For most of us, our daily grind of 8-5 is in an office or out on a job site somewhere. You don't have the liberty to pick & choose the moon phase or specific tide you want to fish. We spend all week thinking about this great trip coming up in 2 or 3 days. The anticipation is killing you. You spend your time after work re-lining your rods in hope for that big fish not to break your line thus breaking your heart. Re-lubing your reels for that perfect cast to that tailing redfish. Charging your batteries and going over your boat to make sure that when you hit that live well switch that it actually comes on. Gathering all the tackle needed for any situation because you only get one day for that chance of a lifetime fish and you don't want to be scratching your head wishing you hadn't left that special lure sitting on the work bench in the garage.

This could be said for a lot of us. You look at the tide chart to see that it doesn't favor a good water movement for that day. The best part of the moon phase has come and went on a Monday through Thursday, so you're stuck with Mother Nature's "left-overs". What's worse, is that the same thought is running through hundreds of others anglers minds at the same time, probably about the same holes or areas you're planning to fish. Besides the anglers, you have the recreational boaters and jet skiers to contend with. All this can add up to a long day if you let it. But there are ways around it to make your day a little easier and more successful. Weather would have to be the main factor in determining your trip on the weekend. You start planning sometimes two, three weeks ahead of time, and by the time the big day comes, it calls for thunderstorms and 4-6ft. chop. All is lost-or is it? Again, versatility plays a key role in being able to get out and get a tight line.

I remember one morning we were going out to the 100ft. mark for some grouper digging. I was excited, as I usually don't make it past the 10ft. mark staying inshore most of the time. Leaving my house at 3:00 a.m. to meet t he guys, sprinkles start to hit my windshield. The forecast the day before didn't say anything about this travesty, but by the time I met up with my crew, a storm had come up out of nowhere and now I sat there with the "offshore blues." That's when I reached down deep and asked myself, "how bad do I want to fish?" After returning to my house for a little catnap, I woke up and decided, "as long as it's not lightning, I can do this!" So I found a brave partner and we headed for Bishops Harbor, where we boated 5 snook and 3 reds in the confines and protection of the mangrove islands. Now, that wasn't the vision I played in my head for the two weeks leading up to that day, but I made the most of it and still found a way to get a tight line! The key word in that story is that there WAS NO LIGHTNING! If you can get past this hazard, then really, you have a few options. When the winds and weather dictate your outing, your have to resort to "plan B". I usually look to backcountry haunts, and residential canals for my fishing outlets. Both will provide you with shelter from the wind, and, if you can get there, will allow you to get a shot or two at some quality fish with no one else on the water to contend with. I've found that on overcast, rainy days, the fish bite just as well if not better in some circumstances. The overcast will also camouflage your presence at times, as fish are able to see their human predators on sunny days when you're right on top of them. It really all depends on how bad you want to fish. Like the old saying goes, "where there's a will, there's a way!"

The second important factor would have to be the tide and its movement for that day. Will there be enough water to get over that bar and into your hole? Will there be any water movement at your favorite mangrove tip? You get one to two days a week to fish so usually, you'll be at the ramp asearly as possible, and leave as late as your wife will allow. What you read as far as tide predictors goes are not 100% guaranteed. Wind & weather play big factors in what the tide will do according to the predictions. So don't get discouraged if it should be high tide at 9:30 a.m. and it's still low.This is where your versatility plays a key role. Take this opportunity to find those fish that are in your holes at a higher tide. They have to go somewhere and a lot of inshore game fish do not travel far from their haunts on a lower tide, so they could be close by. This could give you new holes on a day that doesn't allow you to fish a higher tide. Also, use this time to scout the surrounding areas on a lower tide. Use this lower water to find the structure, cuts and channels that a lot of guides refer to as the "highways & byways" for fish coming and going off a flat. There have been times when I've found great fishing just 30 yards from my "honey hole". I had to fish the outside because I couldn't get up there or there was only 2" of water and 3 ft. of shore beneath the mangroves.

Being able to locate fish on a not so impressive tide is hard to accomplish, especially for someone who gets 1-2 days a week to look for them. From one weekend to the next, some inshore fish will migrate as the climates dictate them too.Mother Nature will always provide ample learning opportunities if you'll look for them. Being versatile is extremely important if you want to be successful. It will mean the difference in catching and not catching fish for the weekend warrior.

With that being said, patients and persistence will pay off if you stick to it. Some times your best fish of the day comes when you're most frustrated.So for the most part, being a weekend warrior can mold you into an adaptable, versatile fishing machine, that on any given day, you can catch fish-if you allow yourself the opportunities that Mother Nature provides.