Fishing Does Not Have to Be a Sport

There are all kinds of fishing tournaments and fishingnow. He would show me how to dig deep to get the
contests you can enter. There are fishing channels onbest worms and how to put them on my hook so
cable television. I wonder if it's an Olympic event yet?they'd stay. Then we'd hit the water in our little
Anyway, I say that fishing is not a sport.fishing boat wearing those bright orange life jackets
When you think of a sport, you think of sweatingthat always smelled a little funny when you put them
and rushing and pulling muscles and stuff. Well, when Ion. Sometimes it would be an hour or more before
think of fishing I think of quiet summer afternoonseither of us spoke. It was our way of relaxing and
by myself on the lake. I think of relaxing in my littlejust enjoying being together.
one man pontoon boat and letting my mind drift asNow as a grown up, I'm still drawn to that solitude of
my fishing lure bobs on the surface of the water.the lake. After a week of work and bills and
There's nothing else as relaxing as this.schedules, I get so stressed out. But just a few
Now, true, you can have sweating and rushing andminutes of fishing can take my mind to that place of
pulling muscles when you fish, but why would youpeace and contentment.
want to? I mean, just the pure solitude while you'reThe little fishing boat fell apart years ago, so now I
out on the water can quiet your mind and replenishhave a one man boat. When I have a son, I want to
your energy. If you're doing it as a competition sportshow him the joys of being alone with just the
you lose all those relaxing qualities.water and the fish. I guess I'll need to get a bigger
When I was little, my Daddy used to take me to theboat.
same lake in the woods behind our cabin that I go to