Fishing

You hear some fishermen gripe and complain that the fishing "ain't near as good as it once't was". I'm not so sure about that. According to some folks, they don't catch as many fish as they did 30 years ago. Perhaps that's because they don't go fishing as much as they used to. And, perhaps they ONLY remember the good days of fishing 30-some years back. You know, the days when they actually filled the bucket with fish.

Thinking back over the decades, I can't seem to recall any bad days for me. No doubt, there were days when I came home empty-handed. But, I tend to forget those times, instead recalling the trips to Cape Lookout with my dive buddies, Ron Brown (yep, a cousin) and the late Cecil Morris. We did very well with the flounders bedded up in the rock jetty. I remember, more than once, when we had to purchase extra lard cans (you don't remember those???) just so we could bring home all the fish we nailed. And, right now, 40-odd years later, I don't ever remember NOT having a good day diving at the Cape.

There's one avid fisherman I know, a good friend and former co-worker. He has been fishing since he was a little tyke, cleaning fish since he was almost big enough to reach the cleaning station at the Kure Beach (NC) Fishing Pier. We've been fishing together for better'n a decade now. And, we've done well. Cap'n Andy Everhart and I hit one of our "honey holes" again this week. The proof is in the pictures. A lot of work, some will say, for the half dozen keepers. Work? I wish all the work I had ever done was as enjoyable and rewarding.

Captain Andy Everhart, Southern Sportfishin



For me...you know, the guy who never leaves home without a camera (or 2, or 3)...I never come home empty handed. Even if we had not scored any fish, I would have brought home memories and more:

Like the placard says: I gave up fishing once. It was the worst day of my life.