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.
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