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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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Pics: Great day sailing (& fishing) LONG

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/19/2005 : 11:34:16

Hi folks, just thought I'd share what a great day we had out on the reservoir yesterday. My wife was invited to crew on a boat for one of our club's two annual Women's Regattas. So while she was doing that I puttered around my boat, continuing the break-in process of the new engine.

This is me, making a stupid face (as usual)

I motored back to the dock to see the ladies head out. While there I saw a truly sad sight. Something I often have nightmares about.

The boat was/is an O'Day 25 that the owner docked there just two days ago. He knew it was sinking when he docked it. Got all his stuff off and left it to sink. Speculation is that it is an insurance scam. It is being raised today. The rest of the scuttlebut is that when the marina folks ran the boat numbers to identify the owner, they gave them to ODNR or the sheriff (I don't quite understand exactly) and the owner evidently had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. So he was. Probably for insurance fraud.

Anyway, with the ladies sent back out to sail the rest of the afternoon, I headed on out to singlehand, and to do some trolling. Rumor has it that Alum Creek has a healthy Musky population; although I've never actually met anyone who has caught one, or known anyone who has seen one even. And since my wife won't let me troll off the boat while she's on board, I thought this would be a great opportunity. I even bought a big bass plug for the endeavor. So I'm sailing downwind, doing only a few knots (anything faster was too fast for trolling) when my rod goes strait out the back of the boat, nearly coming out of the holder. I crank that baby, and crank her.. and up comes the largest white bass I've ever seen!!

I was stoked! I had never actually caught anything off the back of my boat before. So I head back up wind, but I'm going too fast to troll. So I lower my jib and am close hauled with only the main. I start trolling again. Not too long after, the rod almost comes out of the holder again! I start cranking, this time it's something really big. It's fighting me and fighting me. I finally get it to the surface about 10 yards from the boat; and it's a Musky! I had never caught a musky before! I was thrilled just to have hooked her. No way was I going to be able to actually land the fish, or so I thought. It takes me a while still to get the fish alongside the boat. By now I have a bit of an audience in the form of other boats. I'm sure they thought I was nuts. I'm finally able to use my boat hook as a gaff under the gills to get the fish. That was tuff to do. Try getting the small hook of the boat hook in a fish's gills from up on deck, while the boat is pitching and rolling, and you're still fighting the fish with the rod in the other hand! Fun stuff though.

So I get the beast on board and give a "yehaa!"

I took a few more pics and let the critter go.

I was too excited to fish anymore. So I focused on my sailing. The winds were excellent (10 to 12 mph). The ladies were having a great time. The boat my wife was on was a Schock 24. There were two C22s, and one Precision 21-ish (not sure the length).

And here is the winning team! My wife is the one in the green shirt. The skipper is the lady in the blue shirt. The others are the rest of the crew.

No matter how you look at it, a great day!! (except for that poor O'Day

) My inspiration for the fishing, I must say, was San Diego Jim. I always loved his sailing stories, especially when it involved fishing and pictures.

Ben
Beneteau 361
Viking Kitty
Columbus, Ohio

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thaind
Navigator

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Canada
145 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 14:27:38

Looks like a great day. I caught my first striped Bass in Connecticut last summer and am hooked. Musky also make for superb fishing, and you are fortunate to have both in the same water. Minimum size here for Musky is 48". It's not that there are so many, but rather so few.

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frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 15:45:53

Ben, great day and story. Pictures are the thing that makes it worth while. I am allowed to fish off the boat anytime, but anything I catch has to stay out of the boat whether she is onboard or not. I did bring a large mouth bass on board once when single handed and somehow she could smell it the next time she was onboard. I even cleaned up with that scented Lysol.

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 18:29:36

Doesn't get much better... except maybe a chilled 12 pack of your favorite brewskis falling from the sky into your cooler.

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Kas
Deckhand

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USA
16 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 22:24:43

I just noticed that Ben put the fish down on our boat in that one picture. If our boat smells like yucky fish-guts the next time I get on it - THERE WILL BE BIG TROUBLE!

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Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1774 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 22:32:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Kas
 I just noticed that Ben put the fish down on our boat in that one picture. If our boat smells like yucky fish-guts the next time I get on it - THERE WILL BE BIG TROUBLE!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Oh oh Ben ... you've been caught red-handed!

I'd grab a bunch of lemons and run to the boat quick!

Edited by - on

Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 06/20/2005 : 07:40:53

Mmmmmm...fish smell!

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 06/20/2005 : 08:52:03

Thanks for the pics and the story of your day Ben. There's nothing like a good day on the water. Just wondering, how do you keep the boat going where it's supposed to be going when you're busy landing fish? Do you have an autopilot or do you just let her round up?

Reason I ask is that I've got a tiller-tamer but, even with it, if I take my attention away from the helm for more than a very brief period, we're headed somewhere I didn't plan on going.

Steve

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 06/20/2005 : 11:26:53

Steve, in answering your question about how did I stear the boat during this whole fiasco...with only my main up, I wasn't going very fast, which was important. I let the main out a bit to reduce speed even more. While I was trolling I was using a bungie as a tiller tamer, giving minor corrections as necessary. After the hook-ups, I basically just kept an eye on the windex, on what was in front of me, and steered the boat with my knees as necessary. I'm sure it was a rediculous sight.

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JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 06/20/2005 : 16:35:19

a good thing to do while fishing from your C25/250 : as soon as you hook up, heave the boat to on the opposite side from the fishing line thats on.

You will then have clear water and a clear rail for fighting the fish and the boat won't be going anywhere very fast.

You can heave to under autopilot or just put the tiller over and tie it down.

If I had no jib up, I would "heave to" by turning dead down wind while having the main tightly sheeted amidships.

Often I will sail upwind with no fishing gear out, then turn downwind, roll up the jib, let the main out (prevented) and gently drift back towards home (under AP) while trolling a couple of lines and throwing out a jig or two. This has worked for numerous bass, baracuda, yellowtail, and a couple of big sharks.

Fishing is fun!

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