The Gulf Coast troubadour, Jimmy Buffett, who grew up in nearby Mobile, Alabama, played a benefit concert for over 35,000 people in nearby Gulf Shores to promote tourism along the Gulf Coast. I wasn’t there but I did watch it live on CMT. What a show it was. First time I have seen a live Buffet concert since seeing him in Charleston, SC in 1977.
Since the Deepwater Horizon tragedy on April 20, those of us here along the Gulf Coast have been fixated on the tragedy that was needlessly created by BPs greed and arrogance. Like hundreds of thousands of others, I have been in mourning and have been depressed about the changes this tragedy has created in our way of life.
Usually by this time of year, I have made numerous offshore fishing trips in search of the World-Famous Gulf Coast Red Snapper. This year because of the oil spill and the closure of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico my boat has not been
taken off the trailer.
Not once have I risen in the dark, very early am hours to begin a well rehearsed routine that would put me offshore and out of sight of land as the Sun peeked it’s head over the eastern horizon.
I am suffering from withdrawal like an addict and I need a fix. So, “I gotta stop wishing, gotta go fishing down to rock bottom again with just a few friends”. So that is exactly what I’ll do. Oil, volatile organic compounds, aerosolized dispersants be damned. I am going fishing.
I will spend this next week getting the boat prepared and the fishing tackle organized so that I can venture out into the nine miles of state waters that are open for fishing. Although, all fish that are caught will have to be released back into the Gulf, I will at least scratch my itch and feed an addiction that so desperately needs a fix. I’ll let you know how I do.
If you have comments about how you feel about this oil fiasco please feel free to comment below. All comments will be much appreciated.
Captain Steve