06-23-2023, 01:17 PM
(06-23-2023, 12:10 PM)TubeDude Wrote: Okay, now I don't feel so bad. I powered out in the sloppy chop and headed for the area that treated me well last week. But was not seeing the fish like I had before. Oh well, might as well wash some lures while I looked. So I put on a couple of my new experimental chatter bait crawler rigs and started bouncing around in the waves as I watched the rod tips vibrating with the chatter baits.
Within only about 10 minutes, the rod with the fire tiger chatter went bendo and I had killed the skunk early. But it was not a walleye. Only a cat. Still, it was a fish...the only one for the day.
When I tried to turn my electric motor back on to resume fishing I got nothing. Several minutes of messing around and checking what connections I could reach while in my tube on the water didn't provide a fix. I was literally dead in the water...well over a half mile out from the marina entrance. And I was faced with having to kick my way back in with fin power alone. It\s been a long time since I had to operate my tube for any distance with just the fins. And I ain't getting any younger. But the "zephyr" was blowing in to the shore at a westerly angle so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Took me well over an hour to get back to the ramp, but I made it. I think. Back in my garage, I checked all the wiring and connections...hoping I didn't have to buy a new motor...or get a replacement on my new lithium battery. The good news/bad news is that one of the connections to the battery had been broken in the bouncy twisty motions on the rough water. But it made for a short day.
Since you posted a couple of pics that include my craft, I'll return the favor.
I am sure glad the wind was in your favor or that could have turned out to be a very ugly experience.
Remember: keep the lid on the worms, share your jerky, and stop by to say hi to Cookie and the Cowboy-Pirate crew