b on his back and put my hand behind it so he doesn't "sting" me. Must be about four pounds. Tad's beaming with pride. It made his day!! We'll take this one back for supper and so everyone can see what Tad caught. Even got a nice photo of it. I stand to remove the hook from his mouth, my hands still slimy from the eel. Guess what happened next! He flaps his tail, wiggles off the hook and heads overboard. The end of the world. At least for Tad. The rest of the morning was slow with Tad sulking and moping. We head back with very little to show, but a great tale to tell. Only one who didn't want to share in the tale was Tad. He was crying! PS - In memory of Gary H.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
The "One that got away" Story
It was an ordinary day. Gary had the boat waiting for us. Today may be different! It's about 7:00 AM and we're heading to our favorite fishing hole near Kentmore Park, Maryland. The boat is loaded with fishing rods, tackle and worms. Today we have a full crew for our trip. Gary and his 7 year old son Rob as well as myself and my 8 year old son Tad and 10 year old daughter Brynn. Our favorite fishing hole is about a 15 minute boat ride from our pier. It's our second day of vacation and yesterday everyone caught a monster, but Tad. We enter a small stream and have to maneuver around a sand bar to get into the cove where the big ones reside. The big ones are the channel catfish which inhabit the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding streams and rivers. We have caught catfish up to two feet long and four to five pounds in these waters. Today will be no different. Bait the hook with a worm, cast a few feet from the boat and wait.......about three to four minutes and your bound to get a bite. We always do. "I got one!" I yell after about a minute and a half. "No you don't," someone calls out. Really bends the pole an swims under the boat. Luckily I'm sitting in the front of the boat so I just swing my rod around under the front and finally land him on the other side. An eel! "Don't put that thing in my boat," Gary yells to me. They are extremely slimy. This one is about 18" long and about 2 1/2" in diameter. I grab hold of him and manage to get him off the hook. Discharged him back into the water. My hands have slim all over them. Then Tad yells, "I got a bite," and adds "I think I got him." Yep, he does. A really nice catch. One of the monster catfish. Tad now has him up to the side of the boat. I grab the net and bring him on board. I find the barb on his back and put my hand behind it so he doesn't "sting" me. Must be about four pounds. Tad's beaming with pride. It made his day!! We'll take this one back for supper and so everyone can see what Tad caught. Even got a nice photo of it. I stand to remove the hook from his mouth, my hands still slimy from the eel. Guess what happened next! He flaps his tail, wiggles off the hook and heads overboard. The end of the world. At least for Tad. The rest of the morning was slow with Tad sulking and moping. We head back with very little to show, but a great tale to tell. Only one who didn't want to share in the tale was Tad. He was crying! PS - In memory of Gary H.
b on his back and put my hand behind it so he doesn't "sting" me. Must be about four pounds. Tad's beaming with pride. It made his day!! We'll take this one back for supper and so everyone can see what Tad caught. Even got a nice photo of it. I stand to remove the hook from his mouth, my hands still slimy from the eel. Guess what happened next! He flaps his tail, wiggles off the hook and heads overboard. The end of the world. At least for Tad. The rest of the morning was slow with Tad sulking and moping. We head back with very little to show, but a great tale to tell. Only one who didn't want to share in the tale was Tad. He was crying! PS - In memory of Gary H.
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