The morning dew lies heavily on the ground. The fog is thick as you near the
waters edge. The only illumination is from a distant street light near the marina, an
orange halo of light surrounds the bulb. The water looks like it is liquid coal at this time
of morning and there is a chill in the air, even though it is early summer. You can barely
make out the outline of the trees that call the waters edge their home. With the darkness
all around you, your hearing is much more keen. You can hear the sound of fish
breaking the surface of the water, in search of an easy meal. Even though you can't see
them, you can picture in your mind that they are elusive trophy fish, just waiting to adorn
the walls of your den. It's 4:30 a.m. and you're preparing to pit your angling skills
You plan for this moment months in advance. You research all the information
you can find on your favorite fishing websites. You subscribe to every fishing
publication you can find, spend hours in front of the "Outdoor" channel, and talk to any
local fisherman that just give you that extra bit of knowledge to edge out your opponent.
You painstakingly go over your equipment to make sure it is in proper working order.
You change out the line you just put on the reel last week. You can just imagine you've
hooked the largest fish in the lake. But before you can land it in the boat, the line snaps
due to an unseen, microscopic, unperceived, blemish on the line. So you shake off that
thought and replace your line, just to be sure.
I have spent a great deal of time fishing over the last couple of years. It could
also be said that I spent a lot of time just holding a fishing pole over the water on some
days. In either case, the days have been full of great conversations with my partner and
...