Pretty soon I'll hit my 70th day on the water during calendar year 2019. For a 49-year old with two jobs, a wife, and the metabolism of a cutting board, that's not bad. It's fewer than I marked during some years in my twenties, before I started writing, before I got married, and when I was obsessed with the tournament game, but the number is higher than I've achieved in recent years. For some of you, 70 days would be a dream scenario, likely unattainable due to other obligations. For those of you who guide or otherwise fish for a living, it would be a dereliction of duty.
No matter your circumstances, there is no one absolute perfect number of days on the water.
The mark of satisfaction should be how many times you woke up and really wanted to go, and ended up on the water, without mishaps, mechanical damage or other catastrophes. Call them "Quality Fishing Days," or "QFD" for short. While I haven't caught the snot out of them every time out in 2019, and the weather hasn't always been perfect, I can honestly say that every time I've been scheduled to go I've woken up excited to get in the truck and launch the boat. For me, that's batting a thousand.
Over a decade ago, I asked Kevin VanDam if he ever resented the fact that he was jetting around the country 270 days a year making appearances and fulfilling sponsor obligations while many of his peers just fished every day. Putting aside the financial benefit of his travels, he replied that he was fine with that — while he'd certainly rather fish more, by the time a tournament rolled around he was so hungry to be on the water that it gave him a competitive advantage. That's the mark of a good year, when you got enough to be satisfied, but you're still thirsty for more. The guys I really feel sorry for are the ones out there 200 or 250 days who dread getting up in the morning.
Stay thirsty, my friends, for more QFD.
QED
