Corpusfishing.com

[gulftrout]

I knew this was going to be a long day, I just really had no idea how long it was actually going to be. A few years back I cooked a fish fry for the principals and administrators at GPISD. Well, this has started a tradition and once a year I cook enough fish for everyone who attends this particular meeting. I enjoy doing this and this also gives me an excuse to go fishing every chance I get, for however far in advance I choose, with the excuse of needing to catch just a couple more for the fish fry. Well, I rise very early and start the long process of thawing out enough fish for everyone and this year I'm going even further, I'm going to bake a couple pies to go with the fish. By 9 am. the pies are cooked, the fish is thawed and I can take a break before I start frying. A little after 10 I start the careful process of frying the fish. At 11:45 I'm finally finished with the hush puppies and rush up to the school just I time to make the 12 noon lunch time.

[gulftrout]

This is just the first of several things I need to do today. I am going to meet Captain Mike at Clem's and get the first group of fishing rods I have repaired back to him. Hopefully he will be pleased enough that I will get to do some more. While driving across the cross town expressway I get a call from my son. He says he would like to go out in my boat and go fishing in the cold and windy conditions we are having today. I ask him where he is thinking about trying it. He says maybe the channels around the flats in boat hole area. I ask where he intends to launch, just in case he gets stranded in my old boat and I have to go pull him back to the ramp. The reason I ask this is, the last couple trips the motor has been acting like it has an electrical problem. Occasionally when you go to start it it would not turn over, not even click, just not do anything. In fact the trip before last I had to turn the key 10 times before the starter would engage and finally start. I advise him that if he gets out there and has problems he is on his own. I tell him there in no way I'm getting out in this cold and dragging that old boat back to the ramp. Well, you and I know I we would go to the end of the earth to help any of our children, but I want him to know in this case, I'm not really sure!

[shallowsport]

Come on now, GT. I know ther is more to the story.

[gulftrout]

He say's he will think about it and let me know for sure a little later. My meeting with Captain Mike went well and now I am headed to Port Aransas. I have a meeting with someone about possibly hand tying kingfish leaders for their store. I used to hand-tie my own kingfish leaders and years ago I had an arrangement with one of the Marina's to tie the leaders they sold in their store. It has been over 10 years since I have tied any leaders, but I figure I will have enough free time to tie a 100 dozen or so before the summer rolls around. On the way I stop and take pictures of the North Packery Jetty and two piers in Port Aransas, the Station Street and Robert's Point Park Piers. No one was fishing at any of these spots. While at the Station Street Pier I get a call from a gentleman I met at a fishing lure shop in Rockport last month. He is from Florida and we started talking about "Old Fishing Lures". He mentioned he had just read a book and it had mentioned a "Rudy's Bubble" made by Doug English. I think the book is titled "Plugger" and it is the stories of an old salt that liked to fish with lures. He says he had never seen a "Rudy's Bubble" and was curious if I had any. I told him I had a couple in rough condition and I would sell him one if he liked. He said he would like that and we exchanged phone numbers. During his call he mentions he would like to drive to Portland and pick up the Rudy's Bubble I have for sale. We agree on a meeting time of 4:15. It is now a little after 3 and I still have a short meeting to go to and also drop by Lowes in Aransas Pass to pick up some items. I make quick order of the meeting and am now waiting for the ferry ride across the ship channel. While waiting I get a call from my son. He say's he has just picked up my boat and is headed for the Nueces Boat ramp. I think, "Great" but say good luck and give me a call if you start catching anything. I think to myself he is going to freeze his booty off and show back up at my house cold, wet and hungry!

[gulftrout]

My stop at Lowes is a quick one and I arrived at home a little after four just in time to grab the "Rudy's Bubble" and head to Whataburger, our agreed upon meeting place. Before I head up to the Whataburger I give my son a call to see how he is doing. He quickly answers and says he has just finished his first drift and has caught a fat 22" trout. I think "Whaaaaat?", but say, Sounds great, I'll check back after I meet with my new found lure collecting friend. I have already decided this is going to be one quick meeting and I am going fishing even if I just about freeze to death in the process. I quickly throw a heavy coat and an extra pull-over in the truck for what I am sure will be a very unpleasant boat ride to wherever my son is fishing.

[gulftrout]

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[gulftrout]

[gulftrout]

[gulftrout]

[gulftrout]

My last meeting of the day was short and sweet. As I am headed for the boat ramp I make another call. The updated report is, on his second drift he has caught a 25" red. I say, "DANG!!!" How fast can you get to the ramp. He replies, give me about 15 minutes and I will be there. I say great, just be careful crossing the rough part of the bay. I quickly park and start putting on my extra clothes. I quickly realize, I have not brought enough clothes for this biting wind, but I'm going out if it is the last thing I do. In a few minutes I see a spot on the water headed my way. In another couple minutes we are beating the crap out of my boat on the Nueces Bay boat ramp dock. I stumble getting in the boat but at least I'm finally in and I am now at the controls. My son mentions that he wants me to check the tilt and trim, he does not think it is working. I press the switch and sure enough it's dead as a door nail. I quickly ask him what he has hit, another reef, hopefully not the same one that caused the lower unit gears to be replaced just last month. He assures me he has hit nothing and it had worked while crossing the last reef he fished. He said he had raised the motor to drift across the reef and lower it back down when on the other side. He noticed it was not working on the run back to the boat ramp. I think were screwed, if we get in shallow water, shallow enough to drag the motor and we cannot raise it. I almost go back and load the boat on the trailer, but I have come this far and there is no turning back at this point!

[gulftrout]

I decide I'm headed to a spot with a few shallow reefs surrounded by some deeper water. I figure I will start the motor when we are drifting, before we get to the reefs because I do not think the motor will clear them if we try to drift across. As we near the starting point of our first drift I am hitting bottom, bumping shell and mud the last ten yards. It appears the tide is a bit lower that I thought or possibly the water is so choppy I am hitting the bottom as we fall in the trough of the wave. Either way, I am thinking this was a bad idea coming out here with the motor not working properly. We finally stop and make our first cast, bam a solid hit and I am hooked to a fat 20" speck. I quickly get it to the boat and ask where's the net, I'm told just lift it in like you always made me do when I was a kid. I laughed and flipped it in in one quick swoop. After a couple more minutes my son has hooked another nice fish. I tell him to hurry and get it in the boat because I need to start the motor, before we drift upon the shallow reef, that is right in front of us.. He finally lands another solid trout and I go to start the motor. When I turn the key, "NOTHING HAPPENS". I mean nothing. No clicks, nothing, we are dead in the water, completely dead by this time. My motor is acting like a pretty good anchor right about this time, securing us to the reef. I look at my son and start laughing, and ask "Whose Your "Daddy Now!" Oh yea, that's me. Most people would not think this was a laughing situation but neither one of us is really concerned. I "ALWAYS" carry extra drinks just in case I get stranded. Were not going to freeze to death even if we have to spend the night on the bay. It will be miserable, but we will survive.

[gulftrout]

I'm guessing the battery has shorted out and is completely dead. I had checked and charged the battery just a couple days ago and it read 95% as soon as I hooked up the charger and 100% after 30 minutes or so. In order to pull start this motor you have to remove the flywheel cover. This is a simple task if you have the correct wrench. Well guess what, I always keep this wrench in my tackle box (since I have two small boats with similar motors) and I don't have my tackle box. I have left it at home on this impromptu fishing trip. I do have a pair of decent pliers that just might do the job. No way I could break those bolts with my arthritic fingers,but my son is working in the oilfield business at this time and he can probably break them loose if he can only get a good grip with the small pliers. The two front bolts break free with a little effort, but the back two are not budging. After trying for a few minutes my son asks if there is something I can hammer on the bolt as he tries to turn it. I said sure, I have a claw hammer under the front storage area. He looks at me sort of funny and asks why I have a hammer on the boat. I reply, I'm not really sure." I start hitting the side of the head of the bolt while he attempts to turn it. Much to my surprise the 3rd bolt breaks free. Now finally one last bolt and my guess we are home free. I start tapping on the last bolt and much to my amazement it comes loose also.

[gulftrout]

With the fly wheel cover off I assume we are going to see if the motor will start and head straight for the dock, but "NO" my son wants to continue making this drift we are on. There is one more reef about 50 yards away right in our path. I say OK, but you're paddling if this thing won't start. I'm not even fishing, I am just relaxing, realizing I will probably have pneumonia by the time I get to the house. While drifting along I get a call from my good friend Captain Jim Harmon. He ask me how things are going and I start explaining the situation. He ask's if Jr is along. Upon finding out he is with me his reply is "You'll be just fine." He had figured I would probably be by myself unless my son was there. He thought he would be the only one crazy enough to be out on the water, with me on this miserable day. While talking with Jim I say let's see if this thing will start. Well, with one swift pull that 12 year old Mercury Bigfoot 25 HP 4 Stroke comes to life and both my son and I break out in laughter. I say my goodbyes to Jim and we head for the DOCK!

[gulftrout]

[gulftrout]