By Capt. David Lifka
mail@floridanewsline.com
So sad to say, but this is my final and farewell article. When I was first given the opportunity to write this monthly article, I was asked to keep it around 400 words. I was thrilled to think that this “bucket list” item had been offered to me, but 400 words seemed like an awful lot and I didn’t know if I could do it.
I wanted to share my passion for fishing with others. My hopes were that maybe just a little bit of this passion would be recognized by the readers enough to actually give fishing a try. I wanted families to know that fishing could be a family event.
When writing this article, I mostly targeted area fishing to let readers know what was available in our own backyards. That fishing didn’t have to be complicated or expensive, and that it was an activity that practically anyone could enjoy.
Often I tried to introduce the basics of catching the many different species of fish in our local waters, hoping by keeping it simple, would encourage them to actually go out and give it a try.
If nothing else, I had hoped to just get people and families outdoors to see and experience how beautiful Florida is, and how they can enjoy Florida’s great outdoors with a fishing pole in hand.
In the beginning, 400 words seemed like an awful lot; however, it did not take long for me to learn that four hundred words was not near enough to express what I wanted to pass on to readers. Hopefully the articles were enjoyed, somewhat helpful, and there are a few more folks and families that now enjoy fishing because of them.
My heartfelt thanks to Martie Thompson, editor of The Creekline and Mandarin NewsLine, and all the readers, for allowing me the past decade or more to write this article. Also, thank you to my dad, who 60 plus years ago started taking me fishing with him on weekends. We are now into the fourth generation of fishing families. Here’s to wishing everyone tight lines and God’s Blessings.
Fishing Report: Fishing should be really heating up in the St. Johns. With a similar weather pattern this year as to last year’s spring, fishing got really wild until late June when heavy rains slowed fishing for much of the summer. High salinities had everything biting, including a large number of yellowmouths and even snook at the Buckman. Time to get out and give it a try and hope for a repeat.
Whether you catch one, some, or none, the family time spent fishing will last a lifetime.
[Editor’s Note: It has been our pleasure to feature Capt. David’s fishing articles for the past decade. He has provided fishing advice for thousands of readers over the years and hopefully has imparted his love for fishing and the outdoors. We wish Capt. David all the best as he sails on to his next adventure!]
Photo courtesy David Lifka
Ezra Carter, grandson.
