So, there we were the other day…right at prime time…the crack of dawn. Everything was right. Low light and a good tide. I put the lures out and it all happened just like it should have…we got to the sweet spot and the back rod goes off.
And that’s exactly where things stopped going as planned…
The fish started tearing it up behind the boat, making hot runs from side to side…and then the Auto Pilot on my trolling motor had a Linda Blair moment and it’s head started spinning wildly. In a blink of an eye, we did a couple doughnuts and this hen managed to weave most of our lines together into one hell of a mess!
Somehow, she stayed on through it all and I scooped her up, along with two of our other FlatFish (the lure fell out in the net so I’m not even sure which one she bit!) and about a million yards of hopelessly snarled braid.
I’m normally fond of saying “all’s well that ends with a fish in the box,” but in this case I’m not so sure. The catch resulted in a complete retie of 3 out of 5 rods and about 20 minutes of peak fishing time lost.
It was the worst Cluster-Fugazi I’ve ever had…but oh well, makes for kind of a funny story (now).
The problem with the minkota is that the “compass” is in the head. Secure the shaft when in the stored position so it doesn’t whip around.
Glad to see I’m not the only one with a possessed Minn-Kota. Mine ALWAYS does that when you LEAST need it to!
Isn’t amazing how well braid knots and twists when you don’t need it to! Just get out the scissors and start re- tying.
Yea my motor was 10 years old…this incident was the final straw. Bought a new one the next day!
The best part is you were there enjoying the day. like the saying goes, better than work!
Absolutely! The ol’ office has a nice view!
JD – Records, good or bad, always leave room to be broken – so on this one you want to be ready for something really bad sometime in the future. Like BSofA, always “Be Prepared!!