A True Fisherman

There are some people that have it and some that don’t! It’s funny that at times when I walk past some music that is playing I can’t for the life of me make out some of the instruments that are being used or even the bass line that walking up and down the neck the of the bass guitar, but many people can. I think that sometimes it’s a lot like fishing! When I used to work at a fishing/boating store so customers would come in and ask me how they could fish, and as simple as that question is, it’s one of the hardest to answer; ok, what do you want to fish for, how do you want to catch it (i.e. bait, artificial, etc.), where are you going, when are you going, and the questions went on and on!

When I said that some people have it and some don’t, it’s interesting that some people are naturally talented towards things like music and take it on like a fish to water, but I think fishing on the other hand is something that doesn’t come natural to anyone. Yes, I will admit that some have beginners luck, but anyone can catch a fish but show me someone that shows consistency in catching and I’ll show you a fisherman. After college when I came home and was finally stretching out my sea legs and training myself to fisherman lifestyle I will admit that I was rusty. I would constantly ask my brother, “What the hell am I doing wrong!” and he would just answer, “It’s just that you’ve been away for a while, you need to spend some time out here…that’s all” and it drove me nuts. I couldn’t get a bite to save my life, but little by little, step by step, hour by hour, I was getting back what I had lost when I left for college years prior. The reason I tell you this is because I strongly believe that a lot and most of it comes through experience. While fishing is a sport more than a sport it’s a science. You need to study! I’ve never met a good fisherman that didn’t know his knots, which are so essential to the game; they are what links you to the fish on the other end! Another thing, a fisherman needs to be able to read his surroundings, the waters, the tides, and also open a book once in a while. You need to study about the fish that you’re going to be targeting, and actually have an interest in learning. Once when I was working, a customer came in and asked me about leaders and immediately asked him what he was targeting and told him I have just the perfect thing. I quickly got the supplies to quickly make a leader, and he freaked out telling me that “I don’t want to deal with all that tying crap, I’ll just buy the pre-made ones”. I didn’t get offending when he refused my teaching him how, but the thing that offended me was the fact that he called himself a fishermen…and that is one thing that we take very personally. To be a fisherman takes years of hard work out there on the water; reading, studying, with nothing but trail and error with that to learn from after doing your homework the night before. Overall, all I’m trying to say is that what comes easy to many people like music, fishing doesn’t come easy to anyone and people that see fishermen out there making it look like a walk in the park is only after years and years of perfecting the sport that they love. Remember you can give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day but teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime.