Saltwater Cowboy
Active Member
Well I managed to sneak out again last night for the Big Q fish and low and behold 5 minutes into the first pass bam and 10 minutes later a bright chrome, jumping lunatic spring was in the boat at a tidy 18lbs. We set the gear back down and trolled for an uneventful hour, while boat after boat showed up to a the tune of 50 boats at the BIG Q and another 20 at the Little Q I heard. Anyways right at 5:00pm another fish hits and he hits hard, taking line like there is no end in sight. Good news for us he's heading towards the closed fishing area and ther is only one boat between us and there. We are waving our arms and yelling att the guy to turn around as he trolling right for our fish who by this time had us almost to the backing. We now have all the rods and riggers up so I turn to chase after him and tell my buddy to keep the tension and we'll gain on him. Well wouldn't you know it the guy trolls right over our fish and it's wrapped around his rigger. He had so much time and space to get out of the way we were a little upset, but then he cranks up his rigger and bam nets the fish and we are so releived that he's in the boat, now it's only a formailty of getting our gear and fish back from the guy. Well he gave us back our gear and then started yelling at us for not controlling our fish and says that he caught it on his gear and he netted it so it's his fish! We are dumbfouned I've never seen this before the code of the fisherman and boating ettiquette were all out the window! so my buddy who's fish it was starts yelling at the guy to give us our fish and he says because it wrapped on his rigger and he netted it it's his. He was in a little 16 foot fiberglass boat all beat up and I'm in a new grady so I have to back off as he swings it hard and guns it away from us!! I'm in shock trying to figure out what the heck just happened if it's a dream and my buddy is irate and screaming at the guy! He's a big fatty who always is out there by himself with his shirt off, and all of a sudden my VHF is going nuts with guys all chiming in that they saw it all and it's our fish and what a ******* etc.... Then 5 different sets of boats fill us in on the same guy who has cut them off, pinched the cables on their riggers when he runs inot their gear etc... He is a wanted man and he's booking it for the boat launch. 5 minutes goes by and we are fishing again and listening to all the guys calling us on the VHF and Brian decides that we have to go get our fish and witnesses said they will follow us in. So we haul up our gear and gun it for the launch and there is the guys boat with his big pig wife holding it as she must have bee on shore waiting for him, he tells us we're not getting the fish and that he's going to go call the cops. So he heads up the ramp and my buddy won't go in his boat for fear of getting in trouble but we can see into his boat and see he has two fish ours and a teenager. He's by himself and there's 4 hours of fishing left and he already has one in the boat and he wants to keep ours!! NO WAY!! So we figure out that we can reach our fish with the gaff and we gaff him back onto our boat while his wife is swearing at us and telling us that we should be setting an example!! Ironic considering they are in there late 50's and we aren't quite 30. I told her repeatedly to call any boat out there on the VHF and see if anyone sides with her. when she wasn't even there. Every boat was prasing us upon our return with high fives radio salutes and the odd horn honking!! In the end the fish ended up being 29lbs and bright chrome with one gaff hole in the side! The cops never showed up and he was long gone when we came back at night to pull out. What a story and what a day! remember respect each other on the water and help each other out we are all brothers and sisters in the great sport of fishing! I will try to post a pic if I can figue it out!
SW COWBOY
I do the Fishing, God does the Catching!
SW COWBOY
I do the Fishing, God does the Catching!
