What is your 2009 Fishing Blooper?

We all want our season to go smoothly, but there is always something, we didn’t plan that just happens. Let’s hear about your 2009 blooper, here is mine.

My 2009 fishing blunder came during the second day of the Jamboree on Banks Lake. I was casting a lucky craft Lv 100 down a wind blown bank in search of my first fish of the morning. The wind was picking up and the lake was getting a little lumpy. My next cast got caught on some under water weeds and as I ripped it free, my first fish grab the lure. It wasn’t a monster, but it measured and in the live well it went. Like all anglers on the hunt during a tournament. Your first instinct is to make another cast back to the same spot in hopes of another fish and maybe the start of a pattern. The wind and waves were really bouncing me around as I fired another cast down the shoreline to the same spot. On my retrieve I just started ripping it back to the boat….bam….a 3 plus smallie inhaled it. While playing the fish to the net, I am thinking, I am on fish now and they want this bait. The wind was pushing me into the bank, but I thought I could get in one more cast before having to repositioning the boat. (here comes the blooper)
My Champion has a cutout all the way up to the front deck and butt seat, so I have to step up to my seat and foot pedal. In a hurry to get the lure back in the water. With my Loomis rod in one hand, I grabbed the butt seat with my slimy left hand to help steady my movement. As I graded the seat a wave shifted my balanced and my wet slimy hand couldn’t hold on to the seat. I sensed I was headed overboard, but with one last desperation grab for the seat from behind, I caught the corner of the seat and was able to swing my motion back into the boat. Now, I was going to land in the boat on my other rods. To help break my fall I had to let go of my new Loomis rod.
Crash, bang, boom…..O-man did that hurt as I hit the lower deck. More embarrassed then anything else and no broken bones, I got back on my feet to check the damage. Wow, no broken rods……then it hit me……Son of a "B".....where’s my Loomis rod!
Another angler close bye came over to check on me and see if I was alright. He said that my rod went over, he showed where he thought it went over and I sent a marker buoy into the water.
To make a very long story shorter. After 3 1/2 hours of casting lead headed treble hooks, dragging an anchor, pulling in a ton of weedsoff the bottom, fellow angers that came along would also make a cast or two trying to snag the rod and then seriously thinking about just letting it go to the fish gods. :( I decided to ran up lake to see if I could borrow an under water camera from one of my fellow club members.
After about another hour of camera work I decided to make one last pass with the camera. After 4 1/2 hours, you can’t imagine what it feels like seeing a tip and two guides sticking out of a pile of weeds on the bottom. I was able to retrieve my $3oo plus out fit and let me tell you that feeling was like landing a monster bass. :)
During a tournament I am always looking at the clock, checking what time is left and what’s my next move. I really though my day was done, the wind had died and I missed the good bit I had going. On my way back to the boat launch with about a half hour before weigh-in, I decided to stop on a point that I had caught fish on before. A half a dozen cast later and I filled out my limit.
The lesson I learned that day was to always be safe and never give-up hope.

I hope you enjoyed my 2009 blooper and please have a safe and happy holidays.
See you on the water~~~~~~~~~~><))))))’>~~~~~~~~~~~ Gary