I can't believe I just did that

[belak00]

Earlier this evening my son and I went fishing. I recently found this forum, thanks to all for all the great information. So I just started to bass fish. I have been fishing since I can remember, but up here, Superior, WI, I was taught to fish walleye and northerns. Recently I was informed that the chain of lakes my inlaws have a cabin on are good bass fishing lakes, so naturally I spend most of my time at work on the internet researching bass. Thanks to all the members I can spend countless hours on this site. Now on to the story....

Like I said earlier my son and I went down to the St. Louis river. The river is mostly known for its walleye and muskie. It's nice because we only live about a mile away and we like to go down there and cast. Well we decided to try to find a new spot. We found a little pull off down the road and parked. Walked down the trail a couple hundred yards and went down a hill into a bay off the main channel. Well I thought this would be a great area to practice with my new bass plastics before we go back to the cabin. So I tie on a worm and jig for my son and his fist cast he has one on. It surfaced once and spit the hook. My son is only 9 and setting the hook will be the next lesson. So I finally tie on a 4" yum dinger and cast it out along the shore. Well in doing so I end up with my line hung up in a tree branch.

So there I am trying to free my line and wham, something takes my bait. I try to set the hook and miss. The bait now has gotten hung up in the tree too. So I walk up this little hill to get closer to the tree and pull the branch in, luckily it was a small branch. As I'm balancing there freeing my hook the fish or another fish jumps just feet from me.

Now I can't explain this as good as I would like but I'm up on a bank with a 4'-5' drop to the water. Not sure if the fish got me too excited or what but the next thing I know I'm slidding down the hill very slowly. I reach for a tree branch, it breaks. I grab some small weeds, they rip out of the ground. The next thing I know I'm in the water. I landed right on my hip, dam that hurt, still does. I hop up and my son comes running over. "dad you ok, dad you ok" he kept saying. Now I'm soaking wet, cold, and a fish that bit what I had on the line just got away. I tell him I'm fine and to keep fishing. Now I try not to curse in front of my kids, and when they do here it they are shocked. Well I'm saying every cuss word ever invented and I look up the bank and he is standing there with this deer in the headlights look. I compose myself (stop swearing) and he busts out laughing. There was nothing I could do but laugh.

We fished the next half hour or so with no luck. Of course this was my fault for falling in the river. A good laugh was had by my wife when we got home, and my 2 year old daugther kept asking my why I went swimming with out her. What a day..

[Fishing Rhino]

Ahhhh, you underwent a fisherman's baptism.  By immersion.

[avid]

Better that it was you who went in and not your son.

LOL about the baptism by immersion ....... ;D good stuff there

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Nice one! Thanks for posting and welcome to the forum.

[Mottfia]

Now thats a story to join the forum with. lol Sorry to here about the slide but those are the things that make bankl fishing even more exciting.

let us know how the next trip goes

Mottfia

[SammyLee]

Man, if we didn't have days like that, it just wouldn't be real fishing.  We gotta try hard and often to make it what is.  Although sometimes I feel like somehow I don't seem to have much choice!  I just gotta go fishing!

I used to water ski when I was in my twenties with some really good skiers.  They used to tell me, "If you don't fall often, you aren't trying hard enough!"

Keep it up.  Both you and your son will have a day on the opposite end of that spectrum.  Those days will be burned into your memories and lives.

During the last days of my Dad's life he said, "Son, do you remember when you were young and wanted to go fishing, and I took you and taught you?"  I replied, "Yes sir, I do.  Very well."  He said, "Well, now my health has failed but I want to go fishing.  Will you take me?"  I tried and tried but he was unable to walk at all or hold a rod.  He finally said, "It's ok Sam.  You did your best."  The last thing he wanted to do before he died, was to fish.  Fishing was one of the great pleasures of his life and now mine.

[Big Phish]

Ha, it happens to the best of us.  It happened to me a month ago cause I didn't have the heart to cut my favorite rattle trap off the line.

[firefightn15]

Sounds like a Bill Dance moment. LOL  Welcome to BR!

[SoFl-native]

Great story.

[Tokyo Tony]

Nice story :-)

I had a similar thing happen to me, but I was alone. It was probably the same type of bank you were fishing - dirt, but mud when it's wet, steep and even, leading right to the water. I slid down on my butt, bass in one hand, rod in the other, right into the water. My shorts still have a faint mud stain, but they're my favorite fishing shorts. Of course, I didn't think it was funny at all, but if someone else saw it I definitely would have laughed hard.

[Fishing Cowgirl]

Ahhhh, you underwent a fisherman's baptism. By immersion.

So that's what it's called..

been there..did that..

At a public lakefront with people doing the walking exercise and riding bikes.

Was flipping grass from the shoreline, which was recently remodeled with concrete slopes. I felt a good hit..lowered the rod..tightened up the line..stepped forward to get a good hook set..and

>

> put my tennis shoe right on some slippery algae on that concrete!

I did the splits.. which I couldn't do on purpose ever..and slid the rest of the way..bump..bump..bump.. down each concrete bag into water up to my chest!

I still had my rod over my head reeling like crazy..

I don't know who was surprised more..

The fish for getting caught and or me coming down to the fish!

I had an elderly gentleman laughing so hard he nearly fell off his 3 wheeler saying " I looked like a female impersonation of Bill Dance!

I said I was the unofficail lakefront entertainment.

darn nice fish though!