[TJL65]

Beginner?s Luck

I have spent countless hours out on the water in pursuit of a trophy for my wall or photo album. On a few occasions I?ve had novice anglers with me who?s beginners luck almost made me want to toss the tackle and take up ?golf?.

A couple of my stories
Many years back a girlfriend who never fished took me out partyboat blackfishing as a gift for my birthday. She was sick all day because of the seas but managed to come out a few minutes before the final horn for a try. I bait her up and she drops down and immediately says ?It?s stuck?. The rod is now thumping on the rail and I tell her to reel reel reel. A few minutes later she?s got a 12lb blackfish on the deck. Drops the rod and throws up on my boots. Never to fish again.

Last September a buddy of mine who has never been fluking is out with us off Keyport. His first 3 fish of the day ? or ever for that matter, average about 8lbs. He asks me when we can go again and I tell him never ? that he should quit while he?s ahead.

Those are my ?beginners luck? stories. Anyone else with a few?

 

[Joe]

My wife's first Cod trip. 33lbs & wins the pool.

 

[paulh]

My pops one and only cod in his life weighed 44 lbs, a pool winner. he never wanted to go again stating "it's too cold".

 

[Leprechaun]

Here's a Viking Cod Beginner's Luck Story . . .

So this is about 18 or more years ago, on the old Viking Star, back when the CIA grounds were a closely-guarded secret between guys like Stevie Forsberg and Richie Rade and the like.

A cold February overcast day and we've spent a good 4 hours already doing not much of anything. A schoolie here and there and that's about it.

So Steve comes down off the upper deck and slides up next to me in the stern corner, takes a look at the water immediately astern and sees that the tide is starting to pull on the boat a bit.

He says "Good, this is what I've been waiting for." No sooner than he says that, but fish start coming up, one on here, one on there, before you know it about 15-20 fish hit the deck. I'm keeping up nicely - have maybe three decent fish, nothing over 20lbs though.

So I turn and look up at Steve and say "Where's those killer CIA baccala I keep hearing about?" He says to be patient.

Right next to me is this kid, maybe 16 years old using a rental boat rod and he hangs the rig in the bottom.

Or so he thinks.

The mate comes over and takes the rod and immediately knows that ain't no snag, its a fish, and a good one.

Now back in those days the rental rods had those big old white Mitchell 624 reels on them and not a one I ever saw in the rental pool had a drag on them that worked properly.

So it was really a standoff - the drag was locked up and the fish couldn't break what appeared to be 60lb test Ande and the kid couldn't take a turn on the handle.

The kid then turns around, puts the rod over his shoulder and begins slowly walking towards the bow, dragging the fish upward, using the stern rail as a pulley. Sort of.

Those of you that have fished the Star know that it's exactly 120' long and the water we were fishing was also, 120' deep.

The kid continues up the side of the boat with his line trailing behind, over his shoulder and when he gets all the way to the bow of the boat I look down and there's this ENORMOUS cod, bigger than any I've ever seen and its mad and thrashing around right under me. It must have saved its energy for this last-ditch effort.

I scream for the mates to come back and a few minutes later two gaffs lift a 56 lb cod into the boat.

The kid comes walking back down the side of the boat, reeling in his line as he goes and says "That wasn't so hard. Not bad for my first cod trip."

All the "Sharpies" in the stern could only groan. Including me.

I'm STILL waiting for my 50+, all these years later.

rgds, Leprechaun

 

[rodprof]

I have had too many similar experiences that I would like to forget. However, the two that stand out are the following:

- Cuttyhunk Island, fall 1972. I had bee fishing that island for many years hunting for that cow bass. I would go up there for a week on my own and book one of the Island guides for five days. This trip I had company. I brought up my current lady friend, who later became my wife. She never had fished before. The first night out she catches the season's largest bass, 59 lb. My best was a minnow next to hers.

- Late fall early 1980's. We are tog fishing out of Orient Point on a charter. We are fishing a deepwater wreck and I have the 3 largest fish on the boat. It was a rough day and my novice companion on the trip spent most of the day battling mal-de-mer. About 1:30 PM the wind and sea drop out and he drags out of the cabin. I rig him up and down he goes. About three minutes later his rod is bucking away. The next thing there is a 15+ lb bulldog lying on the deck.

Like I said, there have been too many of these experiences that I would like to forget. However, there have been days when the man upstairs smiled on me and I could do no wrong. So I guess it all equals out.

 

[LkyLindy]

Fluke

I take out my son in law who rarely fishes for a little fluckin-my specialty.Well I have a dozen fluke setups on my boat for "novice Guests" but of course before I can rig him up he grabs my favorite outfit-a custom Capt. Neil rod with a Penn 965 thats real sweet.Well this pisses me off so I give him my"bad luck" outfit that never catches fish or a cold.Needless to say by days end he has a load of 6 and 7 lbers capped off with an 8.5 beauty while I'm in searobin heaven-Go figure?

 

[meandtheboyz]

Beginners luck

My wife and I are in Maui about 1990 and I tell her we have to go fishing, so we split a charter with another couple. Me and the other guy are licking are chops beautiful day, blue water, nice tide. Well my wife and his are sick pretty much the whole day, but they did manage to get up and land 60 and 40 lb spearfish respevtively, of course we get goose egged. my wife tells me she doesn't want to go anymore, there is not enough action for her.