12/1 - That time of year again.
I know I'm still looking locally. And yeah, waiting for them to come in. But, it's that time of year again to get your Florida Sportsman Tide planner book.
As I say in my quote on the inside front cover, "I don't book a single charter without refering to it."
The story started when I was doing seminars at the Florida Sportsman Fishing show at the Prime Osborne Convention Center in down town Jacksonville. And Dave Blackwell of Florida Sportsman Magazine walked by my booth. He saw me on the phone with my FS tide planner open. He stood there till I was off the phone, introduced himself and asked to look at my planner.
He was amazed by what it looked like. Tattered, with stickers and tape holding it together, I had notes all over it. And had stapled papers to the pages with all my charter dates/names and telephone numbers written down.
He told me he was incharge of the book at Florida Sportsman, and that I was the only one he had ever met that used the book like this. I told him, I don't take a single charter call without refering to it so I can see the tides-moons etc for my customers.
That's when he flipped me his card, and said "send me a quote about the book for the inside cover", and I'll make sure you get new books each year. He was impressed, as I told him I've been using them as my reservation book and fishing log book since the day the first one came out.
Plus how many of you have been on my boat, and I broke out the FS planner to show you how to read the tides in N.E. Florida? When I did a Saturday morning radio show on WNNR & ESPN 1460, myself and co-host Ken "Pelican" Hubbard, used to pull out the book to get trivia question when giving away prizes. Because the back of the F.S. planner has some really great articles about tides, weather, along with state size and bag limits, records, and solar/luner charts.
It's my fishing bible!
I can go back ten years and read my notes and tell you who was on my boat, what we were catching, and when. Now, I realize you may not use it that extensively. But let me tell ya.....you should! Knowing the tides and studying them is one part of being a successful fisherman in this area. Because we have the highest tides of the state. I have learned as a Float-rig fisherman, if we don't have at least 4 foot of water movement in the St. Johns River, then fishing will be tougher. Picking up on small details, rather than just looking for that one big reason you are not "catching", makes you a better angler. Because we all should know. It's all in the details, not that statement I hear from folks all the time......"Oh well, we're just unlucky fisherman I guess."
Don't let that be you. Know your tides.
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They make a great stocking stuffer!
Posted by Capt. Dave Sipler at 12/01/2009
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