STATE OF THE BUCKTAIL ADDRESS
Tonight, before the president orated on the state of our nation, I attended a seminar put forth by the local CCA chapter titled "Bucktailing Montauk." In it, surf fishing guru Bill Wetzel (accessing his site requires a $25 subscription) lectured for an hour and a half about the techniques for using a single lure. There probably is no more basic lure than the bucktail, and probably none more deadly when used to its full potential. I heard a few ways to use one I hadn't considered before.
Anyway, some might read this and wonder, do you really need an hour and a half to explain a bucktail? Does fishing really need to be this complicated? The more I go to things like this, and the more I learn, the easier it is for me to answer "Yes," if you want to be good at it. I don't even surf cast all that often, but I learned things I can apply to light tackle fishing from a boat or even fly fishing. Plus, it reminded me to have more appreciation for surf casters out there. The really good ones are aren't just out there slinging weight, they're artisans. Every discipline of fishing has those guys. And I have to ask them, Hey man, will you take me fishing?