I Hate Fishing
I suppose that is a little bit of exageration. I don't actually hate fishing. It's just not on my top ten list of things to do. If I have free time, there are lots of other things that tend to jump into my mind before fishing. But since I live in Utah, the mountains, and am surrounded my people who love to fish, I do it.
Now, every book on good fathering tells you to take your son (sorry girls) fishing. Good bonding and all that; part of being a man, etc. My own father never took me fishing-he found it pretty boring and would rather watch football. Ironically, when we would go back to Tennessee to visit my grandparents, my grandfather always took us and my dad enthusiastically went. After all, that is what you do with your grandfather! So I learned to fish pretty young and had a lot of fun. We caught mostly what they called brim,which is perch or sunfish. We used bait, worms etc.
So every few years I was Tom Sawyer for an afternoon, sitting by a lake or in a boat with my line in the water, just hoping something would bite.
In the west though, we mostly fish for trout and use flies, lures, etc. It takes a lot more effort and skill. Friends here introduced me to spinners, etc. which I had never seen before. And so I and others have taught my son to fish and he loves it! In fact last weekend, he caught a 14 inch brook trout in a small lake in the Uintah's. I am told that is huge for a brookie. He was one very proud sportsman. I smiled with satisfaction. Manhood 101 is going well.
So why do I "hate" fishing? Well, I don't usually catch much for one thing. Secondly, I am usually with kids and spend most of my time freeing hooks from overhanging trees, untangling lines, or trying to keep the dog from being snagged instead of the trout. Last week I think every other cast I made got caught on an underwater log or rock. In short, it just wasn't much fun.
But it was a blast to see the grins on the kid's faces as they reeled them in. Everyone in our group caught at least one. We had quite a fish dinner at our campsite that night, under the stars with a roaring fire. It was the last trip of summer and it was, well.....good.
But it still isn't my thing.
Interestingly, the parallels with evangelism, i.e. fishing for men, are amazing!
See you next time for that one!
Now, every book on good fathering tells you to take your son (sorry girls) fishing. Good bonding and all that; part of being a man, etc. My own father never took me fishing-he found it pretty boring and would rather watch football. Ironically, when we would go back to Tennessee to visit my grandparents, my grandfather always took us and my dad enthusiastically went. After all, that is what you do with your grandfather! So I learned to fish pretty young and had a lot of fun. We caught mostly what they called brim,which is perch or sunfish. We used bait, worms etc.
So every few years I was Tom Sawyer for an afternoon, sitting by a lake or in a boat with my line in the water, just hoping something would bite.
In the west though, we mostly fish for trout and use flies, lures, etc. It takes a lot more effort and skill. Friends here introduced me to spinners, etc. which I had never seen before. And so I and others have taught my son to fish and he loves it! In fact last weekend, he caught a 14 inch brook trout in a small lake in the Uintah's. I am told that is huge for a brookie. He was one very proud sportsman. I smiled with satisfaction. Manhood 101 is going well.
So why do I "hate" fishing? Well, I don't usually catch much for one thing. Secondly, I am usually with kids and spend most of my time freeing hooks from overhanging trees, untangling lines, or trying to keep the dog from being snagged instead of the trout. Last week I think every other cast I made got caught on an underwater log or rock. In short, it just wasn't much fun.
But it was a blast to see the grins on the kid's faces as they reeled them in. Everyone in our group caught at least one. We had quite a fish dinner at our campsite that night, under the stars with a roaring fire. It was the last trip of summer and it was, well.....good.
But it still isn't my thing.
Interestingly, the parallels with evangelism, i.e. fishing for men, are amazing!
See you next time for that one!
posted by Rob | 11:13 AM
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