| Fishaholic247 |
11-30-2014 03:34 PM |
Shot at on Big Lake
I'm sorry this is long but worth the read. It has taken me a while to be able to post this publicly because it has affected me more than I realized. Two years ago on August 11, 2012, I went on an afternoon/night fish on Big Lake. I have a friend that works offshore and his teenage son loves to fish so I called him and set up the trip because Dad was working. Getting my boat ready I had this weird feeling like I didn't want to go so I sent a text and said that I would reschedule our trip. About 30 minutes later I couldn't resist and went out by myself. I launched at Hebert's with some daylight left fished the pocket till dark and headed toward the launch hoping to find a few camp lights on with no one fishing off the docks. I found just that, two camps north of the launch with light on and the docks looked like a ghost town. I am always considerate of any dock fishing and move on. This is a shallow area and it was already a falling tide so I trolled in and anchored because of the wind. I heard a bullet pass by my head and at first thought it may have been kids and a bottle rocket but it wasn't. This was coming from a dock that I couldn't cast to if I wanted to. The second bullet passed by my head and I went into panic status. While turning around to see who/what was going on I saw two bullets enter the water about 2 feet from my starboard gunwale. I immediately pulled anchor and another shot passed close enough to my head to make me loose balance and fall over the bow. I am barefoot most of the time in my boat and when I hit the bottom I kicked off to get back in the boat (oyster reef). I never realized I sliced up my feet with the adrenaline. I gunned my boat in the shallows scraping the prop and the hull on the reef. Once I got out of the light into the darkness I started to think that if I didn't find out who this was I would never get my boat fixed. So...I gunned it straight at the dock (can't explain this action!).....when I arrived he was waiting for me at the edge telling me that I am going to drown tonight. He swung at me a few times to no avail and I slung my dock rope on a cleat and jumped up on the dock. He ran into a doorway on the dock and I told myself I may have just made my last mistake so I ran to the door and waited outside. He came out unarmed and I dropped him and hit him two more times to make sure he was out. I jumped in my boat and gunned it for the launch hoping he was alone. On the way to the launch I look down and my boat floor is covered in blood and I think "Oh God ..he got me"... Then I remembered my feet getting cut up. I made it back to the launch and called 911 and loaded up my boat and wouldn't you know the drunk guy showed up at the launch with a pistol in hand just as Cameron Parish was pulling into the launch. He was charged with DWI and Felony assault with a firearm. I got my boat damage paid for but I am more thankful that I did not take that young man fishing with me that night because he would have hit one of us. Fishing for me is a retreat and a total relaxation from everyday life and he almost took that from me. I have just now started to enjoy fishing again with a reclaimed passion. Needless to say I am packing every time my boat leaves the launch. Next person that shoots at me will be leaking! Sorry for the long post but I needed to share with my fellow fishermen and get it off my chest. Thanks.
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