Miracle - Lake Ponchartrain By The Trestles

[East Coast Raised]

was fishing with my personal friend LeGrande in his 16ft Boston Whaler by the train trestle near the 174 mile marker. It was about 2:15 on Saturday Nov 20th. the tide was still going out and we where anchored about 25 yards from the track tossing our live shrimp toward the trestles, when I decided to move my other bait rigged to float about 2-3 ft off the bottom, when i noticed the rod I had just put down was getting tapped and then all of a sudden was jerked out of the boat. I leaped over the edge attempting to grab it before it plunged out of reach when my friend grabbed me keeping me from going overboard and i was too. In that split second my hand reaching under the water and missing the rod by less than inch. I realized I was going to lose my new G Loomis NRX rod and Shimano Calais 201 DC reel which had cost me over a grand. At first I was thankful for my friend from keeping me from going into the drink, but the more I thought about it realizing how close I was to catching my rod before it sank out of sight into the lake, the more upset I felt. That reel and rod was the greatest combo I had ever fished with, in terms of quality and performance they are unequaled in my eyes. You don't always get what you pay for but in this case I believed I did, that rod and reel are that good together. I started to reel my other rod in to check my bait while considering the possibility of rigging it to scrape the bottom in hopes of snagging my rod. the tide was still going out at a good pace and my efforts were futile. I was giving up and rerigging carolina style for fishing again, when my buddy called another friend of ours a charter boat Capt. Kenny Krieger whom we had talked with thru out the day. We had been using Kenny as a charter for years because he is the best there is, LeGrande and I trust Kenny day in and day out to find the fish and put us in the best possible position to catch whatever type of fish we want. His fee is a bargain considering his talent for finding and catching fish and how he caters to his customers needs. It seemed as I learned a little later that Kenny had told LeGrand that he would come to where we were to snag and return my new rod and reel now lost somewhere at the bottom of lake Ponchartrain. When my friend mentioned to me that Kenny was coming to find my rod and return it I was skeptical to say the least. Maybe a half any hour later Kenny pulled up along side, asked me the where when and how I had lost my rod, I told him a fish had pulled it overboard and pointed to where it went down, he then positioned his boat precisely and anchored, then rigged his rod and began casting. Minutes later he shouts I have it - I have it, asking his passengers to help by grabbing the rod when he brings it up. I am staring in disbelief as he slowly reels his rod in. Suddenly someone on his boat reaches overboard and my god, it's my rod and reel. The person then remarks wait, let me see - what was so special that cost about $1,200 dollars. and begins reeling it in. My friend yells out finder keepers right Kenny, and Kenny answers not in this case I'm just here helping a friend but if there's a fish still hooked it's mine (laughing). The person with my now found again rod and reel says wait a minute there's a fish still on it and reels in a 12' channel mullet. I still couldn't believe my eyes as Kenny maneuvers his boat and she hands me my rod with the fish still hooked in the water. Kenny looks at me smiles and starts leaving, I guess I was still in shock because I almost even forgot to say thank you, I said it again this time loud enough for everyone to hear and he was gone. I starred in amazement that I now had my rod and reel back while I unhooked the fish and released it, thinking to my self how could this little fish have pulled my rod out of the boat when it dawned on me it's a small miracle! Thank you Kenny Krieger you just made my day. (True story)