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Well, back from a real fun time in Venice with some of the Faithful. In a nutshell, crappy weather. The Surgeon General, Tom Patillio, a member of Team Hyena, and Garry "Hi Pockets" Jordan ventured out Monday on a B58 and hi pockets was the only one that did not chum, including the pro captain.....no fish either.

Tuesday morning the G-Man, Garry & me called off our offshore trip with a good local charter guy with a 30' Albemarle.....eaat wind, 15-20 kts, 3-5 ft building to 4-6.....our capt. was sorta pissed, called us pussies, but we were smarter pussies than him.....Plan B was going offshore with the Surgeon General on the snap roling B58 so we went with Plan C..... Called my son Capt. Brent and he came and took us inshore fishing in his fancy full automatic 24 ft Skeeter with a 250 Yamaha 4 stroke and a remote control Power Pole hyd. anchoring system.....damn good boat, he says factory cost is 50K.....ran all over the Delta at 52 kts in some heavy winds and weather, down roseau cane ditches full bore.....dirty water everywhere....made some moves to the west side of the mighty Miss. and he found us a pocket of gin clear water full of redfish and alligators. We hammered them on live shrimp.......Hi Pockets had to cast to an alligator when Capt. Brent was not looking....solid hook up.........

Limits of 15 reds, back at the houseboat by about 2, naps, clears, a huge feast for the whole crew of grilled redfish, etc, and etc. Brent was going to take us again yesterday morning, but it stormed big time most of the day so we had a liver check day......

The Surgeon General and crew is fishing the Cajun Canyons big money tourney tomorrow and Sat.....weather looks a little better for it, hope they nail 'em. Blue water is only about 10 miles out, but its rough as a cob.

Anyway, a real nice trip with a bunch of good guys. The sun never sets on the Empire of the Faithful.

UV

nice report UV.....it was a lot calmer here

UV: Sorry about the weather, but I am glad you are back having fun at your old stomping grounds! Congratulations from the Shrimp Pimp!

Been very rough down here too UV. No fishing for anybody offshore but wackos. Nice report and sounds like your boy has a very nice flats boat. I hear guys raving about those hydraulic anchor poles. Dave K

Had a great time as well UV. Thanks go to you, the Gman, Highpockets, and Andy for your hospitality and once again, congrats on your runaway victory in the highstakes tournament circuit.

After you left, the weather got no better. We ended up with a yellowfin at 169.4 lbs on Friday. Since it would have taken a miracle to get in the money on Marlin after our day one blank, we gambled and had another liver check day on Saturday which paid off as our fish held on for top tuna. The check was fat enough to pay for our trip and substantial clears bill from the newly remodeled Venice Marina. The bad news is that the surgeon general might have broken his hand after a clears accident last night during our celebration. He is currently shopping plaintiff's law firms and for a new boat simultaneously. A lot of marlin were caught in less than ideal conditions, At least twenty five over what is essentially a day and a half tournament. The unnamed, pussy calling charter boat captain also took first place in the dolphin category with a 48+ fish. Again, great to visit with some of the faithful and look forward to more of the same in 3 weeks.

Just goes to prove the Faithful are smarter than the rest. Congrats, good job staying at home with a winner in the bag in horrible conditions. Hope the Surgeon General ain't hurt too bad. Likewise, a lotta laughs with you guys on Garry's former houseboat, having to stuff towels under the doors of the houseboat to keep the rain out.....time for a clear. Panama type rain, see you at the gate in two weeks....TSL here we come.

UV

After fishing the day before on a 58 Bertram, getting beat up and watching the captain and crew feed the fish...being called a pussy just didn't carry much weight when faced with the decision to do it all over again on a boat half the length and 1/6 the weight. We made the right call...catching the reds in that little corner of the marsh and experiencing the food chain at work was priceless. I have never seen an alligator jump out of the water to pounce on a mullet like a cat....pretty efficient too...the gator went 1 for 2 on mullet while we watched. Now the hook-up is a different story...

UV, what was the name of the cajun food in a bag you prepared on Monday. Guys, this stuff was good.

Thanks Andy for the hospitality. Being able to gather at the house boat, drink and tell stories/lies with the guys made the trip. A good time was passed by all.

Garry

UV,

Failed to congratulate you on your victory at the Cx Invitational. The longest winning streak in major sports history continues....Next up UVI7 at TSL...

HP

Hi Pockets that was a heck o lot of fun deal. Like Capt. Brent scolded you, "Jordan, you just had to hook that g.d. alligator didn't you?"

The cajun food place here is Bellue's, their website is www.belluescajuncuisine.com. They ship. I left a bunch of it in the freezer on the houseboat for Andy & George, plus all the CX stuff is for the houseboat. Andy, thanks to you & George for the hospitality, it was a good time.

UV

Vicroy wrote:Well, back from a real fun time in Venice......

Anyway, a real nice trip with a bunch of good guys. The sun never sets on the Empire of the Faithful.

UV

Congratulations UV!!

A bad day fishin is better than a good day at work....

Regards,

Paul

Just one broken bone in left wrist. Nurses say they can't tell any difference in the way I operate. I have learned to watch out for telephone poles lying in unlit parking lots.......Matt

Glad you're alright Doc, and thanks again for the lures. I am surprised though that you didn't need stitches after tripping over the telephone pole. It must have been an incredible feat of athleticism to have not broken your wine glass during the fall!

Yeah, me and athleticism, that's quite a pair. Actually, I was not drinking wine. I was drinking a UV-tini.......straight vodka with a splash of Corrosion X.

Matt Holcomb
One Handed Surgeon General

I should have hidden that case of Cx UV left on the houseboat. With the weather conditions and the pace of drinking, I was afraid you guys would run out of mixers......Hope your broke wrist doesn't hamper your ability to reel in Panama sails....wait thats Randall's job

Garry

when i fish with matt....i wind and he drinks....(and directs)...another panama por favor?