Random Ramblings 6/25/16.

FISH CATCHING TRAVEL

Boat Decal Home of the all time great Bang O Lure!

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After my post the other day Jason responded with a couple of stories on Lee Richter.

You ask about Lee Richter.  There will never be enough time in any of our lives to tell all of his stories or really about this mans life.  Everyone wanted him to write a book, I wish he would have.  My father and Lee(Mr Badwrench met a long time ago).  Lee owned his shop in POC and we needed help on a engine.  He was a regular at our ranch in Gonzales County and he was the only one allowed to shoot whatever he wanted.  I don’t know if that was my fathers decision or just Lee’s. 

Ill try to make this short but Lee was a pilot in WW2.  Flew 70 plus bombing missions with B-26’s in Africa and Italy.  I think he was like the second or third most.  After 25 missions I think you were allowed to go home but he stayed on.  If you ever went into Lee and Maries house it was amazing, Flying Cross and all kind of stuff(Marie was like another mother to everyone, I guess she deserves some of these medals putting up with Mr. badwrench).  Said he enjoyed bombing the Krauts or something like that, even though his family was German.    Said they would never let him fly a b-17 because they would be afraid of what he would do with it.  Told me he went to bomb the japs but they dropped the bomb and it was over.  Whatever that means. He limped back in and crash landed a few times and lost some of his crew but he was always ready to go again.   Basically Lee was one of the most decorated and alltime best American soldier that ever existed. In my mind at least.  

He opened a boat shop in Pasadena I guess in the 50’s  and said he drove boats for Fred Adair.  Did some type of work for NASA but I really don’t know if that was to0 much Chivas or the truth but with this man I don’t doubt anything.  Really I can fill pages of BS as he would call it, but this man was one of a kind.  

Working on his boat greenlighting at the jetties was something else as a high schooler.  My dad had a boat made exactly like Lee’s and we wore that thing out. Lee would get a new engine every yr from Mercury and he would give us his from that year.  Always perfect and never failed.  Usually a 225.    Put it this way, with a charter, when we would go to the jetties and someone was in Lee’s hole he would drive by and let u know he was there.    If u weren’t out of that hole on the second pass then by the third u were(lol).  All I will say about that.  Fishing was crazy.  April 17 was his date when the tiderunners would come in he would say.   Seemed to be correct.  Loved those trout.  April 17th

One story I will tell.  He said he was hired by I think Stihl but maybe not.  But a Chainsaw company to fly their customers to Alaska and back to Houston back in the 50’s for fishing trips.  One fall trip they had a bunch of Halibut. Before they left Lee asked if he could keep a chicken Halibut whole to take home.  So he did.  That evening he said he went down to around the floundering area around the jetties I think where there would be a bunch of people floundering.  He put that halibut which was about 30 lbs on a stringer and started walking around talking to everyone seeing how they were doing. They were killing them that night and he would say I only got this one(acting like he didn’t know what he had)showing that flounder(lol).  He told me that there was a article that week in the Houston Post about a world record Flounder being gigged in Galveston.  Who knows but I don’t doubt that at all.   One of a kind.   Mr Badwrench. 

Sounds like one hell of a guy.  Ever notice how folks who are one in a million are never single issue guys, they tend to do it all and it seems like he was that kind of guy.  These are the characters and stories that need to be preserved.   As our world continues to change these type of characters are becoming a thing of the past.  So thanks a lot for your story.  And the rest of you, there are tons of great stories out there that need to be told, if you have one let us know.  We would love to share it with everyone.

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The boys from Austin had a little slower trip than they have been having, but a good time was had by all.  They found trout in Espiritu Santo Bay over grass on soft plastics.  They had very few redfish with no keepers.  They did catch a couple of flounder with one making the box. Dennis had a fish on that spooled him which they never got a look at it.  The bite slowed after 10 a.m. and the evening bite was slow and they were tired.  So they settled for beer and BBQ.  They had their usual good time and I look forward to catching up with them on their next trip.

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And my experience the other day sure confirmed what they found, the get out early plan.  Fishing on the rise is not my favorite way to fish the bay, and we have been in a morning rise pattern for a while.  And speaking of tides, I just looked at the next 2 weeks and the high is consistently around noon with one tide everyday.  I need to do some reading on catching fish on the rising tide in hot weather, or maybe just go late and catch the falling tide like I like.  But as with all conditions, it is what it is and it is our job to figure it out.

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I read lots of the saltwater mags and rags and just could not help myself from commenting.  Having to write often, I have sympathy for writers, it can be tough to get your mind working.  But with that in mind I read an article the other day on retrieving soft plastics.  Tons of verbiage and anecdotes, it was long and windy.  Actually it comes down to this:  Sometimes they like it reeled straight, sometimes the like it jerked.  Sometimes they like it fast, sometimes they like it slow.  So there you go.  The real important issue with plastic retrieves is this:  Keep you head in the game, vary your retrieve, and then Do Not Forget How You Were Reeling!  when you caught one.  That is the really important point, what were you doing when you caught a fish?  Then cast and repeat.  It really is often no more complicated than that.

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Just like my last trip to the TPWD office on Navarro Street, I was really impressed with how nice the folks are there.  I had a paperwork issue and they helped me resolve it and went above and beyond to help me out.  TPWD is a great organization and it is nice to find employees like that.

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I got this comment on  the big black drum I caught the other day.

50# black drum on 8# line!! SAWEET!! That must be some sort of record. And I was wondering how you got the pictures, lol. How exciting for you and us to read about. Felt like I was there. Good job.

Jim

Thanks.  I have to admit that it really was a good job.  I did not mess it up, which as any fisherman knows it could have come unglued at any moment.  I really was impressed with the Stren Fluorocast.  I decided to try it because of the casting distance I am trying to get with the 1/32oz. jig heads.  It held up great.  And as far as 50lbs, trust me it was all of that and even more.  It really was a freak.

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And before I sign off we finally committed to Australia.  It is real now.  The Boss checked ticket prices and happened to hit a sale and saved a ton, we bought them on the spot.  The date is the last week of March and the first week of April, 2017.  I am communicating with an offshore captain for a 3 day 2 night live aboard trip on the Great Barrier Reef.  It will be both offshore and reef fishing.  It looks like it will be yellowfin tuna time, which is perfect as it is one of my bucket list fish.   Talk about excited, I won’t be able to sleep for a month.  It promises to be the trip of a lifetime.

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That is about the size of it today.  My big plan is to clean the tackle room and organize stuff even more.  Tomorrow I will  be on the water somewhere, unless I head out to fish somewhere else Tuesday.  Either way, keep stopping in and thanks for reading my stuff.

Good Luck and Tight Lines

About Redfishlaw

I am a retired attorney who just loves to fish. I was a freshwater guide for about 20 years and now have moved to the salt. I am not the greatest fisherman, but I am committed. So if you love fishing, and want to learn what little I have to offer, stop by anytime.
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