This week saw my most embarrassing fishy tale.
Launching the boat at an unfamiliar Noosa River ramp at 5am I discovered the ramp was too shallow to push the boat by myself. I decided to try a method I had seen guys with larger boats use. That is; drive forward; brake; physics takes care of the rest.
It worked, the boat was really launched. Out into the middle of the river. A quick strip and I'm in the drink. Swimming the 30 metres or so to the boat, summoning the energy to clamber aboard. No key, back in the drink. Swimming first back to shore and then out to the boat this time with the key. Now swimming is something of a novelty - something I did when i was at school 20 years ago. Swimming 100 metres took its toll and I could not lift myself back into the boat (read, "fat bastard").
The grey ramblers were out treading the paths and had formed a little gallery to witness my tom-foolery. By this stage I was beginning to panic and decided to call for help. Well out pops a good citizen to my rescue. To my surprise he manages to walk most of the way out and it is an easy job for the two of us to pull the boat to shore.
Now hindsight's a cruel reality. I had three chances to save myself; tie a rope to the trailer (none of this would have happened); when I swam out the first time I failed to remember I had an electric motor on board; I was treading water only 10 metres from a shallow bank.
Not one of my prouder moments.
This all turned around later in the day when I returned with a deckie (my wife). Searching the river we found some bait flicking around some snags. In goes the Gulp Prawn and after a couple of bounces it is well and truly whacked. The drag was wound tight on the Shimano Twin Power and my new G Loomis provided the necessary shock absorbtion to subdue a good jack at 47cm.
Needless to say I nicknamed my rescuer from earlier in the day - Jack.
Reply With Quote
Use the force OB1 
. Good Jack though.
