2016 has been a rough season

[Takeum]

Well,,, many have met me, some have not,,, but most know I'm a newby to crappie fishing and had previously looked for a seasoned crappie partner by way of asking round here if anyone wanted to fish,,,Well, my first attempt I believe was a complete disaster. I asked a guy here " I'll leave name out " to help me out and teach me the ropes about Sardis Lake and possibly learn to fish it seccessfully,,,Well , we met up at the Holiday lodge ramp where I had never been before,, I tried using the lower area to launch because the upper looked too steep after a hard rain,,,,So I tried to launch the Old Ranger and it was wayyy too shallow there so " unnamed person" offers to back my boat down with my truck down the ramp because he convinced me that he was such seasoned boatman and had launched here at Holiday hundreds of times,,,,,,Wel feeling alittle hesitant to say the least, I gave him the okay and threw him my keys to my 89 Chevy s10 blazer and told him to Go for it! WEll, truer words never sounded clearer as he started my truck and began to back down the freshly rained upon , Super Steep ramp , I watched as a father letting his daughter go on her first prom date,,,,,I watched this man "unnamed man"' back down the truck and boat slightly faster then I imagined a person would want to go,,,He then got the front wheels smoking, totally locked up with transmission still in gear, One foot on the brake, the other, hanging out the door as I stared him directly into his eyes filled with fear thinking,,," should I jump, or should I stay and ride this one out? I looked at him pleading for him to take it out of gear, and begged him please NOT to jump and let my truck go off the ramps edge into the rocks and endlessly into the lakes bottom,,,,well,,, Somethingh called reasoning must had reached his brain and he thankfully held on and the truck with 3 wheels off the ramp and boat totally hanging off the rock piles edge , suddenly came to a complete stop,,, I practically dragged the poor guy out of the drivers seat and told him immediately to go get his truck and a tow strap of some sort to help get my boat off the rocks. A few minutes later,, which seemed like hours, we finally got the boat off the rocks with trailer in tact, Thankfully with zero damage,,, I stopped and thought to myself,,SELF,, Why did you let that man almost end your almost very short crappie fishing life? SELF again,,,, why did you give this man almost a $40,000 dollar boat and truck and send it to the lakes very dark bottoms? My fisherman's eyes had dimmed that day,, I sent a possible good fisherman into retirement possibly... LEsson learned for 2016?
NEVER give any guy your keys to your fishing life,, I don't care if his name is Bill Freaking Dance ....Especially if he can't drive your 89 Chevy S10 blazer with a manual choke partially pulled out while driving in reverse, backing down a very steep ramp , while on a very rainy surface,,,, END of Lesson,,,,

[LowePro]

Man! I was holding my breath while reading! I am glad all is well with your investments! Never never never give up! Some guy got rich off of that 5-word speech, but its true.

[Takeum]

LOwe,,l I wasn't talking about me going into retirement,,, I may had ruined my chance at getting a fishing partner,,, hadn't heard from him since,,,lol

[ibmack]

Man! I was holding my breath while reading! I am glad all is well with your investments! Never never never give up! Some guy got rich off of that 5-word speech, but its true.

That guy's name was Jim Valvano, or as he was called, Jimmy V. He was a great basketball coach that fought cancer (it might have been leukemia, I have forgotten). As Low Pro stated, follow his words and keep looking ahead, not behind.

Lowe

[Takeum]

I like you guys thinking from Arkansas,,,Most guys would had given up by now,,,

[slabin]

Very few folks I let back me and my boat down or pull me out

[Takeum]

Almost had my head taken off a few times loading boats in the old days,,, cables are dangerous,,,,especially on larger boats