Mine began with a hot summer evening when my friend and I launched my new boat below Pickwick dam for some night fishing for smallmouth. My friend and I have a routine when we launch the boat. He and I have our own checklists and tasks we perform so that we can get off the ramp and in the water as fast as possible. This particular trip everything at the ramp went well and we were off and on our way. We ran downstream to check out a few places before it got dark but when we made the big bend it was like we entered a storm swept ocean. I motored down and told my friend that we weren't going any further and the areas I wanted to fish were back upstream anyway. I began to turn the boat around in the breakers and went to get up on plane but the boat just sat down. Hmmmm...tried again, same result. Ran to the back of the baost and the water is coming up! Holy Crap the PLUG! I'm normally a pretty laid back guy but this had me hoping. I told my friend we didn't put the @#$#@ plug in the boat! This suprised him because I never use that kind of language and I'm sure he had never seen me get that worked up. He told me he checked the plug and it was in the boat when we launched. I gunned er' and finally got her on plane and ran back to the boat ramp which was aprox. 2 miles away with the bilge running...that should do it. Got off plane jumped to the back to check...still water! Nearly jumped in the water to feel for the plug and WHAT!...the plug is in the boat! Now I'm really confused and I'm thinking someone has sabatoged my boat!

Finally it occured to me what had happened. I went home and pulled the boat out and got the boat ready to go to the lake. Got the cover off and it began to rain. Decided to just leave it there as we would be leaving in a couple of hrs. anyway. The plug was in the boat and while I was inside it rained cats and dogs. The boat filled up with water and I pulled the boat to the lake probably a 1,000 lbs heavier than usual.

I ALWAYS put my hand on the plug and make sure it is in before I launch. The first time I stop whenever I'm on the lake I raise the back compartment and make sure verything is dry. Kinda funny now but that day it sure wasn't.

The Hound