Well folks, it is spring here on the Gulf Coast of the States and the Red Snapper season is just beginning.
There are as many theories and plans of operation as there are fishermen.
So I will just share with you mine.

It has been my experience that the charter boats available out of Alabama are some of the finest I have found so far,
even superior to the ones I used in the Galveston/Houston area. I recommend charter boats because of the expense and maintenance involved in boat ownership, not to mention insurance and all of the required inspections.
Also it is nice to not have to clean up after a successful trip. When all you really want to do is have something cool
to drink, and head for home with your catch.

I went with a group of 10 individuals on the charter trip. We were going out to several artificial reefs that had
been constructed in the Gulf of Mexico. It was about a two hour trip out to the first reef, and I had just about
had all the coffee I needed for a week when we arrived. Several of the other fishermen had Bud Lite, instead of coffee
and Orange juice, but the results of that will be discussed a little later. The sun was just beginning its rise on
the horizon, and the marvelous colors displayed in the clouds was a true treat. It was 71 f , with a slight chop to
the water, with 2-3 ft waves, creating a gentle rocking motion on the boat, quite pleasant to an old sailor.
We were all given instructions about the fine art of catching the worthy prey, and a look at the fish-finder to confirm
that indeed we were over the reef and there were an abundance of fish below. Nothing left to do but put your lines
in the water, and test your skill. Harvesting the snapper was slow, but steady, and time was gleefully slipping away.

As you can imagine, there were a number of conversations taking place for the next three hours,
as we all caught our limits. There were eight men and two women in our band of adventurers,
and all were with in about 15 years in age of each other. The discussion turned to politics,
as one can understand as we approach a presidential primary. As the temperature of the day increased,
so did the fervor of the discussion. I had a valuable lesion reinforced to me that morning,
” when a person’s mind is made up, don’t try to confuse them with facts.”

The mid-day heat was upon us and we all had our limits so we started the two-hour trip back to port.
By now, beer was being passed around, and almost everyone was consuming it with some degree of experience.
There were no amateur drinkers on board. The two ladies, who were obviously lesbian
(but not by any stretch of the imagination a member of our own Lesbian Island), had gotten into heated discussions
with the Good old boys who started their day with Bud Lite. Good taste and common sense prevent me from sharing
the details of the conversation between this elite group of verbal combatants, however, it was not civil, and the
captain had to intervene on several occasions. As we entered the breakwater we had to slow the speed of the boat,
and the rocking of the boat increased as it always does. This had a profound effect on one of the good old boys,
and he accidentally emptied the contents of his stomach on one of the ladies. Now, gentlemen, I have seen some
bar brawls in my day, but this lady hit him so hard (would have made any man proud) that I am sure his nose was
broken, it sure bleed a bit. Well the port authorities were waiting for us when we docked. Everyone was soon sorted
out and I thanked the captain and deck hand, took my catch and departed. My wife was waiting for me on the dock ,
seeing all of the commotion, flashing lights, police,
with one of those looks on her face and said to me “what did you do?” I cheerfully explained I did nothing,
that I was but an innocent bystander. I don’t think she believed the innocent part.

..................................jim