HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID LEE!!!!!!!!

[SullyTM]

Today, is David Lee's 40th birthday 8) Everyone who knows David can attest to his knowledge of the water, keen eye and willingness to help others(not to mention his BBQ ability and foundness of a cold one :!: ) So, in honor of David's special day let's have some fun :twisted: I'll call it: DAVID LEE'S NATIONAL LAMPOON FISHING ADVENTURE :!:

I'll start off the story and everyone can add a comment or two or three to continue the story. By the end of the day we should have a rip-roarin adventure. Come on, it'll be fun :!: Here goes:

It was going to be another HOT Sacramento Summer day so David Lee decided to pack up his trusty 4 weight, a pack of smokes, 3 bottles of water and head out to one of his SECRET SPOTS...When he arrived at "the spot" he realized that........

[MSP]

he forgot me :shock:

Happy B-day David, hope your trip to the coast was all you were expecting! Those fingers still attached :?:

[Darian]

.... He forgot the Sardines and "Sluggo's" :!: :!:

OK David, I'm gonna sing for you now:

Happee Birthdaayy to youuuuuu,.... Happee Birthdaayy to youuuuu,...

(C'mon David, sing along with me....)

Happee BIRTHDayyy Dear Daaaavid,... Happee Birthdaaayyyy to Youuuuuu :!: :!: :!:

(Now, wasn't that funnnn :?: :?: :P :P :P :twisted: )

[Rob]

:lol: Happy Birhday you young puppy !!!!!!!!!! :lol:



Take care
-Rob

[Hairstacker]

. . . aw, well, he'll catch up with MSP next time. It was a bummer to forget the sardines and sluggos but he preferred nightcrawlers anyway and had at least remembered to cleverly conceal those at the bottom of his pack. Looking up, he noticed Hairstacker had already arrived and was at that very moment busily engaged with a nice smallie. The fish was easily over 5 lbs and David marvelled at Hairstacker's ability to retain control over the crazed beast. It was at that moment that he noticed the 3 co-eds laying on their beach towels at the head of the pool. He started to wave hello, but thought. . . .

[Adam Grace]

... that his wife would brutally beat him for flirting with bikini clad female sun bathers. Instead of waving, David continued to oogle the bronze babes for about thirty minutes until Adam ventured further down the river and introduced himself to the lovely ladies. David stopped staring after the girls left the sun and the sand to drive away with Adam in his Ferrari to his Mansion for a dip in his olypic sized swimming pool. Fun was had by ALL, every last one :twisted:

After that David and Hairstacker proceded to catch every sucker in the river until....

[SullyTM]

Bill Kiene came along with a 6-pack of Oregaboom and a 20 foot Spey Rod. While David fiddled with the rod Bill sipped a cold one and who should show up?...

[MSP]

the forgotten one MSP. Parched from wandering around the central valley for hours in the heat looking for the Secret Creek he greets Bill with a friendly hello and a sour frown thrown David's way he asks Bill for a refreshement. The two proceeded to finish off the Oregaboom and relaxed in the shade. David who diligently straightens out his equipment turns and asks if there were any refreshments left. When the answer comes back NO Davids's eyes start to tear up. Bill with his Kiene Eye notices this and screams at David (Crying, Crying, There's no Crying in Fishing). David, embarrassed wipes his eyes just before . . . . . . . . .

[David Lee]

.... he realises that this day just isn't working for him .
After all .... it IS his b-day #40 .... , right ??

SO - thru his ability to bend time and space , David transports himself to a small estuary that shall remain nameless.
http://members.sparedollar.com/fadoe/IM002231.JPG
He sees a large pod of Leopard Sharks feeding on small baitfish just after the tide starts rolling in . A few casts later .... BANG !!
http://members.sparedollar.com/fadoe/IM002230.JPG
The mid-sized Leopard thrashes the surface of the small inlet to a froth .
http://members.sparedollar.com/fadoe/IM002233.JPG
using a Sage RPLX 890-3 for the very first time , he gets the upper hand .
http://members.sparedollar.com/fadoe/IM002238.JPG
Third trip's the charm !! My first flyrod Shark is a done deal !!!
http://members.sparedollar.com/fadoe/IM002239.JPG

You guys are MAD :!: Thanks for the warm wishes , and thank you for being my friends - It matters more than you could ever know .

Nice Leopard , huh ?? 1/0 Chart/White Clouser swapfly , 8 wt. Masterey bug line , and a Teton 7LA w/ a Rod Harrison Knotted Dog leader - I had hells own time for 15 minutes gettin' that critter in :twisted:

David

[Hairstacker]

David, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Must say, a perfect cap to the story and the day, very, very well done!! I see you did it up just right too, what better way to commemorate this day and the start of a new decade than with a new BIG fish on the fly? And did you acquire a Sage RPLX 890-3 too? If so congratulations on both the rod AND the fish!! If it took YOU 15 minutes to bring him in, the battle HAD to be nothing short of EPIC. . . . 8) 8) 8) I know you've been hankering to net one of those things on the fly for some time now, good for you!! Very happy for you David. :D

[David Lee]

Hey 'Stacker !!

A bit of a dark start ....

We didn't get out there untill after 1:00 - blew the first half of the outgoing tide ... Then , made the spot ... and the clouds/fog came in (rough when you're SIGHT-FISHING :roll: ) . THEN - friggin' %$#$%$#@#$%^& Yellowjacket crawls UP my pant leg , nails me just short of my nevermind 3 times ....

I brought 2 lbs. of frozen Sardines for candida to use .... She got the big one today :!: BTW , I DID NOT 'smell-up' my fly , just found some active fish (insanely lucky , here) . There were between 10-20 of them in the (50 foot wide) inlet - I gotta tell ya , when I had that STRONG pull , I almost couldn't believe it !! The Leopard fought very hard , but the really difficult part was landing it - soft mud banks , dropping straight down to aboul 5 feet deep - I had no urge whatsoever to take a swim with a VERY pissed-off Shark of that size :idea:

As it was ..... it almost got me - After (FINALLY) landing it , I tried to get closer to Candida to get a better picture . Stepped into a soft spot .... and sank in the stinkey , sucking black mud nearly up to my waist .

Imagine being gonad-deep , stuck in ooze , with a angry , writhing Shark in both hands :o - Take a good , long look at my pants in the last photo .... Bad things happen , you know ?

Everything worked out , great day , and no new scars !!

David

[SullyTM]

Wow! And I thought SHARK WEEK on the Discovery Channel was cool! What'd that go? 4 feet? 25lbs? Nice way to spend your birthday! THom

[MSP]

Nice job David, took 40 years to get that brute but now you're complete, what's next? Looks like you had a pretty good B-day. But be careful, if you keep having B-days you're going to catch up with me :shock:

BTW: you smell kinda funny :?

[Adam Grace]

Nice catch David!

Catching a shark sounds like tons of fun.

Happy Birthday, I forgot to say that in my first reply to the story.

How does the top of the hill look? :shock: :lol:

[Darian]

Hey David,.... Great fish. Looks like you've been officially initiated into the estuary fly fishing fraternity..... 8) 8) Now, try to imagine that scene in December thru February:

You know...., windy, cold, wet, Frost on the shoreline..... :shock: 8) You're wading knee deep in an estuary that's "moving" with a combination of run-off and tidal flows.... Alert..., ready for anything. 8) Your cast lands perfectly near a blowdown on the edge of a deep hole and you begin a slow retrieve..... 8) 8) Suddenly, your line tightens on something shaking violently and then all hell breaks loose :shock: ; a brilliant silver Steelhead jumps and starts off for the ocean at full throttle with you in tow..... :shock: :shock: You decide to clamp down on this guy before he breaks thru to the surf and....., suddenly, both feet are deep into the muck and mire.... :x :x As you try your best to free yourself in the midst of all the chaos, the line suddenly goes limp.... :( :( Awwww S__T :!: :!:

You're hooked my man :!: :!: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Hairstacker]

David, sorry to hear you didn't pick up a minor flesh wound on, say, the forearm. A fly fishing shark scar would have been especially cool. :lol:

[PatrickM]

Don't know how I missed this thread yesterday, but happy birthday to you David - you old bastard! :twisted:

[JPY]

Wow. I don't know how many times I looked at your fishing adventure today. What a present on your birthday. You're the man.

Happy birthday.

John

[Tony Buzolich]

No wonder you landed it, you had your #8 RPLX.

Any chance that might be Bolinas Lagoon? (I had to ask)

What a memorable 40th :D
TONY

[SteelieD]

Sure looks like Bolinas. What a great catch! Happy B-day David. Very cool.

[David Lee]

Gentlemen (SAVAGES :twisted: ) -

Please see 'Leopard Shark 101 ' in the salt section - much more disscusion there on these fine Gamefish .

Thanks for the nice thoughts !!

David

[Wednesday Caster]

David,
Happy belated birtday. May your entire year be as happy as the day of your birthday celebration.
:D :D :D :D :D :D
Best,
Quinn