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Fathers and fishing trips
By Tim Wood
Lately I've been thinking about my late father, but it's not been because of Father's Day.
A couple of Saturdays ago, I took my two sons to the Williamsport Wildlife Management Center to introduce them to fishing. A local civic club was offering assistance to young anglers. Unfortunately, an earlier engagement delayed me, and we arrived too late to take advantage of the club's kind offer.
But the concessionaire offered his help, and with a newly-acquired bamboo pole and a can of worms in hand, we proceeded to the kids' lake.
What little I know about fishing I learned from my father. I didn't like a lot of the things my father did, but as I've grown older, the bad memories have faded and the good times stay with me.
The good times included fishing trips. I loved the overnight trips we spent on the shore of the Gasconade River in southwest Missouri. We would go out in the boat in the middle of the night and check the trot lines.
Give me a small fire, a beautiful Missouri night and Harry Caray on the radio, and you have something pretty close to heaven on earth - at least if you're eight years old.
The last photograph of my father shows him holding a string of fish he caught. He usually refused to be photographed.
Despite the fun on the river, I didn't become a fisherman. Neither of my brothers has taken it up, although my sister liked to fish. I don't eat fish or any kind of seafood - it makes me feel sick. So, there was no practical incentive to fish.
As we headed out to the kids' lake, I was amused by the signs that said that adults must be accompanied by a child 15 or younger. How many times have seen signs that stated the opposite?
One thing I did remember about fishing technique was how to put a worm on a hook. But the way you're supposed to do it and the way I did it are two different things.
We tried one spot on the bank of the lake, but had no luck. My method of "casting" was simply to throw the hook and sinker out there and hope for the best. We moved to the pier, but didn't catch any fish there, either.
Had we caught one, we would have thrown it back. My wife, Cheryl, made it clear that we were not to bring any fish home. I wouldn't know how to cook one anyway.
The fishing trip was highly successful, though. I was at a beautiful lake with my two boys and no distractions. The weather was great. I actually relaxed.
For years, I was an avoid golfer. Fishing and golfing have something in common - when you stop worrying about tangible results (scores or number of fish caught) the experience becomes considerably more pleasant.
Golf at its best is a long walk on a beautiful countryside. Fishing is a nice long sit on a beautiful lake. Birdies and fish are a bonus.
The Saturday we went was Free Fishing Day, so we weren't out any money except for the pole and worms. I was pleased to discover that on regular days, fishing is inexpensive, and that you can even rent a boat at a reasonable cost.
If you'll pardon the pun, I'm not yet "hooked" on fishing. However, I intend to return. Dad wasn't perfect, but he sure got it right on fishing.
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