Ken,
Moved the post over here to end the "member " thread. It was getting looooong.
Not just yet on the nickname my friend but I will tell you a very embarassing FISHING story. Let me say that the ORIGINAL reason for the TOXIC handle will only be told in person. I have had many instances where the name had been earned again and again and those that know the nickname always answer with "now I know why they call you TOXIC"!!
Was fishing a Pennsylvania club tournament on Champlain with a real, and I mean real s-e-r-i-o-u-s- "for blood" partner. Never been in the boat with this guy and he tells me he doesn't talk when he fishes, don't get in my way, be johnny on the spot when I call for the net, etc., etc. This not being my boat, I was regulated to the "Non-payment" making section of the boat, mainly the rear deck. Our saying is "He who makes the payments gets the front deck". Anyway, this yahoo couldn't put us on fish and we were mid-lake fishing vertical holes in the thickest milfoil bed I have ever seen. Dink after Dink after Dink. He was sure that a hawg was hangin out somewhere in there. I couldn't fish my confidence bait (tubes) and he was drop shotting a french fry worm through the mat, so out of frustration I grabbed the old trusty pop-r and started working the top. 3---4----5 casts, nothing doing. I'm getting real frustrated and threw just as hard as I could straight out the back of the boat (normally, I would never do that but.....). I was midly surprized at the distance considering the weight. I wasn't used to working the lure in from that distance and was cranking in for another cast but the pop-r was a good 10 yards from the boat. Feeling like the cast was over, I was fast cranking the remaining way, I put my rod tip down to pick the pop-r out of the water, lifted up the lure with about 2 feet of string still out when all of a sudden from the port side of the boat, this pike of about 8 pounds, launches from the water with an explosion, hits the cowling of the motor, ricochets up hits me in the chest at which time I lose my footing and fall into the passenger side of the boat letting out a whoop that can only be inspired by one of these toothy, lure sealing bandits, flying straight for your face (keep in mind, the total time lapse from explosion to scream was 2 seconds and yes, I did scream like a little girl!!). Well, my fishing partner being the pro that he was had on stirrup storm pants and when I yelled (more like a death scream) and broke the total silence (required by him), he spun around, got a stirrup caught on the trolling motor pedal and went head first into the milfoil bed. I pulled him back into the boat and I just couldn't take it anymore and fell on the deck laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. It was the end of the day, we both had light bags and when we got back to the dock all he wouls say was "TOXIC got me". Happy ending though----I have fished with him many times since. Now he talks (and keeps one eye on me all the time).
TOXIC