For my first story, let me tell you about squid fishing in the Red Sea. I have to say I was a little surprised about the techniques used. Let me give you a little brief history of how I discovered this marvelous madness and my new found friends.
Back in the late 1980's I was asked by the company I worked for if I would mind going to Egypt and do a little bit of installation and repair work. Being of (ha ha) sound mind and body and a thirst for adventure and a quest for the unknown I said OK. I will admit at first to being a little bit hesitant, but that hesitation was short lived because my thirst for adventure overcame me.
It is amazing to stand beside the pyramids and feel their awesome power and sheer size and to think they were built thousands of years ago. Touring the museums and other archeological sites was awe inspiring, but what I was mesmerized with was my first look at the Red Sea and the feeling like being drawn to it's infinite beauty. I believe the name 'aqua' was started when the first person was standing and overlooking this vast body of heavenly water called the Red Sea. It truly is beautiful. I think everyone visiting Egypt need to see this body of water or they will miss the best part of Egypt. That would be a big mistake.
Enough of that, let's talk about the fishing. The Red Sea has an abundance of fish, crustaceans and mammals that remind me a lot of fishing in Florida. All of my adult fishing has been spent in and around the state of Florida. So don't be surprised when I tell you Florida techniques work well in the Red Sea. Although, there is always something more to learn.
You have to admire those Red Sea professional fishermen because they don't have access like we do to so many different kinds of lures and products that we take use. They end up learning ways to improvise and apply their home made techniques to catch many a possible record breaking fish. I wish my Egyptian fishing friends had the chance to visit any of our outdoor world superstores. I believe they would probably try and use one of the display tents in the middle of the store, take up residence and stay all day long just mesmerized at all of the different products offered by such a fantastic store.
My experiences with the elusive squid started when I was invited to stay with a group of professional fishermen at a fishing and hunting lodge on the south mainland of Egypt, north of the Sudanese border in a place called Marsa Alam. If you are driving through, don't blink because you will miss it. The lodge was a little quaint but adequate and the hired help overseeing the lodge was so friendly and helpful. I felt a little guilty not being able to do the most simplest of chores like making a sandwich or a simple cup of coffee because they would get offended. Even if they were in the middle of doing something extremely physical and time consuming, I would go with the flow and constantly thank them all of the time.
The first day that we arrived we decided that live bait would be needed, so my friends suggested we try our hands at squid fishing at a nearby bay.
