Sometimes you can not win....

[Captmikestarrett]

I had a charter set up with two gents to fish the outflow of the Morgantown power plant on the Potomac. I showed up at 4:30 am to launch and prep the boat. They were supposed to meet me at 5:30 am. They had parked down by the water and fell asleep. I was not aware of this and launched the boat and pulled it around into the docks of Aqualand. Then parked my car and started to prep for the day.
After about 5:45 I started to look around to see if they had arrived yet. I noticed a MTA cop with his lights on, in the far corner of the lot behind a car that was halfway in the water. You guessed it, my charter for the day.
I walked over and explained the whole story to the officer and since they had not been drinking he turned off his lights and left. I unhooked my trailer and towed them out of the water and sand. Wave after wave splashed over the front bumper and they did not notice it while sleeping. Talk about asleep..The car was ok and it still ran fine.
We went out to the outflow and proceeded to whale on some stripers. (This was a long time ago too). About 10:am a MD State Marine police pulled up and said "You are all under arrest" "please pull your boat to the docks" I asked why? He said we where fishing for stripers in a closed season. I said he was mistaken. He was not about to change his mind, till I pulled out paperwork showing the PRFC regs and rules. He grunted and made a cell call. Forty minutes later he gets off the phone and says he has to inspect my boat. He makes us pull out every thing from each locker. He writes me ticket for an expired flare. 80 bucks... Finally he leaves and we continue fishing at 12 noon. Two hours he had us there. Mind you I was nice and called him sir and never made a discouraging remark aloud.. But let me tell you, inside I was pissed.
Later that day around 2 pm the old man looses a rod while casting and then kicks a tackle box overboard.
I announced the day was over and they wanted to eat crabs. Off to Capt Billy's we go and order three “all you can eat crabs.”
After two and half hours of eating crabs the bill comes and they do not have there wallet on them. I have to pay for all of them. I run it on my debit card. It costs me an additional 35 for the overcharge I find out later in the week.
Back at the car they write two checks to cover the crabs and the trip. No tip... not even for the crabs I had paid for. Both checks bounced BTW.
Three weeks later I got all my money back including the bounce charges and the overcharge. But no tip.
They come to the shows and ask if I still do those great trips to the Morgantown Power Plant and I reply NO Sorry fellows no fish there any more.

Capt Mike