Avast Ye Matey!

I just went fishing for the first time, early this morning (the many occasions before as a bucket-wielding toddler don't exactly count), and it was actually one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in some time. Just me and my dad, down by the harbor front or whatever it was called by Hamilton, surrounded by lots of geese and ducks in the early hours of the day while we went fishing. It was very fun.

 Now of course I had no actual idea of what I was doing. For anyone who watches the show "River Monsters", that is basically where I pretend to learn things about fishing. Granted it was fun whenever my hook caught a snag on the lake floor to scream: "fish on! Fish on!", but really I was pretty clueless. My dad basically did everything for me, although I did get better with my cast and I put some worms on a hook so it wasn't all bad. Alright overall for a beginner I would say, despite a few tangles I got into.

If there was such a thing as beginner's luck however, then I think it showcased itself today. Almost on my first try some mentally challenged perch with a death wish grabbed the bait, taking a nice bite of a hook that was way too large for it. I was surprised that it even went for it, but hey, I caught something! Well, maybe it wasn't luck then, and just some really dumb perch, but details don't matter!

I was like Captain Ahab
with this beast. Honestly.
It weighed like 50 grams.
Nearly tore me off the rock
and into the water. 

So I was pretty happy, and after a few more hours I caught two more perch of about the same size and maybe a one pound bass (no picture, sadly). My dad caught some perch as well, and they really did seem to have some deranged death wish as the hooks shouldn't have been attracting them so well. But hey, it was fun.


But just you wait! Give it a little time, and I'll be reeling in some "Burlington River Monsters". Who knows, I might even catch something that isn't a baby or the certified moron of the fish world!

- Tom