Over Memorial Day weekend, my daughter learned how to fish.  On her very first try she caught a fish! She named him “Splashy” and we threw him back.  Sure her dad had to help reel Splashy in but she loved it and is excited to do it again the next time we go up to the lake – she even asked for her own fishing pole.

There is something so peaceful and beautiful about fishing.  Maybe it’s the quiet, maybe it’s the early morning sunshine, or maybe it’s the water.  I think it could be, perhaps, that it’s a form of gathering food that had been around forever.  The very basic idea of taking a pole, putting a hook on the end and popping it in the water is something we can all experience the same way generations before once did.  There is little we do today that’s simple but fishing is one of those things that (in it’s basic form) hasn’t changed all that much.

Sure there’s a WHOLE other side to industrialized or sport fishing.  It’s easy in Michigan to find a tour to take you out big lake fishing on Lake Superior, Lake Huron, or the like.  It would be fun to try one of these some day – plus the benefit of stocking my freezer with wonderful fish from the great lakes would be most pleasant!

For now I’m content to sit back watch my daughter fish from the end of the dock, catch Splashy, and throw him back.