New Boat! First Trip!
by Ron Brooks
My new boat finally arrived. You can read about it in the second feature this week. More importantly, the first trip - the maiden voyage - took place.
Now, I'm not a spiffy clean person by habit. My wife will tell you that I need to clean up my act every now and then, but that's another story! I do, however, tend to keep my tackle and my boat in order, especially when any of it is new.
The first trip with a new engine usually consists of getting through the break-in period on the engine. You know the routine: idle for the first fifteen minutes, no more than 3000 RPM for the first hour, and no high speed running for the first three hours. It is a pain, but it has to be done if you want the engine to last (and at the price of engines these days, you definitely want them to last!).
My father would have been happy. The first fish was a mangrove snapper, probably his second favorite fish. It was sort of a ritual to find the first fish to be put in the boat. It needed to be a "good" fish, not a "trash" fish as he would call them. That good fish would set the tone for the life of the boat. I used to do the same thing with a new rod and reel.
Like any good angler in a boat, I made sure that the boat stayed clean. Extra rags insured that every drip of water got cleaned up, something that I never did on my old boat, and something that will cease after about ten trips in this one.
I was cleaning the boat after I returned, as if it really needed it, when my neighbor came over from his garage. Knowing exactly what was going on, he said, "Why don't you just let me put a couple of dings and scratches on it and get it over with?" Actually, his offer would have been a relief. I know of no scratches yet, and I will take special care not to get any scratches. Only after those scratches occur will I feel comfortable in the boat - something I desperately need to feel.
Have you purchased a new boat lately? Did you feel the same way? Tell us about it on our Reader Submission Page, or on our Saltwater Fishing Forum!
Tell us your fishing experiences and reports on the Saltwater Fishing Forum.
Comments? My Email.
Next Week: Weather Changes and Fishing Patterns
Warmer weather in the winter is doing some strange things to fishing
patterns. We catch fish in areas we never did before!
One Year Ago This Week: Sebastian
Inlet Snook
Snook season opened in Florida on September 1, and Sebastian Inlet is stacked
with fish (and boats!).
Two Years Ago This Week: Wire
Line for Grouper
The classic method for grouper fishing is bottom fishing. I have a better
way!
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