FamiLee Life

Sunday Fish Story

Photography by Hapa9
Bad jpg copying and pasting by me

What to do on a drizzling and cold Sunday morning. Well, you could go to church, have brunch, read the NYTimes, play with the children (or pet), watch NFL pregame shows. In short, there is a lot of things that one can do. Me? I decided to go fishing...or attempt to fish. Hapa9 and I made a good effort. After a late night of carousing on Saturday, we managed to wake up early enough on Sunday to drink a cuppa coffee, load up the canoe, assemble the fishing tackle, buy worms, get lost, and finally find Spurzem Lake.

After 2 plus hours of paddling, drifting, fishing, we ended up with one fish (pictured above) caught by Hapa9 using a trailing line, baited with a worm, as we drifted and fished with other rods. We named him Harry and, in the end, released him back to the lake. It was a pathetic catch, though it felt good to at least catch something. Not surprisingly, given my terrible luck with fishing, I caught nothing. In fact, we had no bites at all aside from the one catch. Alas.

There was another fisherman out on the small lake who seemed to be catching fish. Wisely, he had an anchor on his boat which allowed him to stay in what seemed to be a good spot. Being in a canoe, we didn't think to use an anchor. Instead, we were at the mercy of the wind which kept drifting our canoe into the weeds. Lesson learned.

Still, there is something calming and relaxing about fishing. Mind you, I was never a huge fishing fan as a kid. I used to fish with my neighbor for catfish in local ponds near our homes but I never owned my own rod and reel (until last week!). I still don't know what lures and bait to use for which kinds of fish with whatever kinds of weather. Plus, being such hyperactive kid, fishing was too slow and not stimulating enough for me. I needed to move around more.

It might be age or living in Minnesota, but it appeals much more to me these days. Maybe it is adulthood and the craziness of everyday life. Sometimes it is good to engage in activities that slow down life. Shared activity with friends is also something I appreciate more as an adult. It gives us time to talk, share, and just enjoy each other's company.

So, I may not have caught any fish on Sunday. I may have been wet and cold, plus tired and in need of a nap, but it was a worthwhile trip that nurtured my soul and deepened my friendship.

Posted by richlee at September 11, 2006 10:37 AM