jim phillips
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- May 11, 2003
- Messages
- 504
One of the best complements someone can offer you is an invite to fish with them. The reason it is such a high honor is because the experience is almost sacred to most of us. We work hard all week and the few hours we can spend on the water recharging, is the thing we look forward to more than any other. We all eagerly watch the marine forecast praying the weather will be clear for that one day we will be able to get offshore.<br /><br />On the rare day when it looks like everything will come together the task of finding a suitable fishing partner begins. I find this to be the hardest thing to get right. So many times I have had good trips ruined by the people I have invited. I let this happen usually once and if it does Ill never ask that person again.<br /><br />If invited to go with someone there are some rules of etiquette you, as the invitee should keep in mind. Here are just a few:<br /><br />1. Pay your fair share. Fishing is expensive and the boat owner has a huge investment in his equipment and he shouldnt have to beg to get half of the trip expenses. This includes bait, boat gas, car gas, food, ice and tackle. (Typically most offshore trips in a 20 to 25 foot boat cost around $100 a trip)<br />2. If you are prone to seasickness tell the captain before you go. He may not want to deal with it at all or he may want to establish some rules with you.<br />3. Dont show up at the dock with every piece of fishing equipment you own. This clutters up the boat and almost always is unnecessary.<br />4. Ask the guy running the boat before you bring beer and cigarettes he may not like it.<br />5. Leave your #@^%@ marijuana at home. <br />6. Leave your #@^%@ handheld GPS at home unless of coarse your sharing your numbers.<br />7. If you have got to be back at a certain time, say that before you get 25 miles out.<br />8. Dont ask if you can bring a friend. If I wanted your friend to go I would have asked him instead of you! (The exception to this rule is after a good relationship has been established and the boat owner trust the invitees judgment, but remember this is risky)<br />9. Tell the boat operator of any mental problems you might have. <br />10. NEVER ask the boat operator to do anything illegal like keeping short fish.<br />11. Have a current license when you get to the ramp. Dont pull that crap of driving all around looking for a bait store that sells fishing licenses at 5 AM<br />12. Silence is golden and good conversation is great too but sometimes its nice to listen to the sounds of the gulf between stories of your fishing conquests. (This is especially true in really hot weather, slow fishing or dealing with some kind of engine problem. If it is really hot and the fishing is really slow and the port engine isnt running right its best to say as little as possible)<br />13. Be clean! Dont make a mess of the boat and dont cut bait on every flat surface you see. Throw your trash where it belongs.<br />14. And Lastly BE ON TIME!!!!!!!!!! I have been known to leave the dock alone rather than wait an hour for someone to get his sorry butt to the ramp.<br /> <br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
