One would think that in matters this important, someone would surely make a note of the date and the time, not just the place and the circumstances.......but, NO, the full significance of the moment was yet to be realized.
With our children grown [well, at least enough to be left on their own for a weekend :-)], I found that I was once again able to go fishing alone with my husband.....as we had years ago, B.C. [before children]. After more than a decade of chasing children as well as fish down the local trout and steelhead streams, I also found that I was quite ready to try the "boring" style of fishing that I had so scoffed at previously.....for if you don't do it "properly" [as does this fishin'queen!], that is what sturgeon fishing can be....BORING!....rig and bait your pole, cast it as close to the "hole" as is possible, set your rod in a pole-holder [usually a pile of large rocks or small boulders, or a piece of pvc pipe pounded half-way into the ground], attach a bell near the tip of the rod or just sit and stare at it, waiting for it to move, signifying a "bite".
Now this type of fishing, done this way, seems to be just perfect for most men......HOWEVER, for a woman who can't even come close to remembering the last time [was there EVER one?] she did only one thing at a time [I, to this day, still have trouble just sitting and watching a movie :-)], this can be more trying than pleasurable, after the first hour or so....I was there to have FUN!.....Being an avid and voratious reader, I always have a book with me.
I also enjoy crocheting and counted cross-stitch and embroidery, and playing games of all kinds, Phil does not.
So, having my lawn chair and table [at this time, an ice chest], I planted myself in said chair and with beverage close at hand on my "table", I'd read for a while, play some solitare and even "Boggle" or "Scrabble" by myself :-), or do some needlework. Phil sat in his chair and stared at the poles and gave me a hard time for not paying close enough attention to the business at hand....and of course, by not constantly watching my pole, I was getting the most [oft times only!] bites....which was driving Phil up the proverbial wall....*L*
By the time the "legend" was picking up a full head of steam, I had at last received my very own, brand new sturgeon rod and reel [one was a birthday gift, the other an anniversary gift from my sweetie!]...I had told Phil that if I was going to be able to continue going fishing [AND CATCHING FISH], I wanted an "outfit" of my own...not a "weenie" rod and reel!...At this same time I also insisted that we must take our camper, even just for day trips. It had a perfectly good water closet, which by this time in my life I felt that I was entitled to. This also proved to be VERY useful when we pursued sturgeon on the "wet side of the mountains", as we could stay warm and dry and comfortable inside while waiting for the fish to bite. Thus, this all came to be known as "Fishin' in Style"!
Anyway.........Once I had my own set-up, it seemed that MY pole was the only one getting any action! :-) The "kicker" came about when on one particular fishin' trip, it turned out that we weren't fishin' for sturgeon at all......we'd been hookin' catfish!
Here we are allowed to "catfish" at night....so on this particular Saturday night, Phil decided he was going to stay up catfishin', and of course, it was MY pole he left geared up and in the water when I went to bed! :-) Needless to say, I didn't sleep real well that night, as I kept wakin' up and just layin' there listening for the bell to ring....
Just after dawn, I got up to answer nature's call and let Homer [Homer was Phil's dog] do the same and found Phil dozin' in his chair...I had just decided to go back to bed, when that little bell started ringin'!.....I started hittin' Phil on the shoulder and tellin' him there was a bite....He said no, it was me movin' around makin' the darn thing ring, ['cause it hadn't rung all night and he'd hooked the pole through the leveler on the camper]....I said no it wasn't.......he said yes it was....So I got very still and even held my breath and that bell just kept on ringin' and ringin'! "See", I said, "it IS a fish!"
We both began scramblin' around....him tryin' to get by me and out the door and me tryin' to find some clothes or at least some shoes to put on........I was still lookin' for something to put on when he shouted that it was a "monster"!----Heck with it, I grabbed a pair of shoes and went out in my nightie....[the nightie will prove significant as time goes on and the legend grows:-)].....It only took him about 10-15 minutes to land the biggest "keeper" sturgeon he'd ever caught!....It was 63"/5'3'....[a "keeper" must be between 42"-66" to be legal; anything smaller or larger must be released, and since we must use barbless hooks..hence the term "shaker" for those not kept].
Not to be left out, I was very quick to point out that it was caught on "MY LUCKY POLE"!.....To which his response was, "My pole USED to catch a LOT of fish." True, but not anymore....and so began the "legend" of Sam, the fishin'queen and her lucky pole!
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