Trout fishermen and fisherwomen are a funny breed. They are some of the happiest most secretive bunch of liars I have ever met… and I mean that in a good way. People who fish, especially trout fishermen, have a propensity to stretch the truth. I’ve seen many cases where the biggest fish of a trip can grow by several inches from the time it is released to the time the fisherman is telling a willing listener about how big it was.
Trout fishermen, given the opportunity, will talk about fishing until we are blue in the face. Even the most shy of us will talk and talk and talk about the one that got away. I’ve seen introverts ramble on about fishing just because someone asked how a trip was. For those of you who are regular readers of the Average Joe Fisherman but do not fish I’ll let you in on a little secret. The next time you are confronted with an overly exuberant fisherman who will not shut up about the big fish he just caught, all you need do is ask one simple question, the right question, and you will see him go through emotions consisting of confusion, panic and disbelief. His mouth might even be agape as he stares at you like a deer caught in headlights (which reminds me of a previous post you can read here - You Look Like an Idiot). What is this question that can render a trout fisherman speechless? The next time you need to make a quick exit from a loose lipped fisherman ask him this… “Where did you catch it?”
Fishermen are extremely protective when it comes to the rivers and streams they routinely fish.
Serving as an example, I can recall a time fishing my home when I encountered an individual sitting on the deck of his cabin. “How’s the fishing?” he enquired. “Sure not what it used to be,” I replied. “You got that right. I don’t even bother to fish it anymore. Only fish the North Branch now,” he commented. Happy with the exchange I pressed on. There was a beautiful hole in the small stream towards the end of his property that I could not pass up. Casting my spinner I thought, “Just a small fish please.” With the cabin owner watching on I proceeded to fight and land a gorgeous sixteen inch brown trout. In the middle of having a banner day in both the number and size of fish caught, I turned to the cabin owner and said, “Well I’ll be, three hours of fishing and I finally caught one! I guess the sun does shine on a dog’s ass some days.”
Another time comes to mind when I visited a well know fly shop within the vicinity of my home water. It was early in the morning and other than Donny P, Average Joe Fisherman Scott, and myself, there was one other customer in the shop. I was speaking with the owner about the Holy Water of the AuSable when I mention the stream that I grew up on. He quickly shot a look to the one other customer. Turning back to me he said, “We don’t talk about the _____!”
Yes, us fisherman are a different breed indeed. Below and within this post you will find some pictures of my home water, just don’t ask me where it is! =)
No comments:
Post a Comment