Having a father who is an avid fisherman and tackle dealer for many years, I guess you could say fishing in my life was inevitable. As a child, I suppose it could have gone either way, I either shared my father's passion for fishing, or I hated the sport!  I never minded going fishing as a child, and I got to try them all, sea, freshwater and even fly fishing.  However, I could never seem to experience the thrill others got from fishing.  This continued  until approximately five years ago, when I decided to go on a week's fishing trip to "The Gambia".

 

Fishing in The Gambia, was an altogether different experience; no more booking your bait, worrying about where you had left your thermal clothes, and hot flask, we had all new problems to worry about. Multipliers were all creating birds nests (they where set for cold British weather, they had never seen heat before!)  Our hooks and traces where built for species of fish, that where not present in The Gambia, and instead of heat packs in my socks, I was now wondering where I had left the factor 50 suncream! I get burnt by the fridge light when it comes on!   For the first time in my life, I found out why we go fishing, and to me it had purpose, and the bug of fishing was born. A sport of fishing for big fish, in beautiful places was the answer. Once the fish was caught and landed it was passed to our Gambian guide who already had the charcoals hot enough to cook the fish for dinner. No specialist chef could ever recreate the taste of freshly cooked lady fish (30 minutes old), prepared with simple ingredients like lemon, salt, and an oxo cube served with a bit of salad and french stick; we were in paradise!

 

 I didn't believe fishing could get any better, that is until I visited Texas.  Padre Island has some 50 miles of beach front, and full of fish from the start to the end. Fishing on this beach is an amazing experience, and when done true USA style - with a ice trunk full of cold beers! Fishing in Texas is not a man's sport, its a family activity (how it should be),  there is plenty of fish to be caught! Texas has tough fishing regulations, this means no fish are wasted.  When fish are are in there prime size for breeding they have to be released, if you dont, it's of to jail you go!

 

 

 My partner loves sunbathing, so that means I can fish everyday, and she can sunbathe besides me while I fish! I can remember Nick once saying to me "make sure you drink plenty on the beach, as you can get deyhydrated and become delerious" (as he has seen many times before). Well today I had been on P.I.N.S. (Padre Island National Seasore) for about 3 hours, with 2 rods out, one to catch the bait needed for my second rod. Two small whiting type fish later (I can never remember the names of them!), and was now fishing with Nick's newly designed rig - "The Siamese Rig".   This rig was built for one or two big baits, and to land big fish. Well an hour later I had landing my first 28" Red fish, and was now sitting back thinking about life, and afterlife - is there a heaven or hell? To me god was someone who some

adults have as an imaginary friend, Dad was always fishing on Sundays, so I guess thats why we never made it to church? So with a beer in one hand, a nice Red fish under my belt, sitting at the 10 mile point on P.I.N.S. sourrounded by some amazing looking birds (the feathered type), on a beautiful day, thinking .. 'If heaven is better than this, I cant wait to get there!' .  Later I got asked so how did I cook the Red Fish? Did I BBQ, bake it, or just broil it?....  Hell no, she went back in the water to fight another day, my love is for the sport not for the fish, the fish gave me pleasure in catching her, and I want to see how much line she can strip off my reel when she is 38"!

 

(Great rig Nickaway)

 

Craig