Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
A while back, someone asked me how long I’ve been writing outdoor columns. The question kinda set me back a bit because when I got done pondering the dates and counting the decades I came up with “somewhere around 38-years.” Having recently endured the constant ribbing and reminders that go along with a birthday, I didn’t need another reason to feel my age anymore than I needed to answer the follow-up question of, “Gheez! If you’ve been writing for 38-years, how old were you when you started?”
With the line of questioning not exactly heading off in the direction I wanted it to go, I looked for an opportunity to redirect the angle of attack by mentioning that after 38-years I was hoping to soon be finding a letter in the mail from the corporate headquarters of some publication indicating that I’ve finally done my time and qualify for retirement on a fat pension. “You’d think that after all this time there would be something in there for me. Right?”
He didn’t exactly follow my logic but asked instead, “After doing 52-columns a year for so many years, isn’t it tough to come up with a new topic each week?” Having successfully shifted the conversation to a subject that was a lot less revealing I was happy to explain that as a weekly columnist I’m always on the lookout for new story ideas, some of which quite literally swim up to me when I least expect them while others take a lot of pondering before I have a “Eureka” moment that sends me scurrying to the keyboard to hammer out the thought before the idea evaporates from my brain just as suddenly as its image condensed somewhere in the gray matter. And while I’m not one who likes to procrastinate, for some reason this all typically comes to play within dangerous proximity to an editor’s deadline.
Back in my school years if anyone ever told me that I’d be earning a paycheck someday by writing anything but my own signature on a time-card I’d have told them that they were plumb loco-in-the-coco. In making such an admission I know a gaggle of English teachers from my past who would be quite surprised that there was finally something that came out of my mouth (let alone in print) that they could whole heartedly agree with.
Despite any successes I’ve had in outdoor writing I’ve never forgotten a bit of advice from an elderly fellow who was quite successful in his own life endeavors and therefore someone whose opinion I respected. I was working in the tackle shop at Bahia Marina when my first ever column hit the streets. He came into the store one morning and I proudly laid the paper in front of him and declared, “Let me know what ya think!”
Backing away, I left him with his morning cup of coffee and my literary masterpiece. A half hour later I returned to find him still flipping through the pages trying to find my column. “Second to the last page.” I told him. “At the very bottom, just after the Legal Section and below the obituaries.”
I gave him ten more minutes and returned to hear what I hoped would be a great review from someone who’s opinion I respected above all others. I couldn’t wait to ask, “Well, what do you think?”
“I think I need a dozen bloodworms, a box of squid and pack of mullet.”
I knew he was messing with me so I got him his bait and rang him up. But when he headed for the door I called out, “Wait! What about the article?”
That’s when my “mentor” delivered four simple words of advice that to this day still guides my career in outdoor writing, “Keep your day job,” was all I heard as the door shut behind him.
“OK,” I thought, “So I’m no Hemmingway. But if someone is willing to read, and more importantly, willing to “pay” for my chicken-scratch each week, I’m going to stick with this writing thing as long as I can - or a least until my old English teachers conspire to save their own reputations by putting a contract on my head!”
So here I am today, 38-years and 1,900 or so articles later. I kept my day-job at the marina until 1987 when I transitioned into the charter fishing and guide service which has proven to be a good line of work as it has allowed me to do all the things I used to do just for “fun”, like tinker with boats, build rods, tie flies, and of course - go fishing - but now I get paid for it! Of course, a side effect of a career in fishing is that it provides a lot of fodder for my weekly columns. From broken lines to unique catches, rotten bait, interesting sea birds, skilled (and not-so-skilled) clients, lousy sea conditions, boat handling, fishing ethics, regulations, and lots of bumbles - what happens on the Fish Finder “doesn’t” always stay on the Fish Finder!
Now that the Coastal Fisherman is back on the streets, no one can dispute that the 2021 fishing season is in full swing and I’m looking forward to both the fishing and the writing. And just as I have no idea from day to day what might come wandering up my chum line, I can’t really say what will flow from this column each week either. So stay tuned for a mish-mash of fishing news, stories, tips, how-to’s, and perhaps a grumble or two about something that’s going on that I think shouldn’t. And if you want to help-out this struggling writer-to-be please feel free to email comments or story ideas to me at [email protected]. §
