I was in the process of working on setting up my annual surf trip up north last night. I’m not sure if it was the beer, the sawdust, the fumes from the primer, or the combination, but it got me thinking (yeah, that can be a scary thing!) about the trip and what I appreciate most about it. Sure, the fishing is usually pretty good and we get a lot of topwater action (Mark can tell you how much I hate that!). Aside from the fishing related parts of the trip, there is a lot to look forward too. I hang with a core group of guys during the trip and we run into a number of others up there doing the same. Fishing the surf can range from full on blitzs where large schools of stripers and bluefish are hammering bait within casting range of the beach to slack tide times when things are pretty quiet. The down times often turn into social events as groups of us hang out telling a few fishing lies, trading plugs (most of us build our own), and having a beer.
Rather interesting when you take a step back and look at it. Thinking of the core group and the usual crowd that we’ll hang with, other than a love for fishing, we really do not have much in common. Most of us come from very different backgrounds, live in different parts of the country, some went to college, some didn’t, our jobs are very different, some are still working, some are retired, and our outlooks on life are varied as are our political ideas. About the only thing that we all share in common is our love for fishing. In fact, if it were not for fishing, I probably would never have met any of these guys as our lives are so different. I feel fortunate to have met this bunch of guys as the differences between us have enriched my life. I also find it of interest that, even with all these differences, when we are on the beach, we all have the same goals and we are all equal. People whose paths in life would never have crossed are now best of friends. How many other past times can you say that about?
Thinking about the people that I fish with here in Kentucky and I realize it’s pretty similar to the surf gang. We also come from different backgrounds, have different jobs, etc., but all share a similar love for fishing. Doesn’t matter if we are wading a creek, bank fishing the river, fishing a lake, from the front of the boat or the back, we put our differences aside and concentrate on the important things in life. Again, we are equals. I feel fortunate to have met some of you bums and be able to call your friends. Hopefully I’ll have a chance in the not too distant future to meet and fish with others from the site.
Sooo, if the rain ever stops and the creeks clear up; I’ll get out and chase a few creek smallies this weekend. If not, I’ll probably hang in the cave and build a few plugs. Either way, at the end of the day I’ll hoist a beer and toast all the good folks I’ve been fortunate enough to have met over the years through fishing. Have a great weekend guys!
Andrew
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by mhall
