06-24 REELLIFE digital - Flipbook - Page 24
fishing
I can’t be the only one to
think about this when I am
getting ready for a fishing
trip. Would I rather catch
“the big one” or would
I rather catch a steady
stream of fish and hit my
limit? The one monster fish
could land me in the record
books if I do well enough.
That’s a fishing story I could
get tattooed on me, or at
least wear a button that
says “Ask me about my
state record fish”. On the
other hand, if we do really
well, catching the limit on
fish would fill up my freezer.
And at (insert large number
here) for the limit, I won’t
even hardly have time to
sit down if I’m catching
them all day. That doesn’t
even include the limit on
a different kind of species
24 | NWFISHING.net
I could inadvertently
catch even though I’m not
targeting them! Whether
you’re somebody who
relishes that big fish or
someone who would rather
be engaged in a regular
catch, let’s at least hear out
each side.
FOR “THE BIG ONE”
Marathon fishing days can
lead to a lot of time talking
with friends or inside our
own minds. Those stretches
of time where you’ll change
out gear to find something
that works. Is waiting the
best part of fishing? No, not
really. But it is part of the
experience. You go an hour,
two…six. Maybe without any
kind of bite. And then, BAM.
Your rod gets absolutely
slammed. The fight is like
nothing you’ve come across
before. You think to yourself
you must be snagged up
or one of some different
species because the one
you’re targeting simply
does not fight like this.
Then, the fish surfaces. It
looks like something that’s
been hitting the $5 buffets
in Vegas and isn’t afraid
to go back for thirds or
fourths. It gets netted and
you think to yourself, “How
in the world did I catch
this”.
You grin, you cheer, you
motion for everybody
you're fishing with to take
a look. It’s easily the story
of the day, probably the
story of your year. The old
adage, I’ve got bigger fish
to fry, tells you everything
you need to know about
moving on to bigger and
better things.
