him the nickname "Shipwrech John".:p
 
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Yea, I have done the plug thing, and the stern straps as well! Worst was a blown engine on my newly rebuilt Mako 23 I had spent all winter rebuilding the boat and getting every thing set up and ready for the season, took it out for a test run, and Ka-Blewey, engine parts all over the inside of the engine cover, were talkin inside parts now on the outside blown! Never did figure out what failed, and the damage was so bad there was nothing to give any clue to the what and the why! Any way, a nice older couple and their kids towed me back to the ramp where I had to hand crank the boat on the trailer from way out! $12k later and a brand new shiny 5.4 Supercharged Ford now resides under the cover driving a brand new American Turbine Pump! You know what they say about boats, they are a great big hole in the water you pour gallons of money into! LOL:cool:

Yep, Break Out Another Thousand...
 
At least you didn't forget to put the plug in the boat. :p:confused::D

So many years ago we were water skiing and I asked my buddy if he put the plug in my boat. He said yeah, I put it in. :confused::confused: But he was pretty stoned at the time and I believed him. Of course leaving the dock the boat starting riding low, got it back on the trailer fast and put the plug in. The rule from then on out was every body had to ask everybody else if the plug was in.

So if you are alone and with the Lab for your partner, do you ask her if the plug is in ??
 
So many years ago we were water skiing and I asked my buddy if he put the plug in my boat. He said yeah, I put it in. :confused::confused: But he was pretty stoned at the time and I believed him. Of course leaving the dock the boat starting riding low, got it back on the trailer fast and put the plug in. The rule from then on out was every body had to ask everybody else if the plug was in.

So if you are alone and with the Lab for your partner, do you ask her if the plug is in ??

Yep I talk to my dog all the time:D
 

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