Daves New Boat and First Fish

It was the first time out testing Daves new Boat. His old aluminum boat had seen better days, and the motor was toast. Water had backed up through the exhaust port and even though it had been flushed after the last use in March, the crankshaft bearings had rusted. His son-in -law hated to see Dave not being able to fish and had told him to buy a used boat, for his Christmas present. Waiting until the Mechanic Roy, (my brother in law), arrived from Iowa, they poured over used boats on Marketplace and found a possible replacement. Checking the boat out, a fiberglass 1974 Predator, the motor had started and ran great, so they both agreed, and Dave bought it. The boat and trailer needed work and Roy did the work with the expertise of years of experience. When it was seaworthy, Dave and I took it out on its maiden voyage. It behaved flawlessly. The fish didn’t cooperate with us and so we only had one bite, or should I say Dave had one bite…. After an hour by the bridge, we decided to move, and he picked up his pole and started to wind it in. The rod twitched and a fish started to make a run. It headed away from the bridge, with its razor-sharp barnacles, and doubled over the rod. It was a big fish, but Dave was up to the task. Stowing the poles and grabbing the fishnet I watched as it made made run after run, before finally tiring. When he finally got it to the surface it was still a few minutes before I was able to swipe the fish headfirst into the net and fold it over the fish, (it was longer than the net). Using both hands, it took all of my strength to lift it into the boat.

It was perfect! The only fish of the day and Dave caught it! It was too big for us to lift up for a picture, (and to be kept), over forty inches long, and so we were able to release it safely. We both watched as it made a couple of flips of its tail and then returned to the depths. It was a great release! That was the only fish of the day, but what a fish! It was not the biggest he ever caught but it was a beautiful black drum! A great first fish to christen the boat, Well done Dave! Clear skies