An old lyric seems apropos here, "Sunday morning, coming down."
After what looked like a really good year building, based on good August results, we ended up with just a decent year, thanks to very poor September results.
I don't know why the pool went dead after a Tyee on the first, another on the second and one more on the sixth, but nothing was registered during the last nine days of the season.
Factor in a sad loss in my life and add the fact that I'm not one for rowing over what is obviously unproductive water leads to the indisputable fact that I owe several people an apology for not rowing them on evenings we had scheduled to go out.
I have a list and will ensure that each of them will get out with me next year, which may not be as exciting a prospect as one may think, given my abject failure to produce anything this year, but I need to atone and I will.
Carrying on, I was pleased to see that my prediction at the beginning of this season was fairly accurate with a few examples that really helped my case.
On July the 4th. this year, I wrote this:
"Praying for good returns with some size.
There has been decent pasture in the North Pacific the past few years but there is a large El Nino starting up now and that usually means poor pasture looking forward.
Hoping some fatter fish show and that Hydro doesn't spill water at night again.
That screwed us last year methinks."
Note the term "fatter fish" and think about most of the Tyee registered this year.
This fish, despite the Weighmaster trying to downsize it, (note weight on board) actually weighed 36 1/2 pounds and when Gerald put it on the cleaning table I checked its length, as it looked short to me, and discovered it was but 39 inches long.
Normally, a 39 or 40 inch Chinook is either close to being a Tyee or is just heavy enough to be declared a Tyee, and rarely do they weigh 36 pounds. A short but healthy and well-fed fish. Ocean conditions have been good the past three years, more or less, and that showed true this year.
Note also this photo, where it looks like Tim, the rodman, is related to the Tyee he boated, given they have the same body shape. Ha ha ha. Sick sense of humor here.
For some reason that has escaped me, after one good hook-up with what may have been a Tyee and one strike that instantly broke off, I wasn't able to induce any semblance of a strike thereafter.
I tried all my old tricks, used old wooden plugs, rowed newbies, rowed tried and true rodmen, changed my name, and even sank so low I actually asked another rower how many "pulls" he was using, something no self-respecting rower would ever do.
His answer was of no help to me as he uses mostly spoons and I use mostly plugs and the two are not the same.
I even took advice from strangers on the Internet.
Anyway, despite my failures, others had good success with Mike Stutzel showing us how it's done by rowing four Tyee this year.
Darla (Twinkletoes) Hunt boated two Tyee this year, one of which led to this impromptu joyful jig, a moment of which I managed to capture.
And a couple of other notable things happened, insofar as Paul Curtis rowed himself a nice Tyee, a first for him I think. As well, Randy Killoran showed he hasn't lost anything despite not being as heavily involved as he was in years past, rowing himself to a nice little Tyee, something I don't think he had done before. He's rowed many Tyee for others over his career, and really knows his stuff.
The largest Tyee this year was rowed by Steve Spiers and boated by Rick Tillapaugh, thereby making Rick both a new member of the Tyee Club, but also Tyee Man for this season. A big old WELL DONE and a tip of my hat to them for this feat.
Finally, this past Friday brought an end to the 99th. season here in the Tyee Pool and a bit of a crowd gathered at the clubhouse as the last diehard rowers slowly motored home. In truth I was disappointed somewhat by the lack of decorated boats this year, given the significance of it and all, but my crew and I tried to brighten things up with colorful costumes and such.
Normally I decorate my boat on the last day of the season with a blonde and a brunette, but this year they were both captured by the Barbie movie phenomenon so decided to dress as Barbies. Their initial attempt to have me assume the role of Ken failed when I pointed out that Ken is a young and handsome fellow, and I am pretty sure I'm not nor would donning a blonde wig change that.
I opted to dress up as a Nerd with Money, given I had not one, but two Barbies in my boat.
While it doesn't show in the photo as my sunglasses hide it, I even detailed my costume with a Band-Aid in use as a simulated repair of the bridge of my glasses.
Anyway, it seemed we were the only ones in costume at the clubhouse, which I was saddened somewhat to see.
For those who may have encountered a floating pink feather or two, now you know where they came from.
And so ends this year's version of Tales From The Tyee Pool.
I've tried to include things that appeal to anglers, so we have a lost fish story, dancing girls, fat healthy fish being caught, tales of woe, costumed ladies and the second most painful happening of the season, crushed testicles when launching my rowboat.
I'm almost afraid to go take it out of the water now.
Take care.