48 hours and counting

It is now Wednesday and the boat leaves on Friday. I leave for San Diego tomorrow, join my friend Mark at the hotel down the street from the landing. Not sure if Butch's restaurant is open now or not - dinner there now a tradition. A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from Freddie - who we fished with 0n the Rooster a few years ago. We would talk on occasion and kept in touch. Turns out, he was unable to go on a 10 day a few months ago due to his wife not feeling well. He calls and tells me his wife is feeling better -and which trip was I on. Tracy made a spot for him on the boat and he will meet us at the dock Friday morning. Nice. Might have mentioned it before, but besides Mark telling me I have to soak a bait to get bit - Freddie would be up in the bow, leisurely soaking a bait. About every 1/2 an hour or so, he would be on a fish - like clockwork. So, along with the usual Poker, Cribbage and catching up with Mark - I'm kind of looking forward to relaxing in the bow with Freddie and soaking a bait. What a concept. I have despised soaking bait for most of my fishing time. I don't know if its a lack of patience, general anxiety or what the hell it is. I have been reading the fishing updates about all the long range boats doing good on their 10/12 day trips - right into Clarion. At least Hurricane Bank is too far for them to go - except for the longer trips. Somehow, these long trips of 15 and 16 days have lost their 'exceptional-ness'. The number of boats, not being able to fish the Revilla Gigedo Islands - fishing at the Lunker Hole, the Egyptian with a hardon at Socorro, the wahoo fishing at Partida and not using caballitos for bait.....all that stuff that really made the long trips special have changed.....well, to me anyway. Don't get me wrong, it is still one of the highest of privileges to be able to fish on these trips. I mean, the required tackle and cost of the trip alone prohibits most fishermen from going. I'm still not sure that I can comfortably go being in the tough economic times most of us are in. ...... On the other hand, I do have all the necessary tackle.