Posted by
Sgt.Stryker on Thursday, September 04, 2008 12:21:59 PM
Wow, what a great weekend!! Fishing, BBQ, staying up late and sleeping late, seeing UK demolish UL... all on my list of favorite things in the span of just three days. It just doesn't get any better. I have to give serious props to my mother-in-law, my wife, and her sister for all of the food prep they did, and to my father-in-law as well. My BBQ skills are not a sufficient showcase for their dedication.
As to the fishing, I went to one of my favorite places in the world, the creek near my in-law's house. It's not very deep, but it has remained fairly wild in the nearly 20 years I've been going there. I can usually count on seeing giant blue heron, a variety of birds, snakes and lizards, muskrats, beavers, and all the fish I can catch. This past weekend was no exception. While it was pretty stifling on the mile-or-so hike there, and my pack dug into my back telling me I had over-prepared, the breeze was sweet in the little valley holding the creek.
My first attempts with a small crawdad colored crankbait were rewarded with a few small rock bass early, but not often. I dug into my old Ranger ruck and mulled my choices. Four boxes and three zipped bags containing untold numbers of soft plastic worms, creature baits, grubs, crankbaits and more, all divided by color, size and type. Which one should it be? I took a minute and contemplated the conditions, water color and clarity, light penetration, bottom surface...to the non-fisher, fishing is not this complicated.
I pulled out my box of tube jigs, tied on a 4 inch brown/white Gitzit, and Texas-rigged it. I cast upstream, just past an old sycamore on the opposite bank, and watched in amazement as my line moved 5 feet to the right as soon as the tube hit the water. I reared back to set the hook and hauled water. Could've been a good one, I thought, but I'll never know. I threw back to the same area and let the lure settle. Twitch-twitch-pause...there it goes! I set the hook hard, and played in a nice little 12 inch smallmouth. Pound-for-pound, you just can't beat the smallie.
I subsequently landed another 30-40 fish across the span of 4 hours over two days. I know I missed at least a dozen more. It got to the point each day that, because of the torque the stem of the spinning reel slamming against my finger was causing, I had to leave after what, for me, was an extremely truncated outing. My wife was shocked, as was the rest of the family, to see me back so soon, as I have developed quite a reputation for pushing the timing envelope during these types of adventures.
Unfortunately, the reverie of my foray into nature is all too often interrupted by thoughts of politics, the state of the union and the world, and why some of the folks I have to interact with just don't get it like I do. And I couldn't help but relate that to the whole fishing "process".
My potential future sister-in-law (my wife's brother's girlfriend) and my wife's brother were the fish this past weekend. Both avowed liberals, and virulently anti-Bush, it is painfully obvious they drink whatever kool-aid the left feeds them, hook, line and sinker.
It started predictably enough...shortly after they arrived, our young leftists gave me a sign as to where they were swimming. "What do you think of Palin", my brother-in-law asked? He's a super nice guy, and I love him like my own brother. Unfortunately, he has never come close to living up to his potential since high school (Governor's Scholar, Valedictorian, certified genius), and he gets extremely emotional (like crying emotional) very quickly when he feels like he can't adequately defend his position.
Not wanting to see things get too contentious so soon, I basically let it go, not looking up from my laptop..."she'll do just fine," I muttered.
"Yeah, we are ecstatic," he says. I see a swirl in the water. I look into my trusty Ranger ruck....hmmm...what can I hook him with...let's try this one, the "She has executive experience" lure. He takes the bait. "Obama has a lot more experience," he says. I laugh heartily. "You're right" I said, "especially counting his 143 days in the US Senate, running for President the whole time he's been there." "Or," I continued, "do you want to include his time in the statehouse where he voted present more often than not?" This fish was nearly played. "How about community organizer?" I asked. "Are you telling me a sitting governor who has also been a mayor lacks pertinent experience?" Now comes the obfuscation. I love this lure already. The last bit of fight..."well, she doesn't have any foreign policy experience." He's barely audible. I reach down to lip him and unhook him. "Ok, you're right if we don't count Canada and Russia, which both border her state." He's starting to shake a bit, trying to escape, but I have a firm grip on his bottom lip, effectively paralyzing him.
"Obama has never even convened a meeting of his Senate Commitee on Foreign Relations...just being the head of that commission doesn't really count, now does it?" I pop the hook out and gently lay him down in the water, releasing him after letting the water flow through his gills. "Well, give me a reason to vote for McCain!!" He splashes my sunglasses with his tail as he swims away.
My hand and shoulder stiff from the fight, I pack up my gear, satisfied in knowing I found the fish, picked the right lure, made the right presentation, and landed the fish I knew was there.
Did I convert him?? We'll never know. He may be the type to give in during the moment and cast the protest vote or something more sinister. But he absolutely left the table with some seeds planted, and I certainly have a better idea about how to engage him in the future.
Next, the future sister-in-law. I have already contemplated the conditions, and it is apparent I will have to dig deeper into my bag. I am certainly not in any danger of over-packing.
I'm left thinking about a statement from my friend Sean that he attributes to his dad. Not sure where it came from before that, but here goes:
"If you are twenty and a Republican, you are heartless. If you are forty and a Democrat, you are brainless."
This phenomena can certainly explain "obamania." Here's to the "hope" that some of these people grow up soon.