Tidelines – May 26, 2011
As Memorial Day approaches, the Fisherman’s Post staff typically takes in a big, long breath. Here at the office we know that this holiday weekend marks the start of our weekly print schedule for the summer (yes, we are weekly from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and then we pull back to bi-weekly for the fall).
The ongoing series of print deadlines can put a mental (and physical) strain on the crew, so we did what many people do when they need an escape. We went on a road trip.
The weekend before Memorial Day weekend was the date for this year’s Crystal Coast Boat Show on the waterfront in Morehead City. Fisherman’s Post had a booth and hotel rooms and tickets to parties, but we still needed something else to bring us solidarity before the “finish-one-issue-and-immediately-start-on-the-next” madness ensues.
Team building at Fisherman’s Post is always an easy decision. We needed to go fishing offshore, and the timing was right to head out of Beaufort Inlet for the 40-ish mile trip to mug up on some dolphin.
Capt. Andy Wolfe, of Fraud Giggin’ Charters out of Emerald Isle, trailered his boat up to the new public access ramp on Radio Island, and the nucleus of Fisherman’s Post—Sales Manager Eddie Hardgrove, Editor Max Gaspeny, and I—joined Andy and his longtime fishing buddy Teddy Campbell for the mostly comfortable bean bag ride to just inshore of the Rise.
Sometimes our Guide Time trips can start a little nervously, as everyone on the boat (both Fish Post staff and captain) wants to get a quick fish to insure the article; however, this trip gave us no opportunity to even question if the fish were going to cooperate.
Before Andy could finish putting out the spread of six lines that he had planned, the first mahi—a 20 lb. class fish—smacked an orange/black rigged ballyhoo, a rig that Andy had just minutes before guaranteed to be a producer.
And after the first mahi, they just kept coming.
We had gaffers, and we had slingers. We lost a few fish but landed most. There were aerials and fish turning sideways to the boat to drag. Max, Eddie, and I took turns fighting fish all morning, rotating in the cockpit from left to right and forward and back.
And then I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time, the port corner by the planer rod. The rod tripped, I was the closest, and after a quick fight, our boat (with me as the lucky angler) had logged a sailfish release with Capt. Andy Wolfe.
You can read all about our Fraud Giggin’ adventure in this issue’s Guide Time article beginning on page 40. Max, as always, does a great job of recreating the day, from techniques, to play-by-play, to the friendly banter on the boat that often happens when you have five people in close proximity all day.
So the Fisherman’s Post staff came back to the dock sunburned, tired, and with a cooler full of fish and plenty of new stories to tell (like Eddie camping out on the planer rod for the rest of the day after it had produced a sailfish, and Eddie needing yet another lesson on how to take fish photos because he thinks that if he continues to take bad enough photos then we won’t bother him any more to help us with the articles, and Eddie whining to get the bean bag in the center position because he feels some kind of entitlement to be dryer than the rest of us).
Yes, team building for sure.
And that team building is coming just in time, as Fisherman’s Post, in addition to putting together this big holiday issue, also prepares to host its first fishing tournament of the year. Please come out and fish with us this June 3-4 at the Spring Inshore Challenge, with registration at Wild Wing Cafe and the weigh-in at Wrightsville Beach Marina (please see ad copy on page 3).
Pre-registration numbers are up this year, as are the calls from people saying this will be the first tournament that they have ever fished in.
Maybe it’s the implementation of the new red drum division. Or maybe it’s the food, drink, and family atmosphere. Or it could be the nice payouts or the guaranteed appearance on the cover of Fisherman’s Post.
If you need yet another reason to come out, then how about I give Eddie the microphone at the captains’ meeting to let him tell his side of the story?
