Throughout my life I have had the privilege of knowing some fine outdoorsmen and women who have been my mentors for both fishing and hunting. These are the people you can look up to because of one or two habits you admire and whom you try to be like. Most of the time I am talking about my family such as my dad, my neighbors, my church family and my friends. But they don’t really even have to be a part of your family or friends, and I haven’t even met some of them before. These are folks such as icons of the outdoors stage like Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, Mark Sosin and others.
My favorite pastime at home is watching fishing shows when I am unable to be out on the water due to various reasons like holding our babies when they were infants; the times that I was ill over the years; the many times I had to be in Central Texas landlocked on a weekend; and more recently when I was recovering from surgery and going mad trying to take it easy and follow the doctor’s orders! I remember other times too like watching anything outdoors with my dad or siblings especially anything to do with the bays or seas of the world. Adventurists like Jacques Cousteau captured my attention and imagination as I was drawn to the programs years ago and that sense of adventure propels me even today.
Fast forward to today being a Coast Guard Captain and running guided fishing trips full time for Bay Flats Lodge out of Seadrift, Texas and you will find me with the same enthusiasm as back then. My interests are in taking anglers out on the bay and helping them gain skills to catching fish or polishing up on their already developed skills. Moreover, I’m interested in teaching the skills I have learned from others along the way and passing on my passion for fishing not only to that end, but as a much larger picture of conservation. Passing on this knowledge and these skills makes me feel like I am accomplishing my goals of spreading the wealth and sharing all I know to younger (and older) generations so that they may come to appreciate our saltwater environment, which may eventually lead to its protection in years to come.
The greatest gift you may give someone is that of knowledge and information which you have gained as a result of experience, putting in the time out there doing it yourself on the water. Adding to this and perhaps more importantly, we all likely have had someone teach us and pass these skills and techniques down to us so that we ourselves have been the student at one time or another. Share it all and see if it doesn’t make your own days on the water more fulfilling knowing you have done your best to ensure anglers are protecting your resource and acting responsibly on the water so that we all may prosper.
Capt Stephen Boriskie
Bay Flats Lodge, Seadrift, Texas
888-677-4868
