The Fisherman (Long) - Happy Anniversary

Fishing on the dock while oftentimes peaceful oftentimes is an adventure too.  On the days that the elements are cooperating, it is very relaxing and mind-clearing to cast out onto the water and watch the bobber peacefully bob in the water waiting for that fish to hit the bait and pull it under.  The water will undulate with a gentle wind showing variations in color and texture that are mesmerizing.  The concentration needed to catch a fish is not stressful concentration at all when you let yourself concentrate on the elements around you.  So when the dock is somewhat empty of other distractions it is very enjoyable.

It can be entertaining in other ways too.  Like when you hear a loud splash and discover that the novice crabber downaways has attached a whole chicken as bait to their crab trap.  Or when the boats coming in get a little too close and the guy with the cigar fishing not too far away starts a verbal battle with the boaters.  Who's going to meet who in the parking lot?  One can only shake their head and keep their mouth shut so as not to get involved.  

We have a yearly fishing contest going - HWNWSNBP and I.  When we're fishing together on the dock we keep track of the number of fish we each catch (keepers and nonkeepers) and at the end of the fishing season the one with the most fish caught is declared the winner.  The prize consists of bragging rights only.  

In our first 3 or 4 fishing excursions this summer we were skunked - no fish were caught.  And then as the season progressed, and the fish were growing bigger and hungrier we started catching them.  HWNSNBP is usually the one who decides if the fish is a keeper or not.  Those of the smaller size are the ones that I will cook up for him after they're cleaned.  The larger ones he prepares for freezing so that a friend of ours can later smoke them for the holidays.  

When there are people on the dock, even with our backs to them there are always questions.  Caught anything?  What kind of fish is that?  What do you do with them?  Are they good eating?  What kind of bait are you using?   HWNSNBP usually positions himself at the bait station with the bucket at this feet so he is more likely to get these questions.   Many times the conversations will blossom and he will tell them about our little contest.  Sometimes the visitor will relate one or two of their own fishing stories.  It's these non-threatening casual conversations that add to the enjoyment of being out there.

A couple of weekends ago we were having a good catch, both of us.  We had people in the gazebo behind us cheering us on as we pulled in our catches.  There was a woman with her older daughter not far from us who were also fishing.  While we use spering as our bait and bobbers on our lines, a lot of the other fishermen on the dock will use a different type of rig meant to fish the bottom for different fish.  On that particular evening, when we were hauling them in, I could hear the excited agitation from the woman and her daughter each time we pulled out a fish.  They were using the bottom rigs.  The mother came over to me and asked what kind of bait we were using and I told her it was spering and offered some to her which she gratefully accepted we were getting ready to leave soon.

But, not being able to figure out how to bait her rig with the spering she soon came back holding a round bobber and asking for help to rework her line.  I watched her use her teeth to snap the hook and sinker off her line and took the bobber from her.  I was trying to help her but not having much success when I looked over to HWNSNBP signaling for his help.  He and I worked on getting the bobber on the line and he told her what else she would need - a hook and some split shot for weight.  Luckily she also had a pair of pliers with her so they could get the split shot set.  He walked back with her to her fishing location and showed her how to bait the hook with the spering.  And then she asked him to help her daughter set her rig up also which he did.  When he came back he muttered "see what you got me into" and I just smiled at him knowing it was a nice thing to do.

The next afternoon we went over to the dock a little earlier as he had something to do later that evening.  We fished for a while and caught a few and were just about ready to get going again when the woman from the previous day showed up with her daughter again.  As he looked over I could hear him say  "oh no" but then, to my surprise he shouted over to the woman "so, did you catch anything yesterday?".  She was so excited to tell him that she did and even called him over to show him a picture she had taken of a nice snapper she had caught.  I knew he was happy for her as he returned smiling to where I was still fishing.  We were just about to make our last casts for the day when the woman came back holding a bobber similar to the ones that we use and asked him to help her trade out her round bobber for it.  The two of them sat down on the bench behind us and worked together to get the new bobber in place.  She was most disappointed to hear that we were leaving so soon.  We explained that we had gotten there earlier and had to be somewhere. But she was so appreciative and thanked us over and over again.  

On our way to the car he again said "see what you got me into" but I knew that he was pleased with himself and the kindness that he shown both times.  And I was very proud of him for doing so.  So even if I didn't catch the most fish this year, I definitely know that I'm a winner with the catch I made 44 years ago.