Don't Forget To Look Around

Sometimes we forget to look around. That thought came to mind a few weeks ago while on a charter with a young couple from Indiana.

We, as anglers, tend to get totally wrapped up in “the trip.” We start mentally planning several days before the event by looking at tide charts, watching the weather and putting the entire fishing outing together in our heads. Long before the trip takes place we begin strategizing like a college basketball coach planning for March Madness. Where’s the bait going to be? Which way is the wind going to blow? Are the tides going to provide a good flow of water? What is Plan “B”?

And then the day arrives.

After a quick trip to the first stop, the bait goes on the hooks and the lines go in the water. One of the baits gets hit and the fight is on. It’s a nice redfish. A few minutes later a trout is caught and then another red is on. After a quick flurry of action it suddenly gets quiet. While I contemplate a move to a new spot, an osprey dives to the surface of the water and catches a trout for breakfast. But before he can get fully airborne a bald eagle dives from above and the battle for the catch is on. All eyes on the boat are on the birds and the fishing is forgotten. After several minutes the eagle prevails and flies off with the osprey’s catch. The young lady on the boat says she’s never seen an eagle in the wild, much less what just occurred. She’s much more excited about capturing the photo of what just happened than catching the redfish.

Moments later several bottle nose dolphin show up and begin to coral mullet against a nearby sandbar. With explosive burst of speed the dolphin crash through the fish and consume their quarry. Once again the couple put down the rods and grab the camera.
As the dolphin swim near the boat the camera shutter clicks over and over and the young man says, “This is a lot better than Sea World!”

I can certainly relate to their excitement.

A few years ago my wife and I took a short vacation break in Colorado. We flew from Fort Myers to Denver and then drove to Leadville, an old historic mining town located 11,000 feet above sea level in the Rockies. For a flat-lander Florida boy, the mountain scenery was breathtaking. We arrived shortly after a late spring snowstorm so the area was still covered in a blanket of white, something not seen in southwest Florida. On our drive up to the mountains we saw wild elk and antelope and even encountered a large herd of buffalo. Fantastic! At every turn there was something wild and different to experience. For my wife and me, it was new. For the locals, it was an everyday occurrence.

Colorado gave me a new appreciation for the natural environment that surrounds our home, and for the thrill it provides newcomers not accustomed to our saltwater estuaries. We tend to take our wildlife and scenery for granted while in the pursuit of the “big one.” That trip taught me to stop for a minute, take a look around and enjoy the moment as well as the great angling available to us here in the Fort Myers area.