You need humility to be a fisherman. Whether the line snaps with a big fish on the end or you cast all day without a nibble, you have to look past the set-backs, suck it up and keep going. That’s where your fishing buddies come in. Who better to kick you when you’re down than the guy who’s been bringin em in all day even though he’s just on the other side of the boat? Some laugh at the small fish you pull in. Some ask how long you’re going to use the same bait and not catch anything. Some keep a tally of how many trees you’ve snagged that day and mention that you’re a few below average. But, it is the rare “best” fishing buddy that employs all these tactics to bring you to a boiling point. Instead of getting frustrated, a good fishing buddy knows that retaliation is the only way to respond.
I always enjoy the back and forth between fishermen. You can usually tell how long two people have been fishing together by listening to the banter on the boat. When you’ve fished with someone long enough, you start to learn their fishing quirks. I, for one, find myself unwrapping my line from tree branches all too often. My brother, being a good fishing buddy, exploits the weakness. He’s had the boat shaking with laughter at many of my misfortunate casts. Sometimes, he’s laughing so hard that he can’t even spit out the comment he had been saving for me. I’ll admit, it is pretty funny and I have to laugh at myself or I’d lose it. Subconsciously, I think that is why we taunt our fishing buddies. Yes, it’s great to get a rise out of them and watch them throw their rod into lake. But, we taunt them because we care. By picking on our fishing buddies, we can turn a bad day fishing into a day spent laughing and floating around in the sun.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
#6 Worms
Sometimes the simplest solution works the best. Growing up fishing small ponds, I’ve always had faith in the basic worm and bobber set up. If there are fish, they will bite it. For my money, there isn’t a more relaxing form of fishing than drifting in the canoe with a worm and bobber floating off the side and hooking into a bunch of feisty bluegill. Occasional, you’ll even get a bass to indulge in the juicy nightcrawler.
Worm fishing is all about waiting and I think it is the inactivity of this form of fishing that draws me to it. You almost have to bet on your senses and believe that the fish will be waiting right where you drop that worm. Worm fishing takes all the patience to can muster up but the payoff is worth it. Watching that bobber pop a couple times and then disappear under the water is like seeing the last bar line up on the slot machine. Cha Ching!
I’ve spent many summers on small ponds in the canoe with my brother. I think my obsession with worm fishing gets to him after a while, especially when the bait machine at the lake is out of nightcrawlers. I carry with me a small plastic box with a snap top just for this occasion. Before shoving off, I’ll flip every rock along the muddy shoreline and snatch up all the worms I can find. Usually, within the hour, I’ll need to refill. We’ll pull over to the bank when I see a group of rocks under a shady tree near the water that looks like the perfect worm bed. I reload my little box and we head back out. For an artificial worm fisherman, like my brother, I’m sure it becomes annoying after the fifteenth time I’ve disturbed “the perfect spot” to jump out and hunt worms but, he needs to understand the addiction.
The rush I get when I hook into a hungry group of ‘gills is something I come back for over and over. Knowing that there is a school of fish waiting for your next cast is exhilarating. A big part of that thrill for me is catching those fish on the worms I find. There’s something so primitive and raw about that style of fishing. It’s a method that has worked for centuries. It’s a connection to the earth; a self-reliant, living-off-the-land kind of thing. It’s the kind of fishing that lives deep inside of us. It is our roots.
So, the next time you drop a worm in the water, think about our ancestors and the millions of fish they caught doing the exact same thing. And, if you’re brother is an artificial worm fisherman, make sure you only stock up on enough worms to last you to the next big rock under a shady tree.
Worm fishing is all about waiting and I think it is the inactivity of this form of fishing that draws me to it. You almost have to bet on your senses and believe that the fish will be waiting right where you drop that worm. Worm fishing takes all the patience to can muster up but the payoff is worth it. Watching that bobber pop a couple times and then disappear under the water is like seeing the last bar line up on the slot machine. Cha Ching!
I’ve spent many summers on small ponds in the canoe with my brother. I think my obsession with worm fishing gets to him after a while, especially when the bait machine at the lake is out of nightcrawlers. I carry with me a small plastic box with a snap top just for this occasion. Before shoving off, I’ll flip every rock along the muddy shoreline and snatch up all the worms I can find. Usually, within the hour, I’ll need to refill. We’ll pull over to the bank when I see a group of rocks under a shady tree near the water that looks like the perfect worm bed. I reload my little box and we head back out. For an artificial worm fisherman, like my brother, I’m sure it becomes annoying after the fifteenth time I’ve disturbed “the perfect spot” to jump out and hunt worms but, he needs to understand the addiction.
The rush I get when I hook into a hungry group of ‘gills is something I come back for over and over. Knowing that there is a school of fish waiting for your next cast is exhilarating. A big part of that thrill for me is catching those fish on the worms I find. There’s something so primitive and raw about that style of fishing. It’s a method that has worked for centuries. It’s a connection to the earth; a self-reliant, living-off-the-land kind of thing. It’s the kind of fishing that lives deep inside of us. It is our roots.
So, the next time you drop a worm in the water, think about our ancestors and the millions of fish they caught doing the exact same thing. And, if you’re brother is an artificial worm fisherman, make sure you only stock up on enough worms to last you to the next big rock under a shady tree.
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