Florida 2014 - Elaboration!

OK, so the trip is complete and things are getting back to normal.  Am I ever thankful that we chose to do this trip.  All involved needed a break from our relentless schedules and from this relentless winter!  We all had our own versions of fun and relaxation, and once again, we were blessed with good fortune during our travels.  Other than occasionally low blood sugar (by which I mean my temporary crankiness), nothing bad happened!   And I came back to work tired, but "good" tired; I was restored and ready to get back at it.

Let me just state first that I feel like I earned this trip through my extra efforts at C's.  This was a tangible benefit from all those hours, and while it was largely a direct fishing benefit, I am super pleased to have shared it with family, because I know that those hours away at the store, are in part, hours away from them.  Hours when I could be helping them, or simply enjoying their company.  They earned this trip, too.  Things earned are inherently better.

 And while I previously posited this trip as my Graduate School of Fishing, I could back off that position and just accept it as continued experience; but I might not.  I do feel as if I have graduated; my knots all held, my boating skills were right there, my intuition and equipment preparations  were in support of success.  I was ready for this trip, and I'm ready for more.  Finally, it legitimizes my position and role at C's as a truly experienced, multi-species, any kind of water fisherman.  Empirically, I can say that I've been involved in the selection of a bunch of bait-runner reels since I came back!

Now Steve Jobs of Apple fame (and others, I'm sure) has explained previously, the more experiences you've had, the more ideas you have to draw from in life; and this catalyzes your creativity.  I brought my past experiences with me, and these, no doubt, contributed to the trip.  But what new techniques have I gained?  New ways of making bait, comfort and confidence in using wire, faster and faster speed trolling, recognizing conditions and adjusting on the fly, preparing for multiple species and tactics with a minimal selection of tackle on hand, subduing large and toothy creatures; even if these weren't completely new to me, I got to practice and expand this week, and I've no doubt that these experiences will improve my local experiences.  Maybe I'll be a little more creative in my approaches, especially on unknown waters or during tough conditions.  Anchored on sound technique, but cross-pollinated with different notions of what might work, I hope to retain Medici’s Elephant  as a companion in my boat, wherever I might be, or whatever I might be fishing for.

Here are some "accomplishments" from the trip:

Can I acknowledge that feeling of fulfillment when I had my Day 1 Blue-Water Realization; that even though the fishing was pretty slow (in fact, probably the slowest of the week; it was too clear, too calm, too still, too full-moony or something), I was super relieved and privileged to be out there, doing it!  There's something about that blue/purple water, the sargassum, the flying fish and the potential of any moment out there that puts me at ease.  But at ease in an excited, focused (content?) manner.  And while I didn't get out past the reef again during the trip, I had the same sense of peaceful bliss several times during the trip, whether I was simply making bait at sun-rise, watching birds and ballyhoo showers in shallow, trolling in the green water, or anchored on the Gulf side.  It's a nice feeling to capture, but even nicer to know I can capture it in multiple settings, and that the feeling can be generalized, as opposed to tied to a specific, idealized set of circumstances.

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·    I did catch my Biggest Sharks ever, including my single Biggest Fish ever.  That's always a nice bonus for a fishing trip.  And while I did leader/Palm Beach Release an approximate 8-foot Bull Shark, the single most challenging fish landed was a Reef Shark of about half the length.  While the big bull probably didn't realize it was hooked before it was within reach (at which time it showed me who was in charge), the Reef Shark fought with alternating speed and determination; and this hooked fish was the best match for my tackle for the entire trip.

As an aside, which is more important?  A large fish that is subdued and photographed?  Or a gigantic, once-a-half-century beast, that while officially "caught", was never defeated, and which left without a trace?  The polls are split, as are my feelings.  Maybe it's PTSD, or the simple Shock and Awe of the Bull; but "catching" this fish has left me with an empty feeling.  I'm proud to have been there, and it was an exhilarating experience, but I know I'd have not stood a chance with that fish in the shallows on an anchored boat, alone, with that tackle; except for the fact that it was feeding and cruising with such supreme confidence that it had no reason to react to my presence, or to my feeble pressure.  

The trip also featured a bunch of Firsts!  These are always fun to recognize.  So (in order of appearance), here's to my first ever Ballyhoo!  Cero Mackerel!  Atlantic Sharpnose Shark! Leatherjack!  Bermuda Chub!  Bonnet Head Shark!  Spanish Mackerel!  Pin-fish!  Caribbean Reef Shark!  Mangrove Snapper!  Bull Shark!  and a crazy, unidentifiable wrasse of some sort!

First encounter with ballyhoo.

First ever Cero Mackerel ate a live-lined ballyhoo.

First of many Spanish Mackerel.

·    For Best Fishing Experience, I'll nominate the first nice Spanish Mack that I caught near Marker 16 on a free-lined shrimp.  After catching a pile of baitfish, snappers and remoras here, with Spanish visibly in the slick and an occasional jig snipped off with ease; something clicked for me and I wound down on a fish at exactly the right moment.  I felt the hook set and hold in the mackerel's mouth, the fish's sudden awakening, and then found out my drag was set perfectly for the run of a Spanish of this size.  Just when I was starting to get a little concerned about stopping the fish, it voluntarily turned; and it was soon brought aboard.  The Spanish and I then entered a communal groove, because for a while they were biting, and I was hooking. 

Lip hooked, light line, fast fish!

·     My Most Heart-breaking Moments involved anchoring.  The only real problems I had all week involved the anchors.  One was lost, and I couldn't get the other to stick.  It was a sickening feeling to release a fish only to realize I was drifting in very shallow water.  It was equally frustrating to not get the replacement anchor to hold.  Nothing really bad happened either time, so I can't be too upset, but each incident cost me some fishing time and opportunity.  These are the sorts of things I try to minimize on the water; I'll do better next time.

·     My Most Heart-Warming Moment was, in a general sense, simply sharing the last day with A and M.  But when M announced it to be her "best fishing day ever", even though all had not gone exactly as I had planned or wished, I was super pleased.

Other highlights of the trip included my Developed Taste for Flexibility and Fishing with Mom.  Of course by "Mom", I mean both her and her guest, Father J.  Both of these factors emphasized to me, once again, that the benefit is in the process, not necessarily in the results.  I could go out there with a plan; but that plan was likely to prove worthless.  The planning involved in their development, however, proved itself indispensable.  Anyway, conditions and non-fishing guests with fishing aspirations pushed my envelope a bit; and so I experienced success in big seas with crank-baits, and all by myself, way out by Marker 16.

..   These were techniques and approaches that I hadn't really thought about until I confronted the real conditions I was facing.  These successful experiences necessarily replaced the scenarios that I had dreamed about.  So I didn't get to work on my blue water trolling, speed jigging, sail-fishing, or gaffing skills; that's OK, I was productively busy.  Maybe the conditions will be more amenable for these dreams next time.  Or maybe I should expect less from my dreams, but more from my actions.

So, what’s my current perspective?  Do I want more?  Is the work worthwhile?  I'm currently reminded that “It ain’t about the salary, it’s about reality!”  However many hours went into this trip; I've gotten back several times over, especially if I include all the enthusiasm and fun I've had, not only through Participation!, but also during the Anticipation! and Elaboration! phases of the trip.  I've no doubt that this (by which I mean the trip; but also working for it and sharing it) was all a good thing for me.  

*****

And then of course there is that patience-with-others- (whom-I-love-most) thing I mentioned in the last post.  I disappointed myself a couple of times with a short fuse in inconsequential situations.  I know I should know better, and they deserve better.  What can I do to work on that?  Well, acknowledgment first; I recognize this as an area for continued improvement.  With that awareness, I can choose to do better.  I plan to do so; and I commit myself to that plan.  Because other than these couple of isolated moments (and the relentless wind), it was a pretty darn perfect week.  How often do you get to say that?