skunked4life
02-02-2013, 10:01 AM
Prologue:
Ugh....what's that stench? I can't seem to shake it. What is that foul odor??? Smells like...SKUNK. I need to get myself a saltwater rinse and get the skunk off. With all of these posts from new FNN members regarding the dreaded skunk, I think that I need to show the true meaning of fishing by fulfilling THE GREAT COMMISSION.
AO: My home turf
Equipment: casting set-ups all around; LCs only please
Conditions: 50 degrees and sunny, mild surf conditions
"I am going fishing...we will go with you" - John 21:3
Had some last minute cancellations and some last minute additions. Got the call at 4:00 a.m. that Daniel and Thien were headed my way. I got ready to meet them and play gracious host to my turf. Due to an accident on the 405, we met up a little after grey light. No matter, let's fish.
38908
"So the last will be first" - Matthew 20:16
The fellas had to take a little extra time to get their waders on but we hit the first AO. I noticed that we all had the exact same LC color/pattern. Coincidence? Thien decided to tie on a different one. By the time he had finished tying a new LC on, Daniel and I were already about ten casts in. C'mon Thien, let's fish already... Thien hit the surf and on his first , second or third cast, he caught himself a nice little piggy. At this time, I swung hard and let my LC fly, but not in the way intended. Why isn't it landing? Oh because it snapped off! Good grief. I hurried back and tied on another. Yeah, no, this one broke off too. Yes, Thien, patience and taking your time to do it right pays off.
38909
Walking on water - Matthew 14
The surf here is so unique. Thien was standing waist deep 50 yards or so behind Daniel in this picture. He looks like he is walking on the water.
38910
After about an hour and a half of fishing and recon, we decided to grab a quick bite and reload on gear before round two. We hit the local tackle shop and Thien and I got these:
38911
We moved onto our next destination. Thien decided that he wanted to fish the end of the jetty. Daniel and I were getting a few nibbles, but nothing yet. I look out at the end of the jetty to see a huge surge overtake Thien as he nearly loses balance and disappears into the rocky abyss. Close call Thien, be careful out there. Another hour, another skunk session.
We hit the harbor looking for some bass, er I mean to practice casting. :Embarrassed: Nada. Then, Thien decided to walk out onto the edge of a storm drain. Down he goes again. This time, he did not walk away unscathed. It looked so bad that Daniel and I didn't even crack a smirk. "You okay Thien?" He says he is fine, but we know that is the farthest thing from the truth. We decided to move on and practice drop shotting. Nada. Skunk all-around.
38912
"And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts" - Acts 2:46
From this point forward, there would be no more fishing. That's okay. We all got in the car and headed off for some Pho. To be honest, this was not a true Vietnamese restaurant...they had 2 types of pho: chicken and beef. No tripe, tendon, meatball, brisket, just filet mignon or chicken. No matter, the service was friendly. We ate, laughed, talked fishing, talked life, and enjoyed our fellowship time. By this time, I had already forgotten that I was skunked the entire day. How embarrasing right? I take these guys to show off my AO's where I caught toad BSP's, legal Halibut, football sized crows and spotties, and we pretty much end up with skunk.
38913
"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit" - Philippians 2: 1-2
I sit here typing this report and reflecting upon the 5 or so hours we spent together, Thien, Daniel and I. These boys were nothing but a pleasure to fish with. No need for me to be embarrassed about showing them skunk. No complaints, no whining about hurting your knee, just nothing but brotherly fellowship.
Epilogue:
So see fellow newbies, skunk-brethren, and wannabe halibut hunters, we should not ponder our purported failures in not catching; but rather, learn from the sessions, enjoy the scenery, enjoy the companionship of other anglers, practice technique, talk shop, just get out there and have fun.
P.S. Sorry about the heavily Christian-themed report, but I have been soul searching a little deeply lately.
Ugh....what's that stench? I can't seem to shake it. What is that foul odor??? Smells like...SKUNK. I need to get myself a saltwater rinse and get the skunk off. With all of these posts from new FNN members regarding the dreaded skunk, I think that I need to show the true meaning of fishing by fulfilling THE GREAT COMMISSION.
AO: My home turf
Equipment: casting set-ups all around; LCs only please
Conditions: 50 degrees and sunny, mild surf conditions
"I am going fishing...we will go with you" - John 21:3
Had some last minute cancellations and some last minute additions. Got the call at 4:00 a.m. that Daniel and Thien were headed my way. I got ready to meet them and play gracious host to my turf. Due to an accident on the 405, we met up a little after grey light. No matter, let's fish.
38908
"So the last will be first" - Matthew 20:16
The fellas had to take a little extra time to get their waders on but we hit the first AO. I noticed that we all had the exact same LC color/pattern. Coincidence? Thien decided to tie on a different one. By the time he had finished tying a new LC on, Daniel and I were already about ten casts in. C'mon Thien, let's fish already... Thien hit the surf and on his first , second or third cast, he caught himself a nice little piggy. At this time, I swung hard and let my LC fly, but not in the way intended. Why isn't it landing? Oh because it snapped off! Good grief. I hurried back and tied on another. Yeah, no, this one broke off too. Yes, Thien, patience and taking your time to do it right pays off.
38909
Walking on water - Matthew 14
The surf here is so unique. Thien was standing waist deep 50 yards or so behind Daniel in this picture. He looks like he is walking on the water.
38910
After about an hour and a half of fishing and recon, we decided to grab a quick bite and reload on gear before round two. We hit the local tackle shop and Thien and I got these:
38911
We moved onto our next destination. Thien decided that he wanted to fish the end of the jetty. Daniel and I were getting a few nibbles, but nothing yet. I look out at the end of the jetty to see a huge surge overtake Thien as he nearly loses balance and disappears into the rocky abyss. Close call Thien, be careful out there. Another hour, another skunk session.
We hit the harbor looking for some bass, er I mean to practice casting. :Embarrassed: Nada. Then, Thien decided to walk out onto the edge of a storm drain. Down he goes again. This time, he did not walk away unscathed. It looked so bad that Daniel and I didn't even crack a smirk. "You okay Thien?" He says he is fine, but we know that is the farthest thing from the truth. We decided to move on and practice drop shotting. Nada. Skunk all-around.
38912
"And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts" - Acts 2:46
From this point forward, there would be no more fishing. That's okay. We all got in the car and headed off for some Pho. To be honest, this was not a true Vietnamese restaurant...they had 2 types of pho: chicken and beef. No tripe, tendon, meatball, brisket, just filet mignon or chicken. No matter, the service was friendly. We ate, laughed, talked fishing, talked life, and enjoyed our fellowship time. By this time, I had already forgotten that I was skunked the entire day. How embarrasing right? I take these guys to show off my AO's where I caught toad BSP's, legal Halibut, football sized crows and spotties, and we pretty much end up with skunk.
38913
"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit" - Philippians 2: 1-2
I sit here typing this report and reflecting upon the 5 or so hours we spent together, Thien, Daniel and I. These boys were nothing but a pleasure to fish with. No need for me to be embarrassed about showing them skunk. No complaints, no whining about hurting your knee, just nothing but brotherly fellowship.
Epilogue:
So see fellow newbies, skunk-brethren, and wannabe halibut hunters, we should not ponder our purported failures in not catching; but rather, learn from the sessions, enjoy the scenery, enjoy the companionship of other anglers, practice technique, talk shop, just get out there and have fun.
P.S. Sorry about the heavily Christian-themed report, but I have been soul searching a little deeply lately.