never meant to fish

that kind of day

You see, I did get up and left early for the river. the 'bee.

The boat slid down the rails and I shoved off.
Well, you know that feeling that you can get when you remember something from last night.
I'd been meaning to check the safety kit on the boat. Floating rope, whistle, water-proof flashlight etc.

I was only 2 minutes from the dock, I stopped and checked.
There had been a mini-flood about a month ago, when the bait well over-flowed. The lower seat compartment was wet. 
Ah, the flashlight is water-proof, water poured out of the kit and the flashlight was rusted. Not water-proof enough, it seems.

The penalty for improper safety equipment is a fine of $ 150. I shrugged and headed for the dock and tied up. I went up the stairs, all 60 of them and fetched a spare flashlight ( and bulbs, I'm not that naive ).
I'm sitting in the boat at the dock, fixing the safety kit. I look up and a boat coming downriver hails a fisherman 600 ft away - yepper it was the OPP ( provincial water police ). The OPP stopped another boat. the officers saw me and waved, I waved right back.

Of course, had I stayed out the OPP officers would have found my rusted out flashlight and wrote the ticket. Luck, pure dumb luck
a) that I checked b) that I went back.

BTW, I forgot my hat, yep, up the 60 stairs again.

The wind was steady and I fought to control the boat. No fish. Thinking of heading in, I cast out and heard a whir sound. This sound is soul destroying, you see its a ball of fishing line firing out through the guides of the rod. A birds-nest in fishing terms.

I have other rods set up no problem, lets fish a bit closer to home.

Beeeeeeeeeeeee...pppppppp ! Beeeeeeeeeeeeeee... pppp ! Its the low engine oil light. Roughly I could travel another 2 - 3 miles but then the engine goes into protect mode which means limping home.
Yes, its happened before.
But I always had oil and the shelf, not to-day.
A short trip back and no oil on the shelf.

See. Never meant to go fishing.

Never fight the omens. I charged the battery, ate and left.