Have you ever thought of yourself in a "certain" way and then reality proves to be exactly 180 degrees opposite of that view. That my friends can be a humbling, humiliating and frustrating realization. Having played this overnight boat game for well over 20 years I had finally come to think I had arrived. That perception was achieved with lots of hard work, trial and error, and top end equipment. The belief was not without some merit as the last several years I am usually in the running for high hook and/or jackpot honors. When one considers the tough learning curve associated with this type of fishing AND the competition from regulars who are truly skilled to be able to assign yourself into the upper echelon of overnighters is no small accomplishment. My obviously over inflated opinion of my abilities were soon to be burst as abruptly as when a needle hits a taut balloon though and just as completely. I am reminded of the "Road Runner and Wiley Coyote" cartoon. In it, at least once, the coyote will go over a cliff and, after falling a VERY long way, will land with a ring of dust. That is the perfect analogy for my first trip of 2010.
YANKEE TRIP REPORT/ 3-2\ 3/4

 I baited up at long key bridge nailing enough big grunts that I stayed with it and felt pretty good. Glenn and his friend Jerry (who flew in from Arkansas) who were to be my fishing compadres fished at the "no name bridge" and also did nicely laying in a stock of ballyhoo. We arrived at the Yankee Captain full of high expectations and loaded up.

It was a bit snotty on the way out and I began to feel a bit queasy. I dislike taking any seasick medications as it tends to put you to sleep and being to hang in for 15 and 20 hours at a time before taking a couple hour nap is what it's all about. I think we set up around midnight or 1 a.m. with the wind blowin and the boat rockin. Not unfishable from any stretch of the imagination but certainly rougher than I like it especially for a night time bite. I missed my first bite which was to prove a common pattern for me throughout the trip. The bite was definitely off but there was still a steady pick of fish coming in with some good ones to boot. I wasn't to concerned though as I am often a slow starter and usually finish strong.

The moon was starting to come up and my "fish sense" started tingling but my stomach got the better of me and off to my bunk I went after giving instructions to Glenn to come and wake me should the big boys put it into gear. After a spot change I was soon abruptly and hastily awakened by Glenn who said I need to get topside and fast. In a fog I slapped my stuff on and went up to be greeted by a tote bin 1/2 full of dandy muttons. The bite was over as fast as it had started and I had just missed it. You snooze you lose!

The sun came up and not one of our party of three had yet to put a mutton in the box. I think I caught 2 small mangos that night. But hope springs eternal and the wind was forecast to lighten up a bit and it was going to be a beautiful sunny day. The bite proved to be slow throughout the day but Glenn popped a decent king of about 30 lbs which provided him with some entertainment and was a jackpot contender for a good portion of the trip. Still, the regulars picked away and I was only able to watch. In spite of digging into my bag of tricks my tally proved meager at best.

While having lunch topside a young lady who obviously loved to fish was bemoaning her lack of progress. She had yet to ever catch a mutton snapper in spite of advice from crew and her fellow anglers. I listened patiently without interruption as any wise man would do when dealing with members of the fairer gender. She was in such dire need that she actually allowed me to to do what men do best, and that's fix things. She listened with rapt attention and after having answered several inquiries posed from me I quickly and concisely explained what she must do to change her luck. Later that night she did indeed catch her first mutton (a big one to boot) and was bursting at the seams with loud exclamations. She sought me out and I was the beneficiary of a nice hug. But she, along with most of the rest of the boat, were to out fish me this trip!

The bite remained slow and we all looked forward to the night time when the snapper like to eat best. Glenn and Jerry were also having a bit of a tough go of it. My pattern was to either miss the bite completely or to have the fish come unglued 1/2 way up. In spite of changes made this was to be my lot in life for this trip. That night I think we had one hot stop and I managed to put 3 small (barely keepers) muttons in the box. The regulars continued with a slow but steady pick and many of them ended up with 12 to 15 good ones. Not bad considering how slow the bite was. I'm usually able to squeak in there on a tough bite and feel OK but not this time.

Morning put us on a good bite. I promptly busted off 2 fish. One I think was a nurse shark as it had the customary 8 minute battle of pulling up a bag of cement from the bottom but then I promptly went on to pop off what I think was a good grouper strictly due to angler error. With only minutes left in the trip I hooked up again with a very nice fish only to have it tangle in the line of the guy next to me. In spite of the mates warnings to the fellow he set up anyway convinced he had a strike and promptly knocked my fish off. This wasn't the first time that had happened and certainly wouldn't be the last time but it was par for the course for me on this trip.

I will have a month before the next trip and will have plenty to think about. Exactly what went wrong will be foremost in my mind. Plenty to think over. From bait choices to equipment selections to presentation will be replayed. The tough part though is that it seems that I've done what I've usually done and I'm not sure what to change. Hmmmmm?????

On a plus note I finally was able to fish with Glenn. He lives in Tampa and in spit of being a couple years younger than I, is retired Air Force. A genuine quality guy. I enjoyed very much fishing with him. His C/O (also retired) Jerry who flew in to go was also a great guy.

Till next time, keep it tight! (my only decent fish of the trip which was out of season and had to go back)