# 8-3-2013: A Day I Will Never Forget!



## HappyHourHero (Jan 31, 2012)

So if you have followed any of my posts, I am pretty obsessed with fishing for sharks and go at least twice a week. My main fishing partner has been my Girlfriend who isn't too terribly interested in fishing but she knows it makes me happy so she comes with me and catches sand fleas and bait and helps however she can. She is amazing in every way possible and I decided if there has ever been someone I want to marry, it would be her. What follows is the tale of me proposing,, laced with some surf fishing.

So I am not a do things in front of a big crowd kind of guy and being originally from Colorado, I am absolutely in love with the beach so I thought I would propose to her some way on the beach. She knows that 9.5 times out of 10 if we are at the beach, I am going to be fishing so I had to continue this trend or she would know something is up. I wrote a poem and put it in a bottle and she was going to find this message in a bottle and I was going to propose after she read it. Seems easy enough right?

We agreed earlier in the week that we would go Friday after work and get up at 4:00 Sat and come back out since I usually do well in the am. I was going to propose around sunset. We pull up Friday at Johnson's and I walk out to the dunes and see the water looks horrible and there is grass everywhere. Much to my dismay, I did not think the surf would be fishable. We went to the sound side and I threw my cast net to try and get mullet so I could shark fish in the sound. I got some bait and then we drove to a different spot on the gulf side and the grass wasnt that bad so we decided to try it. Got set up and it was almost dark, there was a dead fish nearby that stunk real bad and some people walked down and set up right next to me. Decided it did not feel right so I bagged the idea of proposing that night. Caught a lady fish, paddled half out, had a couple short runs then nothing. During this she walked over to my tackle bag and started to rummage through it and I freaked out because thats where the bottle was hidden! I pulled her away from it and had to seem like the guy that was overprotective of his fishing gear.did a bait check and it was gone, Sent out the other half. Got some more hits and reeled it back in and it was bitten off right where the hook was. Packed it in for the night.

Got up at 4 on Sat and headed out. Went to the same spot and she likes to stay in the car while I set up so this gave me a great opportunity to plant the bottle and be ready. I got rods set up and bottle planted so it looked like it just washed up. Planned on her seeing it while she caught fleas. It started to get light and i sent her in the direction of the bottle which was about 10 yards from our camp. I was so nervous! I started throwing a spoon just so I wouldnt be staring at the bottle. Ended up catching 3 bluefish on three casts. At least I had bait. She was looking to fleas near the bottle and literally walked right past it 4 times and did not see it! It was bright blue and a good 4 inches was sticking out of the sand. She sat down and was done looking for fleas. I couldnt believe it!

About 20 minutes passed and I asked her to come to the car and help me with the kayak. I am carrying the kayak down to the beach and its full daylight now and i see runners coming up the beach and other folks walking along. I am really stressing out now because if someone else finds it, I am screwed! I drug the kayak within about 8 feet of it and she sits back in her chair and I ask if she will catch some more fleas. As I am asking her, I see her gaze drift pass me and finally go to the bottle!

She walks over to it and I start throwing the spoon acting like I am not interested and then she grabs it and calls me over. 

Her: "Babe look at this!"
me: "What is it?"
Her: "It looks there is a message in it! This is literally a message in a bottle!"
me: "Open it"
She opens it and pulls out the message
me: "What does it say?"
She silently reads and I see her eyes well up with tears and she looks at me wide eyed and I drop to a knee and pull out her ring and ask her to marry me. She starts crying and shaking and says yes! We kissed and hugged and laughed. I told her we can pack up and head home as there is no way I can top this catch. She says lets stay for a while since we are here.

I paddle out one of the bluefish. We giggled and talked for about and hour and then the reel starts singing. I let it run for a bit and hook up. Fought for about 20 min and pulled in a nice little black tip. He was a little bigger than the one last week. I actually got the hook out in one try with my new de hooker. I released it and we called it a day! 

Was truly an awesome day for me!


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## PaulBoydenCustoms (Dec 3, 2008)

Thats cool man, congrats


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## Bayfisher (Jun 7, 2013)

Awesome way to propose, best of luck to ya and I'm sure that story will be one for to tell the grand kids


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## jcallaham (Dec 13, 2009)

great story. wish you many happy years together.


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## oxbeast1210 (Jun 21, 2010)

Awesome congrats


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## flex (Feb 26, 2013)

pretty cool idea. i almost proposed once to a girl on the beach in the Dominican republic.

good luck, make sure you get a nice prenup just in case


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## dsar592 (Oct 12, 2007)

That is a great story! Best of luck to Y'all.


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## foreverfishing (Nov 30, 2012)

that's awesome. best proposal ive ever heard of.


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## Ragon210 (Jul 11, 2013)

congratulations man! that's an awesome way to propose! Be sure to keep that bottle and note to show it off when yall tell the story to family and friends and just as a keep sake for yall to have!


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## Salt4Lifer (Jun 1, 2013)

...so when you hooked the Bluefish, what size of hook....just kidding!

Great story. She sounds like a keeper


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## Hook line stinker (Jul 19, 2012)

Congrats on a fine catch!


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## tigershark (Oct 16, 2007)

Congratulations on the Engagement !


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