Manic Mondays - The Bait & Switch
Sound like you? Every Thursday at 4.45pm for the last 11 months youäó»ve announced to no one in particular äóìI think I might go for a fush this weekendäó?.. yes, definitely going.äó Then you excitedly jump online to see what the weather is going to do. However all too often when asked at the water-cooler the following Monday äóìHow was your fishing trip?äó you dejectedly reply äóìOh, nah I didnäó»t goäó (followed by the classic: äóìthe lawns needed doingäó, äóìthe mother in law was in townäó or äóìcouldnäó»t get the all-clear from the missusäó) But now itäó»s that time on year. Work starts to wind down, the sun is out, and the fish are plentiful. The days are yours!!! Well, almost. This time of year is also the time to relax and spend some äóìus timeäó with the better half (who also happens to be on holiday) Luckily there is a great technique called the bait and switch. STEP 1: Find an accessible fishing spot that is also suitable for a romantic picnic, such as the beach, lake or rivers edge. NB Check that weather/tides/river levels etc will be suitable for fishing. STEP 2: Suggest well ahead of time that youäó»d like to go for a nice romantic picnic äóñ eluding the fact that where you intend to go happens to be a sweet fishing spot. If you play this right, merely making the suggestion will earn you enough brownie points that you can just relax and have a beer while the rest of the picnic gets organised around you. Take this time to discretely get you fly gear organised. While packing the picnic into the car carefully sneak in your fly gear. STEP 3: Once you arrive at your destination make a slight comment along the lines of äóìOh wow, this would be a great place for a fishäó. Only after the picnic is finished and you are both truly relaxed, casually announce äóìI think I have my fly gear in the car, I might go have a quick flick.äó If met with protest, simply open another bottle of wine rest for 5 minutes and repeat step 3äó?äó?. And youäó»re fishing!!! The picnic example is the grass roots of the bait and switch, however it can be applied in many ways. For example: Suggest a weekend away äóñ elude to the fact that the motel happens to be on the edge of a particularly good fishing river. Suggest a week long island getaway äóñ elude to the fact that the island in question is a hot SW fly destination. Suggest you go on a cruise äóñ out to the marker buoys for a few early morning Kingfish. The possibilities are endless! Good luck!