)Tides early, moon wrong, gonna be hot, opening day of scallop season all good reasons not to go... but momma wants to go so we're going. Spent the week before installing new TM batteries, cleaned up some wiring, polished the hull etc.
Hit the ramp at 6:15 scallopers still in bed, a few fellow fishermen unloading, head out with a light breeze and pretty nice temps, no ramp follies other than the guy parked in the middle of the double ramp lane trying to get his engine started.
Went in close to try for a red but water slack, no life, no rays, no turtles, no sharks. Moved out with the tide but not much activity at all. Fished with pinfish dragging on a cork but no takers. Headed out to a deeper spot, caught one lizard fish. No takers on gulp on the bottom or swimming jerk baits. Nothing with the pinfish on the cork fished on the drop from a bar to the hole.
Headed in for a cold ice tea and shrimp sandwich at Roy's. Wife backs the trailer in like a pro with a lot of dudes watching her (like I said I got a good one) I ease the boat over to line up with the trailer, and suddenly I got nothing but reverse about 20' from the trailer. I make a full circle with boats everywhere trying to get it to shift into neutral before I shut it down, binnacle acts like cable is broken. Guy on a boat nearby watching me yells that he'll help my wife get the trailer backed in once he loads, I yell back trailer is in the water but I got no forward gear, apparently he missed the full circle or thought I was wasting time waiting on the wife. Nice to offer his help, just wrong problem.
The pressure is on now, jumped up on the bow, dropped the TM in the water, run back to console and dig TM remote out of console storage box, trolled in until I could grab a guide pole without hitting the TM on the trailer, pull TM, climb over bow while trying not to fall off trailer and loaded with the winch after explaining to my wife for 20 minutes why she really needed to let go of the winch handle as I rapidly pulled the strap out (probably 20 seconds but felt longer). Normally my boat is a pain to power load much less winch up but somehow it climbed right up to the bow stop with very little effort. I would like to say that we pulled it off without anyone even noticing or like a NASCAR pit crew but there is probably a YouTube video that makes me look like a Keystone Cop in slo mo but we got it done and nobody got hurt and nothing damaged
Roy's was almost empty at lunch time, noticed they had a buffalo shrimp appetizer so asked for a shrimp sandwich buffalo style, waitress basically said they didn't have that but she could bring me some buffalo sauce on the side
Which she did, I didn't even try to explain it to her after I confused her by asking for a half and half tea and a water. Finally explained I wanted a glass of ice water and a glass of tea and she got it.Shrimp sandwich with buffalo sauce poured over it was tasty, headed home with a happy wife, full belly and no fish.
Nice day on the water, good lunch and the dang OB shifted in and out of gear fine at home so we'll see what that was all about. I'm callng it a win.
