The more you fish, the more you catch

I have noticed, especially with yellowtailing, that I might have two inexperienced friends onboard and they go without hooking a yellowtail for fifteen or twenty minutes. And then they start getting bored. Almost every time, I can pick up either rod, replace the old bait for new, start drifting the piece of bait back into the chum slick and “wham” I hook up. Then, I hand the rod over and pick up the next rod. Wham, I do it again.

I’ve always wondered; why is this? Some of my professional-charter friends tell me the same thing. It’s great to think that it is all talent and technique. Maybe it’s just making sure the hook is properly hidden by the bait. Maybe it’s because those of us who fish a lot in the Florida Keys have constant opportunities to hone our methods and personal preferences. I’m still not sure, but I’m going to tell a little story about what happened to me this week.

My fishing buddy called. We wrapped up the greetings and pleasantries in about 20 seconds and went right to the crux of the matter. It was around 2:15 in the afternoon. “When are we going to fish C.J.?” he asked. “The weatherman says the wind is picking up late tomorrow and I have to go on the road the next day.”

“I saw that forecast too,” I answered. “But, I’ve got appointments all day tomorrow.”

I told him about a fishing report a friend had just called in. He was in 300 feet of water offshore from Marathon. He was having no luck trying to find wahoo or mahi, but he told me the water was very calm. I repeated this report to my buddy.

And then it started. “Oh man,” he lamented, “if we don’t get out now, we’ll probably not be able to go before the end of the week and the forecast for the weekend looks pretty dismal too. What do you think we should do?”

We both let that information sink in for a silent-telephone moment. My heart rate started to rise. My mind began racing. I knew what was coming. “Let’s go right now!” he said. “It doesn’t get dark for hours. And we can both work tomorrow and not have to worry about missing a fishing opportunity.”

“OK!” I replied.

We discussed the reports we had collected during the past few days and decided to fish for yellowtails. The only trolling successes we knew about for the week were tuna catches on the Hump and we didn’t have time to prepare the boat and make the 26-mile one-way trip without running out of daylight. We discussed who would get what. Chum, bait, ice, drinks, snacks, and of course, a few gas-station chicken wings just in case we got hungry. The entire plan was made. Our individual duties were assigned and we were both excited. Fisherpersons will know what I mean when I say my hands were shaking at the thought of getting out on the water. We hung up the phones; it was 2:23.

My buddy keeps his boat at the Boat House Marina. They do in-and-out dry storage and wet storage along with traditional marina services. This, by the way, is one of the Florida Keys’ terrific boating facilities. They have an incredible fish-cleaning area that’s kept immaculately clean, and the entire facility is just a pleasure to use. As usual, the staff was more than pleased to help. They are all boaters and anglers themselves and understand the forces of nature that require people like us to fish whenever the slightest window of opportunity opens up. They launched his boat and had it tied off to the main dock before we even got there. We arrived a little after 3:00.

And there it is. The whole point of the story. We had the chance, as slight as it might have been, to fish… and we took advantage of it. The more you fish, the more you catch, right? Unfortunately, the results were not in keeping with our expectations. We anchored in 95 feet of water and started a heavy chum slick. We caught a couple of 14-inch yellowtails (YTs). This was not exactly what we were hoping for.

We moved in to 65 feet and started a new chum slick. We enhanced the slick with dried oats liberally sprinkled into the water. We boated a couple more YTs, but this was not the fishing action we had in mind. The sun was starting to drop. A quick conversation — and we decided we would stay for the evening bite. This was our last chance to fish for a while, and we were primed for a big catch of “sea treats.”

Then came the time on the water when the sun dropped to a certain point and the air changed temperature. The sky became dusky, the water turned a darker color...a “less friendly” color. The surrounding boaters had all gone home, and the tranquil ocean took on an atmosphere of Zen-like serenity combined with the promise of hot fishing action. We both sensed it at the same time. The dead current we had experienced up until then picked up slightly and our baits drifted a little more enticingly in the chum line.

The next hour was magic. YTs hit our baits and the sound of drags being pulled out of the reels was heard for the first time. YTs in the 20-inch range hit one right after the other. We caught our personal goals, pulled the anchor and ran back to the Boat House. We filleted the fish, washed the boat, put the trash and fish carcasses where they belonged and went home happy.

This trip was a true reminder that the more you fish the more you catch. We’d like to take credit for it being a matter of skill and talent, but I think it was purely our willingness to put the time and effort into it and not give up until we succeeded. So, whatever you do, don’t forget, the more you fish the more you catch. And life is good in the Florida Keys; life is very good in the Florida Keys.

C.J. Geotis is a life-long fisherman who followed his dream more than 20 years ago to live in the Florida Keys. His books, “Florida Keys Fish Stories,” and “Double-Edged Sword” are available at Amazon.com. He lives in Marathon with his wife Loretta and her Coca-Cola collection. His email is fishstoriescj@comcast.net.