Joe Garcia’s Fishing Blog: From the poling platform

I’m going to take a moment to put thoughts to paper this month, folks. This blog is a bit different than the regular fishing topics, but I think every single one of you who’s held a rod or invited someone fishing will relate to this post.

Gear, tackle, lures, the skiff, the prep, the gas, batteries topped off… all it leads to is time on the water. The hour drive to reflect and then arriving at the ramp in Chokoloskee at “0 dark thirty” – it’s another world and another time. I greet my buddy at the ramp, grab a fresh hot coffee, have some light conversation, take a moment to catch up with the dockmaster and get my guest squared away with their gear, and then we are set to go.

When I push off from the dock and turn the skiff east into Chokoloskee Bay, I leave everything behind – literally. The focus is now dialed into navigating that sketchy, unmarked waterway south and east into Everglades National Park, where now your knowledge and senses are your guide. You look for obvious and many subtle hints to guide you, like how high is the water and whether it’s rising or falling, and how strong and from what direction will the wind come today. Those factors build on the decisions that will be made that day. The absolute best moment for me, though, is when I reach my spot and glide the skiff to a stop, shut her down, grab that 22-foot graphite push pole and climb onto the poling platform. Up there, I take the first look at my surroundings, take a deep breath and soak it all in. The early morning glow on the horizon, the breeze, the sounds of bait breaking the surface and the new day smells… folks, it is truly the best seat in the house! I’m now zoned in and ready for the day.

The poling platform is also a place to build a relationship with my guest on the skiff. The skiff is no more than an 18-foot by 6-foot piece of fiberglass floating in the tea-colored, brackish water of the backcountry, 40 miles from any human habitation, where you will spend a good part of the day with that person. That, to me, is priceless. It’s where good relationships evolve and great relationships are reinforced and built upon. You can truly get to know someone on so many levels in an environment like that.

In reverence to the backcountry and to be stealthy in that shallow water, we speak in low tones, soft even. Conversations can be light, deep or in between. Family, work, relationships, religion, good times and tough times are often the topics, all in confidence and respectful of the other, of course. I’ve been blessed to create some wonderful relationships with some very fine folks, people like first responders, retired military, career sports professionals, business leaders, a few customers and many all-around good people. By the way, folks, I tend to be choosy about who I invite. The wrong person can make for a LONG day on that piece of fiberglass, but so far, I haven’t experienced any issues. So if I invite you… well then.

We fisher folks tend to put much emphasis on the act of fishing and catching, but to me, it is so much more. To someone who has never experienced the remote mangrove islands, bays and creeks of the backcountry, it is truly awe-inspiring and affects folks in so many ways. It’s something I do not take for granted. I’ve made it a point to learn much about the history and families of our area, which has quite a colorful and notorious past. Knowing the families and who lived where, what they did, how they lived and how they survived, as well as showing folks their old homestead sites, helps support the conversation and is invaluable (and surely helps on slow days – LOL). Once, I had a buddy get emotional at the day’s end when thanking me and parting ways at the ramp, saying it was the best fishing experience he ever had. My goal throughout the day is simply to make new memories and bring a smile to my guest’s face, so if that comes together, then my mission is accomplished. I heard someone say once that you can get to know someone by spending a day on the water or playing golf with them… It’s a very accurate statement.

Live life, make memories and be safe, y’all. Hope this made you smile as well.

SEE MORE: Fishing with Sunshine