The end of the summer is here and it got me reminiscing. Or maybe it was the commercial I just saw of people fishing. Either way, I started thinking about when I was a kid.
This has never, nor will ever be me.
Although I recall fishing a lot when I was a kid, I don't recall ever liking it. It just seemed like one of those things you did as a kid back in the 1970s to kill time. Without smart phones, 250 television channels or high quality video games, you took what you could get when it came to entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Atari 2600, playing Zork on my Atari computer and movies on Beta but there are too many hours in a summer day to be filled with those. So yeah I fished.
Here's the problem. Actually here are some of the very many problems with fishing. First I'm 99% sure I had ADHD before it was cool. Back then we just called it "not being able to sit still" and "day dreaming". But whatever you call it, those two things do not go hand in hand with sitting in a boat or standing on a pier for six hours watching a bobber... do nothing.
Another huge problem is that I was super grossed out by the bait. I was the type of guy to say "Grandpa, please bait my hook" about 1000 times during a fishing session. I'm sure he thought it was cute the first 500 times... when I was four. But when I was still asking at sixteen, I bet he wasn't too thrilled. Add to the fact I was terrible at fishing and seemed to lose my bait about every 30 seconds and it's a miracle I'm not sleeping with the fishes.
based on my lack of interest and how incredibly annoying I must have been to "fish' with, I have no idea what possessed my grandparents to take me on a fishing trip in northern Wisconsin when I was about ten years old. The trip super sucked and I was bored out of my mind 90% of the time but its 45 years later and I remember parts of that trip like it were yesterday.
First the good. Back in the day, there was a Mountain Dew commercial where a bunch of teens blew up a giant inner-tube. One kid got in and they rolled it down the hill into the water. It looked so incredibly fun! On this fishing trip some 15 year olds decided to try it out. Because they were not complete idiots and this is before Mountain Dew was synonymous with "EXTREME!!!!!" they decided to test it out on the ten year old. Which was just fine with me. I got in and they gave it a push. I'm not sure how they did it in the commercial but in real life, an inner-tube does not roll straight. So instead of me rolling into the lake for a glorious splash down, I slammed right into the side of a fishing shed. I got a few bumps and bruises but the cheers of the teens healed me up right quick.
Now the bad. One day when I was fishing by myself on the pier (don't ask me how I got the bait on my hook) I was day dreaming and watching my bobber... do nothing. I'm sure I was thinking about Star Wars as I slowly walked along the pier. "Why didn't Chewbacca get a medal?" "Why were their no guardrails on the Deathstar?" "What's a womp rat..." I splashed directly into the water. Deep water. Deep gross vegetation filled water. Someone heard and came over and saved my fishing pole. Then they saved me. (In that order). I can still feel the rash I got from that gross water.
And now the ugly. Some old dude there was catching and cleaning fish all day long. He was a machine. A smelly old machine. For some reason he asked if I believed a fish could swim without a head. (No he was not threatening me.) Hopefully I replied that I had never really thought about it... because why would I? He then proceeded to cut the head off a catfish , throw it in the water and it swam away.
I don't like fishing.
Did you get the bait on the hook or did you just fling the hook in? :D
I grew up in the 80s-90s and fishing was definitely not something I did to kill time XD I still don't like it to this day but I have gone on fishing trips when J was more inclined to drag everyone out and my job was to detangle the lines (because I can detangle most things).
These days the boys (J, Eldest and Youngest) might go out on the occasional fishing trip but they're old enough to bait and detangle (or otherwise deal with which usually involves cutting them off and disposing thoughtfully NOT just chucking them in the water coz what braindead moron would do something that monumentally stupid but apparently it happens coz we keep seeing signs saying not to do that) their own lines. Middle and I will only happen to be around fishing if it's a family gathering and people bring fishing rods (which is what inevitably happens at least for a bit as most of the guys like fishing).
And occasionally I reprise my role as detangler though all the kids bar one that want to fish are now old enough to detangle their own lines, and I haven't been on a trip with the youngest one (who is 8) yet.
Did you not like bike riding or skating or swimming or reading or climbing trees? That was most of my childhood when I wasn't playing computer games or writing or making comics (I started that really young).
I...don't know what to do with that headless catfish story D:
Oh I played a ton of sports when I was a kid. Just head to the park and play whatever was in season. It seems this never happens anymore. Most of my fishing is when I had to go with my grandparents to the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin when I was a kid. None of my friends were there so I had to find other entertainment.
Haha I feel you! I went fishing as a kid too but honestly I was just there for the snacks 😂
Fishing like that before must have been incredible because, as you say, there wasn't as much to do when you were younger. I haven't had the opportunity to fish, much less with a rod or bait, but it must be an incredible experience that should be done at least once in your life.
I understand why you don't like fishing. Although I live on an island, I don't like fishing either, but I do like fish, especially when it's fresh, almost straight out of the sea. Honestly, here, they don't use rods, but rather large nets that they throw where they think the fish might pass and then try to bring as many as possible to the shore. Another way is with some kind of trap where the fish go in and then can't get out.
Fishing is the best! 🎣 A few weeks ago I went with my partner and caught a catfish and a jicotea. Since I was little, I’ve always loved spending time camping 🏕️ and fishing, and feeling that thrill of knowing I’m going to catch something 🤗.
Thanks for sharing this post — it reminded me so much of these moments I truly enjoy. A big shoutout to @hanshotfirst — here’s to catching lots of fish! Happy start to the week!! 😉🤝
I really liked the way you explained both the good and bad sides of fishing. The part about the inner-tube rolling down made me laugh, and the incident of falling into the water seemed very relatable. And the incident of the headless fish was absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing childhood memories in such a beautiful way.
Great writing 😄 Funny, nostalgic, and a little surprising.
I loved fishing in my school years. Catch fish with a rod and look for crayfish under snags with my friends. At 20, I loved to go alone to different places with one rod and bring back big carps and crucians. But after 30, I became indifferent to fishing. I don’t know why this happened. Now, at 49, I don’t like this activity at all and I refuse if I am invited to go fishing.
In our city, summer is also about to end. There are only a few days left and winter will begin. So, my friends and I used to go like this for a long time, once a month or after a long time. We used to catch fish ourselves and then bring them home and fry them on coals at night and eat them. It was a lot of fun. This is a very memorable process and we have been doing this for a long time. There is a river in our city and there are a lot of fish there, so this experience is very interesting.
Your post really took me back to childhood, I had almost the same experience with fishing, sitting for hours just to see if the bait moved or not felt more like torture than fun for me 😄
I definitely have ADHD and fishing is one of the few times I am able to sit still that long and just relax. I wish I had the chance to do it more. I typically only go a couple of times per year. Even when they aren't biting it is still a better day than not fishing. Have you ever went ice fishing? That would be a new layer of hell for you I am guessing :)
I really enjoyed reading this. The way you shared those fishing memories was both funny and relatable. Sometimes it’s less about liking the activity and more about the memories that stay with us.