Have Hoochies, Will Fish

 If you've lived long enough you might remember an old TV western called Have Gun, Will Travel. It starred Richard Boone as a hired gun or bounty hunter. It's been so long ago since it's been on, that I can't really remember much about it, which doesn't really matter, because this post isn't about a western, it's about hoochies, one of my favorite subjects. The young lady pictured here is a Forest Service employee named Erin, who I am going to assume has been put in a position of authority for this year's Annual Kid's Fishing Derby. This year will mark thirty years. That's pretty incredible. Every year there is a saying that is printed on T-shirts that are passed out to the participants. I'm not sure what the saying and logo will be this year, but last year's slogan was Keep Calm and Fish On. I can actually relate to that. I've found myself on more occasions than I care to mention coming totally unglued, either because it seems like boats all around me are catching fish when I'm not, or some charter boat has decided to stop in front of me on the drag while I'm trolling and will dump his anchor to jig for halibut, or the wake from a whale watch boat has knocked me out of my chair on their way to  spot whales. Those aren't the only incidents that come to mind. I've snagged crab pots with my gear, lost cannon balls in the shallows when I got too close, had entire lines of expensive gear drop into the deep when a wire parted; I've lost fish and gear to sea lions and salmon sharks, and almost been run over in the fog by cruise ships who won't yield the right of way, I guess because they don't feel like they have to. Those are only the things that come to mind quickly. The fact is, a good attitude and a boat load of patience are often necessary when fishing.
  As you can see, there is quite a selection of delightful hoochies on display. The good folks at Silver Horde, a commercial fishing supply company generously donated four boxes of assorted hoochies for the derby this year. I can't think of anyone more qualified to receive them than Erin. If you look closely you'll see she has an octopus on her sweatshirt and she even managed to knit one into her hat. Of course hoochies are made to resemble squid or octopi, and they were work quite well when trolled behind a flasher. Just by casual observation I can see several packs of hoochies that I'd like to get my hands on to add to my already obscene supply. I'm not really sure what will happen to the packs that are left over at the end of the derby, maybe they'll go up for auction. Perhaps they will end up in the possession of a really talented person who can transform them into ear rings or children's mobiles. Maybe they could be glued to walking sticks or sewn onto hats like an Indian war bonnet; that would be cool. I have a light in my boat over the stove that has a pull string. In the past, when a hoochie was torn and no longer useful, I'd thread it on that string. Many of the hoochies I have glow in the dark, so when I turned off the light at night they glowed, kind of like a night light.  In years past various businesses have donated to the fishing derby, everything from food to rods and reels, tackle boxes, assorted gear and I believe even a bike or two. I'm starting to think that perhaps I should start my own fishing derby and ask for donations. I could always use a few more hoochies.

The 2019 T-shirt design brought to you by Erin, the Hoochie Lady