Holiday Weekend Misfortunes

[Minnerman]

It started like this:

Me and the boys decided Friday morning we would leave that afternoon and go to Pickwick and catch catfish Friday night, camp at our favorite campground (Holiday Inn) and then get up Saturday morning and continue catchin catfish, stripe and e few smallies. Well the trouble started friday mornin. When the excitement came over me that we were goin catfishin, I developed a self-diagnosed migraine. Oh how my head hurt all day friday. But me being the super dad I am, we finally left the house about 3:00. Get to florence around 5ish, after the normal hamburger stop only 20 minutes from the house and the liver and ice stop in Russellville, AL. When we finally get there the boys see that the bait shop is still open and they procede to talk me and my achin head into stopping. Spent round $30 fer stuff that they fergot to bring. Finally, on to the boat ramp. My oldest has became a great asset in launchin the boat, but the chokin the motor part, I haven't taught him yet, so I always crank the motor before launchin. Here's the good part. At some point in the week, one of the boys, I reckon, decided to see just how long the crankin battery would hold charge with the key left on. You guesed it, not long enuff. So i proceded to get the jumper cables out, mind you my head is full of BC powders, tylenol and Ibuprofen and still achin.Well you guessed it again, it would not jump off. didn't wanna move the trollin batterys cause that would limit the jug fishin with no spot light, so back to the bait shop. Just in time before he closed, whew. Well the old boy that owns the bait store doesn't sell batteries, but said he had a group 29 i could borrow, ifn it would fit. At this point, it didnt matter if I had to sit it in the seat beside me, it would work. So I take my old battery out and get this power plant snuggly in place, with no extra room. get the cables hooked up and wahlah!! His battery is deader than mine. Thanked the man and gave em a good cussin in my mind cause I think he knew my head was killin me, the boys had not even offered to get out of the truck and now my back had been strained to no end. Well after gettin his battery out, it's off to advanced auto parts. Purchase the only marine cranker they had, dont know what kind, how big nor did I care, as long as it started the boat. Well by this time there was a super cell thunderstorm building right over the boat ramp, so I told the boys, its only been 4 hrs since we last ate, so lets get somethin to eat while the storm passes. We did and then drive to the ramp, again and wait bout another hr til it passes. Finally bout 9:00 we launch and head to the dam. Well it aint over yet. On the way to the dam, the runnin lights decided to quit burnin. Well with my head finally eased up a little, I check all the fuses with none being blown, that I could see. This is where I thought, What would WB do? The boys had one of those head lights that shine red on one setting and white on the other and we also had another small LED flashlight. You guessed it. After a half of a roll of electrical tape, we had running lights. We fished til bout 11:00 and caught round 25 cats. Saturdays delima to come, It gets better.

[oldwhiskers]

Wow, one heck of a start to the weekend. Those are the days that make you wish you stayed home.

[Minnerman]

Wake up saturday mornin and all goes well. Good nights rest at the campground, good warm shower and clean clothes. Get to the river round 7:00 with no troubles. Whew. Went up to the dam and caught bout 5 cats and then the pain hits. You know the one just after you eat a good breakfast and the get your mornin dip of snuff? Do yall have any idea how many boats they are on the water at the dam on a holiday weekend? Too many to properly take care of business. So off to the races. Back down the river bout 3/4 of a mile to the boat ramp, boats in every nook and cranny. Well finally get to the ramp with the pucker string bout to break, ease thru the no wake zone and give the controls to the oldest boy and told him to just get close to the dock and that would be fine. Well I ran kinda stiff legged to the restroom on the south side of the harbor only to find the doors locked. By this time the sweat had started poppin out and concern had set in. Get back in the boat and motor to the other side of the harbor to the other set. Again the oldest has the controls, but I told him he was going to have to gently ease up to the dock and let me step out gracefully, there was no more jumpin or runnin by this time. It was time to be delicate. That 600 yard walk was the longest I have taken in a while. Turns out on the way back to the boat it was only bout 75 yds, but under pressure it seemed further.
Well after this glitch in the plans, The boys wanted to try and catch some bass or stripe, so we head down river where I had caught some bout 15 years ago. Sure enuff, they were still there. The oldest caught a small largemouf. Then another and thats where the real fun begins. When removin the hooks from the second fish, it flops and masterfully buries one of them Gamagotsyou hook so deep into his thumb it looked like a double hook that was glued onto his finger instead of a treble hook. Now the youngest realized, when I left the trollin motor unmanned, we would be out of the zone and also, his brother was at a slight disadvantage at this time. So he jumps up front and does a wonderful job in returning the boat to the honey hole. In the meantime, I'm in the back of the boat debating with the oldest whether or not to ruin the treble hook or not. That was one of the first questions he asked after he calmed down enuff to talk, was whether or not we had any more Gamagotsyou hooks. He was one brave soldier tho. When he decided against goin to the dr and gettin a couple of shots and lettin them remove the hook, he let me do it. At first, I tried the old "let me give it a jerk" move. That DID not work, at all. He almost fainted when the barb was pullin more out that he had in his thumb. So I told him, we gots to push it on thru. This he performs on his on. At 15, I would have done broke the pucker string. We finally get the barb cut off and the hook pulled out. Needless to say, we needed a Bloodborne Pathogen kit. I did have my handy dandy first aid kit, so I patched him up and back to feshin we went. He's still alive today. The rest of the day was not very eventful, so we came home, cleaned our catch and fried em up. Sunday and Monday was calm and we had no troubles.

So over all this trip prolly cost me &200-$300 of my lunch money, therefore there may be a shippin and handlin charge on your seat pedastals WB.

[majflyboy]

It started like this:

Me and the boys decided Friday morning we would leave that afternoon and go to Pickwick and catch catfish Friday night, camp at our favorite campground (Holiday Inn) and then get up Saturday morning and continue catchin catfish, stripe and e few smallies. Well the trouble started friday mornin. When the excitement came over me that we were goin catfishin, I developed a self-diagnosed migraine. Oh how my head hurt all day friday. But me being the super dad I am, we finally left the house about 3:00. Get to florence around 5ish, after the normal hamburger stop only 20 minutes from the house and the liver and ice stop in Russellville, AL. When we finally get there the boys see that the bait shop is still open and they procede to talk me and my achin head into stopping. Spent round $30 fer stuff that they fergot to bring. Finally, on to the boat ramp. My oldest has became a great asset in launchin the boat, but the chokin the motor part, I haven't taught him yet, so I always crank the motor before launchin. Here's the good part. At some point in the week, one of the boys, I reckon, decided to see just how long the crankin battery would hold charge with the key left on. You guesed it, not long enuff. So i proceded to get the jumper cables out, mind you my head is full of BC powders, tylenol and Ibuprofen and still achin.Well you guessed it again, it would not jump off. didn't wanna move the trollin batterys cause that would limit the jug fishin with no spot light, so back to the bait shop. Just in time before he closed, whew. Well the old boy that owns the bait store doesn't sell batteries, but said he had a group 29 i could borrow, ifn it would fit. At this point, it didnt matter if I had to sit it in the seat beside me, it would work. So I take my old battery out and get this power plant snuggly in place, with no extra room. get the cables hooked up and wahlah!! His battery is deader than mine. Thanked the man and gave em a good cussin in my mind cause I think he knew my head was killin me, the boys had not even offered to get out of the truck and now my back had been strained to no end. Well after gettin his battery out, it's off to advanced auto parts. Purchase the only marine cranker they had, dont know what kind, how big nor did I care, as long as it started the boat. Well by this time there was a super cell thunderstorm building right over the boat ramp, so I told the boys, its only been 4 hrs since we last ate, so lets get somethin to eat while the storm passes. We did and then drive to the ramp, again and wait bout another hr til it passes. Finally bout 9:00 we launch and head to the dam. Well it aint over yet. On the way to the dam, the runnin lights decided to quit burnin. Well with my head finally eased up a little, I check all the fuses with none being blown, that I could see. This is where I thought, What would WB do? The boys had one of those head lights that shine red on one setting and white on the other and we also had another small LED flashlight. You guessed it. After a half of a roll of electrical tape, we had running lights. We fished til bout 11:00 and caught round 25 cats. Saturdays delima to come, It gets better.

Wait! Wait! I'm worn out from Friday.

[Dodgeman]

Man that sounds like one of my trips.

Glad yall made it back in one piece.

["G"]

Sounds like you and the boys had a great time Minner. :D Thats good thinking though about jacking up the handleing charges on Wannabe's seat pedistals.

[tritonman]

wow! my weekend was calm compared to that, all I got to do was the anniversary duties on friday, saturday, and sunday

[feelay]

I don't think you and I should go fishing together...With yours and my luck combined, someone would surely die!

[tritonman]

I don't think you and I should go fishing together...With yours and my luck combined, someone would surely die!

i can see at least a broken body part

[DonDon]

sound like you got a trouper for a son though and you bringing him up tough as nails