Food for thought: 'What's your name?'

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Have you ever run into someone and they start talking to you and the entire time you’re asking yourself, “What’s this person’s name?”

Well, that happened to me the other day at the grocery store. This person stopped me and started talking about fishing.

I had talked to him several times in the past — probably at the boat ramp — but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember his name. After about 10 minutes of talk, I finally asked what his name was. He must have been thinking the same thing throughout our conversation because after he told me his name was Steve, he asked me what my name was.

Somehow, our conversation turned to food—probably because we were in the grocery store — and Steve told me he was starting a diet because of back surgery.

Since I lost 50 pounds last year and have been keeping the weight off, I took him around the store and showed him a few things that have really helped me. As we walked out into the parking, lot we exchanged phone numbers and made plans to fish together in a couple of weeks when Steve’s back was feeling better. There is a moral to this little story: As we parted ways, Steve looked at me and said, “Eat healthier so you can fish a lot longer.”

I couldn’t agree more.

I get a lot of emails from vendors about fishing and related products. When I come across something that I find interesting, I like to relay it to the public.

One product I’ve come across is called Lug Budz (www.lugbudz.com). They are little rubber caps that you fill with grease and place them over the lug nuts on your boat trailer to keep them from corroding.

At a cost of $12.95 per axle, they can definitely save you on some costly repairs.

Also, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced that it will have two saltwater license-free fishing days this year: Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, Sept. 1.

This is the perfect time to go into the flats to hunt for redfish. The water is crystal clear, and that makes it a perfect time for sightfishing. You need to be stealthy when approaching these fish because they can be really spooky in the clear water.

Remember, if you can see them, they can see you. If your boat has a poling platform, use it. It’s the quietest way to get around the flats. If you need to use a trolling motor, keep it on one speed. Do not shift speeds if you are in an area that is holding fish, because this will spook the fish. Keep it on low then turn it off when you get to within casting distance of the fish.

Good luck hunting.