"Worst Day Fishing Is Better Than the Best Day at Work"

Is that old saying really true? I still hear it a lot, but I can't help wondering if the people who still use it really believe it, or maybe are just trying to sound positive for the benefit of everyone around them.

After all, bad days on the water can reach seemingly epic proportions--or, at least, that's my opinion, based on a lot of years of personal experience. If some good days are interspersed among all those bad ones, it's a lot easier to stomach the latter. Using the idea, however, of "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," I suggest to you that--just maybe--all bad fishing days, with no good ones mixed in, also might make Jack a little grumpy, if the truth be known.

Following is a story I recently found on the Internet. It involves a guy who just had gotten his first boat--a fish 'n' ski--and he and his buddy were fishing a summer night tournament. It started at 7 p.m., and weigh-in was scheduled for 11 p.m. In this case, the players didn't have a chance to get grumpy. They were too concerned about saving their hide for another day.

"It was cloudy when we left the ramp," said the boat owner. "As we made our way out onto the main body of the lake, the clouds thickened, and the wind picked up. The farther we ran up the lake, the bigger the waves got.

"Suddenly, we hit a large wave, which rushed over the bow of the boat, breaking one of the windshields and filling the boat with water. We scrambled around and headed for shore, with the bilge pump working for all it was worth and both of us bailing water with a coffee can. Then the rain came...and I'm talking heavy rain.

"As quickly as it arrived, though, it was gone. We finally got to start fishing and found it tough going. In the first half-hour, we caught two fish, but they were nothing to write home about.

"About 9:15 p.m., we had pulled up on a shallow-water marker and begun casting spinnerbaits up on the hump when I heard the strangest noise. It sounded like static from an a.m. radio. I figured out it was coming from my rod, and the higher I raised it, the louder it got. My partner said, 'Hey, look at this!' As if by magic, his fishing line was lifting out of the water.

"Once I figured out this phenomeon was caused by static electricity in the air, I hollered, 'Let's get out of here--NOW!'

"We cranked the big engine and ran across the lake for cover. We beached the boat on the sandy shore and, in one movement, we both left the boat for a covered picnic table on the shore. When the rain, thunder and lightning passed this time, we headed back down the lake to the ramp, dropped our fish back in the water, put the boat on the trailer, and left--thankful to still be alive. On the way home, we were listening to the radio and heard the news anchor say a tornado had passed near the lake.

"The next day, we learned that not one of the other 63 boats in the tournament had caught a fish before packing up and leaving the area themselves.

"If we just had weighed in those three fish..."

In conclusion, I want to get back to my earlier question about whether the old saying used as the title of this post is true or not. Please allow me to leave you with one friendly suggestion: I would pick and choose carefully with whom I discussed such matters. Otherwise, you might stir up a major dose of "grumpy"--need I say more?

I also found a couple of videos that describe some other folks who had bad days. View 'em at these links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S8Y0uizoLs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtTL4BVGsbM

Incidentally, some of you may remember that I posted an item last year on best and/or worst fishing days. I assure you, however, this is not a duplicate of that earlier post.