Amazing Fishing Trip..very very very Long

Work had taken it's toll on me today. Seems like everytime I turned around I
was putting out another fire( not real fire, corporate business fires). I
decide at 4:50 today that a trip to the lake was in order. I have not had
nearly the success this year that I did last year at this time due to the
cold weather and lack of fishing time

My 4 year old fishing partner decided he wanted in so he buckled up the
life vest grabbed his new rod and out we went. We launched at 5:10 P.M and
things seemed nice, a bity windy but nice. I decided to fish around the
launch area where the wind was a bit calmer. There's a little cut in the
bank off the point that has a few laydowns and pads and usually holds a fish
or two. I figured maybe we could hook into one and get the trip started.
Little did I know what lurked beneath.

I was fishing a wacky rigged wacko( senko type bait) in Black and Blue. My
little guy was fishing a black one texas rigged for obvious 4 year old
reasons. I immediately got stuck on one of the branchs on the laydown and
trolled over to get unstuck. As I motored back out away from the shore. I
cast my wacky rig at the shoreline at the base of a tree sitting in the
water. it couldn't have been more than a foot deep. As my bait hit the
water, a thunderous splash right next to it told me something was home, a
split second later my line shot off and was past me by the time I set the
hook. Once I did, I knew this was no ordinary Pocono bass. My line
straightened and my rod double downed slamming into the side of the jon
boat. I knew it was a good fish. I just hoped that the little octopus hook
was in good. It was. The fish went airbourne a good foot to a foot and a
half out of the water. My first sighting of the beautiful green goddess. I
knew she had to be mine. I played the fish under the boat as it made two or
three good runs before leaping for freedom again. It crashed to the water
but was still firmly hooked. A few seconds later she was at the boat
thrashing around, as was my 4 year old. I lipped her and brought her aboard.
She was big, fat and beautiful. Weighed in at 6lbs 15 ounces I snapped a few
pictures best I could before releasing her to the water to go back to that
egg laying thing she was working on.

Ok fast forward to my chain smoking **** eating grin. My son was just as
happy because he's at the age that any fish caught when out fishing is good.
There's some adults that can learn a thing or two from him, including myself

I head to another part of the lake that held some pads and hooked into my
second keeper, a solid two pound bass, that kinda looked small considering
the previous fish was burned into my mind.

Off to the other side, we trolled on up to a nice laydown but it didn't
produce, Sam spot where the little guy got the big bass honers last year
with a 6lb+ Lm last year. Also where fellow ROFB'er Dave V caught his first
6 lb+ last year. My third keeper came a few feet from the tree under some
pads. another nice fish and some people on the shoreline to see it. Doesn't
get much better than that. My son gladly held the fish for a photo op and we
released it back in.

This is where the fun starts. My son got his new rod a few days ago. a
spider spincaster on a berkely lightning rod. When I paired it up I thought
this could be a new jigging rod for me. But he liked it and needed a new rod
so there you have it. I was teaching him how to cast and push the button
back down to avoid getting hung up in the trees. the first 30 minutes or so
he kinds missed his target by a good 20-30 feet, a little aprehensive about
the whole hung up in the tree thing.

As 4 year olds do, he cast and just forgot about the tree thing for a
moment. His line went up about 40 feet in the air, over the tree branch and
lands at the shoreline in the water under some thick nasty brush, Splash!!!
Fish on and this fish is absoulutely going no where as it is tangled. I
can't get in close enough with the trolling motor, so I hook a branch with
my buzzbait, lift the trolling motor and listen to my 4 year old tell me how
it's done. Trying to get the rod off him was like trying to steal the last
cupcake from a fat kid, he reluctently agreed when I told him the fish might
not live if we didn't get it out. I managed to get a hold of the fish and
get it unstuck but still faced the dillema of the line being so high up. I
grabbed both ends and yanked down, the line and the fish were free, I push
off hand the kid the rod and he reels the wet sock of a fish in. Another
quick photo and we set it free.

By this time he was getting a bit tired and we decided to hit the other
end of the lake wher the grass grows big and the fish grow bigger. We get
down there, fish for a bit and then wham!!!, I smack something with my
trolling motor and a horrible nosie comes from below. I look but can't see
what I hit. I try and motor out but the motor is really going slow, slow
like on the verge of death slow. I figured I might have spun the prop, but
didn't. On high my 42 lb thrust motor was barely moving us along. We head
for the ramp at snail speed. i might have been able to row faster but didn't
have a paddle with me, as I cam around the last turn about 200yds from the
launch it completely gave out, with the wind blowing against me, we started
heading back out to the center of the lake.

Fast forward to scorpion time. I had my scorpion spooled up with 30 lb
braid and had a Sk Triple buzz Buzzbait tied on. I cast for the shoreline to
try and hook a tree to pull us out and creep down the shore. At least that
was the gameplan. As it turns out it's much harder to get snagged up on
brush and tree limbs when you want to. I managed to creep along, get blown
out, creep back in, get blown out until I was able to get to shore. All in
all it was an amazing trip. I will post some picture to A.B.P.F

New Trolling motor- 166.00
New triple Buzz Buzzbait 3.28
New set of Oars 37.00
Creating Lifetime memories with your 4 year old- priceless!!!