I wanted to focus on my experience and the people that made this trip what it was… this was just as impactful as my first redfish from a kayak. When talking about my fishing travels I often find myself saying that the fishing portion is just a bonus. I sincerely mean that. The joys from my travels most definitely include fishing moments, but the most meaningful and fulfilling are the experiences and relationships that I wouldn\’t otherwise have.
Let\’s start with my road dogs… Joseph Martinez and Steve Ponce aka Pop\’s. Joe worked his ass off to help us advance our web capabilities and drive one hell of a marketing campaign during some trying times. What he accomplished over the last nine (9) months is remarkable and is the reason why we are in a better position to succeed. He did all of that + helped us cover this entire adventure via his Canon R5, iPhone and shared with all of you via Facebook and Instagram. He also ensured that we would only eat the finest food, he figured out gas stops and planned hotel stays. The dude was and is a beast! Thank you homie… Fish Village also says thank you.
So… I call my Pop\’s about two (2) months before the trip and start talking about long drives, good eats… and ummm a 24 ft. trailer. He asked who was gonna drive? I balked and then asked… do you have two (2) weeks to go for a drive? The rest was history. See… my Pop\’s was a truck driver back in the day and is probably the best driver I know. He saw an opportunity to do something cool with his son and driving comes easy to him and I saw an opportunity to do something cool with my Dad and show him what Fish Village is really about annnnnd drive a 24 ft. trailer 4,100 miles across the south. Crazy to think that we rarely played music in the car, we never argued, we never ran out of stuff to talk about and we got to experience the south together. At the end of the day… this road trip was priceless and something I will always cherish. Thanks Dad for driving us wack-a-doodles to Louisiana and back, everyone benefited from your efforts and loved your company.
Before I even knew that this trip was happening, there was a force of energy stronger than my own that refused to lay down when COVID was ruining everyone\’s plans. Ivy Harris started putting a plan together when I wasn\’t even sure that Fish Village had a future. Soon he informed me of this plan and it resonated with me immediately. He got me fired up… he got Joe fired up… he got Sylvia fired up… he got Rob fired up… and that most definitely meant he got Nic fired up too. We needed a kick in the ass and Ivy had the right size boot for the job.
His plan was to construct an incredible team of anglers, assemble in south Louisiana, fish n film and build a lasting program in Louisiana for our customers to enjoy. His plan became a reality on Sunday November 15th, when all eighteen anglers gathered at Deep Delta Bowfishing camp in Plaquemines Parish. At one point I found myself smiling and looking over our group realizing that this wouldn\’t have been possible if it weren\’t for Ivy. I know Ivy sacrificed his free time, made countless phone calls, connected us with incredible people and pushed me to build the best product and customer experience possible. Ivy Harris… thank you for driving this effort and making this incredible experience possible. And one more thank you for the King Cake and for the absolutely over the top custom 85th Day fishing rod. I was floored when you presented that to me.
This trip created opportunities that I just haven\’t had over the last decade. Opportunities to take an awesome road trip, to eat new food, to learn about our country, to experience our country, to meet new people and to fish new waters. This trip pushed my comfort limits, yet I was never uncomfortable. Sure I have heard about southern hospitality and have experienced it through my travels… but not to this extent. It was like a welcome mat was rolled out for us and everyone wanted to talk to us. It was good soup for the soul.
I am going to keep coming with the Behind the Trip posts until I finish my story… sooooo sorry, not sorry.
Louisiana Road Trip 2020 Trip Recaps
- https://fishvillagecom.wordpress.com/2020/12/04/the-final-push-through-the-southwest/
- https://fishvillagecom.wordpress.com/2020/12/03/time-to-head-home/
- https://fishvillagecom.wordpress.com/2020/12/02/more-fishing-and-more-wind/
- https://fishvillagecom.wordpress.com/2020/12/01/days-1-2-tough-fishing-tough-conditions/
- https://fishvillagecom.wordpress.com/2020/11/25/ok-we-suck-at-live-event-blogging/
- https://fishvillagecom.wordpress.com/2020/11/17/getting-to-louisiana-and-pac/
- https://fishvillagecom.wordpress.com/2020/11/12/el-paso-to-houston-texas-is-big/
- https://fishvillagecom.wordpress.com/2020/11/10/ca-az-nm-and-now-texas/