During many years of running a charter boat, I always contended that women held the edge over men when it came to catching sturgeon. The reason, in my opinion, is that the majority of women do not try to project that macho I-know-it-all attitude. They listen to instructions and concentrate on what they are there to do fish.

    This past weekend I was the uninvited guest on the charter boat Salty Dog, skippered by Loyal Holmes. The morning started out nasty, with light rain, a cutting wind, fog and grumbling by a crew of fishermen that planned on getting a suntan. Well, it remained that way until the sun came out and the fish started to bite. It was a mixed crew of men and women all anxious to take home a keeper sturgeon as the season was winding down.

    While her husband Norm wandered around the boat acting like a social butterfly, Betty kept a vigilant watch on her rod, waiting for the slightest indication of a hungry fish. Then it happened. Bam! Off went the rod and the action was on. The fish rolled once and we knew it was a bigun by the size of its tail. As Betty struggled to fight the fish with all of her might, her husband, who had been ignoring her all morning, tried to move in on the action and give her a hand with rod. Betty nudged him away and said, I can handle it, big boy. That she did, fighting that fish from start to finish and landing a 53-inch hog in a strong current.

    Another example of womens tenacity are the fishing exploits of Kelly Morgan, who stands all of 5-foot, 2-inches in stiletto heels, but is not lacking in grit. In the course of two hours, she solely fought and brought to the boat two fish of 57 inches and 56 inches, plus two shakers a total of about 18 feet of combined sturgeon length and had to go home empty handed.

    Bobbie hooked a 52-inch hog and landed it with a little help from her big friend. Grandma Debbie caught a keeper and Di-zzy fought her heart out. There were men there but they were an insignificant part of the trip, catching two of the smallest fish on the boat.

Charter boat captain embarrasses male gender

    Two days later, the same boat, with mostly the same crew, was awed when a short-term charter boat captain by the name of Slippery Dick Gonder, while showing off his casting proficiency, threw rod, reel, hook, line and sinker into the river on the first cast of the morning.

    Ron Malast cannot be reached this week for fear of reprisal.