It is 5:00 in the afternoon, and I have been at work since 8:00 this morning. I have a Real Estate Class at 6:30 until almost 10:00 tonight, so it is a long day.

I contemplate the best case senario, 12 minutes to drive out to campus point, 8 minutes to park, get my wetsuit on, minus the same time on the way out, should leave me with about an hour before class..... If the Visibility is good.

Racing up the 101, I am still on my time schedule, but alas, not all senarios are best case, or are they?

Pulling up, I see that the slight windswell has turned the clear cove into a light shade of Latte.....

Darn! I could really use a few minutes of down time before class.

I search about my car, which if you have ever seen how many toys I can fit, is a feat.(Fishing, diving, surfing and kayaking equiptment has been known to be stored in my car at the same time, always waiting for the right conditions....

But today, no shorts.

I look down at my dress-slacks and button up shirt, and at the shin-high deck boots in my trunk...... then up at the trout rod with 6lb spectra that I landed a 40 pou8nd angle shark off my longboard last week...... I can do it, looking goofy, but still doin it.

I trade my loafers for the white boots with dried tuna blood stains on them. How funny I must look, but oh well.

I tie on an Arc minnow lure by YoZuri, the one that resembles a sardine and begin throwing it out. A half hour goes by, hooking nothing but loose weeds. Dancing about the little crashing waves, keeping the rushing whitewash from racing up the boots, and into them. WET SOCKS SUCK!!

BBBLLLLAAAAMMMMOOOOO, line sings off my reel. I wish shimano and big five could see the abuse I put these little trout reels to, and the fish I have landed with them......

After about a few strong runs, the fish tires out, and in the shallows shows to be a nice halibut.

After trying to beach him, while trying to maintain my dry pants and socks, I say forget it! The next thing I know, I have a 25 inch halibut in my hands, and sandy, wet pants up to the knees.

As I hurriedly attempted to stay on my time schedule and not show up to class late, I pulled into a AM/PM for a bag of ice to ice down my catch. Water and sand flew off my pants as I ran about the store. Back in the car, on my way to a serious class, I thought to myself, Sometimes, Wet socks suck less than others... : )

Marco Farrell
Santa Barbara, CA
http://www.whiteseabass.com