Sometimes donāt you all just wish that you werenāt bitten by the fishing bug? Because it sorta ruins your life. I mean there I was quite happily doing the rat race thing. Then a long holiday beckons. A fishing lesson from float fishing masters kindly arranged. And of course I canāt go cause the missus hates me fishing. But hey, itās the new year, canāt let that get me down. And besides, the rod and tackle is hidden in the boot.
A couple of days later, managed to sneak out, drive off to a sweet spot. Only to see it has been commandered by a group of visiting scientists conducting of all things, a sediment studyā¦ ok, the bottoms all stirred up and I spend half a day and only get me a small jelawat. But thatās ok, cos I fish not to catch a fish. Just being out there is enough. So I tell myself and even believe it sometimesā¦
Next day I sneak out again. Gave up on the sweet spot cos of the doctors in the mud. Search for a new sweet spot. Who cares if I spend half a day lost in the estates and acquire a few new dents in my car? Itās the adventure of it all. Of course when the haruans donāt wanna bite even when you can see them right it front of you it gets a little frustrating. But thatās ok, fishing is about the challenge after all. Eventually I lose my spinnerbaits and use up something like 15 frogs. But I get my fish. Only to be told when I bring it home, āHow come so small one ah?ā Well cos I let the bloody big ones goā¦like the good catch and release fisherman that I am. And besides the car wasnāt big enough to fit the big one inā¦
Two days later and the itch strikes again. Getting good at the sneaking out for ājust a short while dearā. So I go. Find me a nice patch of pond. And fish away. And catch a grand total of one lampam. Plus suffer sunstroke cos it is bloody hot this time of the year and people who sit in offices all day shouldnāt sit in the sun all of a suddenā¦least thatās what I was told. Me? I like to think I was getting a healthy tan.
All of a sudden the long break is nearly over. Itās the second last day of the break. The next day is gonna consist of farewells and traffic jams. And so I put my foot down. āI am gonna go fishing and I am gonna go for the WHOLE day!ā said I, the strong silent super angler. āPLEASE???ā begged the cracking fishless figure (who incidentally isnāt me, cos I am a man, not a mouseā¦)
Well, it so happens that the gods of fishing were smiling on me (or so I though) and so off I went. Happily to seek my fish. Hither and thither I drove. Searching for that elusive magic spot. After some effort where I drove my 2wd into 4wd territory, i found a fairly decent swamp. Things were looking up. Nice big swamp with good vegetation and an inlet stream. Activity on the surface. Finally it looked like the new year was gonna bring glad tidings. I had an entire arsenal and nearly a whole day to use it. So i did. I used lures cos lures are the first resort of the sporting angler. I used bait cos sometimes baits are the best bet. I groundbaited the place cos sometimes the fish needs a little encouragement.
And in the end, I gave up cos it was too hot and too frustrating. But hang on, I am a thinking angler (donāt we all think we are?). I realised that perhaps the time wasnāt ideal. I beat a strategic retreat into the shade of a big angsana tree which incidentally bordered a cool little pool. From which I managed to extract a couple of haruan while I plotted my next move. I gave the day some time to cool. And i returned in time for dusk. Well a couple of hours before dusk anyway. And I flogged that swamp mercilessly. I cast and I cast and then I cast some more. The way I figured it, there was definitely something big at the edge of the vegetation. But of course I had no way to be sureā¦ Eventually it was dusk. And my whole day, no week, of fishing was soon to be over.
I packed up my things. Let all my bait go. And as the sun was setting, to salute the place, I cast one final time. And as I was retrieving, i had an almightly strike. It tore off line on a screaming drag, surging under vegetation and back out again. From one side of the swamp to the other edge. The water boiled together with my adrenaline. I was on the edge. And then it spat the hook. And that was it.
Iād like to tell you now that I did the sporting thing and saluted the fish that beat me fairly, packed up and left the place with just fond memories. Yeah right! I flogged that water till the stars came out and the search party was nearly dispatched. Nothing. Not a single bite, follow or nibble. Finally I packed up. And now I am back in town. Rejoining the rat race.
And wondering why I bother going fishingā¦why donāt you guys tell me? Tell me about the wonderful catches that you got on YOUR break. The beautiful wild fishes that you managed to lure and beat. Yeah, tell me all about itā¦And Iāll tell you about the one that got awayā¦hang on, I already did.. and you know what? I swear it was bigger than my car.
