Do you know this Guy? #13

You know, in my mind, there are two types of fishermen. Both have their own distinct traits, quirks and qualities. And both have very different mannerisms indeed. I figured it might be worthwhile to evaluate one of the types of fisherman, and then let you decide if you know anyone that fits this mold.

This person is very happy go lucky, always looking to further their knowledge on any one given subject. Over the hedge that conceals you, you have been watching the neighbor load their vehicle for a weekend excursion. You notice that they have several fishing rods and tackle they are bringing. Then out of the blue, the neighbor comes out of the house wearing a fishing cap with all sorts of small things attached to it. You’re not quite sure what they are but it reminds you of a movie you once watched. Henry Fonda was in it and he had the exact same hat. That’s it; On Golden Pond was the name of it. You think to yourself “how cool is that! You decide then and there that you want to be like your neighbor, so you go to the local sporting goods store and buy a fishing rod, reel, waders and all the fixings. And of course you see a hat like your neighbors and you buy that. You buy a bunch of pre tied flies to finish off the shopping and then head home.
Once you get home, you immediately start putting the flies in the hat. You pull up a picture of Henry on the internet and look to make sure that you have the flies in the same position as he did. You decide to try your hand at fishing the next day, so you call your friends and tell them what you have bought and where you are going. You tell them that you expect to catch the big one and will take a photo and email it to them.  You begin packing your vehicle making sure you have everything you need. First and foremost, you must have a camera to document your trip. This is very important in case someone questions you. Then you pack your gear, pole and other items and of course not to forget your lunch. You have made the decision to go to a stream that you cross every day on your way to work. You start to think about how you are going to attack the heavy deep fast running water, but you are not afraid. There is always danger when the rewards are great.  You also make sure to bring your life jacket so you don’t get into deep water and not have protection.

The morning comes and you set out for the stream. Once you arrive, you get your pole ready, put on your waders and tie on a fly. You put your Henry Fonda hat on and immediately look in the outside mirror of the vehicle to make sure you are looking good. You take out your camera and take a photo of yourself. Then you take out your cell phone and call you buddy to tell him that you have arrived and in the event something happens to you in the deep water, he will know where to find you.  Once you start to walk down to the water’s edge, you find that you are having a very hard time walking with the waders. You seem to feel every rock, stick or other protrusion on your feet.  Then you notice that there are no shoes attached to the waders, just the neoprene feet. Quick thinking keeps you in the game, so you take out the shoes you wore there and put them on. Now that feels better. You finally get to the water’s edge and are standing next to that fast rushing deep water. You take a gulp and put one foot after another until you are in. Once in, you don’t find the depth to be too bad, in fact it is only 6” deep. Still you think, the current is so strong, I had better keep my whit’s about me or I could be swept away. You pull out your camera and take a picture of yourself in the water so they will see that you can master anything. Then you pull out the cell phone and call your buddy to let him know you have made it to the water and will call him when you catch the “Big One”. You begin to fish and all along you are thinking about “if they could only see me now.” There is nothing to this thing they call fishing. You cast your fly out and you immediately get a hit. You pull hard and it feels like a whopper. You are not sure if you have enough stamina to land this beast.  It pulls your line down the current and then you pull and reel hard to get it back. You do this for what feels like an eternity almost to the point where you are not sure you will have enough arm strength to pull it all the way in. You think it’s either him or me. Who will blink first? Ten minutes later, exhausted from the fight, you pull the fish in close to where you can see it. What a monster, it must weigh 5 lbs. You immediately think about how you can enter it into the Guinness world record book as it must be the biggest fish ever caught. You reach for the net to retrieve the beast and then remember that you forgot to buy one. You’re on your own at that moment, how are you going to get him in? You eventually land it next to you in the water and decide to take a photo of it. You snap one and call your buddy to tell him that you just caught a big fish and he should come over for dinner. There will be plenty. You hang up and pull the fish out of the water. You pull out the measure you bought and take a measurement. Congratulations, you have caught a whopping 6” fish. Not quite the fish you thought it was or told your buddy about. How are the whole family and your buddy going to eat from that? All of a sudden, your feet start to slip out from under you and down you go into the 6” of water. Your whole body is down and under. You come up and out of the water like Rambo, only to find that the fish has gotten away and you can see it swimming down the current. You pull out your camera that has all the photos to document your expedition, and the water rushes out of it like a dam that just burst. Dejected and wet, you pull out your cell phone to call you wife to tell her you are ok, but almost drowned and as you pull that out, it reminds you of the time you fell in the pool with the phone in your pocket. You stop and think for a minute about what has gone on and what you told your buddy and a light comes on in your head.
So, you drive home, pick up the phone and call your friend. You tell him about the deep swift water that you have encountered all day. You tell him about the big fish that you caught. It was so big that it pulled you into the water, biting off your hook and swimming away only to leave you in the cold deep water to fend for yourself. And in doing so, you lost all of the memorable photos that you took that you wished you could show him. Then you think to yourself, I can’t wait to get to work and tell my co-workers. They will never believe me….