Tidelines – November 17, 2011
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve enjoyed some great fall fishing, and these last two weeks of memorable fishing trips have brought with them a reminder of just how fortunate I am.
If I go chronologically, then our annual Fish Post Day on the Vonda Kay started my run of fantastic action. This year we put a little over 30 people on Capt. Dave Gardner’s head boat “Vonda Kay” for a private trip, and though our gang wasn’t quite able to limit out on gags like we did last year, we did have about 20 people go home with grouper in their coolers.
My pregnant wife Leslie was the star of the day, as her rod found more gags than anyone’s. Those that know Leslie know that she’s a pretty woman, but the mates on the boat that day were way more enthralled by her angling abilities. And I agree. Catching big fish is sexy on her, and I’m a lucky man.
Next was a fly fishing trip with Capt. Jon Huff, a friend who had been out of town all summer. We went out to fly cast to speckled trout, and it wasn’t until I stood on the bow of his flats boat in a slight wind that I was reminded of the fact that I hadn’t even picked up a fly rod since late spring. Still, we executed our plan, warmed up my fly skills on some spikes, and kept working a promising area until we soon had a 20-incher in the boat. It can be hard to produce on a fly fishing trip when an article is hanging in the balance, but on that day we were fortunate.
The next good fortune came while fishing with Team Fish Post (plus Tony Delof A&M Screenprinting) in the Flat Bottom Girls and Catch for a Cause tournaments. Catch for a Cause had an oyster toad division, with guaranteed payouts for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Our team weighed in two oyster toads, and we walked away with $300. It’s not often you get to tell everyone that you got paid $300 for catching oyster toads.
The day was also filled with grouper and flounder (and I can’t count how many stout sea bass we had to release). It was our last Team Fish Post event of the year, and it was both a memorable and a lucky one for us.
My biggest lesson by far, though, in how lucky I am came a few days later. It came on a Tuesday morning whenEddie Hardgrove, my Sales Manager for over five years, made official what we both knew had been coming for a couple of months. He’s leaving Fisherman’s Post to pursue a new job, a sales and marketing job with a fire and water restoration company.
Fisherman’s Post without Eddie? No Turbo? No Mister International? No Chicken Rig?
It will take me a long time to organize my thoughts about what Eddie has meant to Fisherman’s Post. Eddie has poured his heart and soul into the publication (and the company) for the past five years, and he did so with his unmistakable “Eddie” style. He got excited about fishing and the business of fishing, and his positive energy was contagious. We all knew when Eddie was around, and that’s an attractive quality in our business. His total accomplishments are too much to be captured in a Tidelines column, so I’ll finish with a big thank you for everything. I’ve been lucky to work with you.
So we wish Eddie and his family well with the new endeavor. The Fisherman’s Post staff and I know he will be successful. We’ve enjoyed firsthand both the man and the fruits of his labor.
Please stay a friend, Eddie. Don’t make me hope for water damage to the Fisherman’s Post office to give you a reason to stop by.
