I have had many surreal moments fishing as a little kid. What I am about to tell you occurred 39 years ago. I remember this moment in time as if it just occurred. That is one of the beautiful things about fishing. Let me set the stage for you.
Late September, 1974. My family went back to our summer cottage to get things ready for winter. My friend Anthony came with us. Because we had a full tank of gas, we decided to empty the gas tank for the winter by going fishing. So, we loaded up my 12 foot long, fiberglass, Sears Gamefisher with our fishing poles and some bait. I think it was sand worms, but I just cannot remember.
Amazingly, my outboard motor started. That was a rare thing. We began our fishing trip from Point Beach in Milford, Connecticut and we drove across the bay and around to the west side of Point Lookout. That location is approximately 1/4 mile down the shoreline from Gulf Beach. I posted about Gulf Beach previously. Unlike the sands of Gulf Beach, the bottom around Point Lookout, is very rocky.
We anchored approximately 50 yards from the shore. We got our bait on the hooks and down to the bottom they went. After approximately 2 hours of fishing without a single hit, I decided to pack things in. We had already exhausted most of our gas and the sun was on the wane. I pulled my line up and got everything secured in the boat. Anthony continued to fish. He had more patience than me. Finally, he decided to call it a day.
As Anthony cranked his line up, it was as if everything went into slow motion, us too. When we could see his line, approximately 12 inches from the surface, the largest flounder I have ever seen, doormat sized, went at his bait. We were in slow motion and really did not know what to do. Anyway, the fish saw us when he reached the surface and said to himself, “Not Today.”. He flipped and swam back to the bottom.
It took hours of nothing for that wonderful moment to occur. It seems like nothing, but it meant alot to us both. 39 years later, sticking to my story, 100%.
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