^^Thanks for the feedback Monty...as always you have a diplomatic way of expressing your point....

As for hooking yourself while casting to trees...well I think we ALL have a little GOOGAN in us....




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Here's another cautionary tale I wrote tailored to kayaking,,,but edited to include surf and jetty fishing...I know some of this may seem redundant and repetitive, apologies for that...but if it ends up saviing someone's life, then I make no apologies...




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Some basic lessons for the new guys here, and the rest of us as well

1. Always have a location plan written and available to someone you trust back home. (If fishing a jetty or jetty area write down where you should be that night)

2. For the new guys, don't go out alone until you are extremely confident in your abilities.

3. Don't go out at night until you are confident with your safety precautions and have run a list of "what if" scenarios in your mind. If you are not good at strategizing Plan B, C, and D scenarios, you could get yourself killed out there.

4. I hope my words about guys "challenging" themselves aren't taken the wrong way here.You never want to challenge yourselves by compromising your safety. If something goes wrong, you not only put yourself at risk but put the safety of first responders at risk. You should also think about the family or friends you leave at home, and what will happen to them if you don't come back from a trip.

Ex - I thought about the people at home who depend on me, and instantly knew I had to leave. No shame in that.

I hope these poiints will give the new guys some things to think about. We're not pushing anyone to go out there who doesn't feel it is within your skill set.

If it's not within your skill set, you will find out very quickly, and remember that things can turn around on any jetty or inlet, in a moment's notice.There's no shame in being careful, cautious, or saying to yourself..."Things aren't right for me today, to do this...I'll re-assess, do something else, and come back when conditions are better."

Hope this helped some of you guys.





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Last but not least...
*How important are your family and loved ones to you?
*What would happen to them if you didn't make it back from a fishing trip?
*What kind of pain would they go through knowing you drowned out there at night?
*Is it fair to put them through that, all for a fish?

Please be safe out there, guys and gals...no fish is worth your life...