As the year comes to an end, I think about the great days on the water last summer and anxiously await warm weather and calm seas. This is also the time for resolutions, so here are my three fishing resolutions for the new year. Some resolutions I have every year, and some are new. Fishing resolutions are more fun than those relating to diet and exercise, so I recommend you write yours down. It’s fun after a season to look back at what you accomplished while having fun fishing on Alabama's Beaches.
1. Help Someone Catch their First Fish in the Gulf
I will freely admit that I am beyond obsessed with fishing in the Gulf, especially for marlin. If you fish with me, you are going to hear stories about catching marlin. I am not nearly as proficient at this as others that I know and respect, but I do have some serious ‘sticktoitness’ for trying to make it happen, and sometimes it does happen. It all came together for me this summer, and I was lucky enough to put two anglers on their first-ever marlin and create a story they will tell for the rest of their lives.
2. No More Fishing in a ‘Sucker Bet Forecast’
This one is for sure on my list every year. I spend all week getting ready to head offshore and then the forecast changes. I know, I probably should stay at the dock. I’m not talking about an unsafe forecast; I am just referring to one that is uncomfortable.
I fish primarily from a 26’ center console boat, and the worst is the dreaded prediction of two to four foot seas. Two is nice. Four is miserable. There you have it. The classic sucker bet. It doesn’t look that bad at Perdido Pass, and I convince myself it will lay down at some point during the day. It doesn’t – ever. Instead, I take a beating, have no fun, and tell myself I’ll never do it again. This is the year I stick to it. That in itself is probably an even bigger sucker bet.
3. Take Someone Fishing for the First Time
It doesn’t matter if it is from the end of the dock or pier, along the side of the road, on a charter, or on your own boat. If you are reading this, you can most likely remember the person who took you fishing for the first time. For me, it was my dad in a pond in Illinois, and that one trip created a passion that has helped shape my life. Be that person for someone and make that a recurring resolution.