#99 Excuses to Fish: A field guide to get you on the water.

By Ben Duchesney

Bright and early, way before the sun starts to show in the sky, you have to be on the water.

There's always a little hesitation though. That little voice in your head that makes you question whether to go or not. Should you just hit the snooze button and catch a few more hours of sleep? Will you regret that decision all day long? Will you regret going?

Fishing can change your life if you work at it, but you have to work at it. As they say, happiness is hard work. It takes time to learn the nuances of your fishing spot, filter through the lures that don't work, to pattern the fish behavior long enough to see a few trends. It helps to have a guide. #99 Excuses to Fish is a field guide designed to get you on the water.

The next time you wake up rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, hesitating over what to do next, choose to fish. Sleeping in is a waste of daylight. Do what you love––go fishing. No excuses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716898433

Book preview

978-1-71689-843-3

To the Hesitating Reader

#99 Excuses to Fish is a collection of my daily email newsletters, An Excuse to Fish, designed to get more anglers on the water

Really though, I started sending it as an excuse to get to work on my latest project, story, or––coming soon––printed books.

If you like this ebook, check out BenDuchesney.com for more.

Thanks so much for your support.

––Ben Duchesney

And May I // And all my pirates share the grave // Where these and their creations lie!

––Treasure Island

How to Read This Book

1. Straight through, end-to-end, like an adult.

2. Randomly, early in the morning, in the art or practice of  bibliomancy, the practice of flipping open a book and selecting a passage, as a way of predicting the future. 

3. Backwards. Ya psychopath.

#1 Because You Don't Need an Excuse

I don't need an excuse to fish...just waking up is my excuse to fish.

–A comment on Facebook

In an ideal world, we'd always wake up at 5am, get on the water, and start our day by catching a few fish. The reality is, life gets in the way.

There are so many excuses not to fish. Sleep, family, work, (did I mention sleep?)––the list is long. That's why, sometimes, I need an excuse to fish. Without a little reminder, I can get swept up in the current of a typical day.

For those, like me, who need a little push, just a quick pause before stepping into the river on a cold winter morning, here is your excuse.

#2 To Catch a Fish in the Rain

Have you ever felt rain fall upwards into your face? Straight up the sleeve of your wading jacket? Down the back of your spine?

It's a cold you can only liken to ice soaked in ice water. And it's all running down your back.

There's always a quiet that doesn't seem to exist when the weather is nice. You tuck yourself deep into your hood, as deep as possible back where it's still a little dry.

You even synch your sleeve-ends as tight as you can without losing circulation. Cold wet fingers need some blood in them.

Otherwise you may see them fall off on your next cast.

#3 To Fuel Everything You Do

"Two hours in the morning is all it takes.

After two hours by myself in the quiet of my house or on the water is all I need.

That's enough to fuel everything.

With those two hours, I can solve the ever-changing puzzle of a new fishing spot. I can read one of those books we all say we read, but never actually finish (or start), like Dante's The Divine Comedy (shameless brag: I did).

I could even conquer the world.

It also helps you sound really crazy to friends. Nobody is meant to be that productive. I fight myself every day to do it, but every day that I don't I regret it.

That regret feels worse than the tiredness I feel if I actually get up.

So I keep getting up. To fish or to do something else.

Why not get ahead a little?"

#4 To Start with a Disclaimer

If you want me to sign up for a fishing or paddling trip, all you have to do is start with a disclaimer. This disclaimer: It's going to suck, but..."

That phrase is magic.

I've already forgotten it's going to be a sufferfest as I listen to the epic details.

By the time I hear the entire plan I remember the first part––about it going to suck. I have to do the math to catch up now, mid-conversation, weighing whether the trip is actually worth the suffering. Will it make the trip even better?

That's the tricky variable, is the suffering going to add an extra flavor to the trip. It might. Just think of the conversations by the fire.

#5 To Take Someone