Thank Heaven for Good Samaritans

[SkunkedAgain]

Well don’t ya just love it when your wife tells you that you have to take the boys fishing?  I had been cutting hay and came home to my nephews up for a visit, so rather than cutting my hay I hooked up the boat and headed to the marina. Didn’t have long so we went right to work cattin. Ethan tied into the first and only fish of the night a nice spawned out 24.5” female. Then after a slow spot we moved and as we tried to anchor up we noticed that the two anchors weren’t holding us at all in the wind that picked up all at once, then we noticed whitecaps so decided we better get off the pond. Ran back to the marina and those waves were huge for Cutler. I beached the boat behind the dock and went and backed the trailer in, then a great Samaritan stepped in and helped us get the boat launched and onto the trailer, there was no way I could have gotten that accomplished without getting wet and probably hurt worse than I did. Thanks so much again, he’s a BFT watcher and I’m sure glad he was there to help us out tonight. Too bad I couldn’t have been there to help him get his boat on the trailer. His got half full of water between the waves on the way back and while he was loading. Wild night on the pond and really thank you very much!!!

[Jmorfish]

Good looking pair...you made the right choice taking 'em out, and apparently also getting off when you did...seems to be too much wind this season...

[Paddler]

Sounds like you were out on Utah's ocean.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Jmorfish, it was fun to get them out, wish the weather would have stayed good for that last hour, but we had fun while we could... Paddler it sure felt like the ocean even though it wasn't even a very big pond, glad I didn't have a Willard or Bear Lake fetch to build those waves, they were rough on a short run... I had my window open as i was getting things shutdown to beach the boat and wasn't watching as i was raising my motor, and the wind caught my window and flipped it shut, well my finger was in the gap to cushion the window so it didn't break the glass, but my finger didn't fare so well... It really smashed and cut it up, I couldn't believe how hard it flung that window shut.. Anyway I guess that's what happens when I'm not paying attention to everything in those tight times... Now the hard part is going to be going back to farming when I've been able to get fishing back into my system... Guess I'll have to do it since it's mid season hay, but hopefully I'll get that caught up as quick as I can... Later J

[Paddler]

How big was the boat that took on water? How big were the wind waves? I've had times on WB and Strawberry when I hd to keep my bow pointed into the waves, at least for comfort, not safety. But like you say, on our larger reservoirs things can get hairy in a hurry.

[wiperhunter2]

Wow, they have spawned already, I guess they spawn at different times but this seems early. Glad you made it out safely and your nephew caught a nice cat. Had the guy that helped you already beached his boat and it was swamped by the waves coming over the back of it?

[SkunkedAgain]

The boat looked like a 16-18' Jon boat style with the long skinny boat with low sides and a beavertail motor... Nice boat for the marsh, but not so good in waves like we got into... I guess the waves were 2-3' but very close together and capping, I know most ponds that size waves wouldn't be a huge deal, but they were coming from directly behind your boat as you were trying to load, with nothing to shield them so you got full force of the waves pounding into the back of your boat as you're trying to get on the trailer, it wasn't a good situation...

Curt, he had his boat on the trailer when we got to the ramp, but it was still coming over the back of his boat as he was pulling it out, but he said it filled a lot on the ride back to the ramp just from the waves.. I'm sure glad I didn't have a load of boys in his boat on that night... Only thing that may have been better is I would have quit sooner if i would have been in a boat that doesn't take waves like my new one does... It really did great in the waves, I didn't have a worry until I tried to load... then it made it worse because I stuck it out until things got ugly... Oh on the cats spawning, if it's temperature related, Cutler being shallow heats up really fast, so that may be why they have spawned already.. I'm a little bummed about that, because that means the cats won't be where i usually find them, so I've got to do my homework again to get on the fish... Well I'll have to pay attention and see where they move to... Later J

[big_griggs]

Did Landon help with the loading? Sorry about your finger

[2knots]

Glad you were able to get out, bummer about your finger though

[SkunkedAgain]

Hey Greg, Landon helped unload, but at crunch time in the waves I'm not very good at delegating more than the strap hook up from trailer to the boat, which our new friend helped with... and then pulled the truck and boat up the ramp and out for us...

Took the boys tubing yesterday and bumped my finger again and it started bleeding like a stuck hog again, so found some first aid stuff in the boat and got it stopped... Funny how a little thing can put such a change into the way you need to do things... But it's okay, just hope I can keep it from getting infected... BTW the boat pulls a tube pretty well... Got lots of squeals from the boys...

Hey Alan, thanks it was nice to get out again for the first time since the flotilla, I was afraid this would be a busy summer, but it seems to be more so than I had anticipated, but things are good, finger will heal and I'll be looking forward to fall fishing... Sure hate missing the May / June fishing though, it's usually some of the best of the year... Hey have you tried the finless freddies at Hyrum? Just wondering if I could take the boys for an early morning trout troll over there? I know I don't want to be there when the crowds show up to play, but might be fun to troll early if the bows are decent size anyway... Thanks Jeff PS... Assuming I get the hay cut this afternoon anyway...

[2knots]

Hey Greg, Landon helped unload, but at crunch time in the waves I'm not very good at delegating more than the strap hook up from trailer to the boat, which our new friend helped with... and then pulled the truck and boat up the ramp and out for us... 

Took the boys tubing yesterday and bumped my finger again and it started bleeding like a stuck hog again, so found some first aid stuff in the boat and got it stopped... Funny how a little thing can put such a change into the way you need to do things... But it's okay, just hope I can keep it from getting infected...  BTW the boat pulls a tube pretty well... Got lots of squeals from the boys...

Hey Alan, thanks it was nice to get out again for the first time since the flotilla, I was afraid this would be a busy summer, but it seems to be more so than I had anticipated, but things are good, finger will heal and I'll be looking forward to fall fishing... Sure hate missing the May / June fishing though, it's usually some of the best of the year... Hey have you tried the finless freddies at Hyrum?  Just wondering if I could take the boys for an early morning trout troll over there?  I know I don't want to be there when the crowds show up to play, but might be fun to troll early if the bows are decent size anyway...  Thanks Jeff  PS... Assuming I get the hay cut this afternoon anyway...

No I haven’t Jeff, just went looking for the bass

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Alan, was talking to a neighbor that said they were decent size this year... Well 14"ers so not too bad... I like catching them when they get to that size... But didn't make it out, started cutting, baling and raking hay between wind and rain storms anyway... Been rough harvest weather this year and the mosquito's are getting the best of me, they are the worst I've seen them in 25 years... Think I'm a quart low on blood by now, not to mention annoyed beyond measure... Well hopefully the improving weather will help get the crops in and maybe when I get things all cut down the skeeters will thin out... I'm hoping... Later J