Whoops, a Canoe incedent

While fishing at a local Bass lake yesterday I saw the clouds approaching
and was hearring thunder in the back ground.
I made a last cast before heading in to shore when I got a strike on a green
worm. As I began to set the hook a lightning strike hit close by and that
put a bit of a scare in me as would be expected.

Well as I was setting the hook and this happining, yes it the rarely thought
about happened. Being alone in a 16 foot canoe with 1 pole, tackle box, and
small cooler the ballance thing was over come and over and out I went!

Thank goodness the pond was only 4 feet deep fishing in the lilly pads and
no I did not have my vest on as it was about 100 degrees (heat index)
outside.

Silly me but lesson learned. Just as I regained my senses and stood up the
canoe filled up with water (old town so it did not sink) funny first
thoughts came to mind. Durn there goes my cell phone, and nuts the wallet is
soaked.

Well being alone and not wanting to loose anything (more) I could not empty
the canoe and get back in very well but still made it to shore. Thank
goodness it is a small pond!

Just as I was struggling to get back to shore the clouds opened up and
dumped, so here I am soaked from head to toe and now it rains to boot!

Well getting to shore I was able to retrieve most everything (that floated)
and got to the car and loaded it up. (oh did I forget to say my car alarm on
the key chain was soaked so it did not work?) But now what? Well I stripped
down to my skivies and headed home

Thinking nobody would be out in such a down pour I just put my straw hat on
and made a break to the appartment on the second floor. Figures that 2 guys
were standing just to the side as I ran buy!

Ah well shouting something about a boat capsizing I scooted past them
hearing a giggle or two, and got inside to a hot shower and clean up.

I only retell this story so that somebody might take note and think of
safety measures. If I had been in deeper water I am not sure how it might
have turned out. Oh I forgot to mention I was wearing steel toe shoes, I
know now that is not a good thing!

Happy and safe boat fishing!

"Bruce" wrote in message
news:k3RMe.9456$1b5.5361@trnddc05...
While fishing at a local Bass lake yesterday I saw the clouds approaching
and was hearring thunder in the back ground.
I made a last cast before heading in to shore when I got a strike on a
green
worm. As I began to set the hook a lightning strike hit close by and that
put a bit of a scare in me as would be expected.

Well as I was setting the hook and this happining, yes it the rarely
thought
about happened. Being alone in a 16 foot canoe with 1 pole, tackle box,
and
small cooler the ballance thing was over come and over and out I went!

Thank goodness the pond was only 4 feet deep fishing in the lilly pads and
no I did not have my vest on as it was about 100 degrees (heat index)
outside.

Silly me but lesson learned. Just as I regained my senses and stood up
the
canoe filled up with water (old town so it did not sink) funny first
thoughts came to mind. Durn there goes my cell phone, and nuts the wallet
is
soaked.

Well being alone and not wanting to loose anything (more) I could not
empty
the canoe and get back in very well but still made it to shore. Thank
goodness it is a small pond!

Just as I was struggling to get back to shore the clouds opened up and
dumped, so here I am soaked from head to toe and now it rains to boot!

Well getting to shore I was able to retrieve most everything (that
floated)
and got to the car and loaded it up. (oh did I forget to say my car alarm
on
the key chain was soaked so it did not work?) But now what? Well I
stripped
down to my skivies and headed home

Thinking nobody would be out in such a down pour I just put my straw hat
on
and made a break to the appartment on the second floor. Figures that 2
guys
were standing just to the side as I ran buy!

Ah well shouting something about a boat capsizing I scooted past them
hearing a giggle or two, and got inside to a hot shower and clean up.

I only retell this story so that somebody might take note and think of
safety measures. If I had been in deeper water I am not sure how it might
have turned out. Oh I forgot to mention I was wearing steel toe shoes, I
know now that is not a good thing!

Happy and safe boat fishing!

Oh, man. I'm happy for you. I dumped out of a canoe in Mittry Lake in the
winter time, and the water depth was definitely not wadeable. Fortunately I
had a bow rope tied on, and the canoe didn't fully swamp so I was able to
swim to shore with the rope in my teeth.

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

Glad you didn't end up (1) fried and/or (2) drowned. That would have put a
damper on things.

An excellent tale to start the day. It probably won't make the "This
Happened To Me" series, but I liked it anyway. And since you're an angler,
no one here would ever question the truth of your account. The Fisherman's
Code, you know....prevents us from ever doubting each others' stories. I do
wonder, though... what happened to the fish that started this whole chain of
events? Did the tacklebox float? What prevented you from emptying the canoe
in 4 feet of water?

If you ever do want to punch up the retelling of this story... say, to
awe-struck grandchildren some day... here are a few suggestions, from an old
hand at making a silk purse from a sow's ear:

1. A premonition of impending doom would be a nice touch. For instance, a
raven might have perched on the other end of your canoe, impaled you with
its baleful glare, and croaked "nevermore." That would do nicely to set the
tone for disaster.

2. The fish stayed on the line. Obviously, it should be at least 3 pounds.
(Note: Bubba and I passed a fellow in another jon boat back way back in a
cypress-shaded, buckbrush-choked slough some years back. We were throwing
chartreuse and white buzzbaits... he a floating, jointed Rapala plug... with
a noodle spinning rod and light line, no less! I grunted my greeting. He
asked if we'd caught anything. Having just put in, we hadn't had a bite yet,
so I gave him the standard reply: "Yep... two bass that might go four, maybe
five pounds apiece. You?" He revealed his novice standing by saying he'd had
a few on but had lost three bass that might have gone a pound or so each. I
shook my head in sympathy and paddled on. Maybe I should have clued him in
to the third rule of Fisherman's Code... well, the Code is more what you'd
call "guidelines" than actual rules... that says not only am I compelled to
believe him, but no bass that breaks off ever weighs less than three pounds.
The greenhorn had a lot to learn.)

3. If the fish pulled you out into the lake a ways, that would be
interesting.

4. Juice it up with details. Need a few more lightning strikes here and
there. Throw in a tingling sensation, your line rising in the air on the
cast, a greenish tinge to the roiling clouds overhead, and some sound
effects... crackling of the lightning... ear-shattering boom, the whole
world erased in a flash of white, the hissing of steaming water. Make it a
little more scary, if you can. I guess it would be too much to hope that
there might be alligators nearby?

5. Don't forget to lose a pole or something that you can catch a year later
in another story. Remember, one story will keep grandchildren enthralled
only so long. The fifth time you tell it, they may be looking for an escape
route. Better to have a few backup tales in your back pocket. Losing, and
then recovering lost tackle in unlikely circumstances, is an admirable
account.

6. Skivvies, huh? Not whitey-tighties, I hope. If you can bring yourself to
do it, I'd lose the shorts and make the run for the house buck nekkid. This
conjures up a more entertaining image. Keep the straw hat though. That was a
stroke of genius... that and the steel-toed boots.... made me realize you
have the potential for rising in the ranks to the top tiers of fishing story
tellers.

7. Details. Always add irrelevant details to add plausibility. Next time,
try this. "I stopped by the lake on that way home from the (mill, shop,
garage) and was still wearing my dungarees and long-sleeve work shirt." Let
me suggest a few mo time of day, type of rod and reel, what lure you were
throwing; who gave you the canoe and what color was it; length of drive
home; avoiding eye-contact with other motorists (better yet... a cop that
pulls up next to you at an intersection).

8. Soaking and short-circuiting your electronic gizmo on your key ring was
good. Losing it might have been better. Breaking glass is always a crowd
pleaser. Just a point to ponder.

I've been here a few years, and I can attest that some of the best liars on
the planet hang out in this forum. I claim to be an old hand at telling fish
stories, but compared to them, I'm still a rookie myself, so I'll open it up
to the other readers. Help him out, guys... how can Bruce take this story
and build it into a legend that is worthy of being handed down through
generations to come?

Joe

"Bruce" wrote in message
news:k3RMe.9456$1b5.5361@trnddc05...
While fishing at a local Bass lake yesterday I saw the clouds approaching
snip

"Joe Haubenreich" (removethis)swljoe-at-secretweaponlures.com wrote in
message ...
Glad you didn't end up (1) fried and/or (2) drowned. That would have put a
damper on things.

An excellent tale to start the day. It probably won't make the "This
Happened To Me" series, but I liked it anyway. And since you're an angler,
no one here would ever question the truth of your account. The Fisherman's
Code, you know....prevents us from ever doubting each others' stories. I
do
wonder, though... what happened to the fish that started this whole chain
of
events? Did the tacklebox float? What prevented you from emptying the
canoe
in 4 feet of water?

If you ever do want to punch up the retelling of this story... say, to
awe-struck grandchildren some day... here are a few suggestions, from an
old
hand at making a silk purse from a sow's ear:

Good Joe, very very good.

Although tempered by experience and age and knowledge, Joe's thought
provoking comments are snipped for brevity so the following additional
helpful suggestions could be added by Bruce to that wonderful Canoe
Incident:

For those of you who do not know, Bulwer-Lytton wrote The Last Days of
Pompeii, which opens with the famous line "It was a dark and stormy night."
Hence the contest.



These are the 10 winners of last year's Bulwer-Lytton contest (run by the
English Dept of San Jose State University), wherein one writes only the
first line of a bad novel.



Ed. Note: Bruce could select one or all of the following to help the story
as Joe suggested.



10) "As a scientist, Throckmorton knew that if he were ever to break wind in
the echo chamber he would never hear the end of it."



9) "Just beyond the Narrows the river widens."



8) "With a curvaceous figure that Venus would have envied, a tanned,
unblemished oval face framed with lustrous thick brown hair, deep azure-blue
eyes fringed with long black lashes, perfect teeth that vied for
competition, and a small straight nose, Marilee had a beauty that defied
description."



7) "Andre, a simple peasant, had only one thing on his mind as he crept
along the East wall: 'Andre creep... Andre creep... Andre creep.'"



6) "Stanislaus Smedley, a man always on the cutting edge of narcissism, was
about to give his body and soul to a back alley sex-change surgeon to become
the woman he loved."



5) "Although Sarah had an abnormal fear of mice, it did not keep her from
eeking out a living at a local pet store."



4) "Stanley looked quite bored and somewhat detached, but then penguins
often do."



3) "Like an over-ripe beefsteak tomato rimmed with cottage cheese, the
corpulent remains of Santa Claus lay dead on the hotel floor."



2) "Mike Hardware was the kind of private eye who didn't know the meaning of
the word 'fear'; a man who could laugh in the face of danger and spit in the
eye of death -- in short, a moron with suicidal tendencies."



AND THE WINNER IS...



1) "The sun oozed over the horizon, shoved aside darkness, crept along the
greensward, and, with sickly fingers, pushed through the castle window,
revealing the pillaged princess, hand at throat, crown asunder, gaping in
frenzied horror at the sated, sodden amphibian lying beside her,
disbelieving the magnitude of the frog's deception, screaming madly, 'You
lied!'"


You go, Bruce!!!

Good luck!
John

Wow wonderful feed back, I love it, and my thanks for the input and yes I
will make the suggested changes for the retelling!.

Just so you know, this was the actual happinings without me adding any Fish
stories to it but now I will change it for keep sake! A beer or two enabled
me to retell it just the way it happened but my real thanks to the
suggestions to pass on....

One added point, a 6 1/2 half meidum heavy Shakespear Rod with 25lb
Power-Pro braid line, with a Gary Yamamoto custom Watermellon 5inch worm
rigged weedless of course.

Now the added line,

Out of the corner of my eye as I was falling over, I saw my stump pulling
rig pull the 4 pounder out of the lilly pads and launch it over the canoe
like an airplane flying overhead as I was falling head over heals out of the
canoe. Where it went and what happened to it I will never know. All I have
left is a spinning rod setup with a broken line.....

My thanks again for the response. I had fun making light of what really
happened....

Bruce,
The canoe fishing, Banjo player, golfing wannabe



"Bruce" wrote in message
news:k3RMe.9456$1b5.5361@trnddc05...
While fishing at a local Bass lake yesterday I saw the clouds approaching
and was hearring thunder in the back ground.
I made a last cast before heading in to shore when I got a strike on a
green
worm. As I began to set the hook a lightning strike hit close by and that
put a bit of a scare in me as would be expected.

Well as I was setting the hook and this happining, yes it the rarely
thought
about happened. Being alone in a 16 foot canoe with 1 pole, tackle box,
and
small cooler the ballance thing was over come and over and out I went!

Thank goodness the pond was only 4 feet deep fishing in the lilly pads and
no I did not have my vest on as it was about 100 degrees (heat index)
outside.

Silly me but lesson learned. Just as I regained my senses and stood up
the
canoe filled up with water (old town so it did not sink) funny first
thoughts came to mind. Durn there goes my cell phone, and nuts the wallet
is
soaked.

Well being alone and not wanting to loose anything (more) I could not
empty
the canoe and get back in very well but still made it to shore. Thank
goodness it is a small pond!

Just as I was struggling to get back to shore the clouds opened up and
dumped, so here I am soaked from head to toe and now it rains to boot!

Well getting to shore I was able to retrieve most everything (that
floated)
and got to the car and loaded it up. (oh did I forget to say my car alarm
on
the key chain was soaked so it did not work?) But now what? Well I
stripped
down to my skivies and headed home

Thinking nobody would be out in such a down pour I just put my straw hat
on
and made a break to the appartment on the second floor. Figures that 2
guys
were standing just to the side as I ran buy!

Ah well shouting something about a boat capsizing I scooted past them
hearing a giggle or two, and got inside to a hot shower and clean up.

I only retell this story so that somebody might take note and think of
safety measures. If I had been in deeper water I am not sure how it might
have turned out. Oh I forgot to mention I was wearing steel toe shoes, I
know now that is not a good thing!

Happy and safe boat fishing!

Good one. You've got the gift, son. Use it wisely.

Joe

"Bruce" wrote in message
news:J1bNe.22097$Rp5.2933@trnddc03...
snip

Out of the corner of my eye as I was falling over, I saw my stump pulling
rig pull the 4 pounder out of the lilly pads and launch it over the canoe
like an airplane flying overhead as I was falling head over heals out of the
canoe. Where it went and what happened to it I will never know. All I have
left is a spinning rod setup with a broken line.....
snip

I think it's time to take Joe fishing again... LOL

Very funny reading Joe. I almost ruined my wireless keyboard, shorts, and
chair. Just wondered how I'd explain myself to Teresa how I ****ed in my
pants.


"Joe Haubenreich" (removethis)swljoe-at-secretweaponlures.com wrote in
message ...
Glad you didn't end up (1) fried and/or (2) drowned. That would have put a
damper on things.

Just pass it off as a flare-up of that uncontrollable drooling problem that
strikes every time you browse the Triton Website. She should buy that.

The story, that is .... not the Triton.

Joe
_________________________
"Charles B. Summers, QOF." wrote in message
...
I think it's time to take Joe fishing again... LOL

Very funny reading Joe. I almost ruined my wireless keyboard, shorts, and
chair. Just wondered how I'd explain myself to Teresa how I ****ed in my
pants.


"Joe Haubenreich" (removethis)swljoe-at-secretweaponlures.com wrote in
message ...
Glad you didn't end up (1) fried and/or (2) drowned. That would have put a
damper on things.