Outdoor living: summer fishing, part0

Self-tutoring about outdoor pastimes: the tutor begins about fishing.

I live in a place where it’s traditional to fish as a leisure activity. Fishing is an important part of many people’s lifestyles here, both as a pastime as well as a way to get good food. I’ve lived here nearly three decades without dropping a line; some people find that very surprising. They might be even more surprised to know, moreover, that as a kid, I did fish. That was back in Nova Scotia.

Ages 12-13 I lived near a nice little river. I accessed it via a path under trees, which I followed upstream. There were three fishing spots I knew between where I met the river and the limit of my upstream exploration – about a kilometre.

The way my summers worked back then, it seemed there was “nothing to do” right after school let out. In early July, therefore, I had time on my hands, so often went fishing there, nearly always alone. I might set out around 10am and return home by 4pm. During that time, I’d fish the various spots, taking breaks during which I’d just wander amongst the forest. Although there was a subdivision right near, I seldom met another person in the woods by the river.

Of the three fishing spots, the one that theoretically was the least promising was the only one where I caught fish. Even there, I didn’t catch many, most too small to keep.

I was equipped to cast and reel, but also to just fish with a baited hook and float. I only caught fish by cast and reel, using spinners. I think I had two spinners that were particularly successful. I never used a leader or anything fancy like that. When I caught a fish, it was always a trout.

I thought I had nothing but time back then; of course, I was wearing down the clock without knowing. By mid August, something else came up: the last time I went fishing there, I had no idea would be the last time.