My View from N. Wintzell 9/21/10

Here fishy, fishy...

One of the joys of coming home has been the opportunity to spend more time with family. The past two Saturdays, I've been able to do that by fishing with my dad. There's nothing quite like being out in time to watch the sun rise over the Mississippi Sound. The weather's been nice. It's not too hot out in the early morning hours, the fish are biting, and we don't run out of things to talk about on the boat. Following this Saturday's trip, I've come to an unfortunate conclusion: we're not very good fishermen. Reasons follow below:

1) I'm a wave magnet. If you're ever looking for choppy conditions, take me fishing. We set out Saturday morning under absolutely beautiful skies. At the mouth of the Bayou, everything was as slick as glass. We ran towards the West end with nothing but smooth seas ahead of us. We made it to our fishing spot just in time for the wind to pick up and attempt to beat us to death. The fish weren't biting, so we moved on.

2) At this point we arrived at the Katrina Cut. The good news was that the winds had laid down and we were in smooth seas again. The fish were biting. Unfortunately, we found ourselves amongst bluefish and sand sharks. They hit everything that we threw into the water. Unfortunately, the fish were better prepared than we were. The bluefish enjoyed our bait and cut our lines. The sand sharks made it to the boat to give us a little excitement.

3) We didn't have long to fish, so we headed back to the Bayou. As we passed Coffee Island, you can imagine the conditions we encountered. Smooth seas with fish boiling the top of the water as far as you could see in every direction. Picking locations to fish is apparently not one of my stronger suits.

So, on the negative side of the ledger, I attract bad weather, am improperly prepared, and make bad choices regarding location. On the other hand, the morning was nice, the company was better, and I was fishing. I suppose it all evens out in the end. Here's to next Saturday and my chance at redemption. I'll be better prepared. I'll give greater consideration to where we fish. Regardless, it'll be a good day, and that's my view from here on N. Wintzell!