Fisherman

I am a fisherman. I believe that is the proper use of the word since I know that "shopper" doesn't always mean purchasing anything! Even though I invest in two fish and game clubs, I was sadly just a mental fisherman. Last spring, my friend John finally helped reintroduce me to the fact that I actually need to put a line in the water to fish.
I have fished and loved to be around any kind of water since childhood. In fact, my father was what he called an "algerine." I think that means fisherman. I grew up close enough to the Susquehanna River to smell it. There is actually a yellowed, almost fifty-year-old newspaper photo in my files somewhere to document that I not only used to catch fish, but I once caught a big one.
I have a picture of my bride Natalie next to my desk as we blissfully trolled for trout on Lake Estes in our former home state of Colorado. Oh, those wonderful weekends in "God's country." Within arm's length of where I sit is a treasured gift of a framed picture of my young sons Dave and Dan standing next to their slim father in front of a leaky 12 foot aluminum boat. There is a walleye in the picture, but I seldom notice it. I fondly remember many intimate times with them fishing in the still, humid darkness of Leaser or Beltsville Lakes. What sweet but fading memories.
Although she doesn't display the patience for fishing that she does playing video games, my daughter Susan is a fisherman, too. In fact, three years ago, I sold my old aluminum boat in order to satisfy her desire for something a bit more safe and stable for fishing. I bought a "new," previously well-used and hopefully more stable, 14 foot fishing boat. I look at it every time I look out our kitchen window. Sadly, it's never been in the water since I've owned it. When I did have a chance to fish with Susan a little over a year ago, the boat batteries were dead and the boat trailer tires were flat. I went to plan "B" and took her to a "pay to fish" trout lake to insure she caught something to satisfy the craving she and her mother have for trout. The two sunfish we caught didn't quite do it, but I will treasure the experience forever.
Last fall, Natalie gave me the precious gift of her time by cleaning out my boat and then urging me to be an active fisherman again. I am so grateful. Watching the pros on TV doesn't capture what fishing means to me. No matter what I catch, I want to be more than a past tale teller, a dreamer and a "wannabe" again.
I would encourage you to invest time "putting your line in the water" today. The dividends are beyond measure.