Is Fishing Luck?

Is fishing a sport? Is it something you can be better at than another person? This question has stumped scientists for…well, I won’t go that far.

Now, while I don’t know of any famous fishermen, outside of Chief Brody, I will argue with any naysayer who says that fishing is luck. For most of my life I would have agreed with that statement. I’ve been on trips where you get on those charter boats with 50 other people and everyone throws in their line. Fish swims by, he’s got 50 hooks to choose from, total luck. You would think so, but in the words of Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen…”You thought wrong dude.”

Someway, somehow when my younger brother, Stephen, goes on these trips, he almost always catches a few fish. Most people catch nothing and sink another $35.

Down to my logic on why fishing is not a sport of chance. Before I get to that, a better question must be answered. Is fishing a God-given talent? NO, it is not. Throwing a 90-mph fastball is. Running a 3.4 40 is. Casting a fishing rod into the ocean, is not. Really, how can you miss the ocean?

Fishing is a passion that some have and some do not. Fishing has logical strategies that some know and some do not. The reason they know these strategies is because they’ve been doing it long enough. And they’ve been doing it long enough to figure them out, because they have a passion for it. It’s what they think about when they are waiting in line. These people read fishing magazines while they are on the porcelain throne. When your playing video games, they are tinkering with their tackle box.

The reason I suck at fishing and my brother doesn’t, is because he cares enough to be good at it. He knows the strategies. You have to know where to cast your line. The reason he catches more fish when on those fishing trips, while the rest of us pay $35 to untangle our lines, is because of these 3 reasons:

1. He fishes more. Simple. His line is always in the water. I don’t love fishing so I shoot the breeze, get a coke, maybe turn green and throw some man-made chum off the side. The probability of me catching a fish is much less just from pure mathematics. My line isn’t in the water.
   
2. He knows where to stand. He knows based on the currents and winds, where the best spot is to increase his chances. Because he knows this his bait will be the first in line to a fish swimming with the current.
   
3. He knows the depth. I could have the best spot on the boat, but if my line is sitting on the bottom of the ocean. I have no chance of catching a fish. How would I know if it is. I don’t. I don’t do it enough to know. That’s when I get stuck on the rocks…cut the line…another 20 minutes before I’m back in the action.

There’s probably more than this, but I wouldn’t know what they are. But what I do know is what the Top 5 Fishing Movies are:

1. Jaws
2. On Golden Pond
3. Moby Dick
4. A River Runs Through It
5. The Old Man and the Sea

I’m still working on this list so if you find I’m missing some, please let me know. Here is a list of fishing movies.

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"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day." ~Author Unknown

Rock Paper Scissors Goes Global

You have got to be kidding me!

Rock - Paper - Scissors is going global! This is no joke. In June of 2007 the USARPS joined with Bud Light to crown a Rock-Paper Scissors Champion at Manadalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Winning purse…$50,000. The winner of this event will go on to Beijing during the Olympics to compete for the Global Champ.

USARPS League Commissioner, Matti Leshem says, "The game of Rock Paper Scissors has experienced explosive growth over the past few years with the help of Bud Light. The United States of America is simply not large enough to contain it any longer," said USARPS League Commissioner, Matti Leshem. "We're bursting onto the world stage with a competition to identify the greatest Rock Paper Scissors player among 6.5 billion people. What better place to start than Beijing in 2008?"

I'm not clear on how to interpret this quote. "…Rock Paper Scissors has experienced explosive growth over the past few years with the help of Bud Light." Does that mean these competitors are so drunk they don't realize how stupid of an event this is to compete for? Are they just snatching people stumbling out of bars and unknowingly enlisting them into this competition?

Thanks Bud Light…we are ever so grateful.

Remember playing RPS in middle school and you always had that idiot kid who would cheat and pull the gun-sign routine. Or they would wait just a second and then put their sign after you. That's the kid who we'll see in Beijing. But he won't be able to hide behind his deceptive ways there. I'm told they actually have judges right on top of things. Here is the full story or view a replay of the 2007 Finals below:

http://www.sunherald.com/447/story/413965.html

8 NFL Draft Day Observations

1. It's the only time we give a rip about offensive lineman. After this we'll never cheer for anything you do.

2. We get to make fun of something stupid Al Davis does. Oh wait, I already did that after you signed Javon Walker for $55 million.

3. The one time the last is first and first is last.

4. No matter who or what the Arizona Cardinals do on Draft Day, they will still not make the playoffs.

5. This is the only day we will sit and watch football, without watching any football.

6. We will cheer and boo a player before they ever have played a down.

7. With Derek Anderson signed, who will work a Brady Quinn for draft picks deal?

8. We will all be watching who will be this year's "Adrian Peterson". Most of us will get it wrong in our fantasy football drafts.

7 Reasons Why Indy Car is Better Than Nascar

I've been to my fair share of auto races. I've seen both the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 live and was pumped about the recent news that the Champ Car World Series merged with the Indy Racing League. Yes, I watched the entire Daytona 500 in hi-def a few weeks ago and realized I wasted 3 hours as I could have just watched the last 10 laps and not missed a thing.

I've listed my 10 reasons why you should become an IRL fan and leave NASCAR back in the 70's where it belongs.

1. Indy just sounds cooler than NASCAR (is that just "nice car" in red-neck?).


2. The drivers are better looking. (Ok, well at least Danica is.)


3. The cars are FASTER! Isn't that what racing is all about? Average speeds at Indy 500 are 230+ compared to just 170s for Brickyard 400(NASCAR). Come on! That's not even at the same level!


4. Indy Cars are cooler looking. Put 100 bumper stickers on your car and it looks like a NASCAR.


5. The races mean more! Like the NFL that plays 16 games so every game matters. The IRL has just 19 races compared to 35 in NASCAR.


6. They actually race and the fastest car usually wins! What a concept. Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500 but he didn't even have the fastest car. He won because luck brought his teammate right behind him who pushed him to the front.


7. Did I mention Indy Cars were faster by 50+ mph. They actually have to design them to stay ON the ground.

Just go to an Indy Race and realized what you've been missing. Don't let the networks tell you what is better. The Indy 500 is attended by 270,000 people compared to 200,000 for Daytona 500. Lastly, I personally prefer the whine of an Indy Car to the roar of a "nice car".