Fish Catching Travel
A resort owner was sitting at his desk signing in all the folks arriving for a week of fishing. He looked up and there was Fred. Fred was a long term customer who had been coming there for years. The resort owner asked Fred what are you doing here, you are a week early. Fred replied that he had been coming there for years and kept getting told he should have been here last week. So here he was.
That story, or joke, got me thinking about all of those rules and superstitions that we have all heard over the years. Those rules apply to all of us, whether we believe them or not.
Fishin’ Rules – Or – I hate it when that happens!
1. You should have been here last week. Having taken many trips over the years I have seen it in action. The weather was perfect, then the wind blows for the whole week. It was nice and cool, now it is a 100 and there is not a breath of wind. They were on the beds big time last week, but the cold front pushed them off. Some times you can not win for losing.
2. Never catch one on the first cast. Amazing how this superstition got started. You would think nothing would be better than that. First Cast? It usually means one of two things – You are either going to whack them, or you are doomed. There never seems to be an in between.
3. Never catch one on the first cast when you change baits. This one drives me nuts. Like Rule 2, it also seems to never have an in between. Sometimes it really is the best thing since sliced bread, and they keep eating that bait all day. But usually, you never catch another fish on it and end up spend the next couple of hours throwing it without another bite.
4. Line breaks when it wants. This one is simple. Why do you break off one of the biggest fish you have had on in a long time, and then get snagged and pull up a 10 foot long tree trunk? Or get snagged and pull the boat halfway to the bank trying to break it off? I never have got that one.
5. Other stuff breaks when it wants. Like last week, the boat is running fine, and then when your buddy gets here, or you tow for days to get to that destination you have been dreaming about, and the boat won’t start. I have had mechanical malfunctions in the Everglades, POC, Sanibel Island, and lots of places in between.
6. When you are catching the snot out of them never take someone you really want to catch fish. I hate this one. The fishing is great and you pump them up with visions of big fish jumping in the boat. Then it sucks.
7. Tournaments – See Rule 6. You have practiced and have them penned up. Every cast one is flopping on the floor. And then they disappear into thin air.
8. Batteries decide when to give up the ghost. It was working fine. You head out on one of those days you know you will be fishing until dark. At noon you don’t have enough trolling motor left to spin the prop, and of course the wind is blowing and the fish are jumping in the boat.
9. Where’s the net? Of course this applies to lots of things. Where’s the net, my rain suit, the electric knife, and a host of other things that are always in the boat. Until you need them.
10. You decide to keep a few fish. You struggle all day to keep a few for a fish fry, and that is what you catch all day, a few. And you get to the cleaning table and there is a couple of guys that can not even lift their cooler out of the boat, and they were fishing where you just left.
11. Catchus Interuptiss. Whether at the bay, or on the lake, this rule applies. There is not a soul around and you are working the perfect place. You start your wade, or start down the bank with the trolling motor, and here comes the only other moron on the water and he cuts you off.
12. Tossing a rod and reel in the lake. This one is simple, if you are going to do that it will be the one you just bought. And when it really applies is when you have not even used it yet.
13. Family will mess up your best laid plans. The fishing is great and you have the weekend off and are all primed to go. Then you hear the dreaded words – your niece’s piano recital, your second cousin’s, twice removed, Tupperware party, and a host of other really import things you just can’t miss. They have a lot of dam gall.
14. The ramp is a dangerous place. This one is likely to catch us all. Why the one time in years you leave the plug out and almost sink the boat is everyone and their brother at the ramp. And does there have to be 5 people waiting to unload the one time you forget to unhook the bow eye, your motor roars in reverse, and you stay on the trailer.
And last but not least…………….
15. There is always a bigger story. You catch the biggest fish of your life, and when you start to tell the story at the dock or tackle shop, there is always that guy who one ups you no matter what you say. Does that guy just hang around to make everyone’s life miserable?
So there you have it. I am sure this list is not the be all, end all. There are other rules that I am sure I have missed, but these are the ones that follow me around. There is a never a dull moment on the water, we can only hope that they all do not conspire at once to make our fishing life totally miserable. But no matter what we plod on, casting and reeling, hope in out heart, our wallet empty. Just remember, it is nothing but a thing.
Good Luck and Tight Lines
