In Night Tides Michael Cinquemani tells the story of his mentor: Billy Legakis (a.k.a. “Billy the Greek”, “BTG”). For some fishing is a hobby, a passion, a pursuit, or an addiction. For BTG, fishing is the thing beyond addition: life’s purpose.
The stories in Night Tides are entertaining and a pleasure to read. As I read through the book, I began to think that BTG was mad. When I finished the book, I realized that BTG was not mad, but mad in craft. BTG’s ability to catch large fish on a consistent basis can be attributed to his skill and the methods he exploited:
- Fish a specific spot or a set of spots all season, during all stages of the tide, during all moon phases, under various weather conditions, and at different times of day to identify the most productive patterns.
- Employ heavy gear to increase your changes of landing big fish and not exhaust the fish to a premature death.
- Fish from boat, surf, and bridges to expand your knowledge and perspective.
- Read fishing reports to forecast where the fish will be.
- Selectively harvest fish to feed your family. Release the rest.
These methods produce results. No question. But, you do not need to fish 7 days a week and risk divorce or being terminated at work. The key to success in fishing while balancing life is to maximize your limited time on the water by keeping a smart fishing journal and building a small network of trusted anglers. Work hard. Fish harder!
