I kind of evolved into a morning person. As a kid, teenager, and young adult, it was nothing to sleep until lunch time. That is of course unless I was going hunting or fishing. Once I got into fishing for a living, I morphed into an absolute morning junkie. There are times I will wake up an hour before my alarm and just get going. I’m talking 2 AM here people! On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, in the wee hours of the morning, things are just simpler. Almost no traffic, no ringing phones, and just about ALL the people you encounter are “interesting.”
One very early morning my partners in Shore Thing Charters and I were waiting on customers at our dock in Bayou Caddy. I had gotten there an hour earlier to throw the cast net. That net is part of my routine, throwing a net for bait is just something I always do. While we were hanging out I asked my buddies, “What is yall’s morning routine?” We all pretty much have to do the same thing, but each one of the guys had a different way of doing it.
Captain Matt Tusa: “I just can’t leave on a trip with out, umm.. answering the call of nature. That bathroom, where we store our boats, has about 100 fishing magazines in it. I have read every one of 
them front to back. It’s just better to take care of that before you get out there with customers.”
Captain Alex McIngvale: “I got my coffee stop every morning, I don’t ever start my day without it. I also have to do my stretches before a trip. My spine is all messed up and I gotta get a lil’ adjusted before I head out.”
Captain Darien Ladner: “My boat stays in my shed, and I have a longer trip to the launch than the other guys. Every morning, I gotta go through the whole boat, top to bottom to make sure it is road ready. All the lids have to be latched, rods stowed and any loose stuff put away. It’s always dark, so you are not gonna see things flying out of the boat. Better to be safe than sorry.”
Captain Jimmy Ray Thornton: “My head is shaved, and if I get sunburnt, it just hurts. First is the pain, then it itches for days. I don’t crank the boat without putting sunscreen on my head.”
Captain Kenny Shiyou: “I gotta have the best and freshest bait on the boat. I got pumps, bubblers, and cages in my boat, and at the dock to keep bait alive. If I am running low, or out, I’m gonna be the first one at which ever bait shop has the good stuff. I will drive 20-30 miles, one way to get the best shrimp or croakers I can. The last thing I do, on my way to the dock, is to say a prayer. I’ve been saying that same prayer, on that same stretch of road for decades. Just been part of my routine.”
Repetition will make you a better fisherman. Checking your tackle, tools and safety gear before every trip is a must. If doing the same thing before every trip keeps you safe, it is worth keeping in your morning routine. Kissing the wife, saying a prayer, or grabbing a cup of joe are all integral parts of my fishing trip. If it is enjoyable and prevents you from making mistakes, do it every time. After about a ten hour stretch of fishing every day, it all becomes one big routine anyway… As always, have fun and be safe.
Captain Sonny Schindler
Shore Thing Fishing Charters
Bay St Louis, MS
228-342-2295
www.shorethingcharters.com