| Fishing vs. Going Fishing By David Saunders It was about two years ago, while I sat at my kitchen table thinking about why I love this sport so much when, wham! I had a revelation. I love to go fishing more than I love fishing. Suddenly everything was so clear to me. As I drifted back over fond memories I realized that it wasn't necessarily those trips in which good fish were caught, but those that had something along with the fishing. Come, look back with me and see if you will agree. It was cool rainy weekend and I was settling back to watch some ESPN outdoors, when along comes my four-year-old, Eric. He hops himself up on my lap and reminds me that I promised to take him fishing. Rain or not, I did promise, so off we went. Not wanting to get soaked, I chose a spot on a river that we could fish under a bridge. I knew that there were big suckers and pan fish in there, and a lot of them at that. I baited up his hook and let him have it. On his second or third cast, he hooked into something big. The fish took the bait in an eddy on the other side of the river, so when he got it into the fast current it almost pulled him in the water. It was at that point I saw it roll on the surface and that unmistakable pink stripe told me exactly what he had on. With a little help from dad in keeping him on shore and encouraging, he proceeded to land a nineteen and a half-inch Rainbow Trout. His memory of the events that day is faded, and he often asks me to retell it, but it will always be etched in my mind. I realized that I am blessed with a child who is an avid angler, endowed with patience and ability. He would pull a temper tantrum when it was time to go home after ten hours of fishing. Even now at age seven, he hates to go home. Earlier this year, he and I set out for a monster Pike through the ice. We spent forty plus hours out there and only managed a twenty-five incher, but all was not a waste of time. In our quest we decided we were going to stay out until midnight on closing day. Listening to owls calling from shore we talked fishing, while huddled together in front of the heater in the shanty. We caught nothing but a big skunk, yet we both brought home something that all the money in the world can't buy. Priceless memories. Then there are friends. I recall one friend in particular, Bill. Most of you know a Bill or have seen a Bill out there. Let me explain Bill can't catch fish. If his survival depended on fishing, he would be dead. I have witnessed many occasions when the guy on the left of him would catch fish, the guy on the right would catch fish. And with the same exact set up, Bill gets skunked. I got tired of seeing this pitiful site and started feel real guilty every time I would hook up in sight of him and decided to do something about it. You know them there fishing spots that you take the kids -- the bluegill beds. The ones where you can stick your finger in the water and get a bite. That's where I took him. He landed a hundred fish that day, and then got to eat his cake to. As we were getting ready to go, I spotted a little twig sticking out of the water in the middle of nowhere. "Bill", I said, "Take a cast at that little twig over there." For the first time in his entire life he actually hit what he was aiming for and it paid off. The line went tight and on the other end was four or five-pound Large Mouth. He landed it and went home feeling like a real fisherman that day. I went home feeling honored that I could give him something he proved he could not do for himself. Then there are the kids. My mind is clogged with memories of fishing with kids, and I find it difficult to choose any one in particular. I have fished with hundred of kids over the years, and nothing brings me more pleasure than to do so. I have seen dads ("Bills") who have taken their kids fishing on the shore -- obviously not catching anything. When I hook up, I'll call the kids over and give them the pole. What could be better than watching a child reel in what is probably the first fish in his life? There is however one event that stands out from the rest. In the church that I attend, they asked me if I would be interested in setting up a fishing trip for the kids. Gladly I accepted the offer. What I got out of it was a million times what I put in to it. It cost me some worms, hooks and the use of almost all my poles. What I got was a young girl named Carissa. Carissa has a form of MS that attacks her muscles and has left her wheelchair bound. I chose for her my best ultra light and watched. Out of fifteen to twenty kids, she managed to land the biggest -- a two or three-pound bass. To seasoned anglers, it was a so-so bass at best, but to her it was her first, only, biggest, and smallest fish ever caught. The smile on her face said it all. If You've never taken a kid fishing give it a try. The reward is well worth any aggravation. The impact you may have on a child may be larger than you'll ever realize. I have vivid memories as a youngster of fishing with my dad in little trout streams for Brookies up in Maine and Canada. I would follow him and take off his fish he caught. I would studiously watch how and where he would place bait. It has fueled a passion for trout to this day and has made me a superb trout angler, knowing how to read the water and find the pockets which hold fish, and all this by the age of ten or twelve. Then there are the memories of fishing with my older brother, fifteen years my senior. He taught me that there were more fish out there than trout. Whether it was fishing a small pond for panfish or going to the shore for Cod and flats. His influence and passing down of knowledge has made me a pretty good all around angler. I'm no expert yet, and I'm still learning by asking a lot of questions -- which leads me to strangers. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet thousands of people that I would have walked past on any other occasion. But because we share a common interest in fishing, we strike up a conversation. Sometimes I get information from them and sometimes they get information from me, but most often we give and take. On some occasions, long lasting friendships evolve. For instance, one time I stopped into a store to buy worms. A big, black guy named Al comes over to me and asks me where he can buy worms, because they were sold out. I started to give him directions and realized I needed some also, so I told him to just follow me. Well, on the way there he saw I had a boat and when we got there asked if I would mind taking him out fishing sometime. I agreed and the next time I went out I called him. He and I hit it off real well and ended up fishing together several times a year until he moved back to New York. You'll never know who you'll meet out there. Then there is nature. Grand, beautiful, and majestic. With a scenery that is ever changing with the seasons and time of day. Unobstructed views of the sky where sunrise and sunset take on an awe inspiring beauty. And developing thunderheads of hot summer afternoons causing us to see how insignificant we are in the face of nature. Ospreys diving for fish that you can't coax into biting your hook. The song of the Loons with their eerie ditties fills the lake. The sound of crocking frog looking for a mate in the night. Then there are deer, moose, bears, foxes, and more that you come across from time to time. Of course there's the snakes and turtles that even on occasion find themselves on the end of your line. Dragon and Damselflies doing aerial maneuvers those pilots can only dream of. Nature is always putting on a show, if we would only take the time to see what's playing. Going fishing is so much more than putting a baited hook or lure in the water in the hopes of fooling a fish into biting it. I look at it this way. Catching fish is only icing on a cake that is sweet enough to be eaten alone. It is far too easy to get caught up in fishing so much that we fail to see all that going fishing includes and the impact it has on you and others. Whether fishing alone on a still lake watching the sun come up, or sharing the trip with others, going fishing beats fishing any day of the week. © ctfisherman.com and David Saunders 2003. All Rights Reserved. |
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