Florida
Sightless Fishing for Reds
by Captain Ron Presley
Florida’s Space Coast is famous for its sight fishing opportunities. Some say it originated in the area before spreading too many other parts of the country as a generally accepted and much sought after means of fishing. Anglers of all persuasions travel from miles around to sight fish the clear shallow waters in search of fish tails protruding from a glassy surface or the wake pushed in front of a school of ornery redfish.
Sight fishing. It’s an interesting phenomenon. Sounds simple enough, search for the fish and once you see them cast a lure or natural bait to their location and let skill or lady luck hook you up. Since to “sight fish” you first have to see the fish, but what if you couldn’t see?
If you have ever fished at night in the darkest of conditions, you can imagine what it is like for a visually impaired person to engage in fishing. The only difference is that you can use a flashlight or deck light to gain the ability to see in the otherwise dark environment. Blind people cannot turn on the light that has been absent from their world, often for many years. They must learn to adapt to the many tasks of life including, in this case, fishing without the sight that most of us simply take for granted.
These simple thoughts about sight fishing leads me to my story. It was early summer of 2005; I received a call from a client asking if he could bring a blind person with him on his next charter. The question took me back for a second with worries of what that simple request may entail. Will he always wear a life jacket? Will he be able to cast? Can I really provide him with an enjoyable trip? What will he expect from the outing? Will I need any special equipment?
The simple questions had simple answers and I agreed to give it a go. My client was pleased and indicated that he had not found many guides willing to agree to his request. The date was set, weeks in advance, and the worries of the moment were gone until the day that Robert, my client and Dick, the blind guy, would show up at the dock ready to go fishing. Robert also brought his preacher and a nine-year-old boy from his church. The gang arrived on time with the normal high expectations of a day of fishing.
They walked down a narrow walkway that separated the two boat ramps at the public park where we would launch my boat. Dick’s right arm was trustingly locked in Robert’s to be lead out the dock and alongside the waiting boat. When Dick arrived alongside the Pathfinder, he took out his white walking stick with a red tip on the bottom and began to “see” the configuration of the boat’s cockpit by carefully tapping the walking stick forward, then backward, and side-to-side. This process, according to Dick, gives him a mental picture of his next task, which in this case was to board the fishing vessel.
Without hesitation Dick stepped precisely onto the deck of the boat beside a leaning seat. He then used the walking stick to proceed to the front where he stationed himself on the padded ice chest that sets in front of the center consol. He was ready to go fishin’. The other three anglers boarded the Pathfinder and we motored slowly through the first of several manatee zones in route to a day of fishing.
I also discovered that this was not the first time Dick had been fishing so he had a pretty good expectation of the day’s events. We anchored up in our first fishing hole and baited up with live shrimp. With four anglers on board, we had lines out in every direction. Robert was the first to hook up and he pulled in a nice pole bending jack creavalle. The preacher was next with a nice slot sized redfish. Dick patiently waited for his opportunity at a feisty redfish and his patience paid off. I glanced over his way and his rod was bending under the weight and fight of another slot-sized redfish.
Dick is without sight, but his other senses are developed well beyond yours and mine. Using his God given instincts and physical strength Dick maneuvered the fish to the side of the boat where he was netted and moved to the live well. At every point along the way as he brought the redfish towards the boat he responded instantaneously to shouted commands to turn him right or turn him left or raise the rod tip. I am sure spectators from an on-looking boat would have no idea that Dick was blind. He enjoyed all the thrills of any other angler except the one of visually inspecting the fish. He didn’t know without assistance if the fish was “normal” with one spot on each side of the tail or if it had multiple spots. He didn’t know when the fish was laid along side the law stick it measured 23 inches, well within the legal slot of 18 to 27 inches, until he was told. He soaked up the information that was given to him verbally and could probably repeat it to anyone interested in listening today.
But, did it really matter that he could not see the fish? Not to Dick. He had enjoyed one more of life’s many pleasures that so many of us take for granted and so many like him never get to experience. Dick has long ago accepted his handicap and goes on about his life making the best of every day. Just as many fishing guides approach their chosen profession with a passion that rivals a minister spreading the gospel of the Word to a flock of eager listeners, Dick has a passion of his own.
Every client who comes on board for a day of fishing returns to a life of his own, and Dick is no different. As I discovered on our brief fishing trip, Dick was not short on independence. He is an adventuresome person who in his own words, “had been blessed with the opportunity to travel the world and experience many things not available to many others who share my condition of sightlessness.”
Dick continued to discuss his life, "My training and life experience has been as a motivational speaker to the secular business world; teaching communication skills, goal setting, and other human services issues,” Dick explains. “Because of that the chaplain at Seminole County Jail asked me if I would develop a series of programs to teach life skills from a Biblical perspective in a special Christian 'Nurture Cell Program”. Dick accepted the chaplain’s request and continues to provide that ministry today.
With that first red in the boat, Dick was ready to do it again. Dick was fishing with live shrimp. Of course, he didn’t know what was put on his hook unless he was told or unless he felt it, because he couldn’t see it. All the anglers were reminded that we were using circle hooks and all they needed to do if a fish ran off with their bait was to lift the rod tip and start reeling.
It wasn’t long though until Dick’s pole was bent over again. He had positioned himself on the side of the cooler seat with his rod jutting out over the gunnel pointed in a southerly direction. Just like before, he did not need sight to respond when the beefy redfish pulled on the end of his line and bent the pole in a smooth gentle arc placing pressure on the arms and hands of the blind angler. He calmly replies, “I got one”. Dick skillfully worked that redfish to the side of the Pathfinder and into the landing net just as he had done before.
During the day, Billy had been practicing his sermon for Sunday morning on the rest of us. He was going to talk about joy and happiness and how to distinguish between the two. I can’t remember exactly how he explained it, but to me it related to “fishing” and “catching”. Anyone who fishes knows there is a difference. After some meditation on the notion of joy and happiness, I decided that for me happiness was as simple as having the opportunity to go fishin’. Joy, on the other hand, was the experience of actually catchin’
On this particular day, I think I could safely say that I received happiness just by having the opportunity to fish with a blind guy who sees everything in life as another opportunity. No grumbling or complaining, just looking forward to life’s next experience. I also received joy on this day by seeing this same blind guy catch the fish that he pursued even though I know that down deep he would have been happy and experienced joy even if we had not caught a single fish all day long. To Dick this day was another blessing, a gift from God of another day to enjoy and cherish what so many of us take for granted.
All day long, without saying a word, Dick was teaching us all the rewards of patience and the skill of “feel” in fishing. Just capitalize the word “PATIENCE” and think about it. We could all improve our own fishing and catching skills by duplicating Dick’s patient deliberate actions. Coupled with his uncanny sense of feel, Dick was demonstrating to us all the need for a new phrase in the vocabulary of fishing. Sight-less fishing for reds!
Sidebar Information
The White Cane or walking stick was introduced in North America by the Lions Club International in 1931. The cane is a symbol of blindness, but more importantly, a symbol of independence. The white cane allows a legally blind person to travel independently. All states and many other counties have White Cane laws, which allow the legally blind person the right of way at street crossings.
International White Cane Day is October 15.
|