Fishing: Our Family Sport

Fishing has been a key linkage between me and my dad. My dad, an enthusiastic fisher, was extremely good at casting nets in the murky, turbulent monsoon waters on cold eerie nights with me by him shivering and dripping wet unto the last layer of my undies.

In the initial weeks of monsoon I rarely slept lest my dad would go out fishing at night without me! I couldn’t imagine… how painful! It happened so a couple of times, because he didn’t want to wake me up from my sweet slumber or he was going to more dangerous waters.

My friends find it hard to comprehend why I become so excited about fishing even now, as an ardent advocate of freshwater species protection. To be honest, I am not against fishing. Fishing started in the early days of human history. It is one of the most interesting activities in the world. But in order to enjoy it and let the future generation to share the joy of fishing, we should not exhaust the diverse aquatic species. It is not just fishing, even watching the fish gives your eyes and heart a different kind of pleasure that no other sights would offer. I stand for scientific and sensible fishing without endangering any of the species, and without upsetting the delicate balance of nature.

Fishing is different from other hobbies and sports. You see, I can’t play computer games with my dad. My son doesn’t want to watch my favourite programmes on TV. I don’t want to watch Ben Ten either….. The so-called generation gap! But when it comes to fishing we are all one! We enjoy it… It bridges the gap. The knowledge and anecdotes passed over from generation to generation.

I am not as good as my dad at fishing. But I enjoy getting out at midnight when it rains cats and dogs… with torches, long hackers, nets, fishing rods, rain coats and hats… It doesn’t matter whether I catch a single fish or not…. but the joy is inexplicable! I reckon, it is in our blood… and will be carried on with our genes… through generations to come.

Happy Faces on Holidays!!!