PBer asks me for advice!

Just a funny story.  2009-09-02 at Richmond Beach, about 2PM.

Over the last hour I had been working my way from deeper water, stopping at the tide seams and trying my luck.  I had drifted a 1/2 mile south, had pulled my gear, had the hook in the rod's hook keeper ready for a quick cast, and was paddling in slowly.  A powerboat motored in from behind me, then slowed and slowly overtook me about 30 feet away.  He was careful and considerate in his boat handling, but still, I was a little annoyed.  The white boat was about 25 foot with a canvas cabin.  The 65-ish year-old guy waves at me then, in a light Norwegian accent shouts, "I hear you are quite the fisherman." 

To say I was surprised in an understatement.  I think I said something clever like, "Really?", or "where did you hear that?"  He had shut down his motor so I paddled over to his gunwale. 

He explained, "I overheard you telling Donny (a local at the launch site) that you limited out here last week."

"Yeah.  Wednesday I limited, Sunday I got one, and today I've got two in the bag."

He throws his hands up and almost shouts, "I've been out here for weeks and haven't hooked a thing!"  He grabs a weight, flasher, and hoochie rig, "I've been using a hoochie, ...", and he throws that down and picks up a similarly rigged spoon, "... and this!".  He drops that and picks up a white candlefish with a treble hook.  "I've even been using this."  He drops his gear and hunches over, "what are you using?"

"BuzzBombs, casting to the jumpers."

"BuzzBombs!  I've got BuzzBombs!  I've been using BuzzBombs!", and he grabs another rig with a 3-sized white BuzzBomb. 

I answered, "I've just been casting.  I gave up trolling from the kayak for now."

Hearing the secret he calmed down a bit and asked, "What color?"

"Just pink, and a 2-1/2 size.  I've tried every other color and size I own and I've only hooked fish on the pink 2-1/2."  Then I added, "Not that I personally care, but the regulations say you can only fish with single barbless hooks."

He picked up the candlefish with the treble hook.  "It came like that."

I shrugged, "It's an expensive ticket if you get caught.  You are supposed to change them out."

He held it up again, "I squeezed in the barbs."

"Sorry, gotta be a single, barbless hook."

Just then, as though on cue a pink jumped 10 feet off my bow.  We looked at each other, and I grabbed my rod, freed the hook and cast to it in about 5 seconds.  WHAMM!  FISH ON!!  And the rod bends sharply.  The guy is screaming, "I DON'T BELIEVE IT.  I DON'T BELIEVE IT!".  Ten seconds later, the fish is gone.  The guy is just looking at me shaking his head, "I don't believe it.  I've been out here for weeks."  Then he grabs his cell phone, apparently his wife answers, and he tells her to go out right now and pick up two pink 2-1/2 BuzzBombs from some tackle shop.  He hangs up and says, "I live down here and tie up to that buoy."  It's a big white sphere where there is usually a white boat tied up.  At the moment there is only a row boat on it.  So now I know who owns the boat I've been using as a reference point from the water.  He uses the row boat to get to his powerboat, and I have seen the dory stashed on the beach.  He continues, "Feel free to use the dory.  Thanks for the information."  He started the engine and motored slowly away to the north and after a couple hundred yards, goes to full power.  Nice guy.

Hooking that fish was as good as the time I let the tailgating Audi A3 pass me on Fremont Ave N. by Shoreline High School as I slowly approached an oft used speed trap with my radar detector screaming.  Guy got tagged.  Life is sweet.

Oh, man. My favorite part of the story is the last two lines!!

The cost of a 25 foot white canvas covered boat...$Big cha ching
The cost of a pink 2.5 inch buzzbomb...about $4.00
The cost of a tailgating Audi A3 getting pinched by the po po...Priceless!!!

Nice story, bet the old guy catches a fish soon too.
-Scott

Clasic. Yep, he's a local who farts around a lot. I had a similar conversation with him crabbing earlier this year. Told me he got skunked right when I pulled a pot up w/ 15 in it.

My fav was at Edmonds last week. Power boaters all around trolling for nada. I pulled in my limit and as I was paddling back in a PB'r asked how I did. I pulled my full stringer from my Katch Kooler and he eloquently replied.. OH SH*T!!! He asked how and I told him chasing and casting after schools. I followed it up by letting him know how kayaks rock "If you tried it I dunno though, your engine my spook the schools." We had a laugh and I told him I could give him a private class on how to catch them from a yak. We fished the next day and we both limited!

Was talking to Spot the other day and he had a real funny one. I'll let him tell it.

Z

Way to represent Demonick!  I've heard kayak fishing referred to as "Stunt Fishing" a lot.  It's only a stunt if you do it once for grins and return to your original path.  It's an effective form of fishing when you beat out local odds repeatedly.

I personally like having a few PB'ers around while I'm fishing.  Most of them are good people who are genuinely interested in how you're managing to fish without the aid of 200HP and half a ton of aluminum or glass.

Was talking to Spot the other day and he had a real funny one. I'll let him tell it.

Z

On my way back to kykfshr's lines-free and cost-free B10 launch last weekend I saw 3 guys in a beat up old glass boat pointing and laughing at me as they trolled in front of the sawdust pile.  I knew what they were saying to each other and thought I'd give them a closer look at the butt of their jokes.  As I came within yelling distance, the guy closest to me yells out between belly laughs "You ever catch any fish outta that thing?".  His friends immediately begin slapping their knees and doubling over.     Riding the outgoing current past them I reached back into my crate to produce my daily limit.     Suddenly, they were speechless and slack jawed.....  Gotta Love It!

-Spot-

 

Most of them are good people who are genuinely interested in how you're managing to fish without the aid of 200HP and half a ton of aluminum or glass.

Although I do talk smack you're right Spot. I've met some really cool PB'rs (like the one in the earlier post) while on the water. I had PB'rs rooting me on only to let out a big "AWWWW you almost had it" when I lost a fish or a big round of applause when I landed it.

Z

They (PB's) take great amature photographs too

As a recovering PBer, I do feel for them, all that gas and trailering the thing around...then some guy in a yak is hauling in the goods!!!!  But I do love the PBers (the ones that give a little more room then 10 feet when they race off)...  had a guy offer me a cold one at Picnic Point a couple of weeks ago after he complimented me on the setup and amount of exercise I was getting...turned him down as I had blown a mile north of Shipwreck and had to get back to PP. 

Zee, have you met Donny, the guy who lives in the lean-to on the beach off 27th?  You know his story?  The locals treat him well, bringing him food, and having him do odd jobs.  He is very anxious to help with the boat and seems harmless, though a little touched.

Zee, have you met Donny, the guy who lives in the lean-to on the beach off 27th?  You know his story?  The locals treat him well, bringing him food, and having him do odd jobs.  He is very anxious to help with the boat and seems harmless, though a little touched.

Can't say I've met him although I haven't fish RB in a while.

Z

Sometimes PBers ask me for advice.

""How can I most effectively shed this fiberglass tub that I have loaded with bikini-clad chicks and cold Coors Light?  I'm tired of cruising around sans shirt screaming "Party time - BOOBS OUT!"  I wanna be like you and lay my sweaty lonely ass atop a giant narrow surfboard instead.  I want to taste every drop of this Multnomah Channel.  I feel so out of touch with the water as I sit beneath my 14" speakers that blare Kenny Chesney tributes to Corona Beer.  Please, Mr. Paddleboarder, help me to be like you.  I crave the day when I can trade my 450 horsepower jet motor for twelve feet of foam and plastic.  I see you on the dock, all cold and shivering.  I compare you to my warm, drunk, windswept self, and it make my heart sink.  My life is incomplete.  I know I could have bought some Enzyte and been done with the matter, but no, I took the homeopathic route and bought an eighteen foot extension.  Help me reverse this cruel fate, Mr. Paddleboarder.""

Andy.......i can just imagine what your papers were like that you had to right in High Shcool or college.

as a female i probably would take the guy on the 10ft piece of plastic over the PB.. he would be in better shape and more active then the fat guy in the PB. 

Marilyn

Andy.......i can just imagine what your papers were like that you had to right in High Shcool or college.

as a female i probably would take the guy on the 10ft piece of plastic over the PB.. he would be in better shape and more active then the fat guy in the PB. 

Marilyn

haha, I always thought I saw the chicks on the PBs trying to eye my cannons without their menfolk catching them!

M -

I once had a writing professor leave the following comment on my sophomore project:

"I find myself in the rare position of having to tell a student that he writes extremely well, yet is plagued my mindless, rambling context that offers little to the literary world."

Awesome.

M -

I once had a writing professor leave the following comment on my sophomore project:

"I find myself in the rare position of having to tell a student that he writes extremely well, yet is plagued my mindless, rambling context that offers little to the literary world."

Awesome.

You could write for TV!