I found out firsthand that Saturdays are not necessarily the best day to go fishing, for more reasons than one.

Saturday I went with Stoutamire on his 20-year-old boat and trailer. I think the trailer is actually older than the boat. A person can’t look at a trailer and tell what condition it is in. A good-looking trailer may be about to fall apart and a crappy looking trailer may go another thousand miles.

On his trailer, you can peel pieces of steel from the frame. He needs to have a sign on the back of his boat that reads “Stay back 500 feet and beware of falling trailer pieces.” That is not a good thing when you plan to drive it from the west side of the bridge to Goose Bayou at Crooked Island.

Saturday actually is not a good time to go fishing if you have trailer problems. Our plans were to launch at the east end of Crooked Island and run into the gulf and look for some snapper spots we had not visited in more than 10 years. From Crooked Island, it only is about seven miles to the first spot we intended to fish, and a considerable saving of many miles as compared to running from Panama City.

Our first indication we were going to have trouble was the dark blue van parked at the entrance to the road leading to the boat ramp. Also, the signs blocking the road saying that it was closed.

I’m all in favor of the Air Force shooting down drones and all that stuff, but not on a Saturday when we drive all the way through town and have to go somewhere else. They just as easily could have done this on Friday. At least that is how we felt.

We either had to go back home and launch or go to Mexico Beach and try there. The latter would add 12 miles to the short trip we had planned. Well, it was Mexico Beach; at least it was calm, sort of.

In Scott’s Mako it didn’t take that long to get to the first spot. Of course it wasn’t there, and neither were the next seven. When we finally did find one it was obvious it had not been fished this year. The fish came to within 20 feet of the boat and we released snapper weighing more than 10-12 pounds.

On the way home, we commented on how everything was working so well and we would be back in Panama in no time. If only we had looked into the crystal ball.

I don’t like pulling a boat and trailer in heavy traffic, especially on hot days. It just seems to bring out the worst in machinery,  and little did we know we were going to be tested.

We could already smell those fish cooking when a guy on a motorcycle pulled up and pointed to the tire on the trailer. He said it was about to fall off. We had just passed Austin Machine Works, not 100 yards back. If you need a trailer worked on, one of the best places to have trailer problems is in front of Austin Machine Works.

The tire was smoking and we were looking for a place to turn around. When we finally got off the road to assess the situation, we decided we’d better not go another foot.

The hub was destroyed, meaning if we did have bearings, which we didn’t, it wouldn’t do any good. It was 3 p.m. on Saturday, and all the places we could think of that would help us had closed at noon. Panama Marine was closed. Auto Save was closed. AMW was closed.

I told Scott we could buy a pup tent and he could camp out with the boat until Monday and we could get it fixed then. He didn’t think too much of that idea.

There was a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel: West Marine. I told Scott I thought they stayed open on Saturday afternoons. All we had to do was call them and confirm before I drove from Millville halfway across town. The only problem was that both of our phones were dead. It was very hot and getting hotter. I wasn’t going to wait for a phone to charge up, so I  headed to West Marine.

If you have ever changed bearings on a trailer, you know the size bearing is crucial. Is it a tapered spindle or a straight one? Luck finally was looking out for us because they had a very knowledgeable young fellow who knew just what we needed. We wound up buying a hub with the bearing already pressed and greased ready to slip on.

When I got back to the boat, a couple of guys had the tools to knock off the old bearing and race and had the spindle clean and ready to put back together. I told Scott that since I was relatively clean and he had grease on him, I would do all the thinking and he could do the labor. It worked out nicely, and in no time we were on our way.

There’s a tip here everyone could learn from. Remember that if the tire on your trailer ever falls off it usually won’t do it in front of a place of business that can help you. Usually it will happen at night on the way back from a fishing trip when you are tired and worn out.

Go by a place like West Marine and pick up two spare sets of bearings already greased, and a hub that will fit your trailer. Also have a spare tire along.

That way, no matter what happens you will be prepared. And don’t be like Scott and have tools that look like you are a sewing machine repairman. His were fine, if all you wanted to do was get the top off a Coke bottle.

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