The joy of fishing

I love to go fishing... can't say that it doesn't matter if I catch anything or not, I do go to catch, not just fish. It is better than working, catch or not. Just went yesterday and had a very good day thank you very much. But I was asked after the trip... "Why do you like to fish? You don't catch fish to eat them, why go fishing for them?".

Ok, I'm not on Survivor, but I just like the anticipation, the bite and the fight. But it did make me contemplate all the "adventures" I have had fishing.

First there was a trip to Gibbons Creek with Terry V. He forgot to put the plug in the boat and we almost sank. We could have swam to shore, but lost everything on the boat.

There was Terry E. talking me into going fishing on a private pond on a ranch in Bastrop, TX (which he said he had permission to fish). Turns out, we got caught by the rancher and were trespassing. No charges were filed, thank you Mr. Rancher, but not a comfy situation.

Then the second trip to Lake Fork with Gregg. Rent a boat, sleep 2 hours in 2 days and try to fish all day and all night in pitch black darkness and 20mph winds. I gave up. I was freezing cold, you can't see shit, the boat is pitching, and Gregg refuses to leave. I pour a Crown and 7Up. Gregg ties us (so he thought) to a stump and continues to fish. We came untied and, unknown to us, are drifting at 20mph across the cove. We slam into another stump, which Gregg falls into bumping his head, and I tumble into the floor under the driver's console, without spilling a drop. I think Gregg rubbed that boat against every stump we got close to. You couldn't even identify the boat. I refused to go with him to return it. They were irate and I think it cost Gregg over $1,000 just to get out of there.

My first trip to Lake Fork with Roy was entertaining. Again high winds and power fishing. He gets hung and is determined to retrieve his lure. Fortunately he was hung in 4 feet of water because we got close, he tugged and pulled, the boat shifted and he fell in. Had it been deeper water he may have drowned.

Then there was a trip to Caddo Lake with Roy and company. Beer was definitely in play all day long, and after Day 1 of fishing, "let's go to the bar". That's a good idea, a bunch of foreigners, drunk, with some money and going to a Hole-In-The-Wall bar to socialize with the locals. We almost got killed. Then Day 2. Freezing rain. I am not bullshitting, we had tears and boogers froze to our faces, and still went fishing.

And lastly, a fishing trip to my favorite fishing hole with Chad, yes Chad. Chad is large in stature and we are in a flat-bottom boat, which I am paddling around the pond. Very unstable situation. So we are fishing, close to the bank, and he's pissed because I am catching one after another and he can't cast to where I am throwing. So he decides to get up and turn around. Bad idea. The boat shifts, casts from one side to another and one of two things are about to happen...1) he is going to fall out of the boat or 2) he's going to fall out of the boat and take us with him. Thankfully, he knew he was going to be wet regardless and made the sacrificial leap into a very cold lake. Thank you Chad. But, you know, had that happened in the middle of the pond he probably would have died from hypothermia and/or we both would have died and/or lost all of our equipment.

Fishing is not considered dangerous and shouldn't be. But know, there are risks involved.