Gone Fishing

It has been a while since I went fishing. It some how removes me from the hustle and bustle of the city and let the serenity and sweet song of the river and ocean perculate into my soul. There are only a few activities that seemed to affect me this way and fishing is one of them. I always associated fishing with friends and family. It was always an occasion when the fishes start to appear in abundance. Mackarels and bonitos were the catch of the day when we fished near the Queen Mary's Wharf. While fishing on the lakes and stream, trout and bass would be breakfast during a camping trip. Fishing is and will always be a part of me.

When I was younger growing up in the province of Bulacan, Philippines, my grandmother thought me how to fish. In those days, my fishing pole was a long and thin ten foot bamboo pole. A strong white store string would be tied to the end and the string would run the length of my pole. I would attached a store bought fishing hook at the end of the string. My grandmother would mix corn meal as bait and we would shape the bait into a nice pear shaped on the hook.

When the sun was not hot, my grandmother and I would walked to the big river and fished at it's banks. I always catch one big fish or two small fish, but after that I would never catch anything else for the rest of the day. I caught early and after catching my limit of one fish, I went home. My catch would always be part of our lunch or dinner the same day, since being in the farm very few houses have a refrigerator to keep the food fresh. The fish you caught with your own hard work taste a whole lot sweeter than the ones bought from the market. The freshness makes the fish taste better that even plain salt grilling surpasses gourmet prepared food.

My next goal is to learn how to fly fishing. The homemade or the store bought flies, the colorful mixture of feather, threads and metal, that helps lure the fish to your dinner table. The way you follow a clock when swinging your fly fishing pole, back and forth, until at the right time, releasing and easing the line to present your fly to the hungry fishes. I am attracted by way fly fishing is presented as a gentlemen's way of fish angling. I am learning more about fly fishing day by day and I hope that I can try it soon.