"Be Prepared" - It works in fishing too!
Author - John E. Brady, Hanover PA-USA
Copyright 2001
e-mail - jeb@jebswebsite.com
When I was a youngster growing up in the Boy Scouts, I learned an important phrase that I still use today.
As a Scout Leader, I would test prospective Eagle Scouts on this phrase and what it meant to them. I wanted them to understand that they could use it throughout their life.
What was it you ask?
Simply two words - "be prepared." I found that this little phrase fit in just about everywhere, even in fishing. Although they call it fishing, the main objective is catching. And there's no better way to go catching, than by being prepared.
In the old days, we would simply grab our fishing rod and head to the creek for a fun day of rest and relaxation. These days, some fishermen go for rest and relaxation, and others go out to compete against other fishermen in tournaments. No matter what type of fishing you do, being prepared to go out there and catch fish is still just as important.
Today, fishermen have an endless array of tools at their disposal to accomplish this objective. For example, we can get a weather update on TV with the news on the hour, or a twenty four-hour weather channel. We can even find it on the Internet through our computer. So there certainly shouldn't be any question whether or not to take a raincoat.
We need to check our equipment. These days we have several rods and reels to check to be sure they are in working order and full of line, instead of just one. We have to check our tackle box(s) to be sure we have that special bait that our buddy said was working last week.
If we have a boat, we need to check to ensure it's ready for the trip. Do we have sufficient gas and oil for the motor? Proper air in the trailer tires? Are the batteries charged? Is the key in the boat?
Some of us even go so far as to check the Prime Time Calendar, or Lunar Tables, to make sure we are going out when the fish are biting.
Too often when I go to the lake, I'll see a forlorn fisherman sitting at the dock or in the parking lot. Sometimes they're waiting for their buddy that had to go home for the boat keys, other times they're fiddling with something at their boat that they should have checked before the left home. I'll usually stop and ask if I can help, but always wonder why they waited till now to check.
The simplest way to make sure you remember everything is to develop a check list. Include on it everything you need to check before you leave home, as well as the items you want to take along. You can even have a special section for those longer trips when you need to take more stuff. Then use it. Make it routine.
I learned it long ago, and it still works today. "Be prepared" for your fishing trip, and you'll have a lot more fun, and can concentrate more on the ultimate goal - catching!
"After all they call it fishing, but the goal is catching."