New Years eye openers from Venice to Boca Grande! The New Year threw me a curve already but it’s great. On Wednesday the second we rode for at least fifty miles. All I saw was red water and no live fish, so I gave up and threw in the towel. I did not see any new dead fish and my pinfish in the bait well lived all day; but I was sure it was doom and gloom. Well Mother Nature is much sharper than I, so when I came home for the Boca Grande kids fishing tournament Saturday morning we found plenty of hungry fish. There were still a few old carcasses around but the kids caught numerous snapper, several grouper, pinfish, sea bass, flounder, and at least four pompano plus they had fun! Yes, the fish were small but so are the kids, any fish are fun for them. It is just another reminder that when you think you have something about fishing figured out you get humbled as well as educated. The winds shifted to the east Thursday and temps were a little cooler; maybe that made the difference. God only knows, see I can still grow. Even a salty dog can learn! Whatever it was, our waters looked good yesterday. I’ll make it crystal clear that I now admit; I don’t know what tomorrow will look like. I am sure that we can’t have fun fishing if we don’t go; that’s all I do know!
It was so much fun helping the kids learn about fishing yesterday. They usually listen, unlike many of us adults; we are way too smart to learn? Young Mason my fishing buddy was catching snapper as fast as his shrimp hit the bottom; straight down by the pilings. But the Dad next to us continued to cast away from the fish as far as he could. He did adjust after Mason’s sixth snapper and it worked his girls caught some snapper too. We all have our pride but it sure hinders our learning! Thankfully the younger kids help us all learn that we are born gifted and just need to use these God given talents. Thank you to all the folks that pulled the event off; especially Lee County Parks and Boca Grande Marina.
Let me point out something else I was reminded of. We see more as we travel slower! I started out land based but it’s easy to forget our roots. They shape us. We can still learn from our distant past experiences if we allow ourselves to stroll down memory lane occasionally. Slow down from our fast paced world and look closer, listen intently, and simply observe the obvious! We still have one of the very best places in the world to fish and play! Find the time to get out and enjoy it. Like Captain Wilson Hubbard used to close out his morning fishing shows with, “if you’re too busy to go fishing, you’re just too busy”. We can all do well to consider his wisdom.
I truly wish I could tell you what to expect if we go fishing but I just got reminded we have to go take a chance and see. I will do this; if it’s not working I will reduce the cost to cover expenses and come back early. On the other hand we could easily stumble into some of the best fishing ever and with out crowds? It’s a chance we have to take to catch fish; nothing ventured, nothing gained!
That’s life! Let’s go Fishin’ Captain Van Hubbard <www.captvan.com>