With the car full of fishing gear, I remember bouncing in my seat with excitement for my first ever fishing trip.
After a long drive down the freeway, Dad and I were greeted with a cute little town and the perfect grassy bank to fish on.
My excitement was at its peak during our set up, and I had spent most of Friday night casting my line off the back veranda catching a thong. I was seven at the time.
Dad baited my hook, and we threw some handfuls of corn into the water only a few metres out. Apparently carp like corn, who knew? Looking back, surely that was something Dad just googled.
I cast my line out 10-15 metres in the shallows. Then we waited….
And waited.
We checked the hook for bait. It was still there. So, we recast and waited.
Finally, the line tightened and pulled. Dad helped me wheel it in as fast as we could, and after a few minutes, we got him! The tiniest, ugliest carp you’ve ever seen, secured on the end of my line. And the best bit…I caught him myself.
With an ever-growing list of expenses to work for, it’s no wonder people can’t find the time for friends and family. So, if you’re looking for an activity that will create lasting memories, why not try fishing?
Now, you might be thinking fishing isn’t your thing, but it’s the perfect activity that allows you and others to cut yourself free from the technological strings that tie your life down.
With screens in every aspect of your lives, nowadays kids don’t have the incentive to cultivate a love for the outdoors. Why not show your kids what the real world has to offer?
Fishing really is a bonding activity, as cheesy as that might sound. A secluded lake, river or ocean allows you to spend your time talking and connecting that you would otherwise probably spend with your face in your phone.
Fishing has the power to connect people. Sure, you don’t have to have these deep heart-felt conversations every time or reconsider your life and decisions, but there is plenty of opportunity for great talks you’re unlikely to have sitting at home. And what a way to make a lasting memory, for an adult or a child!
Fishing can be as straightforward or as complex as you’d like to make it. From sitting on a riverbank like Dad and me waiting for a carp to bite to selecting just the right fly to catch a rising trout, at every level, there are problems to solve and things for everyone to learn.
The whole experience can be an enjoyable and memorable one, including choosing new fishing spots to try, getting outside, manoeuvring a boat or setting up on a pier/bank, and of course, catching a fish!
Even though it can be slow and tedious, during a lull, there’s a chance to chat. So maybe it’s time to put your phone down or grab the kids and get going.
Connect the old-fashioned way.