weird catches?

[Aluma165]

On a shakedown cruise in what was then our new boat (Oct 2005) we went to C.J. Strike. After backing in with the lights connected we blew out the left tail light. My son, grandson and I drove around the lake a couple of times and since we had rods with us we decided to troll a bit. We threw rapalas out. In just a few minutes, my 6 y.o. grandson got bored holding his new Zebco spincast rig. He set his rod down and headed up front. We had no rod holders and I warned him about leaving his pole unattended against the back of the boat. Suddenly the rod arched up out of the boat from a hard strike. I yelled out as it launched what seemed like 15 feet in the air, then straight down and rapidly disappeared under water. Grandson turned very pale and I thought he would cry when I said "I told you so"... As we watched helplessly behind the boat for several minutes suddenly his rod butt popped up. (cork handle) I told my son to come around and I'd grab it. He came by and as I leaned out close to the water the rod disappeared deep down and out of sight once again. This time grandson was crying. I figured the rod was gone for sure but it suddenly popped up again so my son brought the boat around and I reached out and grabbed the rod butt. The fish was still on and I yelled as much. My son got excited and turned around quickly, catching the throttle lever with his right elbow. The boat lurched forward and I went head first over the side. Luckily, I hooked my foot on the seat as I fell and was hanging half in and half out. My son grabbed the back of my pants and pulled me in. I handed the rod to grandson who was really freaked out by this time. Amazingly, the fish was still on and my grandson struggled with tears and fears, but in the end he reeled in a nice 19" rainbow... one of four we landed in an hour of fishing. We got gradually better at our humble marine skills but what a crazy shakedown cruise it was!
Made for a great family story.
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