10-20-2018, 07:08 AM
This story started yesterday, which I will get to in a moment. I bought a float tube on sale about 6 months ago and finally got around to tricking it out with PVC rod holders etc. as I have read about on Tube-Dude’s write-ups. I don’t have a motor or fish finder yet, but I wanted to go try everything else out. I guess this was the maiden voyage.
I went to the Willard North marina and launched at 4:45pm. Calm water, gentle breeze, sun shining out of the West. No jacket needed. The East mountains were illuminated magnificently and the trees had yellow leaves. The moon was just rising above the mountains. A large crane flew over and a muskrat swam by. It was a perfect day to be on the water regardless of any fish being caught. All my equipment worked perfectly and I was very happy for that.
I dropped a fire tiger FLIG (hand crafted by the Jedi tube master himself) down to the bottom (baited with half a night crawler). Started casting and jigging the second rod with a white tube body. The light breeze took me to the East of the Marina. I paddled for about an hour to get to the mouth of the marina. Quite the workout with no motor and extremely slow going. I suppose the leg workout didn’t hurt me any. Beautiful day but not a single hit. I jigged the brush on both sides of the mouth. Nada. Got out near the wakeless buoys and the sun was touching the West mountains so I turn around to start heading back in. Just after turning around the FLIG rod went bendo. Nice bend on the rod and it pulled my tube about some. After 7 minutes of fight, I got him netted. A very nice size cat (later measured 25 inches). See pictures.
OK, was this dumb luck? Well, as Paul Harvey would say, “now for the rest of the story”. Yesterday I met up with the Jedi tube master, Tube-Dude on his return from fishing Pine View. I bought a plastic tube seat from him and during the conversation I mention to him that I was going to take my new tube on a maiden voyage tomorrow. He got excited and said he needed to give me a special tube fishing blessing. He mumbled some words, then he crossed himself, then he bumbled some more words and flicked his fingers at me. The only words I could make out had something to do with Nabisco crackers. Whatever he said worked and I am grateful for his tube-fishing blessing powers. [laugh]
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I went to the Willard North marina and launched at 4:45pm. Calm water, gentle breeze, sun shining out of the West. No jacket needed. The East mountains were illuminated magnificently and the trees had yellow leaves. The moon was just rising above the mountains. A large crane flew over and a muskrat swam by. It was a perfect day to be on the water regardless of any fish being caught. All my equipment worked perfectly and I was very happy for that.
I dropped a fire tiger FLIG (hand crafted by the Jedi tube master himself) down to the bottom (baited with half a night crawler). Started casting and jigging the second rod with a white tube body. The light breeze took me to the East of the Marina. I paddled for about an hour to get to the mouth of the marina. Quite the workout with no motor and extremely slow going. I suppose the leg workout didn’t hurt me any. Beautiful day but not a single hit. I jigged the brush on both sides of the mouth. Nada. Got out near the wakeless buoys and the sun was touching the West mountains so I turn around to start heading back in. Just after turning around the FLIG rod went bendo. Nice bend on the rod and it pulled my tube about some. After 7 minutes of fight, I got him netted. A very nice size cat (later measured 25 inches). See pictures.
OK, was this dumb luck? Well, as Paul Harvey would say, “now for the rest of the story”. Yesterday I met up with the Jedi tube master, Tube-Dude on his return from fishing Pine View. I bought a plastic tube seat from him and during the conversation I mention to him that I was going to take my new tube on a maiden voyage tomorrow. He got excited and said he needed to give me a special tube fishing blessing. He mumbled some words, then he crossed himself, then he bumbled some more words and flicked his fingers at me. The only words I could make out had something to do with Nabisco crackers. Whatever he said worked and I am grateful for his tube-fishing blessing powers. [laugh]
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