Simple Pleasures
Doc and I spent the morning fishing in the river. We opted against fly fishing due to the temperature and, instead, found a shady spot next to a Rails to Trails bridge, pulled our chair-in-a-bags out, baited our hooks with the fat nightcrawlers we picked up yesterday, and dropped our lines. It was a gorgeous location and the weather was genteel: we had just enough shade, just enough breeze. I'd brought cheese and fresh strawberries from a client's farm, lemonade, pickled garlic and peppers and olives. The bug repellent lounged, unmolested, in the tackle box.
And.
I caught two bass! Spotted bass, to be exact. One was too small to keep and the other was 13.5", which meant we had to throw it back, too. There's a prohibition against taking bass between 12" and 15" in most Ohio waterways. Our river wasn't listed specifically, but we figured better safe than sorry. Doc thinks the size restriction has to do with spawning.
Still, I haven't fished since 1994, when I went salmon fishing in Alaska (which, I am here to say, is not a sport!). Prior to that I hadn't done it since I was teenager. I had a blast today. It was just delightful. And we were high enough above the water to see lots of stuff happening below the surface, to try and place our casts just so, to be eye level with the avian pageant occurring in the trees and skimming the water.
Life can be so pleasant. And, personally, I think it's a word, a concept, a mindset that gets short shrift in our Intensity For The Sake Of Getting Stoned On Our Own Adrenaline culture. Me? I plan to do a whole lot more fishing.
-Dot
Copyright 2006 Dot's Stuff. All rights reserved. If you're nice, I'll bait your hook for you.
And.
I caught two bass! Spotted bass, to be exact. One was too small to keep and the other was 13.5", which meant we had to throw it back, too. There's a prohibition against taking bass between 12" and 15" in most Ohio waterways. Our river wasn't listed specifically, but we figured better safe than sorry. Doc thinks the size restriction has to do with spawning.
Still, I haven't fished since 1994, when I went salmon fishing in Alaska (which, I am here to say, is not a sport!). Prior to that I hadn't done it since I was teenager. I had a blast today. It was just delightful. And we were high enough above the water to see lots of stuff happening below the surface, to try and place our casts just so, to be eye level with the avian pageant occurring in the trees and skimming the water.
Life can be so pleasant. And, personally, I think it's a word, a concept, a mindset that gets short shrift in our Intensity For The Sake Of Getting Stoned On Our Own Adrenaline culture. Me? I plan to do a whole lot more fishing.
-Dot
Copyright 2006 Dot's Stuff. All rights reserved. If you're nice, I'll bait your hook for you.