The Zen of Fishing

Fishing at your local county park is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, especially when it has been so unseasonably warm in California.  We used a borrowed fishing pole strung with some monofilament, a bobber and a hook outfitted with some moldy cheese.  When all was finally ready Seth tossed out the bobber and let the hook sink.  About 10 seconds later he turned to me anxiously and said, “did I catch something?”  It was in this moment that I understood fishing would be a life long exercise in patience, and finesse.

If anyone is equipped for a lifetime of fishing it is Seth.  He focused on fishing around the dock for a good half hour.  Sometimes his pole was all the way in the water, so we discussed technique, and how a submerged pole is probably a sign to the fish that something is amiss.  Seth adjusted his form and waited patiently for a nibble.  He kept his hopes up feigning a fish spotting every few minutes.  It was hard not to enjoy just sitting on the dock, primarily because the coots were very interested in our activities and swam very close.  It’s been a while since a looked so closely at a bird in the “wild”.

Eventually we came to the decision that the fishing might be better on the shady side of the lake, so we walked over to the island.  This proved to be about the end of our fishing streak, because Seth proceeded to flail his pole all over the shrubbery and cause monofilament mayhem.  We abandoned our fishing gear in the car, and found some dry Sycamore leaves to roll in.  After all you can’t suppress your “inner crazy guy” all afternoon.

Fishing gave us a legitimate excuse to get outside for a day of leisure, contemplation and outdoorsmanship.  Passing a peaceful afternoon at the pond is a time honored tradition among boys and men.  For a while there Seth really found his fishing “zen” which is admirable for a soon to be four year old boy.  I just hope he his hooked, because fishing caused him to look closely at nature, and stay “tuned in” for a while, maybe even a lifetime.

Boy were these guys COOT!  he he.