Getting Ready!!!

I woke up this morning to the horrid noise of my screeching alarm. I swung blindly a few times to try and shut it off as quickly as possible. Before I could even began to wake up I felt the coldness that filled my room sink in. I grabbed my covers and pulled them close to my face, and closed my eyes as if to say " who cares about getting up early it's too cold, and I have no school or work today". Suddenly, it hit me! I'm going fishing today, that's why I had an alarm set.

With no work, no school, and no worries in my life today, I decided to invite a few buddies of mine to go on an offshore "adventure" with me. Much to my surprise, all three of my buddies are going to be able to make the trip. With the weather in the low 30s this morning I decided to hold off on getting out to the water early. I guess I am going against the whole cliche: the early bird gets the worm. In my eyes I see it as: the most skilled bird gets the worm. That is at least what I am hoping for today.

Even though I didn't wake up at the crack up dawn, there was still much work to be done this morning in preparation for our trip. When going offshore fishing it is IMPERATIVE that you have everything ready before you even leave the house. I woke up and began using my "Martha Stewart" skills in the kitchen by making an array of sandwiches. With an appetite like mine, food is a necessity on an all day trip. I then filled a cooler loaded down with a variety of drinks. It's key to not only have an abundance of snacks and food, but also a healthy choice of drinks to choice from.

After finishing all the "culinary duties" necessary for our trip, I headed to the garage to take care of some technical issues. I grabbed 9 of my best poles and went to work on them. It is important every time before you go out fishing to check your line, and even possibly replace it each trip. I relined a few poles, tied a few new hooks, added some weight to a few, added some oil to a few (adding oil to your reel makes the reeling much smoother), and did a few other minor fixes to the poles. When going out fishing it is always best to rig your poles up before you hit the water. By doing this you get to spend more time trying to catch your fish.

The last thing I did, and also the most important thing I did was check the boat. I checked to make sure the running lights were working. If these lights are not working you run a risk of getting a ticket from Hillsborough county's finest. I also checked to make sure I had 4 life vest and a throw cushion. One life vest per person and one through cushion is required by Florida Wildlife. I also checked to see how much gas I had, and to make sure I had the boat registration. With the boat in order, my poles ready, and food in the fridge my preparation is complete! Now all I am doing is waiting for my slow friends to arrive so we can leave!

We are targeting red snapper today on our trip. These fish can get quite large, and put up a massive fight. I am rather excited, and pretty confident that we will "tear" them up today! We are planning to head approximately 29 miles off shore. The spot we are planning to fish was given to me by a family friend, and he swears that it is loaded with fish. I personally have never tried out this location, but today is the day. Wish me luck, and I will be sure to write back tomorrow on how it went.