A to Z Challenge 2017: Fishing

It is a repeat topic from last year but hey it is what I do. Working out time to go fishing is the biggest challenge. Don't worry I will get my fish time in sometime. Squeezed in with other great adventures.

Even squeezed in a fishing trip this week. This was my view earlier this week..



I did catch an interesting fish...



It's called a Trigger Fish. The bite was slow and the fishing was disappointing. That happens.

So is a bad day fishing better than a good day at work? Sometimes. Even in rough seas, there is something relaxing about being on a boat. I did get to see a ton of dolphins. You don't get to do that in your cubicle. You have to realize there is more to fishing then catching fish. I've been lucky to see sea turtles and other cool things.

I did get a day to me. Still got back in time to pick up my daughter and go on a dinner date.

I did better at the catfish farm last month..



Kind of cheating. But the sure thing of catching is good sometimes.

My boat trip squeezed between two stormy days may not of helped my efforts. However, looking at my calendar I had to go when I could make it work.

Stay tuned to my blog after the A to Z challenge, because I have been known to post a fishing post or two on here,

A to Z Challenge: Oceans

Above is a picture of the Atlantic Ocean taken by me a couple (probably a few) of years ago. Location Neptune Beach, Florida if anyone is wondering. The Oceans change constantly. They wash away things. Things crumble into them. Things wash up from them. Oceans get moody. Still something about oceans that are a constant for me.

Maybe the ocean is a parallel or a refection of my life, my dreams, and my existence. Don't our lives change constantly? Doesn't life wash up surprises on us? Don't we loose things in this journey?

I don't live on the beach but it is a very short drive. Funny thing is the area I am at is known for the white sands. The white sands are due to the Appalachian Mountains that have been reduced to sand. Ironically I moved here from an area in the Appalachians.



Above Perdido Key on the Florida Alabama border I believe.

The Gulf being a little moody..



Above is the Gulf of Mexico from Pensacola Beach, Florida. Maybe I will just sail off into an ocean..



The view of Destin, Florida from a boat in the Gulf of Mexico...

Today was for the Birds

When I booked my fishing trip I wasn't sick. Then yesterday when my trip was cancelled and they left a message offering a shorter trip I assumed that was for today. The same day as the longer trip was scheduled. I tried to call back but no living voices answered the phone and my calls weren't answered.

Anyway, I prepared myself for the trip. Was it 6 or 7AM I didn't know. I made sure I was there early for the 6AM trip. My wife looked at me like I was crazy and said "they gave you an out, you're sick, you should take the out." She was right like most wives tend to be, husbands just hate to admit it.

The light frost on the top of my car may have been a hint from a higher power this wasn't a great idea. However, I was determined to go fishing!  I was at my destination by 5 including a pit stop at some gas station to stock up on cough drops, a vitamin water, and regular water.  I took medicine and downed vitamins before I left home.

When I got to my destination the only living thing around was the "early bird" and heck he may have stayed up all night. It could have been the "party bird" as the place looked like a night time fun stop.



The familiar hurry up and wait game we all have played a million times before. I waited, I walked around checked out all the boats. Sat on a bench and waited. Repeated those last two sentences a few times.

The light inside the boat I was supposed to go on was on. I could hear the radio playing from the vessel. Could it be a glimmer of hope?

6AM came. No one. Time kept ticking. Even the sun got out of bed..



The time moved closer to seven and with no one showing up I knew the only one going fishing was the birds!



Shortly after seven, I said goodbye to my feather friends like this one...



I took my bag and walked to my car. I drove to a local fishing pier. I debated fishing from the pier and when 8AM struck I was on the pier casting my line.

My adventures with birds would continue. I met a curious crow who decided to check out my bag, He hopped on top of it and peaked his head inside. Then he checked out my bait. I walked over and the crow barely moved just kind of looked at me. I picked up the bait and stated "mine." If I knew how my fishing luck was going to be I certainly would have given the bird a piece. Hindsight is always 20/20.

The only thing I caught was a seagull and a sunburn! The sea birds were chasing baits most of the morning. Then some kids decided to feed them creating a kind of feeding frenzy for the gulls. The next thing I knew I had one tangled in my lines.

I reeled the bird in which kept it from going into the water. The gull had twisted himself up quite well. Another angler grabbed the bird with a towel and we both began the task of untangling the poor bird. The bird had tangled both wings! Amazingly the bird stayed rather calm and we were able to untangle the critter. He lost a couple of feather but was able to fly away unharmed. Later I saw a one legged seagull and I pondered how it had lost it legs. Then it dawned on me that bird may have gotten tangled in a fishing line and may have endured a worse fate than the bird I had caught.

As far as fish I didn't catch a single one. The only fish that was a caught by anyone was a puffer fish. Oh well that is why they call it fishing.

The sun was shinning and when I looked at the coast I saw white sand beaches as far as the eye could see.



Gazing out into the Gulf of Mexico this was my view..



Add in the fact I was able to watch a pod of dolphins swim bad the the day was that bad. Years ago I probably would have been more upset about the fishing trip being cancelled or not catching a fish. I guess I am mellowing as I age. Maybe I am just able to look at things with different perspectives. After all I could have stayed home and be sick just as well. Of course being sick and sitting in the sunshine looking at beautiful scenery works just fine. As Jimmy Buffett sings "changes in latitudes changes in attitudes."

Until my next adventure take care! 

Questions on the Gulf Oil Spill

It should never take this long to stop an oil leak from an oil rig. The damage will be incredible. Hopefully, we will learn valuable lessons from it. It needs to be stopped! We also need to focus on how to clean up this mess and minimize the ecological damage.

How do we clean up the damaged gulf? How do we stop it from spreading to the Caribbean?  How do we stop it from spreading to the Atlantic Ocean? How do we clean up the damaged wetlands? How to we reverse the damage? When will it be safe for the shrimpers to go back to making a living? When will it be safe to eat gulf shrimp again? When can the commercial fisherman go back to fishing the gulf? When can I take a charter fishing trip in the gulf and catch healthy safe fish? How many animals are going to go extinct over this? How many will go endangered? What is going to happen to the waterman who can't make a living? What is going to happen to the tourist towns on the gulf who will lose visitors? How do we make sure something like this never happens again?

Not everybody at BP is evil and BP does do some good things. The government isn't all bad. It isn't a blame game. We don't have time for that. Yes BP should cover the cost. However we have to work together and answer the questions I asked and I am sure there are more questions to be answer. Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida all deserve better. It is another slap to the regions face, just like Katrina. And this tragedy effects more than the five states mentioned it effects us all.