The boat launching and trip down river went smooth, but that's when things began to get more difficult. Large mats of floating grass greeted us as we cleared the shoreline and headed for spot #1. My jet-foot Mercury sucked up the floating debris quicker than that Oreck vacuum cleaner they advertise on late night T.V., and I didn't get the free pair of cubic zarconia earings for my wife either. The motor buzzer went off two or three times before we ever arrived at our first spot, but things were not all bad. Within the first couple of casts, we had our first keeper trout in the boat.
The trout action was steady for the first couple of hours in the morning, and Alex and I managed to get several decent fish in the boat. Andrew kept himself busy catching pinfish and putting a few of them in a the bait bucket, then asked me if I would rig one on a pole for him. After last week's cobia story, we made sure we had a couple of larger rod/reel combos in the boat to set out a pinfish under a cork. I baited the closest one to me (a nice Shimano Calcutta 400 on a 8' Bass Pro Musky rod) and slung it out behind the boat for Andrew, then stuck it in a rod holder. Within about 10 minutes, the clicker on the rod began to sing LOUDLY. I passed the rod to Andrew who was standing in the middle of the boat, then watched a rapid succession of events that I will never forget. Andrew locked the reel down and hauled back with all the strength his six-year-old frame could muster. A large tarpon, probably about 125 lbs. jumped about 150 feet from out boat, and Andrew quickly bent forward at the waist, staggered, and had the rod snatched from his hands. The rod arched skyward like a missile, splashed down about 40 feet from the boat, then streaked West, leaving a white foam bubble trail in it's wake. Andrew stood empty handed, eyes wide as saucers and jaw dropped
. Just as I was saying "Andrew, you HAVE to hold on to the rod", the tarpon jumped a second time and shook the hook from his gaping mouth. There, about 100 yards from our boat, our Cajun Thunder bobbed quietly on the waters surface. Quickly we reeled all the other rods in, idled over to the cork, and found the fishing line still attached. We followed the line back to the rod and reel and retrieved the entire set up. Thank you Lord! 
Here's Andrew with the recovered rod and reel.
We continued to cull fish all day, keeping the #15 trout slot open in hopes that we would land a monster. The tide, wind, and fishing action all slowed down for a couple of hours late in the morning. As the afternoon arrived, Alex and I began to pick up good sized trout again, so Andrew went back to dragging a pinfish (this time on a large Shiman Baitrunner 6500 combo, because he swore that spinning rods were easier to hang on to
). As we drifted over some spotty bottom, Andrew anounced "Dad, I don't see my Cajun Thunder anywhere...". I used one of my favorite quotes from Capt. Pat McGriff "Son, it's not an alien abduction - REEEEEL!!" Gripping the rod with all his might this time, Andrew engaged the reel and gained a lot of slack line. Then the line came taugh and the rod tip dove under our boat. Andrew heaved, and a large flounder (bigger than any I have caught) swam past the transom. A short time later Alex netted the fish and slung him into the floor of the boat. Fish-slimy high five's among all of the crew, and much discussion about a $50 gift certificate from NFGFC sponsor Kevin's Sporting Goods.
Andrew's luck did not end there, on that same live pinfish rod, he also landed our fourth trout between 19 and 20 inches. Our largest was over 22 inches, so this gave us a decent stringer for the weigh in. We had a tough time getting back to the ramp, due to the motor overheating every 500 yards or so, even in clean water. So it looks like I will be making a trip to Parkway Marine for a check up on the Merc. After a frustrating start and stop ride back up river, we hurried to Jerry's, where we placed fourth in the tournament, Andrew won the flounder prize, and Alex won a much-needed tackle bag in the drawing. THANK YOU to who ever fixed the barbaque, as it was delicious and we were very hungry. Also, good job to Casey Cook and Pat for a quick and efficient weigh-in.
Two weekends in a row of life time fishing memories made with my kids - It doesn't get any better than that. Thank you Lord, we are truly blessed.
- Steve Stinson
