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I got a bonus at work and decided to get myself one of those little “Bass Buster” boats they sold at Academy. I got it, trolling motor and everything one would need to take it fishing that day. My son was 8 or 9 at the time and as vertically challenged as I am so he wasn’t able to go wade fishing with me. I could have gone with the “Dave’s Belly Boat” option but really don’t think my wife would have like that idea. Anyway my son and I used it with a lot of success down around Mosquito Island a few times and I would relay the reports to the guys at work. At the time I was working 3rd shift with Dave and had planned on taking my son fishing Friday morning once I got off of work. So we would get down to the water in a descent time I had loaded the boat and all our gear in my truck Thursday evening before going to work. Dave saw the boat in my truck when he got to work and when he entered the shop said “So are we going fishing in the morning Little Buddy?” I quickly told him that he was not invited as I was taking my son. He didn’t say any more about it the whole shift, which made me happy.
As luck would have it, my wife called to say my son was sick but that I could still go fishing. I know what happened next is totally my fault as I should have just kept my mouth shut. In other words I had the right to remain silent but I just didn’t have the ability and told Dave my son was sick. “Don’t worry Little Buddy, my fishing gear is in the truck, I’ll go with you.” This was a bad idea, I knew it was a bad idea but could not just tell him no. So about 8:30 we were putting the boat in the water down next to Mosquito Island. Little did I know that this would be one of the shortest and most costly fishing trips I would ever take in my life.
I got in the back seat and Dave climbed in the front seat, but had to get out and push the boat out into a little deeper water before getting in again. The first time his weight had caused the front of the boat to dig into the sand, so we couldn’t move. Once we were under way, the front of the boat was plowing along and I was sitting about 2 or 3 inches higher than normal in the back. Sure it would have been better to put Dave in the back, but there wasn’t any way I was going to let him run the bow, even this little boat. We headed on down the west/deep side of the island and didn’t stop till we got out to the reef at the north end of the island. My son and I had been tearing up the trout and flounder by sitting in the deep water and casting up into the rock/shells and pulling our touts out to the deep water. When I got us in position I killed the motor and picked up my rod. Dave got his rod and we both started casting.
I’m not sure if it was the 3rd or 4th cast Dave made but I do know the reared back with a powerful hookset and there was now fish. This cased the little boat to rock back violently and almost completely flip over, but somehow it didn’t. Also it was amazing that both Dave and I had stayed in the boat, but it wasn’t over yet. The boat then rocked back in the other direction and Dave lost his balance, well what balance he possessed and over the boat he started to fall. Somehow and to this day I don’t know how, he was able to grab onto the carry rail on his way out. This was not good as this extra weight caused the whole boat to go over. It was lucky for us both it was a boat rule to wear lifejackets as we were now both in the water with an up-side-down boat. All of our gear, the battery and both of the seats were on their way to Davey Jone’s Locker. We saved the boat by swimming it over to shallow water and then walking it in to the dyke. The trolling motor was still on the boat but the whole control head had filled with saltwater, so it also never worked again. Needless to say, Dave never went fishing with me in a boat again.
As luck would have it, my wife called to say my son was sick but that I could still go fishing. I know what happened next is totally my fault as I should have just kept my mouth shut. In other words I had the right to remain silent but I just didn’t have the ability and told Dave my son was sick. “Don’t worry Little Buddy, my fishing gear is in the truck, I’ll go with you.” This was a bad idea, I knew it was a bad idea but could not just tell him no. So about 8:30 we were putting the boat in the water down next to Mosquito Island. Little did I know that this would be one of the shortest and most costly fishing trips I would ever take in my life.
I got in the back seat and Dave climbed in the front seat, but had to get out and push the boat out into a little deeper water before getting in again. The first time his weight had caused the front of the boat to dig into the sand, so we couldn’t move. Once we were under way, the front of the boat was plowing along and I was sitting about 2 or 3 inches higher than normal in the back. Sure it would have been better to put Dave in the back, but there wasn’t any way I was going to let him run the bow, even this little boat. We headed on down the west/deep side of the island and didn’t stop till we got out to the reef at the north end of the island. My son and I had been tearing up the trout and flounder by sitting in the deep water and casting up into the rock/shells and pulling our touts out to the deep water. When I got us in position I killed the motor and picked up my rod. Dave got his rod and we both started casting.
I’m not sure if it was the 3rd or 4th cast Dave made but I do know the reared back with a powerful hookset and there was now fish. This cased the little boat to rock back violently and almost completely flip over, but somehow it didn’t. Also it was amazing that both Dave and I had stayed in the boat, but it wasn’t over yet. The boat then rocked back in the other direction and Dave lost his balance, well what balance he possessed and over the boat he started to fall. Somehow and to this day I don’t know how, he was able to grab onto the carry rail on his way out. This was not good as this extra weight caused the whole boat to go over. It was lucky for us both it was a boat rule to wear lifejackets as we were now both in the water with an up-side-down boat. All of our gear, the battery and both of the seats were on their way to Davey Jone’s Locker. We saved the boat by swimming it over to shallow water and then walking it in to the dyke. The trolling motor was still on the boat but the whole control head had filled with saltwater, so it also never worked again. Needless to say, Dave never went fishing with me in a boat again.
Haha! Sounds like true stoies..... I have fished around guys like that and something always goes wrong!!!! LOL.....
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