The Dream.

[Walleye Express]

I suspect many of you from different areas of the country have the same problems we do here with opening day headaches. You know what I'm talking about. People who have not started their outboards since last summer, or have trailer or other maintenance problems they should have kept up with, that always manifest themselves right at the ramp while their launching. Or the guys who simply don't know boating or really care about ramp ediquate. You tolerate these things the best you can, but it detracts from your own enjoyable experience. I used to deal with this like everybody else did for the longest time, but the whole experience was not condusive to having a good time for me, so I removed myself from this poison atmosphere and go during the week after the opener. And this post is not meant to cause trouble of degrade anybody new to the whole fishing experience. So please do not take it that way.

But I had a weird and kinda funny dream about the opener, after a late supper and a #20 Vikaden for my ankle and shoulder pain that I would like to share.

Dreamed I was launching on the Tittabawassee River on opening day with a friend and his wife. As we were in route I was telling him about the rudeness, the wait, the four letter words and just the sheer hassle we would encounter on the river being it was opening day of walleye season.

Well when we arrived at the ramp (and as expected) there were cars and trailers lined up all the way through the parking lot out to the road. But for some reason everybody was smiling and waving me through and around them down to the ramp. When I positioned my truck and boat to back down the ramp, the guys who's boats were pulled up at the ramp and in the way quickly jumped in their boats and shoved off making room for me to back up. Then as I pulled out after launching, 2 trucks parked right in front pulled away giving me room to park my own truck and trailer right in the very first spot nearest the ramp. And in the dream I was still using my walking boot because of my ankle surgery and was actually helped by 2 strangers to get into my boat when I got to it.

As we pulled out of the ramp area I could see both up and down the river hundreds of boats everywhere. I decided that we should go way down river away from the crowds and fish the Freeland high banks area in one of my favorite deep holes. So we started down river at a slow trolling pace. And as we past the first boat the guy in it asked "Where ya headed Capt. Dan". "I'm headed down to the high banks I answered". "Why don't you jump up on plane, you'll get there a lot faster" he answered. I was shocked, but I did and like I usually do, I hugged close to the opposite bank of the river that people were not fishing to keep both my wake and my interuption to their fishing to a minimum. And as I passed them they were all smiling and waving at me instead of giving me the finger and shouting four letter words at me. It was unbelievable.

Now by this time and after that reaction, I should have realized this was a VERY BIG DREAM, but it went on. As we neared my favorite spot in the river, I could see many boats near it but nobody was actually fishing in it. So we positioned the boat and anchored. My very first cast was exactly where I wanted it and the THUMP that fallowed the tick (letting me know my jig had hit bottom) was awesome. What fallowed was walleye after walleye in the 8 to 10 pound range. All three of us were catching one after the other and laughing like little girls at a Barbie tea party. Then right in the middle of reaching too net yet another 10 pounder of my buddies I got this God Awful pain in the crotch area, that put me right on the floor of my boat. I then instantly woke up to find my 5 month old lab pup (who now weighs 65 pounds) had jumped up on the bed and right in the middle of my business. So the day did end in about the way I thought the whole trip might have after all, a big pain.

[Priority1]

I like your dream Dan except the rude awakening.

I seldom fish weekends any more, unless the weather is bad during the week.

Education is the key. You need to pass a test to drive a car or truck. What makes boating so different?? Some of these boaters and fishermen don't have a clue. The Power Squadron, and C.G. Aux. offer classes all the time. Fishing and boating mostly on the week days, doesn't mean that you will never encounter these uneducated so called sportsmen. Fishing the week days does limit the number of them.

Last Spring the AuGres River Mouth was blocked by fishermen anchored and cross trolling the channel. The Buoys were not in yet and these uneducated ?????? thought it was their God given right to do so. They would not give way to someone coming out or going in. A larger boat can't leave the channel. I was aboard a friends boat, and saw him tear up a $600 SS prop trying to avoid some ?????s planer boards. I will be as courteous as I can, but I'll run over lines before risking damage to my boat.