Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Third Time...not a charm


Another trip to the tackle shop had resulted in three new lures, a package of Lunker City Fin_S_Fish soft baits, and a spray bottle of Gulp Herring scent.  I was armed to the hilt and ready to hit the shore.  I marched out to a new jetty, one with significantly more current and hopefully larger fish, and set up shop as daylight began to break.  I decided that my “old faithful” swim shad would have the honors of the first cast.  Cast, retrieve, cast, retrieve, stop for a boat to come by, cast, retrieve, pull clumps of sea weed off, cast, and retrieve.  My new spot wasn’t as good as I had hoped since I had to hold my cast and then deal with churned up water as each boat came through so I decided to move on. 

I made my way back to my original beach and jetty only to find someone in “my” spot…I took up residence on another jetty a little way further up the beach and resumed the Sisyphean task that fishing can be…cast, retrieve…  An hour of casting and lure changes had only resulted in one curiosity bite (or it could have been a pity bite as some fish sat there watching me and thought, ‘I’ll give him a nibble just to keep his spirits up’) and a sore wrist.  I had changed lures about every twenty or so casts but even that didn’t seem to help, nor did the foul smelling herring spray.

With one final growl of my stomach I decide to pack it in for the day having had no luck at all.  As I was walking back to the car I had a passerby ask the ubiquitous question that all fishermen are asked “did you catch anything?”  “Nope, not today” I responded which was followed by “better luck next time.”  I sure hope so.  I realize that fishing is not called catching for a reason and that fishing is about more than the fish themselves…It’s a relaxing, peaceful way to enjoy the sea shore that occasionally results in excitement, exhilaration, and sometimes even dinner!  Better luck next time is right.

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