TIGHT LINES
HAVE ROD, WILL TRAVEL
with Andrew Spencer
So my vacation, like all good things, finally had to come to an end, but I didn't allow it to go gently into that good night. After we left Florida, we headed up to South Carolina and then finished up in Georgia. We were basically trying to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment out of our trip that we possibly could and, by my estimations, we pretty much got about as much out of it as we could. Almost.

Can you fish like a pelican? Our writer wishes he had this bird's carrying capacity. PHOTO BY JILL SANDOLE

When we left Florida, I was pretty content. We'd had a great time, relaxed plenty and generally had a blast. It wasn't really until the last day - the last morning before we left for the airport, in fact - that I realized I'd missed one little point. You see, when we were in Atlanta, we were staying with my good friend Bill Clarkson, who happens to be the Headmaster at Westminster School. We were jogging around the campus - which is a sprawling, pastoral place - when it hit me.

The path we were following wound its way along the Chattahoochee River, with plenty of trees and flowers all around. The water was crystal-clear and I suddenly realized that I was lacking one piece of travel-related equipment. I didn't have a fishing rod.

Now remember, son. Always pack yourself some clean underwear and a toothbrush. And for the love of God, don't forget your segue.

Some of you might be wondering why this week's photo is of a pelican. Glad you asked. You see, friends and neighbors, the lowly pelican - a bird found from as far north as Canada to as far south as South America - is an angler. For those of you who've never experienced first-hand the pelican technique, let me enlighten you. They skim along the surface of the water and scoop up fish as they go. The birds are estimated to eat up to four pounds of fish per day, every day. And in case you're keeping score at home, that's a lot of fishing.

But despite that little bit of pelican-related trivia, you still might be wondering why the pelican specifically. After all, plenty of birds eat fish. Case in point, the American bald eagle - the symbol of our own great country - is known to eat a fish or two in the average day. So why, exactly, are we talking about pelicans? Pelicans, in addition to being pretty good fishermen, are also extremely intelligent travelers. They don't pack eight pairs of shoes despite their significant others' insistence that they're not going to wear them. Nor do they pack enough clothes to outfit every man, woman and child in the state of Nebraska for a brief trip. And, more to the point, pelicans bring their own fishing gear.

And for those times when the airline loses your luggage, I like to pack an extra segue in my carryon bag, just to be safe.

As I was jogging along that path at Westminster, delaying the inevitable return north, I spied with my little eye a few smallmouth bass suspended there in the slow-moving waters of the Chattahoochee, and I wished for the moment that I was outfitted with built-in fishing equipment like my friends, the pelicans. A little spinning outfit or a fly rod and reel - it doesn't need to be an expensive set-up - doesn't take up much room in your luggage. And you never know when you're going to come across the perfect spot to fish, even if it's just for a little while.

I bring this up now, not because I'm about to go on vacation again - I figure I've had my day in the sun - but because I'm guessing there's one or two of you out there who's about to head to warmer climes for a week or so before we get that massive "summer" rush that seems to start around the last weekend in April and finish up about the first weekend in December. Long story short, kids, if you're going to go, go while the going's good.

Now see if you can say that last sentence three times fast.

But seriously, unless you've got a bottom lip that can hold a couple gallons of water and you're pairing that with a wingspan of about four feet, pack yourself an inexpensive rod and reel set. The stress on inexpensive comes from my own experiences of leaving behind the other kind - the expensive kind - in rental cars and hotel rooms. So go cheap, but go nevertheless. Especially if you're going to Georgia. Those smallmouth bass are just itchin' to get caught.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to see if my favorite eye doctor knows how to surgically attach a spinning rod to my arm. I don't want to get caught unprepared again.

Tight lines. I