Special delivery: Sign up for the free Marlin email newsletter. Subscribe to Marlin magazine and get a year of highly collectible, keepsake editions – plus access to the digital edition and archives.
There’s no doubt that we work in a crazy environment in the fishing business. From the sun exposure causing basal cell carcinomas and all the many other kinds of skin cancers, to those minor infections from the bait we use or from all those small cuts and scratches, to the more serious infections, lacerations and diseases, it seems like there’s always something to deal with. Today’s crews have so much more protection from the sun than we ever did back in the day, with the new lightweight moisture-wicking shirts and long pants, face guards and real sunscreen protection.
Most of us older captains did not have these options, and now we frequently visit our dermatologists. I can tell you, it is not fun getting filleted! Even though you may be younger, it does not mean you should avoid visiting your dermatologist whenever you see anything different or unusual on your skin. Melanoma can end your career really quickly, along with many other types of skin cancer. We have lost quite a few captains and crews over the decades—early diagnosis can save your life.
Taking care of your body is similar to calling in your mechanics to do their 1,000-hour engine service, or even just checking your engine room every day. Your body requires some maintenance and a checkup now and then, so don’t put it off just because you’re busy. We think that renewing our captain’s license and getting a quickie physical is enough, but it’s not. A full physical examination should include an EKG to check your main engine—your heart—along with an oil sample—your blood. Bloodwork will check many of your internal organs and can give you an early diagnosis of a number of potential problems. Don’t wait until you start having serious pain; with most things, if you can catch it early, then it’s a lot easier to fix and you won’t miss as much fishing time.
During the first two years of traveling on The Madam and The Hooker, we went through all the sutures we had on board, and we weren’t using them on rigging baits, either! We had a well-equipped pharmacy that we used for the infections and the pain that goes along with them, and we also had some real medicine for the really big problems, which fortunately we never needed. But we were prepared in case we did.
Today, there are companies such as D-Dey Offshore to teach you first aid, which could save someone’s life. They will also outfit your boat with the right equipment to address most any situation you could have on board and teach you how to correctly use it.
Read Next: Making Sense of Your Skin and the Sun in Sport Fishing.
As we get older, we might not tell as many fish stories as we used to—it’s more about the pains we’re having and the legal drugs we’re on—but if you take care of yourself, then you can avoid a lot of the major problems and keep fishing for many long years.
