Fishing, Kicking and Zen

Delicious “Junk Fish” From Florida

A take home pretty much any fish I catch in Florida that I can legally clean or fillet. Usually they taste great without much work right there – I can steam them up and they’re perfect. But even the “junk fish” are delicious. I fillet them up, bag ’em, freeze ’em, bring them back to Southern California and I know my wife will turn that “junk fish” into something delicious.

So I never think twice about catching and keeping catfish or grunts. They’re good eating, and if they’re too small to fillet, they’re great bait for something bigger that we will eat.

The fish in Florida taste a lot better than any of the fish in Southern California. That goes for any of the “junk fish,” too. I think it has to do with the quality of the water and food. Florida water is very clean and the food supply is clean and strong. The fish eat well there. The environment is clean, green and healthy.

California, everything is dirty and polluted, and it’s been like that for generations, so the life cycle for the fish there is pretty bad. You can taste the difference. Florida fish tastes clean and fresh, even when it’s “junk fish” that’s been frozen for weeks. California fish tastes “off,” even if it’s quality and fresh out of the water. I still think the fish tastes okay and is worth keeping and eating, but there’s just no comparison between the two.

Throw on top of all that – I’ve learned how to best fillet the catfish and my wife knows exactly what to do with those fillets – she can mince them into this delicious larb or some curry dish or something else and it’s outstanding. So even those “little” grunt fillets get put to good use – and since I found places where I can catch them in numbers, I can fill up the stringer and end up with a whole bag full of delicious, useful meat even when the other fish aren’t biting much.

I did this on the last trip when I found a honey hole of grunts, and then later discovered we could cut the smaller ones in half, send them out and get bigger fish, sometimes even a sailcat or a nice drum, on another pole while playing around with the smaller fish. It’s a lot of fun. In December, when I didn’t have a kayak and nothing else was working much, I was able to pull out some nice grunts off the Ft Pickins pier and fill up the cooler.

Cleaning fish is easy now with the house – doing this at a hotel was a problem. But now I put a table up in the backyard next to the hose, clean and fillet my fish, clean everything off with the hose, fish goes in the freezer or the cooking pot, guts go in the big freezer in the garage until the next trash day (so as not to bother the neighbors too much), rinse everything else off and you’re done.

Bringing the fish home is no problem, or at least no more of a problem than checking in luggage, which seems to be problem from time to time just because the airline has issues. But it’s easy to bring fish home – freeze them, put them in bags, pack in a soft shell cooler with those freezer packs, put that cooler in the luggage with whatever else you’re packing and send it back. Super easy and the fish always comes out fully frozen, never any problems. The more fish you pack, the easier it is, it keeps things colder.

And I notice the difference in my body when I eat more of the Florida fish. My body feels cleaner and more healthy, it’s good energy. Easy to digest, great protein, very good for me. It’s part of the good life.

Florida: When Reality Exceeds Fantasy

I’ve been around long enough to know that moving doesn’t solve your problems. Often the dream of what is on the other side quickly changes into a reality that looks a lot like the unhappy reality one was trying to escape.

The escapism fantasy rarely works. But what if it’s not an escape? What if the reality is that life in California really does suck, and there is a place that is more compatible to my life somewhere else? What if it isn’t an escape, but an upgrade?

When I first looked at moving to Florida, I was thinking mostly about freedom and fishing. And reality certainly hasn’t disappointed. The socialist oppression of California and the “douchebag democracy” of typical Californians is nonexistent in Florida. Taxes are much lower, cost of living is lower, the government is actually helpful and works with you instead of being a bunch of oppressive assholes. No masks, no vaccine mandates, no idiotic social agendas.

If anything, the reality of Florida when it comes to “red state” government and society is actually better than I imagined it would be. Police are friendly and helpful. Crime is low and people really care about fighting all crime. Homelessness isn’t celebrated. Government is responsive and customer-focused. Even the mailman is nicer.

Florida fishing was famous and it hasn’t disappointed, especially as I’ve learned more about the area and the sport. It’s an over-abundance of quality and numbers. Even when I’m openly questioning the quality of surf fishing in Pensacola vs other areas, I’m qualifying it because overall the fishing is great everywhere and I’m just being a little picky (as I can afford to be, since I’m choosing a place to call a forever home).

And yes, these two things definitely enhance my life. A lot. Enjoying great fishing and being free of government and societal oppression is huge. The reality has been even better than the fantasy.

What I didn’t expect was for the “other things” to be so much better. I own a home. I knew that was a big deal, but I’m realizing how much of a big deal it is. It’s huge. It’s life-changing. Everything about it, from walking in, to looking out at my green yard while I enjoy a coffee, to hanging art, adding furniture and even mowing the lawn, it’s soul-satisfying. It’s been 20 years since I owned a house, and that house sucked. This is awesome.

Driving around, going about my day, everything is different, and better. Life is so much better, so much more relaxed and free and uplifting and joyful. The only thing I miss is my family. I sure as hell don’t miss the traffic, the quiet acceptance of crime, the motherfucking street tacos and all that other bullshit that’s come to define Southern California.

But being free of the bullshit only goes so far. It’s a big deal, because the BS in Southern California is immense and unbelievably oppressive, but moving away-from isn’t growth. It helps.

It’s the moving-toward in ways I didn’t even know I needed that has changed my life dramatically for the better. Home ownership, agency, freedom, abundant fishing, green, nature, rain, no traffic, law and order, friendly people. It all matters in a big way.

So yes, as the reality of Florida sinks in more and more, so has the realization that this reality actually exceeds my original fantasy of Florida and how my life would improve if I move.

It goes to show just how miserable life in California has become, and maybe always was. And it shows there really is a better life out there for me in a place that’s right for me. That California really isn’t the best, at least not for me. Not even close. In fact it sucks even worse than I thought it did, and every return trip just reinforces how stifling, phony and oppressive the progressive, urban bullshit environment of Los Angeles County really is.

But moreover, it has shown me why people love Florida so much they’re willing to tolerate things like hurricanes. It’s a really special place. Not for everyone, but it’s just right for me.

Pensacola Vacation Assessment: MAJOR Energetic Uplevel

The Spring Break Florida vacation with my son was amazing and I’d say transformative.

Yes, the fishing was spectacular. Or I should say the inshore fishing was spectacular. The surf fishing was beautiful but not very good. Nice to be at the beach, but the fishing was slow, and it was slow for everyone else there, too. We’ll see what May holds on that end.

The kayak fishing at Navy Point Boat Launch and Big Lagoon was so good I was inspired to accelerate my timeline for buying hard-shell kayaks and bought a tandem Wednesday when it was raining. That ended up being a huge win, making kayaking so much better and making fishing even better. So I bought one for myself, too, and now that part of my vision board is a reality.

Before this trip, we’ve had really good kayak fishing experiences, but this trip was a whole better level, with regular filled coolers just from kayak fishing.

A lot of that is experience – getting better at reading the areas and finding the fish. But it’s also a massive energy upgrade. I complained a little about all the crystals and art that I bought this past month for the Pensacola place, but it helped a lot. I experienced a major energetic breakthrough last week that’s carrying over and still expanding. I can see the waves of energy emanating from me. It’s a major tipping point.

How much of that is a result of the process and how much was accelerated by the high-energy items I brought into my energy field? Hard to say. I do believe the success I had Wednesday finding great furniture and the tandem kayak was a result of the energy uplevel. Which in turn accelerated it further.

Every time I go to Pensacola, my energy uplevels, but this uplevel has been spectacular. I’m now attracting people asking for my energetic assistance. My energy is very clear and strong in a way it hasn’t been in, well, ever. I had a period where I felt very open and relaxed some years back, but this is a much higher level than that. I’m no longer chasing “best point I had,” I’m creating new levels of that point.

I’m not saying “Florida is the reason,” but it’s clearly a critical part of the journey. Making the decision and sacrifice to buy the house and keep it for ourselves instead of re-renting it out is a big part. Filling out the house to be a home is another big part. Creating a vibrant spiritual energetic space is another big part. And integrating all this into a bigger intention, this is the biggest part.

And then the fishing uplevels. The lifestyle uplevels. And it snowballs.

I’m getting really spoiled with the great fishing in Florida. But January and February were tough sledding. I really scrapped for every fish. But even during that time things were quietly building under the surface.

These trips are so much more than fishing. Just sitting and watching the rain from my kitchen window is spiritual. Yardwork is meditative. Working out in my exercise room is a special experience (and an intense workout).

And then there’s the spiritual alchemy meditations, which are exquisite. It’s a sublime experience in my house, with all the external BS I deal with in Los Angeles gone and just high energy bliss.

It’s also nice to be doing this part of my journey without a “mentor,” to be able to walk this big part of my journey on my own, to find my own resources, to find my own guiding star. I need this.

I’m entering the best years of my life. And I’m grateful I can say that at this point in my life – I’m not “over the hill,” I’m still climbing higher and higher.

Manifested Two Hard-Shell Kayaks

I had two kayaks on my vision board. Wednesday this week it was raining so I went out and got us a hard shell tandem kayak. The inflatable was just too much of a pain in the ass and a bit dangerous.

It was awesome!! Paddles brilliantly, makes fishing a lot of fun, easy to get on/off car and set up.

I liked it so much I went ahead and got a second today before we left for home. I can’t wait to try it out, it looks amazing.

Really excited about this. Cost a lot less than I expected and it’s gone from intention to reality that quick. Very cool.

Fit in the garage fine, everything good

Fishing Has Been Awesome

I’m getting spoiled by the incredible kayak fishing. Every day has been lit.

I’ll write more detail later. It’s been big catches every outing. Florida fishing is amazing.

Over-Bought on Crystals and Spiritual Stuff

I kind of went crazy on ETSY, buying stuff to fill up the Pensacola house. Also bought stuff at Home Goods. Some of it is cool, but I’m done. Got crystals on the meditation table, every table in the living room, the knickknack shelves, everywhere.

The Merlinite is nice. Good energy.

This guy is cool. I like him.

This little thing doesn’t add much and was kind of a waste of money.

This Angelite is a nice stone with good energy, but I don’t know. A little pricey for the size.

Shungite Buddha is cool but it’s too much with everything else.

I really love this one. Beautiful and great energy.

This one is awesome. It didn’t even make the trip, I had so much stuff to bring over.

This is nice for the table, but could have waited.

These are awesome. Obsidian. I have one in CA apartment and one on Pensacola meditation table.

The shungite slabs and selenite candle holders are awesome. Kept one set at home and got em in the living room and on the meditation table.

From Home Goods. I love this one.

Artwork for the meditation area. It’s good but again, I think I could have held off for a while on some of this. Too much money all at once.

The thing is, the hard-shell tandem kayak is better for my energy than pretty much all this other stuff. I really need to use more wisdom with my purchasing.

I’ve been having the most powerful energetic spiritual alchemy sessions ever here in my Pensacola home. But it’s not because of this stuff I bought, it’s because of the home itself, the area and the experiences. Stuff doesn’t matter that much. The furniture I bought has more energy.

Filling Up My House With Beauty and Great Energy

I’ve been going a little crazy on Etsy, getting a lot of crystals and spiritual items. My meditation table and the rooms are filled with crystals and of if I want more I found a place locally in Pensacola, so I’m done with Etsy.

Today I found some great furniture and artwork at a local flea market “Flip Flops on Palafox.” The people working there were really helpful and nice. Ended up finally setting up my meditation table the way I want and filled out the living room.

Thats a sampling. The house is looking and feeing more like a home and the meditation area is 100% finished. (Will bring a couple more items over, but I’m good.)

Pensacola Update: Kayak Fishing on Fire!!

The surf fishing hasn’t been working so we went kayak fishing morning and later afternoon.

Morning was Big Lagoon. Pretty windy and strong current which made getting around and staying there difficult. Also the wind was kind of chilly. We caught some good fish when we could stay in a spot. My son caught a big speckled trout.

All on live shrimp. Usually fishing the drop off next to the sand bars. We’re using this two-person inflatable kayak that’s a pain in the ass, TBH. I think I’m going to have to break out the money and get something. Too much of an ordeal. But we did catch fish!

Late afternoon was Navy Point Boat Launch. That area is more sheltered, much closer to home and seems to always produce, though target species are hit and miss. But today we caught two black drum and a redfish. The red was small, both drum were slot but one fell off the stringer, juggling too many things in that lousy kayak.

We also caught a ton of bycatch including a stingray that we tried cooking. It’s not as good as advertised. It tastes like fish, not like scallops. Which is fine, but cleaning is not easy and it’s probably not worth the effort again if we’re catching other fish.

Starting to fill up the freezer for fish coming back with us. If I had a wish it would be for surf fishing to produce, I know it can be good. But overall it’s a fantastic trip so far.

Pensacola: Surf Fishing Lousy, Kayak Fishing Lit

Back in my happy place, this time with my son for his Spring Break. It’s been go-go-go and I’m exhausted.

Surf fishing has sucked. We hooked into something big at Pensacola Beach that popped off at the shoreline Saturday afternoon . And a whiting at Johnson Beach Monday morning. Unusually slow – and we didn’t see anyone else catching much either.

Kayak fishing at Big Lagoon, on the other hand, has been incredible. Tons of spec trout, mostly juvenile but some keepers in there and constant action. And tons of other fish so full coolers two afternoons in a row.

Very good conditions for kayaking. Fishing off the sandbar off shore, or around the docks, produced.

Used a new inflatable kayak and I’m really going to have to move to hard shell, these are uncomfortable as hell and a bitch to paddle the minute it gets even a little challenging. (Hard to pee in, too, just a pain in the ass.)

But even with that, just an amazing fishing trip so far. Getting a lot of use out of my fish cleaning table, eating fresh fish every night, filling up the freezer for fish to bring home, having a blast and sleeping like a log after exhausting days. (Should be better now that the yard work is done.)

So far a great start!

Some of the Cool Stuff I’m Adding to the Florida House

It’s been a long six weeks! I’m headed back soon. And I’ve filled up bags full of crystals, artwork, furnishings. Kind of went crazy but it’ll be worth it. Bringing new levels of beauty and energy into my new home and new life. I’m leaning into this change and going where it takes me. Which is going to be some place cool.