I was driving my new truck to pick up Paul and his boat for our first trip of the year. I should have felt the presence of my old nemesis when Don called to say he couldn't go fishing with Paul and me. The three of us can have more adventures on the water than I can count. It's late June but I have been in Texas all spring so this was our first opportunity to go fishing. Strange that Don couldn't go.
The next strange event occurred when the fuel pump wouldn't let Paul buy gas. Strange but not scary. When we got to the boat ramp I discovered I had completely lost my ability to back up a trailer. I snaked back and forth and could not go straight. After a winter off from fishing, I used to go practice in a parking lot with my boat before taking it to a lake. I couldn't do that and it really showed. Fortunately the lake was not busy so I had time. The new truck has a quad cab which is longer and I can't see over my shoulder. I still suck at using my mirrors so all this combined to a long time trying to get in the water.
Then Paul couldn't start the motor. Multiple tries checking all connections, fuel etc. didn't work. We had to pull out of the water to assess the problem. It was the fuel line which had not pumped up when the fuel bulb was squeezed. Holding the bulb vertically got it pumped and started. Strange that a lifetime of starting boat motors hadn't led us to think of that.
Once we finally launched we had no luck. We fished areas we had not fished for years and could not locate anything. This was not strange as it is pretty typical for us. We decided to motor to the other end of the lake to our usual coves. The long boat ride gave me a chance to again see how scenic Evergreen Lake is as I watched an osprey skim over the water. It is my go to happy place in spite of the really bad things that have happened there. After the rough start I relaxed, things were going well...
We arrived at our best fishing cove to find it blocked by a downed tree. A huge white oak laid across the width of the whole cove blocking access to the best area for saugeyes. Strange, this has never happened before. After no luck we decided to try to slip through a narrow gap to get around the fallen tree. Fortunately nothing bad happened, but we caught nothing. We moved to another cove.
Moving to another cove, I finally hooked a bass. She wasn't huge, but Paul is good at framing photos.
This was the end of caught fish. I had a large fish (muskie?) follow my spinner bait, but I quickly snagged and then lost the lure. After a nice day we decided to go in so headed all the way back across the lake. We carefully approached the dock and looped a rope over the dock to keep the boat from moving. I didn't want to fall in as I had last year.
As I got the truck and trailer, Paul pulled away. We were using the small 9 hp motor required on Evergreen Lake. The larger 40hp motor can only be used to load the boat, but Paul wanted to use the smaller motor(that wouldn't start initially) that we used all day .This required the trailer to be further into the water.
My backing trouble escalated. Without the boat I cannot see the trailer. I dropped the tailgate but the bed of my new truck is higher so I can't see the trailer over my shoulder. I can only see the trailer in my mirrors and only when it is crooked. I guessed where it was. I was wrong over and over and over. A guy who had just come in offered to help guide me. I kept getting it wrong. At least 10 tries up and back and I finally got in the water, but sideways. Paul drove up but had me pull out to straighten up and he went back to circling. When I finally had the trailer sort of straight and deep enough I waited, but Paul was just sitting. The guy helping yelled to Paul and Paul said he couldn't get the motor out of neutral. (Strange this had never happened) He eventually switched fuel lines to the big motor but this took a long time. After more than 30 minutes Paul drove the boat onto the trailer.
As we staged the boat for driving home, I started to put the motor supports on the motors. I looked at the motor that was "stuck in neutral" and saw this.
The threaded rod (bronze colored) is missing something, THE PROPELLER! This has never happened before. Paul thought it was in neutral because it wouldn't go forward or backward. It couldn't because it didn't have a prop.
Figuring it had just fallen off we decided wading around trying to find it was dangerous so we headed home. Trying to back into Paul's garage was another adventure in incompetence as I blocked his street for several minutes backing up cars trying to get through. Paul's going to add white pipes to the boat trailer so I can see it, maybe that will help.
It was then that I thought maybe there was something influencing our luck. Something that always made our trips difficult . Something cursed that had lived in my garage for almost 25 years and now lives in Texas in my garage down there.
The spirit of Cecelia...
or could it just be we are around 80 year old uncoordinated guys who enjoy each others company but are just bad at fishing and boating?
