Sunday Morning eh! and if you are reading this, then you are not out in your boat
or standing on a peer pretending to be fishing. Yes, sports fans, I did say pretending
to be fishing. You see, I just realised that if you changed the "f" to
a "w" it wouldn't make any difference. The exercise is the same.
For those of you who do not, and I am one of them, go on annual or perhaps even more
often fishing expeditions. There is a mystery involved and we the stay-at-home, curled-up-by-the-computer
types, are missing out on one of the great human experiences that can be indulged
in by man or woman. "The great fishin' trip"! My brother and a group of
his friends spend most of May and much of June planning for the "fishin' trip".
It is a pilgrimage steeped in tradition and respected reverently by their loved ones,
spouses, children, girl friends and significant others. But there is certainty about
this expedition, we all know that we will reexperience the adventure, with the pilgrims,
many times before planning begins for next year's "fishin' trip".
So, the question is obvious, why do they do it? In the past ten years I can not recall
any after fishin' trip feast of steaming Walleye, nor amidst all the stories from
each trip has there been details of the catch, cooking or even valiant conflicts
with inhabitants of the deep dark Northern waters in their struggle to fight off
the relentless pull from a hook and 5 pound line. It is time for me to tell you the
secret.
Fishing is the buzz-word, the code name for "doing something that we can talk
about".
The other day, I was standing in front of the frozen food machine housing overpriced
fish products. A fellow frozen food shopper and I became involved in discussions
about "fishin'". Near the end of our dialogue, he told me in the hushed
honest tone, that only comes when you are close to frozen fish products for ten minutes,
"I feel so bad sometimes" he said and genuinely looked sad, "when
I go out there and there are so many experts, they know everything there is about
where to go, which lure to use, which side of the boat....." That's when it
struck me. It isn't the fish, its the talk.
Fishing stories by their nature are expandable, editable and embellishment is not
only appreciated but it is encouraged.
So why do folks go on fishing trips. They go to load up on verbal ammunition for
all future encounters that might involve conversation and discussions that might
turn toward, "fishin'". The man I talked to at the frozen food machine
was out of stories, and envied the experienced gabbers who had the lingo down, they
had their stories sorted in terms of shock appeal, amazing appeal and one white knuckle
short of "X-Files" ready. So bless them all, send each hardy fishing fanatic
on his or her way with encouragement and good cheer, for they are setting forth to
harvest words that they can bring back to you, words like bailing, oars, out of gas,
wet to the bone, waves this high, mud to your armpits, .... Keep in mind they are
doing this for us, those who do not go, as witnesses, there would be a need to confine
oneself to some proximity to the actual event, but as an audience who did not share
the situation, the creative gates can be opened, wonders, amusement and "no
you don't say" can prime the fisherperson's verbal pump and a good time can
be had by all.
Timothy W. Shire