Eel of a good time

[whomper]

We just got back from our family vacation. I took the family to the Jersey shore for the week. We went to Pt. Pleasant . We did the basic Jersey shore attractions for a week which my family loves. Hotel pool, beach, boardwalk, nice dinners , etc. So we check out yesterday and my little one keeps asking me to take her fishing. The whole family agrees they want to fish. I knew it would be fun but I know my oldest will get bored quick if we dont catch fish frequently . She even said it. She was telling my little one that fishing takes patience and she doesnt have any

 

My oldest also kept talking about snakes in the sea. She was afraid of snakes in the sea. I am telling her not to worry and that where we are fishing it wont be a problem and she wont see any snakes

 

So we rent 4 poles get some bait and go fishing off of the pier. I figure bottom fishing will be the easiest route for us and the guy at the bait store agrees. We are all pretty much amateurs. I have general knowledge from trips back in the day but I certainly am not the gordon fisherman. I basically tell the family to let the bait hit the bottom of the ocean floor. Lock your reel and bounce the bait off the floor to attract the fish. If you get a bite . reel em in.

 

I am sure you true fishermen have experienced that when you go out with people that dont know how to fish it is a lot of work for you because you have to bait the hooks , keep an eye on everyone and help them with whatever they need. My oldest , the "rig destroyer" , as I like to call her was the queen of the birds nest line issues. I had to detangle her every 10 minutes. I didnt really care because they were having a lot of fun.

 

Let me back up for a minute here though. Full disclosure as far as my outdoorsman/sportsman abilities. I enjoy fishing but years ago when we went on these trips we always had a mate or friends with experience to do the dirty work. I am basically a bitch when it comes to bugs and wildlife type of stuff so my inner bitch had some anxieties before this excursion. I knew I would man up for the family but inside I wanted to run for my mommy when the sandworm opened his mouth as I baited the hooks. I also knew taking the fish we catch off of the hooks was not going to be easy for me either I did all of it though. Im sure the experienced guys around me could tell I wasnt comfortable or skilled but to my wife and kids I was grizzly adams

 

So we are doing pretty decent. I said to the guy at the bait store that I just want the kids to snag some fish. I dont care what they are just as long as we are reeling something in. He said stay close to the pier and they should reel in some fish periodically , and we did. We were catching snappers, little sea bass, a few black fish. Kids were pretty happy, wife was happy and I was too. I spent a lot of time detangling and baiting but they all were having fun and I managed to snag a few fish when I had a chance to drop the pole here and there. Now comes the part where I truly realize that God has a sick sense of humor and laughs at me on occasion

 

Please keep the 2nd paragraph of this post in mind as you read the following story. We are about 4 hours in and my wife gets a bite. Mommy, " I got one" me and kids " great, come on kids lets see what mommy got". So Mommy is reeling and it gets to the surface. Mommy pulls it out of the water and there it is. The spawn of satan came out of the water that day my friends. A friggin giant black eel. My oldest kid turned white, green , then white again. She drops her pole and goes running and screaming down the pier SEA SNAKE !!!!!!!!!!!! SEA SNAKE !!!!!!!!!!! Panic ensues . My wife is freaked out , my kid is gonna have heart failure . My little one was cool as a cucumber. I retrieve my kid and hand her to my wife. Leave it to us to catch the "sea snake". The guy from the bait store actually said to us that people have caught silver ones but this was only the second black one caught this summer and it was very early to see them this time of year. He actually got on his cell and called people to tell them that one was caught by his pier. Anyway, back to the story. Now that the kid is calm its time for me, the bitch, to get this biblical serpent like creature off of the hook. A few times during the day I had asked for help from the experienced guys around us but not for any of the grunt work. I need to borrow a tool once and in one case a guy helped me with a detangle . So I looked to the right of me and there was a pretty experienced guy. He had a million gadgets and seemed to know what he was doing and he basically looked at me like. You're on your own little lady. It seems like a lot of time has gone by because of all the events that have taken place (screaming kid etc) since mothra was taken out of the water but it was probably about a minute. As much as I am freaked out by this thing I am an animal lover and conscious of the fact that I gotta get this little bastard back in the water. There was a rock wall that we were fishing over. I put him down by the corner of the wall so he couldnt move and I get the pliers. He is gasping a bit . I get a grip on the hook. He is periodically doing a quick sliver which is basically making me almost hershey squirt in my pants but I manage to get the hook out with the pliers. The only think left to do is get him over the wall . The guy next to me says to grab the bottom of his tail with the pliers. I get a grip on him with the pliers. I lift him up. I drop him back in . He swims away The whole scene was pure comedy for everyone around us. We fished for 8 hours and a great day was had by all

Edited August 22, 2010 by whomper

[Jackass]

Great story. Truly enjoyed it.

[whoopazz]

Great story, but you missed an opportunity

[Chief Dick]

Awesome.

[Riffraff]

Cool story.

[borge007]

Well done!

[Scooby]

eel!!!

 

lol! too funny! Unforgettable family memories yall can tell for generations to come:)

[buddahj]

What a great story. Thanks for sharing.

[darin3]

Sounds like you were more than eelated to snag that sucker. Nice job!

[ABearWithFurniture]

You let it go? You know how much you could have gotten for that over at the local Sushi restaurant?

[Donutrun Jellies]

Great story.

 

Brings back fond memories of similar terrors, having caught two eels over the years ...

[Big Country]

You have degenerated into pure stupidity status with others . . . congrats!

 

 

If you had kept it, you could have invited your friends over to play this game.

[Bier Meister]

 

fun story

[loaf]

EEL!!!!!!!

I've never been fishing in my life and I live on Lake Erie.

Perch is a big seller around these parts.

I can't stand the smell of fish and won't eat anything that comes from the water

[Skippy]

Very cool day Whomp.

 

I have to admit that I am not a pro-angler by any stretch and I have been to the Jersey shore a billion times. Had I known there was black eels in there, I don't think I would have gotten in.

[dabuffbills]

 

Cool story. My fondest memories of fishing were going with my dad and my cousin. We would fish off the rocks and we would make bets to see how long it would take one of us to fall in the water. It was inevitable that someone would slip, slide down the rock into the water, spend 5 minutes trying to climb back up the slippery rocks, then swear and complain that no one helped him.

[Jimmy Neutron]

[Azazello1313]

 

that's the thing about fishing. as relaxing/boring and uneventful as it seems most of the time, somehow you always end up with the craziest, most memorable stories.

[Caveman_Nick]

Hysterical. pure comedy!

 

Sounds like a fun day

[TimC]

I've never caught an eel...no f'n way.

 

I remember fishing off the pier at Buckroe Beach with the family to this day. They'll remember it a lifetime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless they've already blocked out the memory to save themselves the horrors of the black eel.

[Caveman_Nick]

BTW...Next time just cut the line. Many think that's cruel to do to the fish, but the hook will dissolve in it's mouth. It will live and be fine.