PREACH!
I 100% agree. Helped out as a makeshift deckhand on my buddy's boat last week so he could take 2 of his clients out to fish south of San Clemente Island. One had never been fishing offshore, for the other it had been well over 10 years. This trip was like something out of a National Geographic film. Fin whales leaping our through bait balls, porpoise and dolphins everywhere, tuna boils popping up all over, several big shark sightings and some of the biggest bird tornadoes I've seen in years. Even had a HUGE marlin come up from nowhere on a paddy and hook up 10 feet behind the boat on a sardine on a 25lb yellowtail setup! (he didn't land it of course. We all saw it smash the bait and it was epic...)
I am always grateful to see things like this out there, but seeing it through the eyes of someone that has never seen anything like it really makes you appreciate it that much more. Being able to get on the water, whether in a boat, kayak, surfboard or whatever, is a privilege that most people have not or will never get to experience. I just love being out there. So whether or not I come home with fish is secondary. I enjoy it for the experience, the hunt, the peace and serenity.
All that said, nothing beats an epic day on the water AND getting to fight and land some good fish
