Here's a whole page about my fishing truck. A tribute to the ole' girl and who has never let me down. Well, there was that one time when she overheated. And then those other times when she ran out of gas, but that was my fault for sure. I thought I would dedicate this entire page to "The Ratmobile". So check out the pictures and enjoy another page of the Pier Rat's insane world of fishing.

Now Florida Sportsman Magazine has called me a “Pier Aficionado!” And my Mom and Dad both think I’m really hooked on fishing as well. My friends just laugh and shake their heads cause they all know that it’s the love of my life. My home looks like the Maritime Sailor’s Cathedral. Every wall inside is covered with fish pictures, fish mounts, and so much fishing paraphernalia that it would make Bass Pro Shops and the Wide World Sportsman turn their heads in awe. As for my personal every day around the town vehicle...well that in itself is one of a kind just like it’s owner. The ultimate cruising fishing machine……better known as “THE RAT MOBILE!”

It's definitely unlike any other truck that you’ve ever seen. One of it’s kind….that’s for sure! A 1984 Jeep Cherokee Unlimited, it has a 360 motor and is 4 wheel drive with a bodacious sounding exhaust system. Chrome leg pipes run down each side underneath her doors. The truck is covered with fishing stickers from tackle stores abroad. Twelve rod racks run across the front of her bumper and a set of shark jaws, mounted wide open, garnish the front grill. Another set of huge bull shark jaws are hanging from the rear view mirror. A skull wearing a pirates bandana rides the dash board. And to put the topping on the cake a rubber rat rides high a top the roof over looking the front windshield. (My mascot of course). Across the top of the front windshield are the words “Waiten’ For The Bite." Like I said before, my friends know that fishing is my life….and my fishing truck takes me there each and every time I go!!! So, please don’t laugh when you see me coming.

Written by: The Pier Rat~~~~~~~><)))'>

Running On Empty

Well, the Gator is back with yet another story from the files of the infamous Team Pier Rat. This is yet another chapter of what has been called Extreme Fishing. I hope you enjoy this tale. The names have not been changed to exploit the indecent. This tale is called "Running on Empty."

For Team Pier Rat March means one thing - Bull Shark madness. The team heads to the A1A bridge or the Coast Guard dock in search of the massive Bulls. This is extreme fishing at it's best - Penn International 80 wides, standup gear, and "mass chaos at high volume"....as the Rat himself would say.

It all started last week when we were notified that three big Bull Sharks had been spotted at the A1A bridge on Friday night. We knew it was time to face the Bulls. We immediately made plans to fish the following night. The tide was right - as you can only hunt these monsters on the outgoing tide.

The Pierrat began making rigs on Saturday afternoon. I joined him after work to assist in preparation. Once the rigs were completed, Pierrat and I headed to Mississippi Sweets for a nice BBQ dinner. We then returned to the Pier rat's nest to load the Rat-Mobile for the hunt. As usual we were ready to depart, but had to wait for "Massage Queen" to arrive. (She was too damn busy cooking chicken on her George Forman grill.) We decided to go ahead and make a coffee run to Starbucks. We picked up some cafe mochas and some chocolate expresso beans for the "Queen."

We returned to the "RAT CAVE" and continued to wait. She finally arrived, and we all loaded into the Rat for another adventure. (The Pier Rat has a thing about being prompt!) But that's another story! (LOL)

Time was of the essence (or so we thought), we had to get to the bridge in order to catch the tide. We were running late thanks to Queeny and George Forman. We headed east to A1A and then north towards our destination with the Rat Mobile purring like a kitten as we motored down the highway. The excitement and anticipation was obvious as we discussed the big Bulls and reminisced about the ones caught last year. We each drank our coffee as the Queen inhaled the chocolate expresso beans like a crack addict. The closer we got to our destination the more the excitement grew.

All of the sudden the awesome sound of the Rat's sidepipes faded into the night. No more thunder from the headers - no more purring from the engine. The Rat was coasting. Only the sheer weight of her massive frame pushed her onward. The Pier Rat looked in disbelief as he pumped the gas pedal to no avail. Had the Rat Mobile finally let us down? Had she made her last road trip?

I then asked the obvious question - "are we out of gas?" After some short discussion, the harsh reality surfaced. The Pier Rat made the statement "I put $6.00 in last month!" Oh boy, I knew we were in trouble. The "Pier Rat", not the Rat-Mobile, had truly let us down. The ole' truck gave her all as she coasted to a stop at the intersection of A1A and Donald Ross Road. So, there we sat in the median in the middle of A1A. I sat in amazement in the company of caffeine crazed massage therapist and a Pier Rat who was obviously living in a state of in denial!

(And Denial ain't river in Egypt either?)

Traffic, like the tide, passed by as we contemplated our next move. The Pier Rat was truly in denial as he kept attempting to start the Rat. I begged him to stop and face thetruth. Finally he acquiesced and accepted the responsibility for our demise. Thank God I had my cellphone. The Pierrat called a fellow K-9 Officer (name withheld) who agreed to locate a gas tank and bring us some fuel. The Officer arrived a short time later with enough gas to start a small fire or run a weedeater. I only hoped that it would be sufficient to revive the Rat. We poured the gas into the Rat's tank (which was easy because there's no gas cap). We loaded back into the Rat and crossed our fingers as the Pier Rat tried to start the sleeping giant.

The Rat finally coughed and came to life with a resounding roar. We were back in the game - only hoping that the tide would be patient for us. We drove to the nearest gas station where the Rat Mobile was given a full tank of supreme. We continued our journey in silence as the Pier Rat pondered the recent events and the Queen frantically searched the floor of the Rat for more expresso beans.

On a side note - we got to the A1A bridge in prime tide time, hooked two Bulls within three minutes, and managed to bring one to the catwalk for photos and release..........

Written by: Big Kev~~~~~~~><)))'> aka: "The Gator"

This just in from Princess Cruises:
Port Security in Barbados advises us to inform all passengers aboard all cruise ships that camouflage or any military style clothing must not be worn while ashore! Any persons found disembarking the ship with such with such clothing is likely to be detained by the local port security and police officials. You all can thank the "Pier Rat" for this one, cause he almost was arrested by the Barbados Port Officials while trying to go "Island-hopping" in his usual camo colored fatigues.

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