Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Being Prepared
We dropped anchor and stepped off the skiff and onto 50-acres of beautiful white sandbar or "flat" as they're known down in the Florida Keys. Hoping to tangle with some of the local barracuda, my friend Rob and I each pulled a rod from the boat then waded off in separate directions.
I had only gone 50-yards through the knee-deep water when I noticed a "cuda" holding motionlessly in the slight current. An easy cast put my lure in front of and 20-yards beyond the fish. I zipped the noisy artificial 10-feet past it’s nose and in the blink of an eye the 3-foot long predator went from 0-60 and caught it's prey. Ten minutes later, I pulled a pair of pliers out of my pocket, carefully navigated the hook out of the barracuda's toothy smile, released it, and started looking for another.
That's when I noticed that Rob, who was about 100-yards on the other side of the boat, was hooked up to a nice fish of his own. Watching as he fought the big cuda I was confused as to why, when he got it in close, he immediately started wading back to the boat with his catch in tow. I then realized that the only reason he would do such a thing was if he didn't have his pliers with him. If you value your fingers you don't unhook a barracuda without pliers!
Rob doubled back to the boat, de-hooked his cuda and headed back out. A while later I could see Rob, now about 200-yards from the boat, was into another fish. A few minutes later he was "again" making the long wade back to the boat, but this time there was no fish in tow. I wondered what didn't he have this time? After spending just a moment at the boat, Rob was trudging away again in quest of another fish. By then I had caught four!
Eventually the tide was such that we had to get out of there, but not before Rob had made a third back and forth trip. When we met back at the boat I asked him what the heck just happened. He informed me that "yes" the first trip was to get his pliers, but the second was to take the cell phone out of his pocket so if he stumbled it wouldn't take a bath with him, and the third trip was necessary because after catching his second fish his lure was so messed up that it had to be replaced.
In the time we were on the flat I caught eight barracuda to his two, not because I was any luckier or more skilled, but simply because I left the boat prepared to catch fish. It only took a second to get my phone and wallet out of my pockets and replace them with pliers, a rag, a few extra lures, a little leader material, a bottle of water and a clean dry cloth to dry my sunglasses with. I knew I'd never be more than a couple hundred yards from the boat, but I didn't want to have to return to it until I was good and ready. In this case my little bit of preparation paid off in fish, while Rob's lack there of…well, I guess you see my point.
Prepare for surprises
Fishing is always full of surprises and no one can predict exactly what's going to happen during the course of a day. That's the way it's supposed to be - it's what keeps our time on the water always interesting and always fun. But proper preparation is the foundation and absolutely the most crucial component in any successful fishing trip. So, although anglers can't plan for everything, they can, and certainly should, plan their trips out as best as possible. And when I say "plan" I mean "plan for success" so that from start to finish anglers will be where they need to be when they need to be there, with good bait and tackle to catch the fish, the needed gaffs or nets to land the fish and the necessary coolers with ice to bring the fish home in. A to Z - all bases covered - start to finish.
While a lot of readers might be inclined to respond to such a suggestion with a resolute "NO Kidding” after decades of fishing alongside many thousands of anglers of all ages and skill levels, I'm no longer surprised to encounter fishermen who blow excellent opportunities to catch fish simply because they were not prepared for what might happen in the course of their day. If you want verification, just walk across the Rt. 50 Bridge when it's loaded with anglers and take note of how many are prepared with a bridge net in case they actually catch something big. It won't be many!
So much more is required to properly execute a successful fishing trip than simply making sure there is enough gas in the boat or ice in the cooler. Every trip should start with a "goal" that can be very precise or quite broad. Maybe you want to catch some flounder, a tuna, a 10 lb. rockfish, win a tournament or just go out and have fun fishing for whatever will bite. Clearly recognizing the "goal of the day" is the first step in accomplishing it.
With a goal in mind, it's easier to determine how to prepare to make it happen. You might want to catch a red drum, but if you know nothing about catching them the first step is going to be to learn as much as you can about how it's done - seasons, locations, baits, tackle and regulations. Suddenly you're back in school and it's time to do your homework! But in this case "cheating" is OK, as there's nothing wrong with hooking up with experienced friends or professional guides who are willing to help you out. But be careful if the internet is your only resource because Facebook and other online sites are chock full of information posted by folks who think they know what they're talking about but actually don't. Bad and misleading information is rampant online and can easily send novice anglers off in the wrong direction.
Schedule the plan
With a goal in mind, anglers then need to prepare a schedule to accomplish it. Basic goals like "getting the kids out fishing for a couple hours" might be as simple as deciding to go the first Saturday it's not raining, with a departure time as soon as the little ones finish watching "Paw Patrol" or "Peppa Pig" and returning in time for their afternoon nap. On the other hand, a successful overnight tuna and swordfishing trip might need to be scheduled around such variables as moon phases, water temperatures, time in-between tournaments, work schedules, bridge openings and when the fish cleaners will be available.
With goals and a schedule set, the next step is planning to have the right (and enough) bait, tackle and equipment on hand to get the job done. Does bait need to be purchased, caught or thawed the day before, or the morning of the trip? Are rigs or artificial lures ready to go? How about ice? This part of the planning process not only requires one to consider how much tackle, bait and ice will be used on a normal trip, but also how much extra might be needed if some of it is used up more quickly than anticipated. The goal should be to take what is needed with a little extra - just in case, but not so much that money is wasted on bait or tackle that will never be used.
Tackle and Equipment
When it comes to tackle and equipment, being prepared doesn’t necessarily mean "more" stuff, it means having an adequate supply of the "right" stuff. Hooks, weights, leader, lures, gaffs, nets, gloves and so much more is needed to do what we do in the pursuit of fish. And these things need to be ready to go at a moment's notice because when a big fish is at hand your net is no good to you if it's tangled up with a bunch of fishing rods under a pile of life jackets! Flying-gaffs, de-hookers, tail-ropes and other specialized equipment that don't get frequent use should be periodically checked for readiness and to keep anglers familiar with where they're at and how to use them. The first time you swing a flying gaff shouldn't be when there's a million dollar tournament winning fish in front of you!
The flip side of loading up on a lot of tackle and equipment is that if your boat starts to resemble a floating tackle shop it's probably time to clean house and figure out what is actually being used and what's just taking up space. Too much unnecessary gear can also be counter-productive to a smooth fishing operation!
Choose your fishing partners wisely
Just as important as anything else, when planning-out a fishing trip it's crucial to choose fishing partners who will not be a liability to the goals of the outing. I've had many trips with repeat clients who were ardent anglers and accustomed to spending their fishing day in a certain way. Then, one day they make the mistake of inviting along a friend or family member who is not quite on the same "wavelength" as they are and things don't go so well! Such problems usually revolve around the new person getting seasick, and if that person happens to be their child or "significant other" they're usually (wisely) inclined to put their own desire to fish on hold while they coddle to the needs of their stricken loved one, sometimes to the point of heading in early. So much for that fishing trip!
Other times conflicts arise when the invited guest's attitude toward fishing is vastly different from that of the person who invited them. They might be too intense to allow everyone else to enjoy a relaxing day on the water or they might be more interested in drinking and fooling around than actually fishing. More than once I've had repeat clients apologize to me at the end of the trip for the actions of one of their guests and swear that they will never invite them again.
Preparing for a charter
A huge advantage to chartering a boat or a guide rather that trying to do it all yourself is that most, if not all, of the preparation work will be done for you, at least as far as the fishing end of it goes. However, anglers will still have some "getting ready" work to do on there own which, depending upon the boat and the nature of the trip, might be as simple as showing up on time or as involved as bringing your own bait and tackle and having the skills to use it.
Good communications with whoever it is they'll be fishing with prior to the trip can be critical to ensuring that the day goes off as planned. I once had a fellow who chartered my boat for a day of fishing off Ocean City, but a half hour before our departure he called to tell me that he couldn't find the marina. When I asked where he was and he gave me a street name I'd never heard of I suddenly realized that, unfortunately for both of us, he was calling from Ocean City, New Jersey! To that point we had only conversed via email, but when he booked the trip I sent him all the necessary details he needed to know about the trip including "where we were." But by his own admittance, he didn't read any of it!
While that was a pretty extreme case, it certainly wasn't the first time I've had clients book trips with us who end up not having a clue what they're getting into. I've had folks show up in shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops when it's 55-degrees out on the ocean, come out on sweltering hot days without a drop of drinking water and some have even stepped aboard with absolutely no idea what we were going to be fishing for!
Having adequate bait
On my way to the boat last summer I made a pit stop in one of our local tackle shops to get some live eels to use on our charter that day. I was in the same shop the night before and didn't get them then because I saw they had plenty and figured it would be easier in the morning and I wouldn't have to worry about keeping them alive overnight. So with just minutes to spare before I was scheduled to leave the dock with a group of paying customers, I hustled into the tackle shop with my eel bucket only to learn that a few hours prior the eels did what eels do best, they escaped! Apparently, early in the morning they made their prison break by knocking the screen off the drain tube and escaping down the pipe. It just goes to show how smart a bunch of eels can be compared to a charter captain who was too dumb to get good bait when he had the chance! That morning, live eels where not on the menu for the fish under my boat.
Regardless of the type of fishing that's going to be done, I don't have to remind anyone about the importance of having good bait. Whether fresh or frozen, live or dead, top quality bait will always out-fish the alternative. But acquiring quality bait is not always as easy as slipping into your favorite tackle shop and picking it up. No matter if you're after frozen, fresh or live bait, the quality and quantity of bait that a shop has on hand at any given time can vary wildly from day to day and sometimes hour to hour. The last thing an angler who is ready to depart on a trip should do is put 100% faith in the notion that they can walk into a shop and get exactly the bait in the quality and quantity they need. Bait inventories in even the best of tackle shops will vary wildly throughout the season because the supply of bait coming to them is not always as consistent as they would like. You can bet that on Friday evenings and the days just prior to a major tournament, bait inventories in tackle shops will dwindle and what's left to choose from will have been picked through and refused by a lot of other fishermen. Anglers who catch their own bait also learn that if they wait until the day they actually need to use the bait to pull their traps or throw their nets they might find themselves SOL. There are no guarantees in fishing, even for catching bait!
The best way to stay on top of the need for good bait is to be in a position to acquire the bait when it becomes available, which in turn requires one to have the necessary storage facilities for that bait, whether that means buying a big freezer, building or buying a good setup for keeping live bait healthy at the dock for extended periods or just having a really good cooler and ice for short term holding.
It can also be helpful to know when your favorite tackle shop gets their supplies of bait. If you learn that sand fleas are always delivered on Tuesday morning, you'll probably not want to try to buy your bait on Sunday or Monday. Likewise with frozen bait, if a shop gets all it's ballyhoo in one spring shipment, then the best selection will be in the early season and it might be wise to stock your freezer early because after that it will be pot-luck on what you get.
Still, you can do everything right to ensure you head out on the water with the best bait in the world, but if you don't also have a plan to keep it fresh and lively until it's hanging on a hook then all your efforts will have been in vain. Bait should be kept with the same care one would keep fish fillets they would eat themselves. Fresh-cut and whole bait can typically be kept in good shape for at least a couple days when property stored on top of or surrounded by lots of ice - not soaking in slushy ice water in the bottom of the cooler.
Obviously, using live bait requires the likes of an on-board livewell or, at the very least, a decent bait bucket that will contain the bait and allow for good water circulation and exchange. You also need a plan to keep monitoring the condition of the bait to make sure there are no mass-casualties during the course of the day. Late one summer when the dolphin around the pot-markers had become very finicky towards cut bait I came up with a plan to take some minnows along as live bait figuring they might be just the ticket to sway the fish into biting. So one morning I threw a couple pints of minnows in our livewell and off we went. Unfortunately, no sooner had we shut down to start fishing that my mate came in the cabin to inform me that all the minnows were dead! I was astonished - minnows can usually survive in anything. I couldn't understand how it could be until I asked my mate if he cleaned the bait-well last night with bleach and if he rinsed it out in the morning before putting in the bait. He answered, "Yes" and "Apparently no." Try as you might, I guess you can't plan for everything.
Planning done - fishing begun!
With the advance planning behind and the trip underway, it might seem that once the fishing begins anglers should finally have a chance to kick back and "fish" without worrying about what comes next. Not so! Anglers should constantly be thinking and planning one, two and three steps ahead as they take into consideration how well the fish are biting, changes in the tides, the weather, the time of day, reports from other fishermen and anything else that could affect how on-track they are at achieving their goal for the day.
Even in this age where money will get you all kinds of high-tech gadgets and electronics, thank God "fishing" is still "fishing" with no shortcuts available online or off a shelf that will guarantee success. No one can "buy" a fish onto their hook. We all get lucky once in a while, but consistent success comes to those who take the time and make the extra effort to "be" and to "stay" prepared for their time on the water. "Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance" is the military's 7-P's adage. But I'm thinking that it's a good fit for fishermen as well, because whether you're trying to win a war or trying to catch a fish - planning is planning. And planning IS IMPORTANT!
Capt. Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center. During the winter months, Capt. Mark runs charters in the Lower Keys.
