Dedicated To The Smallest Of Skiffs banner

Weird Pregame Rituals

3K views 27 replies 21 participants last post by  Backwater 
#1 ·
What weird pre-fishing ritual do you do the night or morning before a trip that you think brings you a little extra luck?

I don't have anything too exciting. My most consistent one is waking up a little earlier to get some coffee in me and take a pre-game dump. If I can't muster one up then I know it'll be a rough day in more ways than one. However if I can get one out the night before, I'm in for a good day.

My other ones are more dependent on location. One includes stopping at a particular gas station and getting a couple of 2 for $1 fried burritos with a hand full of salsa de sol and eating those (this is why a pre-game dump is so important). I also have certain songs I'll play for certain destinations. Most of my spots I'll play some reggaeton or bachata as I get close but I have one spot where as I pass over the causeway I play Starships "Nothing's Gonna Stop us Now". Another particular spot gets the critically acclaimed "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal. Needless to say, if you ride with me you'll get to hear me flex the golden pipes.

Not a pre-game ritual but I won't crack a beer until I've caught a fish or it's pretty evident that I'm going to get skunked and I always pour the first sip out for my homies.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
X2 on the early morning coffee/dump. Pretty necessary IMHO. No matter the temperature, windows down, stereo on full blast (usually reggae) to wake me up on the way to the ramp. Once I'm on the water, my phone only comes out to take fish pics. No communication with anyone whatsoever. I have more of a ritual once I get off the water. Depending on the location, its a disgusting meal from McDonalds, or a pickled sausage and a Slurpee form 7-11 every single time.
 
#12 ·
You are also forgetting to tell the crowd about the missing TP.

Only ritual I have is getting everything that can be done the night before completed because I am not really an early riser and every last bit of sleep helps. First bit of food and beer usually go over the side to for some silly reason.
 
#7 ·
I usually drink ice cold Miller Lite the night before a trip and get all my gear in order including tying leaders/lures on and having everything checked off the list so I can burn out early AM and get on the water with no issues. I can’t stand when people show up with crusty reels that don’t cast, half a spool of line on it and have a tackle bag they have to dig around in for ten minutes to get that lure they are looking for. No one wants to fish with a guy on his boat that can’t get their crap together and have a good day of fishing that’s not limited by issues caused by lack of maintenance and preparation.
No one drinks a beer until the first fish is caught...that’s bad luck!
 
#8 ·
All the change out of your pockets. If you get on the boat with it, it's gotta go overboard. Not sure why, but my buddies and I have always done it.

Not really pre-game, but 2 beer related ones: When I used to fish offshore a lot, we would drink one beer to the sunrise.

If we are going out with 2 boats, the last boat to catch a fish has to shotgun a beer.

Then obviously the normal stuff, pre-game dumps and all. I do enjoy the not-so-weird ritual of getting everything together the night before, or tying a few extra flies.
 
#9 ·
Top off the gas in truck and skiff, setup all the rods/tackle, and make sure the essentials are packed in the boat: mainly the TP in a ziplock. I learned the last one after leaving multiple pairs of underwear on islands/shorelines because that's the only thing I had to wipe with
 
#23 ·
Been pitching the wife on the benefits of a little fun the night before for years... Sometimes it works :>)). Nothing in my pockets as soon as I get on the boat. Marble pound cake in the little package at most gas stations unless I am headed to Flamingo - in that case egg omelette sandwich at the Mobil station on Palm Dr. (and some fried chix for lunch). If your hat flies off while running you have to wear it no matter the temp outside....
 
#25 · (Edited)
Depending on where I'm at I'm not above doing a water birth. Need deep enough water and some current to carry it away from you though.
Ahh, the old "aqua deuce"- it's a pretty liberating experience IMHO.

Rods rigged up the night before and all my gear set by the door, ready to roll out. And my go-to here is to get my morning coffee and then stop at a Buc-ee's en route to the ramp to take care of business and get ice and snacks. My typical on-the-water snacks are almonds, fruit, beef jerky, and a couple of those tropical/mango flavored Vitamin Waters (along with lots of regular waters).
 
#26 ·
I’ve had some of my best fishing trips while hungover. My boss didn’t believe this till we took some of his employees out tuna fishing and everyone was hungover. On that trip we filled the fish box with 100lb yellow fins in less than 3 hours, I also left the gyro off intentionally for some extra chum action. Now the night before I drink fairly heavy while doing all the prep work. Offshore I gotta have Publix cajun crab dip with wheat thins and stoufers lasagna. Inshore I gotta have Little Debbie oatmeal pies. And on either drinking a beer with the sunrise, cause you can’t drink all day if you don’t start when the sun comes up (I don’t get to drink while running my bosses boat so I usually get someone to drink one for me).
 
#27 ·
I like to have my TM batteries charged the night before and all rods ready to use as soon as we stop. I take 1/4 of an imodium tablet so I won't have to use the 5 gal. bucket
Also make sure all my boys have their buffs and sun block on
I stopped drinking years ago
 
#28 · (Edited)
Depending on where I'm at I'm not above doing a water birth. Need deep enough water and some current to carry it away from you though.
LOL

I had some clients with me from AZ on a trip, back in the day. We were staged up off of the Boca Grande beaches (straight out from downtown BG) for poons on fly. One of the guys was a really big guy, but hilarious as hell. He said he needed to go pinch off a loaf and needed to go NOW! So I took him up to the beach and I though he was going to do the water born baby trick, but he ran up the beach and squatted behind a small sea grape bush, thinking he was hiding or something like that, but he looked like a bear behind a bush! Lol Then here comes this little ole lady for her morning stroll down there beach with her little white fluffy miniature poodle. The dog pulled grandma up to the bush to see what was going-on behind it. Then the thing started yapping at him and all Jeff could do is imaging that dog looking like a roll of toilet paper with legs to come save him from his delima of no TP. He said he almost reached out to grab the dog to wipe is ass with it! Lol In the end, he just shrugged his shoulder at the ole woman and used a few sea grape leaves instead. It was hilarious to see that and see him embarrassed but laughing running back to the boat with several people looking at him from beach side. We laughed our ass off when he said he was gonna grab the dog to wipe his ass with it. LOL Needless to say, we zeroed out on the fish that day and sighted that from hence forward, having a dead turd fish around was a bad omen. The next day he took care of bidness before we left the fish camp and we spanked the fish that day.

From that point on, I always carried a very small roll of TP (in a zip lock bag with the cardboard tube removed and flattened out), just "in-case!" :p But it's a bad sign when it comes to the fishing. :confused:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top