Need
"I can bring you salmon out of the streams..."
-W.B. Yeats, The Blessed 
-W.B. Yeats, The Blessed
Quiet, current-powered, and powerful, the fish wheel scoops salmon out of the river and lets them fall into a live well. All I have to do is net the fish and fletch them for the freezer. Not a beautiful method, but grandly effective: a guarantee of meat for the winter.
The only similarity between the fly rod and the fish wheel is need. My mind wouldn't survive winter without the one; my body without the other. Then there is each moment's reminder that I couldn't possibly deserve this fisherman's life.
Usually we fish for fishing, but sometimes we fish for a living. Either way, we have no choice.
posted by The Mad Fishicist | 3:59 PM
8 Comments:
I can see that now. Your drive, your prose, your life, is beautiful.
Are you wearing short sleeves in the middle of winter in Alaska?
it's midsummer. salmon run up the copper river from june through august. right now it's mostly frozen and no fish.
So sad for TMF.....
In close history of my family there have so far been two truly devoted fishermen; my grandpa and me.
Our difference was that he lived in the post WWII years and fished with fishing nets for food (much needed) while I fished with a rod for reasons unknown (read tmf blog to find out). And, unlike him, I didn’t usully get much anything.
There is a single moment in my life that I remember my grandpa best, it was the moment when I had landed a big pike (with my fancy rod and expensive Swedish Ambassador reel) and my grandpa looked at me and finally said with certain respect in his voice “Well Olli, it looks like you are fisherman after all.”
That is really beautiful Opax. Thanks for sharing.
You guys are making it clear now, that you're either born to fish, or not. And the latter is better.
Thank you for giving that perspective. I keep a fish or two here and there during the season, but never need to think of having to keep fish. Good on ya!
Randy
Post a Comment
<< Home