Arkie John
Active member
This story was told to me by a friend of mine who lives about 100 miles from me. I just had to write it down and share it.
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Ricky, a friend of mine and his fishin' buddy Johnny Ray, put in at the local boat dock in Ricky's boat, a 15' flatbottom, rigged with a 25hp Mercury and a 50 lb thrust trolling motor and away they went with visions of mega fish jumping in their boat before the front pushed through.
They ventured out onto the Arkansas River and it was rolling a tad more than they thought comfortable but decided to assault the dyke anyways. Ricky is in command in the front and handling the trolling motor, heading downstream at a pretty good clip. All of a sudden the trolling motor will not turn but one direction and everything begins to go to south pretty quick.
Big big eyes he yells at Johnny Ray as he gets hung up at the worst time, his Rattle-Trap firmly wedged into the rip-rap. "I'll let the boat drift into the dyke and you free your lure. To give you more time, I'll get out on the dyke and hold the boat." It sounded like a pretty good plan--at least at first.
The boat hits the dyke with an unceremonious crash into the rocks, nearly catapulting Ricky out of the boat. He quickly recovers and with the grace of a well-overweight gazelle, he departed the boat partly on his own and partly not. He landed basically upright in a foot of water, rope in hand and held the boat as well as he could.
His partner freed the lure quickly but failed to inform Ricky as a big bass blew up on the surface just behind the boat and out of Ricky's view...at which time Johnny Ray flung his newly freed lure. BAM! a three-pounder. "FISH ON!" Ricky, struggling, looks back at his used-to-be fishin' buddy and says, "Are you FISHin' YOU DUMB AZZ?????" "I'm puttin' THIS one in the live well." To HE11 with the fish and the live well, help me rassle this here boat off the rocks sos I can get my azz back into it--and PRONTO!!!!!"
Johnny Ray, who is about 290, secured his prize into the live well and eventually Ricky--all red-faced and annoyed to the max, got back into the boat. Heading back upstream with Ricky wet from the thighs down, he was in no mood to listen to his ex-buddy. "Ricky, look at that cloud up thar!" Reluctantly he did look, knowing the Arkansas weather to be so fickle.
Son! It was a black wall of all-business black cloud and water and it was not pretty. Without hesitation, he headed the boat back to the boat dock. At the dock with the preceeding wind now howling, Johnny Ray tried to grab the dock, but it was a flawed attempt. You guessed it. He did not obligate to either and found his portly body to be a momentary human bridge, Ricky attempting to maneuver the boat without the aid of the trolling motor just made it worse. His feet were on the boat transom with all ten toes curled backwards under the lip and his fingers glued to the dock, gut swingin' low and barely out of the water.
About that time a speeding boater came by the both of them and as they passed they lent their two-foot wake to the situation. ker-PLUSH. Big boy was in the drink and cussin'. "You SUCK, you SUCK," hurling insults at Ricky. "He11, I didn't do it, you dumb azz!" Rick retorted. Now they both were wet but the rain they feared a few minutes ago, never came. It all went around them...but they were plenty wet and pizzed anyway.
They rassled the boat on the trailer and in near silence headed home.
Ricky got home to his wife and she said, "Why, Richard, why are you here? It's still daylight?" Slogging to the carport, discarding boots, socks, shirt and pants along the way, he just looked at her and "Don't ask."
Now, they'll probably be back on the water in a week or so, but right now....well, it just makes you appreciate the GOOD times--and a decent story! <><
Thanks for comin' along.
aj
**********************************
Ricky, a friend of mine and his fishin' buddy Johnny Ray, put in at the local boat dock in Ricky's boat, a 15' flatbottom, rigged with a 25hp Mercury and a 50 lb thrust trolling motor and away they went with visions of mega fish jumping in their boat before the front pushed through.
They ventured out onto the Arkansas River and it was rolling a tad more than they thought comfortable but decided to assault the dyke anyways. Ricky is in command in the front and handling the trolling motor, heading downstream at a pretty good clip. All of a sudden the trolling motor will not turn but one direction and everything begins to go to south pretty quick.
Big big eyes he yells at Johnny Ray as he gets hung up at the worst time, his Rattle-Trap firmly wedged into the rip-rap. "I'll let the boat drift into the dyke and you free your lure. To give you more time, I'll get out on the dyke and hold the boat." It sounded like a pretty good plan--at least at first.
The boat hits the dyke with an unceremonious crash into the rocks, nearly catapulting Ricky out of the boat. He quickly recovers and with the grace of a well-overweight gazelle, he departed the boat partly on his own and partly not. He landed basically upright in a foot of water, rope in hand and held the boat as well as he could.
His partner freed the lure quickly but failed to inform Ricky as a big bass blew up on the surface just behind the boat and out of Ricky's view...at which time Johnny Ray flung his newly freed lure. BAM! a three-pounder. "FISH ON!" Ricky, struggling, looks back at his used-to-be fishin' buddy and says, "Are you FISHin' YOU DUMB AZZ?????" "I'm puttin' THIS one in the live well." To HE11 with the fish and the live well, help me rassle this here boat off the rocks sos I can get my azz back into it--and PRONTO!!!!!"
Johnny Ray, who is about 290, secured his prize into the live well and eventually Ricky--all red-faced and annoyed to the max, got back into the boat. Heading back upstream with Ricky wet from the thighs down, he was in no mood to listen to his ex-buddy. "Ricky, look at that cloud up thar!" Reluctantly he did look, knowing the Arkansas weather to be so fickle.
Son! It was a black wall of all-business black cloud and water and it was not pretty. Without hesitation, he headed the boat back to the boat dock. At the dock with the preceeding wind now howling, Johnny Ray tried to grab the dock, but it was a flawed attempt. You guessed it. He did not obligate to either and found his portly body to be a momentary human bridge, Ricky attempting to maneuver the boat without the aid of the trolling motor just made it worse. His feet were on the boat transom with all ten toes curled backwards under the lip and his fingers glued to the dock, gut swingin' low and barely out of the water.
About that time a speeding boater came by the both of them and as they passed they lent their two-foot wake to the situation. ker-PLUSH. Big boy was in the drink and cussin'. "You SUCK, you SUCK," hurling insults at Ricky. "He11, I didn't do it, you dumb azz!" Rick retorted. Now they both were wet but the rain they feared a few minutes ago, never came. It all went around them...but they were plenty wet and pizzed anyway.
They rassled the boat on the trailer and in near silence headed home.
Ricky got home to his wife and she said, "Why, Richard, why are you here? It's still daylight?" Slogging to the carport, discarding boots, socks, shirt and pants along the way, he just looked at her and "Don't ask."
Now, they'll probably be back on the water in a week or so, but right now....well, it just makes you appreciate the GOOD times--and a decent story! <><
Thanks for comin' along.
aj
