This past Sunday, my husband Tim had a guided Redfishing charter all set up to go with his buddy, David, over in Mosquito Lagoon in Volusia County.
On Friday, David started hinting that he may back out. Saturday at about 8pm he backed out, with some lame excuses like:
- I talked to some other people and they said the fishing hasn’t been good
- It’s too cold
- The water’s too shallow
- We won’t catch anything
- Yada, Yada, Yada….
Tim called a few friends, but they all already had plans. We didn’t want to back out of a commitment that Tim had already made, because Captain Joe wouldn’t have been able to fill the slot on that short of notice and HE would have lost out. So I went (even though we now had to pay for the whole charter instead of just Tim’s half, and I’ve never been before so didn’t even know if I’d like it!).
WE HAD THE BEST DAY OF FISHING TIM HAS EVER SEEN OVER THERE!
We got on a school of 300 fish and they would bite at anything you threw in front of them! Captain Joe Porcelli even put a piece of grapefruit peel on his hook and caught a fish on the 2nd cast! It was crazy! We had caught our limit of Red Fish within the first hour (and I caught a big Trout too!) and then just kept having fun.
There were a few other boats around us that weren’t catching ANYTHING! One was a metal-hulled boat that anchored the wrong way and the waves kept beating against their bow making a deep bass-drum sound every time that was probably scaring the fish away!
We even came up with a new slogan for Captain Joe… “We Make Your Lies Come True!” (since everyone always lies about how big the fish was or the one that got away…with him you don’t have to lie!)
So as I sit here with my face burning (yes, you can get a sunburn in February.), I was thinking about how much this experience has been like the real estate market lately:
-David had “heard” that it was bad, so he decided not to go. Just like if you’re hanging around with negative people talking bad about the real estate market, you may decide that the market is bad.
-The other boats around us must have been doing something wrong…they were sitting right on the same 300+ school, but not hooking up! Was it the wrong bait? The wrong tools? Maybe they weren’t using the right reeling techniques. Sound like the real estate market? Agents everywhere are whining about how business is down, no buyers, can’t get anything closed, Whaaaa-Whaaaa-Whaaaa!
They’re sitting on top of a HUGE school of buyers and sellers, including REO’s, short sales, investors, and a bunch of 1st time home buyers. Maybe they’re even scaring away clients with their attitudes!
Why is it that some agents (myself included) are already having their best year ever and others are wondering when they’ll ever see a commission check again! If you’re not closing what you want to be closing then you’re either using the wrong bait, the wrong technique, you’re in the wrong spot, you’re on the wrong kind of boat, or you’ve got the wrong Guide!
David missed probably the best day of fishing he ever would have had in his life because he “heard” it was bad. Don’t let that same thing happen in your business…
Andy
p.s. Once you pull that first fish in, it’s like a rush…you want more! Just like the feeling of your first commission check you ever got… if it’s been a while since you’ve had a closing, put your bait back in the water and see what it’s like!
p.p.s. If you want to reach Captain Joe and catch some reds for yourself, you can get his info here (and see some pictures!) http://www.cyberangler.com/fishing-reports/florida/mosquito-lagoon/long-14500.htm
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Hi Lisa, wished I had been with you...I have fished on Mosquito Lagoon, I lived in Melbourne 5 years. It was great fun. They scenario is just like the real estate market you can adjust and find a real big fish or you can put your bow in the waves and wait! Nice post Lisa.