Eleven Ways to Make Every Fishing Vacation Better
The fish don’t always cooperate. Nor do the airlines. Things go wrong that are outside of your control. If you wanted a more reliable hobby or vacation, you should have chosen something other than fishing. Nevertheless, for addicted traveling anglers like us, when most or all things go right it can result in a magical experience. That’s why we keep on going back.
I always think that every trip is its own organism, with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Nevertheless, for several years I’ve been working on a road map that I believe helps every trip come close to maximum enjoyment. Here it is in eleven easy steps:
Be Present
This might sound a little new-agey, and I might be one of the least new-agey people you know, but it’s really true. Try to invest all of your energy into the trip itself. You can’t control what happened before you left, or what’s going to happen when you leave, but you can be focus entirely on your current situation. Boiled down further, that means not just the trip itself, but that particular day, or even each single cast. It’s more than the mantra of “fishing the moment” – it means investing all energy, emotion and thought into that snapshot in time.
Be Grateful
After disclaiming my touchy-feely bona fides above, I’m back with another one, and while I incorporated the “be present” idea into my daily routine a while back, this is a newer addition. Even on the most stressful trip, with the worst possible weather, take a moment out of your day to be thankful for what you have and where you are. Could it be better? Undoubtedly the answer could be yes, but you’re likely doing something that the vast majority of people on earth will never get a chance to experience. This is important in all circumstances, but particularly when things go right and you have an exceptional trip. Be sure not only to recognize this gratefulness internally, but also to express it to the people who helped make it happen.
Be Prepared for All Weather
While I’d like to be the guy who perpetually packs light, I’m a chronic overpreparer. When it comes to weather, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I take a rain jacket of some kind on every trip, even when I don’t expect a drop of rain, because I know that being unprepared even for less-likely scenarios can lead to disaster. You can be in the midst of the most epic bite in history, but if you’re on the road to hypothermia you might not enjoy it, or even live to tell the tale. Likewise, sunburn, dehydration, bug bites, frostbite and other preventable maladies can upend a great experience. If nothing else, if the bite is tough and you have the right gear, you can focus on making the best presentations possible rather than your physical suffering.
Share Your Gear
If you’ve done your research ahead of time, then you’ve likely brought the right equipment and accessories – things like lures, line and replacement trebles. Others in your group, or in the same camp, might not have done so. If they have none and you have extras, do the right thing and help them out. This extends to information, too. If you figure out a pattern or a technique that’s paying huge dividends (or any dividends at all) while others are suffering, spread the word. Ideally, someone will do the same for you someday. Even if they don’t, it leads to a better overall group mood, which in turn leads to a better experience for everyone around.
Expect Things to Go Wrong
No matter how much we plan, things go wrong. Flights get delayed, baggage gets lost, a cold front comes through at the worst possible time. Sorry, it’s reality. Yes, if you take 10 or 20 trips you might get a couple where that’s not the case, but more often than not something goes awry. The true test of a good traveler is how you react to them, Start off by preparing adequately – bringing the right clothing and gear, and extras where appropriate. Even then, you can’t gameplan for everything. When stuff goes wrong do what you can to make the most of a bad situation. Even if it is someone’s fault (and it’s often no one’s fault), once the toothpaste is out of the tube you cannot shove it back in…you can only clean it up. Do your best to help with the cleaning.
Travel with People Who Share Your Positive Attitude
Once you’ve traveled with someone who underprepares and then bitches about both expected and unexpected issues, do what you can to either “fix” them or excise them from your circle. You’re on vacation, doing something you love – why do you want to spend it with negative people? Of course, the Negative Nancies are sometimes unavoidable at a lodge or camp, but to the extent you can be sure to spend your time with positive problem-solvers.
Turn Topics Away from Negativity
If you cannot avoid the negative thinkers – particularly the ones who never seem inclined to do anything about it and make it all about them – then resist the urge to engage with them on those topics. If they’re complaining about the fishing, ask “What do you think we can do to improve the bite?” If they’re complaining about something unchangeable like the weather, change the topic. If they’re talking about politics, which is almost always a means of complaining about something or criticizing something, likewise steer it to something else. It’s your vacation, too, and while it might take some effort you deserve a chance to make it as fun as possible.
Take Pleasure in Others’ Success
Unless you’re a complete narcissist, the best possible situation is when everyone in your group or at the lodge is having the fishing trip of a lifetime, hitting on all cylinders. Sometimes that doesn’t happen. Sometimes only a fraction of the people fishing are doing well. If you’re in that fraction, be gracious about it (bragging won’t make you any friends) and try to help others. If you’re one of the ones doing poorly while someone else enjoys a great catch, be sure to take pleasure in their success. High five them and ask to hear about the story – you might get a tidbit of information that helps you. If nothing else, you’ve been a good sport and helped someone enjoy their bucket list moment a little bit more.
Evaluate Each Trip on its Own Merits
Remember the trip where 8- and 9-pound bass were eating anything that moved? Or the one where you barely had to run 5 miles to get into a massive school of big, feeding mahi mahi? Those were great fun, and you’ll always have the pictures and memories? But what about the times when those opportunities don’t exist? You’ve traveled across the country or across the globe and fishing is “off.” You need to reset your baseline. Maybe one 8-pounder will make this trip a success because the bite is tough. Or maybe catching a decent fish on a new technique. Or a news species altogether. Or maybe the achievement isn’t related to a particular size or number fish. It could be taking your young child, or an aging parent, for some togetherness. Or spending some time with the fly rod when normally you only use conventional tackle. At the end of each trip, after the adrenaline wears down, take a moment to think about what made this one different and special. Write those things down if you want.
Learn From Each Trip
Whether the fishing is great, horrible or somewhere in between, there’s something you can learn on each trip that will help you exceed your baseline on the next trip. Personally, I love trying out new lures and techniques and will spend some time on each (bass) trip doing so. If it doesn’t pan out, I don’t consider that a waste of time, but rather another information point. While every trip is its own ecosystem, use it as a learning opportunity. Something you did, or something that happened, will help you connect the dots the next time around.
Don’t Make it About the Money
Many times a “bucket list” or “once in a lifetime” trip can strain your finances. When it doesn’t live up to advance billing in some way (or several ways) that can be a drag. Nevertheless, great fishing trips are not a purely transactional experience. If you could simply pay a certain amount and be guaranteed a personal best, that would take much of the mystery out of it. Yes, it’s disappointing to save and scrimp and not be fully rewarded, but if you’ve done proper research and gone to the right place at the right time, there’s not much more you can do. Be thankful for the experience and start planning the next one.
