Deadmeat
Well-known member
Years ago I was fishing for bluefish on the jetty at St. Andrews Park in Panama City. The blues were running well and we had quite a long line of fishermen on the rocks from one end of the jetty to the other. When it became obvious to a small charter boat somewhat further out that closer to the jetty was better than where he was fishing the charter boat came closer inshore and began a parallel troll along the jetty no more than fifty feet off the rocks. Needless to say, as the charter boat approached, everyone had to reel in, wait until it passed, and then begin casting again. The boat continued to the end of the jetty amid shouts and obscene gestures of angry fishermen, turned around, and then began a return trip. The captain of the boat and all aboard seemed oblivious to how angry everyone was. More likely, he just didn't care.
One of the guys beside me, Eldon, was an old geezer from Maryville, Tennessee like me and although he was generally easy going, one thing he couldn't stand was blatent disrespect. Once Eldon saw the boat coming back he looked at me and said, "Watch this!". He then reached in his tackle box and tied on a huge Rattletrap to which X-Acto blades had been welded in the curves of the treble hooks. He waited until the boat had passed and then cast close to the transom and began reeling as fast as he could.
You just can't imagine how gratifying it was to see five or six previously straight lines from the back of the boat suddenly go limp as they were cut by the blades. And pissed!!!!!!!!! Oh, were they pissed!!!!!!! Despite threats from the captain to beach the boat and come over and whip Eldon, he turned the boat away from the jetty and left, never to be seen again.
For those of you who might have read a somewhat similar story I put in the Watering Hole, you might think I take inordinate delight in exacting revenge for breakdowns in common civility. Maybe so. Perhaps it's just my experience in law enforcement coming into play, but somehow it's just so very gratifying to see it happen occasionally and I make no apologies for it.
Ah, sweet revenge!
One of the guys beside me, Eldon, was an old geezer from Maryville, Tennessee like me and although he was generally easy going, one thing he couldn't stand was blatent disrespect. Once Eldon saw the boat coming back he looked at me and said, "Watch this!". He then reached in his tackle box and tied on a huge Rattletrap to which X-Acto blades had been welded in the curves of the treble hooks. He waited until the boat had passed and then cast close to the transom and began reeling as fast as he could.
You just can't imagine how gratifying it was to see five or six previously straight lines from the back of the boat suddenly go limp as they were cut by the blades. And pissed!!!!!!!!! Oh, were they pissed!!!!!!! Despite threats from the captain to beach the boat and come over and whip Eldon, he turned the boat away from the jetty and left, never to be seen again.
For those of you who might have read a somewhat similar story I put in the Watering Hole, you might think I take inordinate delight in exacting revenge for breakdowns in common civility. Maybe so. Perhaps it's just my experience in law enforcement coming into play, but somehow it's just so very gratifying to see it happen occasionally and I make no apologies for it.
Ah, sweet revenge!
