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Fishing Off the Pier
There are few activities in life that provide for more personal and business self growth than fishing. When you go fishing off the pier your experience becomes even more valuable and insightful, due in part to the duality of interacting with the people coming and going while you are focusing on the water far below you as you attempt to catch a fish. It’s usually the perfect storm for giving you time to think while also enjoying a day outside.
It’s late August, a Friday morning in Ventura. Friends who have not fished in decades want me to show them what to do and we plan a half day excursion to the pier. I live in two cities, one an hour to the east and the other thirty minutes to the north and they live just two miles from the pier. We agree to meet at a local bait and tackle shop to pick up some bait and make sure they have the right gear. They suggest live lugworms and we each buy a scoop. The adventure has officially begun at eight that morning.
By nine we have parked the cars and the three of us are headed out towards the end of the pier to find the right spot, or at least a spot that feels right for us. We gaze down into the water but aren’t sure what we are looking for exactly. One side of the pier is windy and the other is calm. We each choose our preference and cast our lines into the water below.
