MAY 5, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A11
Fishing? How bad can luck get?
by G.I. Wilson
We have all heard the old
wag, “If it wasn’t for bad luck,
I’d have no luck at all.” Well,
this winter steelhead season I
gave a whole new meaning to
bad luck. I brought bad luck
to the pinnacle, the Rodney
Dangerfi eld of bad luck.
Each winter I join a small
rag-tag group of plunkers to
fi sh for steelhead. Basically,
the same group gets together
on the river bank to plunk.
What is plunking?
As one of my weird fi sh-
ing buddies put it, “It’s not
rocket psychiatry.” We cast
out bait/lures, anchored to
a heavy sinker, place the rod
in a holder, attach a bell to
the rod, and wait for an un-
suspecting steelhead to swim
past.
We sit back in lawn chairs,
on fi ve gallon buckets or
coolers, and shoot the breeze,
maybe even build a fi re. It be-
comes a social affair.
Now, I’ll admit, some of
these guys seem to have bet-
ter bait, pick better spots,
choose better color combina-
tions, or just have better luck.
But, basically, we are all doing
the same thing.
A common practice in
fi shing for steelhead or salm-
on, is “handing off the rod.”
The daily bag limit is two fi sh.
A person lands a fi sh and tags
it. He may have driven a long
way and doesn’t want to quit
fi shing.
Hooks another fi sh, can le-
gally hand off the rod and let
that person land and tag the
fi sh. It seems to work well. He
continues to fi sh.
Same thing happens boat
fi shing. It is amazing how one
OFF,
continued from Page 10
The Titans added three runs
in the sixth and four more in
the seventh.
Danner helped herself out
at the plate in the bottom of
the fi fth, knocking in Emma
Kinler with a RBI double to
tie the game 5-5 in the bottom
of the fi fth but the Lady Celts
couldn’t get anything going of-
fensively in the sixth or seventh.
Witt led McNary at the
plate, going 2-for-2 with two
walks and two runs scored. Eb-
ner and Carr each also had two
hits in the loss, which was just
the Lady Celts second in league
play.
“It’s a tough one tonight but
we’ll eat it,” Wise said.
McNary outscored North
Salem 36-0 in a double header
on Friday, April 28, winning the
fi rst game 14-0 in fi ve innings
rod may be “the hot rod.” It
can happen in a boat with a
guide where the guide baits
up all hooks the same way, yet
one rod hooks most of the
fi sh.
Back to the 2016-17 sea-
son. I am clumsy and have
poor balance. I’m fortunate
to have a strong, young friend
to take care of me on plunk-
ing trips. He is a good fi sher-
man. If there is a current “hot
spot” on the river, he’s there,
catches his share of steelhead.
He lands a fi sh. “Next one
is yours,” he assures me. Now
my odds double. I’m fi shing
two rods. He hooks #2, calls
for me, I risk a mud bath lum-
bering through ankle-deep
mud to land a big fi sh. It’s a
wild fi sh, has to be released.
This happens 2-3 times
over the winter. Meanwhile,
steelhead continue to swim
past my offering, and guys on
both sides of me hook them.
Then comes the “coup de
grace.” It has been a slow day.
Four of us settle into a com-
fortable area we like. We are
basically the appropriate 15-
20 feet apart-waiting, sharing
stories. Doug, sitting down
river from me, has fi rst shot
at fi sh heading upriver. Don
is above me, and Mike above
him.
Doug lands a nice hatch-
ery fi sh.
“Get ready, you’re next,
now you’re fi shing two rods,”
he adds.
Mike hooks up and lands
a twin to Doug’s fi sh. “Ok.
G.I, now you’re fi shing three
rods.”
Don hooks up and lands
another. “Now you’re fi shing
four,” he offers, followed by a
hearty round of laughter.
Two hours pass, and not
a nibble. I begin to question
it all. Can my luck get any
worse?
I begin to think about my
situation. Pressure is mount-
ing. I need to hook and land
a fi sh. Is it becoming an ego
thing? I have always had
pride in my ability to catch
fi sh. I usually manage to catch
my share of steelhead. Never
had a season like this. Not a
fi sh on my tag.
It’s not like I don’t know
what I’m doing. I have even
had a couple of plunking ar-
ticles published. Of course, I
may have casually mentioned,
a time or two, that I have won
the big steelhead derby of my
fi shing club, four of the last
fi ve years.
Am I losing sight of “fi sh-
ing is supposed to be fun?” I
have tried everything.
I even resort to our old
“Snickers Bar” luck theory.
On a slow day, no fi sh, break
out the old Snickers bar, hook
a fi sh. It has worked for us on
trips from the Columbia to
a lodge in British Columbia.
Hell, I gained 10 pounds on
Snickers over the season, and
no fi sh.
“Let’s go at 5 a.m. to secure
a good spot,” Doug suggests.
“How about 4:30?” I re-
spond.
We get there an hour be-
fore fi shing light.
April 30, most plunkers
have given up, only three of
us on the river. I have given
in and joined Doug in an area
ankle-deep in mud. But, our
bait will be the fi rst that fi sh
see as they head upriver.
Suddenly, my bell fl ies
through the air, rod slams
down, as a powerful fi sh rips
off line, headed downriver.
My heart is pounding. “Please
fi sh Gods, let it be a hatchery
fi sh.”
An epic battle ensues that
could have been entertain-
ing to watch. Doug needs me
to ease down a small muddy
slope so he can net the fi sh.
But, he’s afraid I could slip
into the river.
Scotty, has joined us, and
comes up with a plan. He
takes a fi rm grip on me from
behind, and holds on until
the 10 pound hatchery fi sh is
landed.
I sit down in my lawn chair,
catch my breath. First thing
comes to mind, I remember
what an old fi shing buddy
once said, after he had landed
his fi rst fi sh in multiple trips;
“By gum, even an old blind
sow will fi nd an acorn now
and then.”
Relief, pressure off, I have
fi nally found my acorn.
and then the second 22-0 in
four innings.
Witt was 6-for-7 with fi ve
runs and three RBIs between
the two games. Carr was 5-for-
7 with seven RBIs and four
runs. Ebner added four hits, six
runs and four RBIs.
Danner pitched eight shut-
out innings, allowing just one
hit while striking out eight.
Carr got the fi nal three outs of
the second game to complete
the series shutout.
“These guys played really
well on Friday,” Wise said. “The
defense was there. Faith did a
really good job pitching. We hit
the ball well. It was just good
solid wins. Everybody did a
great job. Friday was fun.”
McNary needed 11 innings
to sweep the series with South
Salem as the Lady Celts won
5-4 on Wednesday, April 26.
McNary tied the game 3-3
in the bottom of the fi fth as Eb-
ner doubled to score Witt. But
neither team was able to score
in the sixth or seventh, sending
the game into extra innings.
Even beginning the eighth
and ninth innings with a run-
ner at second base, neither team
was able to cash in and the
game remained tied 3-3 head-
ing to the 10th. South Salem
scored in the top of the inning
but the Lady Celts were able to
answer as Ebner doubled on a
line drive to left fi eld, scoring
Kendyl Jennings.
Duran then scored the win-
ning run in the bottom of the
11th when Bingenheimer put
the ball in play and South Sa-
lem made an error at fi rst base.
Danner pitched all 11 in-
nings to earn the win.
“In my coaching career, 15-
16 years, I don’t ever remember
going 11 innings,” Wise said.
LESTER,
continued from Page 10
Lester’s volunteer work in-
cludes the OSAA foundation,
which provides athletes in
need with clothes, shoes and
equipment.
The foundation gets lists
from different schools, goes
shopping at DICK’S Sport-
ing Goods and then boxes the
items up at the OSAA offi ce
in Wilsonville.
“That’s one of my favorite
things to do because then I
feel like I can help athletes all
over Oregon,” said Lester, who
also volunteers at different
championship events—foot-
ball, volleyball, wrestling and
track and fi eld.
Her main job is social me-
dia.
“I love sports and I just love
helping out,” Lester said.
“There’s a lot of amazing
super talented athletes that
will be at that event,” Lester
said.
“Never in a million years
would I of thought that I
could be there. Even if I don’t
win, I still can’t thank them
enough for this opportunity.
I can’t thank my coaches and
OSAA for giving me the op-
portunity to help people. Even
if I don’t win, the scholarship
is going to someone who
helped people, too, so I can’t
be upset about that.”
Lester wants to be a nurse
and would be the fi rst in her
family to go to college.
crossword
2,899
Installed
$
MITSUBISHI GL – 12,000 BTU
NOW THROUGH MAY 31, 2017
Additional charge for
over 15 feet.
Customer supplies electrical.
Cool Deals
Hot Offers
MAJESTIC ECHELON II ASK ABOUT ALSO QUALIFYING FOR
$
DIRECT VENT GAS UP TO 550
FIREPLACE OREGON TAX CREDIT
HEARTH & HOME LLC
As an Energy Trust of Oregon trade ally, we can
help you access cash incentives to make it easier
to improve your home’s energy effi ciency.
ASK ABOUT LAUNDRY PRO
3800 River Rd N #180 Keizer -
503.378.1125 - CCB #200318
®
WITH CERTIFIED SPACE TECH