Paddling strokes

February 07, 2019

by by Michael Banks

Courtesy photo
Jacksonville resident and Friends of the Neches River member Michael Banks took an exploratory paddle on the Sabine River, Monday, Feb. 4, and did some kayak sand bass fishing.

Here we are into another year.

I don’t know about you but I am past ready to get back on the water, pull a stroke and wet a hook.

It is like this every year but then every year is different and the start of this year is no exception. The amount of rain and lack of sunshine has those of us who long for the sun on our face felling depressed.

I have full confidence those days longed for will come. I’m just ready, anxious and impatient.

Oh well, the following is for us to evaluate the time we spend fishing. It won’t be long until we will be putting in. Just know, I’m ready.
Fishing Time

“The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.” Haggai 1:6e; The Bible

“But the wise man collects fishing stories to be remembered as an old Man.” MDB

The time spent fishing does not count against our total amount of time. In fact, fishing adds to our time.

Think about this – the average time spent catching a fish, from the “take” to the “hook-up” to the “land”, is only a matter of seconds. Say the average number of fish caught on a trip is 10, the amount of time spent “catching” is only a few minutes.
The majority of time spent fishing is then the time between the last land and the next take, sometimes hours. How that time is spent is fishing.

The aggressive fisherman spends most of that time contemplating what to do to make the next take happen.

The “wannabe” fisherman is studying everything that is going on.

The fair weather fisherman is looking at the clouds and punching up his weather app.

The workaholic fisherman is wondering what is going on back at the office and checking his messages.

The competitive fisherman is reviewing the score.

The laidback fisherman doesn’t care – about anything.

The good-old-boy fisherman just wants everyone to be happy.

The talker fisherman is telling a story.

The friend fisherman is silent – loving the moment – communicating in silence.

If one has fished, he has been one or many of these fishermen.

Don’t be the first to release on a “bro-hug”.

Until we put in again.