Monday, August 08, 2011

Catching Gramps

Several years ago, our good friend John found a used 14-foot tin boat for us. He fixed it up (including some spiffy red paint) and now it's our get-around boat at the cabin.

Wayne just got us some red molded fold-down seats from Cabella's for $29.99. Not only do they look great, but they are SO comfortable.

They mold right to your body and make fishing even more fun.

Speaking of fishing, we went out in the Tin Boat a week or so back, and did some trolling. Wayne has his Scotty Portable Lake Downrigger that he uses off the right side of the boat.

I just let the line out and hand hold my pole out the left side. Wayne had his flasher, cannon ball, and gear down deep. I had my "lucky lure" dragging behind pretty close to the surface.

We went through some floating wood debris and Wayne had to stop to get untangled. I knew we were in deep water, so I just left my line out. Once we restarted, I thought I was hung up on the bottom. Then I realized it was a fish. A BIG fish.

It took some time to reel him in. When I got the fish close to the boat, my line tension was wrong. Wayne leaned over to help, but the reel fell apart and into the lake. So we had to pull the line by hand to get my fish next to the boat. Because we catch and release, we didn't want to take him out of the water, but we estimate he was about 28" long and nice and fat. Not only was it a great experience to catch "gramps," but we were able to pull in the remains of my line and reel from the lake and get it back together to fish another day.

How about your? Do you have any fishing stories? -- Margy

5 comments:

  1. I would of had him for supper!!

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  2. Catch and release is probably how that fish got to be a "Gramps"!
    Your boat reminds me of a boat my father and grandfather had when we were very young. It was also a 14-footer, but it was wood, the kind of boat they used to call "cllinker-built" and which are now considered "classic" and available in kit form.
    In the 1950s it was considered a great honor for one of us to be invited out to fish on Okanagan Lake with Dad.
    Good fishing story, Margy. Wonderful that you got the pieces of your reel back.
    — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  3. Yes Paul, he would have made a tasty meal for a whole family I think.

    Kay - Clinker-built boats are historic here on the coast as well. There is one on display at Horseshoe Bay.

    Margy

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  4. That's a fish story I can believe since you have the photo to prove it. :)

    I don't fish but my husband does - also catch and release. His favourite story is of when he was fishing on a river that empties into Georgian Bay. Fishers from all over were fishing with expensive gear and he was using his homemade flies. He was catching fish after fish but no one else was catching anything. His secret was the small amounts of cat hair he had brushed out of out long-haired cat.

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  5. Love the chairs, and that fish is huge but I'm with Paul...he would have been dinner!

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We welcome your comments and questions. - Wayne and Margy