This wasn't about forgetting the plug but of learning about my new boat. 1996, first time to Canada with it. We were anchored in a bay with nasty 3 footers coming in and breaking over the transom (1st mstake). We were just killin the perch, big, fat, jumbos and paying no attention to the waves and water entering the back of the boat. I noticed when we went to leave there was some water coming up through the carpet but I figured no matter, tomorrow we'll put her up on the trailer and drain the "little bit" of water in the bottom (2nd mistake). That night with the boat tied to the dock I left my bait-well running to keep the minnows alive overnight(3rd mistake). Sometime during the night a couple of the minnows got stuck in the overflow tube and completely plugged it up. So now I had running water into the bait-well and no place for it to go except into the floor of the boat. The next morning we got up bright and early for an exciting day of perch and smallmouth fishing but when I saw my not-even-1-year-old-boat I nearly stroked out right there. The back end was nearly underwater and the dock with the trailer was about a half mile away. I had heard stories of pulling the plug while on plane for the water to drain but I coudn't even get it on plane. My butt was super-puckered all the way to the dock where after trailering it and pulling the plug water drained out for a half hour at least. Apparently the combination of the waves breaking over the transom and the plugged up bait well did the trick. Thank goodness we got up early to go fishing that morning. Had we slept in... "honey I've got this HUGE repair bill coming from Canada." Now I always keep an eye on what if any water is coming into the boat and have never used the bait-well since. It makes for a nice dry place to keep the pee can.