Year end buggin with the wingman

[Sherm]

I got a big zero last time I went buggin. I couldn't let the last entry on the 08 bug card be a zero so I set out last night to change that. I got to the water ahead of the wingman and paddled out to meet him later. I got to my spot and set hoops about twenty minutes before dark. I was hopeful that my bait was going to work. It was nasty enough. Damn near made me puke on the way out having to breath in that stench.

I broke out the fishing pole and caught some spotties and sand bass while I waited for the wingman to get there. I'm glad I paddled out when I did. I got the luxury of the outgoing to slack tide. Jim got to paddle against the current all the way out.

The wingman finally showed up and set his hoops. We shot the shit for a while and I went to my 1st pull. Nothing on the 1st two hoops. The 2nd two hoops gave me two legal bugs. I reset the hoops and lit up a good stoagie for the wait. Next pull had some shorts and two more legals. Finished the stoagie and pulled again. Two more legals. The card wasn't going to end on a zero afterall. I was looking forward to my first limit. We had time for one more pull and I thought for sure I was going to get it. The last pull were all shorts and one that was just a clicker. Bummer. No limit yet.

Jim's night did not go as well. However......he did nail down the Big Water's Edge Gulpman 08 tournament. Good job bud. Beat me by two species. What do I get for second place?

Started the paddle back to shore around 9:30 and made it back around 10:30.

Great final night of 08. Awesome conditions on the water, hanging out with the wingman, a good stoagie and some bugs for the grill tonight.

Happy New Year everyone.