TheBanyanTree: Something's Fishy...

[Rob McMonigal]

For the first time in at least ten years, possibly more, I am going fishing
with my Dad. We'd talked a lot about it over the winter, with him finally
being retired and able to fish whenever he wanted to again. There was never
much point the past few years in getting a license for either of us, because
trying to coordinate two schedules was an iffy proposition.

Now, all we have to do is coordinate things to mine, and I just so happen to
be off for Opening Day. Next thing you know, I'm buying a trout stamp.

I'm really excited about going, which is odd because, quite honestly, I
wasn't all that big on fishing when I was a teenager. But then again, a lot
has changed since then, not the least of which is that he and I get along a
lot better as adult peers than we ever did in the parent-child dynamic. I
don't think it was the fishing I disliked--it was the fact that we'd
probably have an argument before the fish limit.

My license has my old address on it, because I'm not changing the residency
until May first. It will, most likely, be the last time I ever write that
address on anything that isn't a change form. Then I get to have it pinned
to my chest all year. Heh.

I packed all my gear and practiced tieing a hook to fishing wire tonight. My
tackle box is still really tiny, but Dad says no one's going to see it.
That's good, because it looks a little lame. Right now, I'm still using all
borrowed items, except my left-handed reel--I had to check with him to see
if I actually did fish left handed, since there's a lot of stuff I do
right-handed (tying the hook being an example), or use a right-handed
item--and smiley bobbers. (Did I *need* Smiley Bobbers? Of course not. Did I
*want* Smiley Bobbers the moment I saw them? Oh yeah, they were so mine!).
Once I see what I like to do and use, I'll start adding my own pieces. Not
to mention the fact that Dad has a small arsenal of various fishing stuff,
from nets to rods to hooks and lures. As he put it, there's a lot of stuff
to try this year. I do think I'll be getting my own vest and net, though, as
the ones I'm using are okay, but not very Trebby. Hard to explain, they just
don't feel like me.

I test-loaded everything into the vest, plus my own addition of notepad and
pens. Once I get the fish-bag attached and a mealworm tin on my belt and a
net on my other shoulder, I feel rather like a soldier off to war with scaly
opponents, but it works.

We're headed to Laurel, in Somerset County, where Dad and his Dad used to
fish, in the off chance anyone here both fishes and knows the place. Just
look for the guy who's having trouble balancing all the stuff attached to
his person, and you'll find me. ;)

Despite all the crap going on to me this year, things are still slowly but
surely shaping up.

-Rob