The good, the bad and the ugly!

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Jim in VA

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Okay - first the bad . . .



Last night, I hook up the boat trailer and test the lights for an early morning run the next day. Dang it - rear passenger side won't light up. Open it up and water in the capsule with a purple bulb (supposed to be clear!). Run up to Advance Auto Parts. Dang it again! Forgot my wallet. Head back home. Not a problem, found a spare bulb - whew! Swap it out. Still not lighting! Probably corrosion in the socket. Fiddle with it, clean it, spray WD-40. Nothing. Clean, spray, scrap. Still nothing. Back to Advance Auto for a replacement light module. Hook it all up and notice the ground wire on the trailer broke! Thank goodness for a stock of O-ring connectors. Hook it up, still nothing. Break out the multimeter and find no power from the vehicle side socket. Clean, scrape, test. Clean, scrape, test. FINALLY it works! Whew. Time for bed for an 0400 start.



Wake up, head out and make it on time with about 4 hours sleep (YAWN!). Fish aren't really biting well - even for early morning. Then, while fishing the grass beds of the Potomac I haul on the trolling motor handle to shake off the grass and SNAP! Trolling rope breaks and BAM! down I go onto the deck. Ouch! Thank goodness I keep plenty of spare rope in the boat. Rig up a new trolling motor rope (not without some difficulty in getting that sucker through the hole and fed down to the release!) and continue fishing. Fish still aren't biting very well. Run up to Quantico (bumpy ride on the river with small white caps just starting to form due to wind - and more of those stupid crab pots to dodge!). Notice the trolling motor is loose in the mount. Sigh, okay, get the screw driver (one of those pocket ones with bits) and its too short!! Use the bit and a pair of needle nose pliers to get it "tight enough."



Back to Aquia. Had enough of the wind and reluctant fish (two dinks all morning). Up into the creek and BAM, my fishing partner that day lands a nice fish - estimated just under 3 pounds. Things start to look up! We place him in the livewell and kick it on. Fills slowly (hmmmm). Livewell fills up and stops. Wait! I don't have it on AUTO - its supposed to be ON! Darn. Livewell burned out (was expecting this after having fiddle with it last go round). Sigh, seven plus hours and maybe four fish (for me).



Now the good . . .



Up on time and out the door to meet at Carlos. Fly by a car with Michigan plates on Route 1. Gene (of the MVM gang) and his daughter's boyfriend (Mike) are in town and meeting us to fish. Guess their going for coffee. Make to Carlos and great to see him again!! Been too long (wow - three years!). LOVE his newly expanded garage and the way its organized. Now THAT's a garage!! Gene and Mike show. Shoot the breeze a bit and head out.



We run out of Aquia and the motor runs flawlessly. River is glass smooth at 6am so we can open it up and have a smooth run up about 5 miles to the grass beds. Bite is sluggish, so Carlos suggests a dark senko or worm. Put on a junebug ribbontail worm and sure enough - first fish! Mike follows up with a similar size fish:



IMG_2577.JPG




Yup, that's Gene and Carlos in the background! We next head up to Quantico and as we fish around a HUGE military transport takes off right over our heads - too COOL! Back to Aquia for some quieter fishing and back up creek, Mike lands a NICE fish!



IMG_2578.JPG




We get some pics (obviously!) and after another few more casts, we call it a day. Carlos and Gene are nowhere to be found, but what the heck, let 'em fish. Mike and I head back to Carlos' house where we chat with Sue until Gene and Carlos show up about 30 minutes later. Thanks to the generosity of Sue and Carlos, we got treated to a GREAT dinner of some of the biggest burgers I've ever eaten, deviled eggs, beans, potato salad, onion pie and a couple of cold ones - not to mention starting with chips, five layer dip, crab dip and crackers - burp! What a great way to end the day - good food, great friends (old and new)!



Finally, the ugly . . .



Four hours of sleep before seven hours of fishing and several hours of hanging with friends is too little. Made it home fine, but backing the boat into the driveway and back to the yard took four tries (usually two tops!). It was ugly!!



Thanks again to Carlos and Sue for the great hospitality. GREAT meeting Gene of the MVM and Mike. Hopefully, it won't be three more years until we can hook up again!



 
<Big Sigh> Yea, a sigh for not being able to fish but right now a BIGGER <SIGH> for not being able to eat any of that food! Stomach is still going "rumble, rumble":)



Uncle Billy
 
It was a fun day, a wee bit frustrating for sure, but a good day! Was good to see you again Jim and Gene, and to meet Mike, it was jsut too bad the fish did not cooperate a bit more is all...they were there, but not in an eating mood! Wind that kicked up at the tide changeover time did not help the bite at all either..... it was a boat handling kind of day!



We caught a few, but nothing to write home about......pics to follow after I retrograde the boat this morning/afternoon.



Chow was great! Sue really did like the Chicken sausages you brought. It looks like we are gonna get some to try out too!



Hope we can get together soon with the Hot Side gang!



Carlos
 
Uncle Billy - it would be hard to recreate as nice a spread as Carlos' and Sue's, but when we get together ("when" not "if"), I'll give it my best shot! Perhaps Bill's NSM event? It is getting on that time of year!!
 
Looks like a great time and a great menu!!! Great way to display fellowship amongst fishermen. Nice pics, too!
 
Snif,snif, I miss Ol' Virginny already. Sitting here in Florida with no boat is killing me. Wish I could have been there. I can't believe Sue made you her onion pie. That was supposed to be our secret. If thongs work out here come the dead of winter y'all might just have a place to come and fish in tshirts and shorts.



TOXIC
 
ive been to upper florida, and most of the winter aint tee shirts and shorts, at least for me.

you may have to make it up for a hot side trip. or well come down for a redfish trip

mike c
 
Wow! What a GREAT time!!! :wub: Thank you both so much for your generousity and friendship. Mike had a great time and enjoyed his first (as far as I know) real bass fishing trip. I enjoyed hanging out with Carlos again, but I was hoping to switch off 1/2 way through to get to know Jim. I did a little afterwards at Carlos's house. Jim's another COOL NTOWS brother! Speaking of Carlos's house. Can you say MAN CAVE!!!! SWEET garage Dude. :wub: I thought I was at the bait shop! :)

It was nice to meet Sue as well! What a great lady! Like Jim said, the burgers were huge!!:wub: I got another slice of onion pie, and all the other stuff. I didn't need another thing all night. When Mike and I got back to my brother in laws they were cooking ribs and crab legs. :lol::lol: I rolled into bed that night!! No way I can turn down Crab legs and ribs! In all, we had a great time in D.C. seeing the sights. The highlight for me was fishing with you guys. I'm looking forward to doing it again. Anytime either of you are in my area, I'd love to return the favor.

And a special thanks to Carlos for lettin' me hold the fish he caught! ;) The one with my jacket on was the only one of those pictured that was actually mine. He back boated me and felt bad so he let me hold his fish. ;) HAHAHA Just kidding of course, he was doing everything he could to get me on fish. I think we may have even been on some of Mini's chit. ;):lol: I had either 3 or 4 in the boat and flat missed a bunch. :angry: Luckily it wasn't about how many I caught, it was about hanging with a friend and doing something we both love.

Tox, I wish you could have been there too. You're another COOL NTOWS brother. :)

Thanks again guy's!



Gene
 
It was a great time man!!! Sounds like you really did roll into bed that night and I bet you slept really good too!!!!



Was good to see Jim again, and maybe Hammer will be in town next time and he can play.



Hope your trip home went well.



Carlos
 
I forgot, the next day we went to an all you can eat seafood buffet down by the water. It was pretty good. Clams, shrimp,scallops, mussels and I even had crayfish. I've seen them suck the goodness out of the head on t.v. now I've done it too! after we ate we went next door to an open fish market. I wanted to eat again! :lol: A vendor asked if I wanted to try a blue crab, but I didn't dare. I was stuffed. I tried to get back there before we left but we didn't get to. I hope I remember it next time we go.



Gene
 
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