It was a gorgeous day at Lake Mary in Muskoka, Ontario. Our office staff was enjoying a time of retreat at this beautiful lake where one of our board members own a cottage. I had scoped out a good place to fish the previous day with my youngest daughter, and even laid down a minnow trap. Despite using several different kind of bait for the minnows, we were not successful in trapping any. That did not deter me from going fishing on this day.
In the morning I went out with the youngest of my daughters, but did not have any luck – just a few nibbles with plastic worms. In the early afternoon, I went back to the same spot with a colleague. This time, I was able to hook two bass and a pike, but I lost all of them as I was reeling them in. It was frustrating! Each time I lost the bass, the fish jumped out of the water as if it was taunting me. The pike was the last one I lost that afternoon. We found an insect that looked like a tiny snake swimming on the water. We caught it, and saw that it was an insect that looked more like a caterpillar. I used it just to see what would happen, and that’s when a pike got hooked. I reeled it in all the way to the pedal boat that we were on, but at the last moment, when I reached down to grab it, the pike broke off from the line. Frustration mounted for me as we had just run out of all the hooks that we had on our boat. Dejected, we pedaled back to the cottage.
After dinner, another colleague, my youngest daughter, and I went back to the same spot. I could not let the fish defeat me! This time, we armed ourselves with a tackle box, as well as a fishing net. We were better prepared. Not too long after we began casting our lines, I got a bite, and this time, I was able to reel the pike in and my colleague helped with the fishnet to capture a 27″ pike. It was an incredibly satisfying catch!
Through this experience I’ve learned the following life lessons:
1. Choose your fishing spot wisely. Make sure you scope out and find good fishing habitat. It’s true in fishing, it’s true in business (location, location, location), and it’s true in sports, etc.
2. Choose your tools well. At least two of the “lost” fish were because I was using my daughter’s fishing pole with a weak line, and I didn’t have a fishnet. Too often we don’t prepare well and do not have the right tools at our disposal when it counts.
3. Be patient. Persistence pays off.
4. Team work is crucial. Not only for me, but as I watched another fisherman catch a large bass, a friend came over with a net to grab the fish. It’s interesting that when God created Adam, he noticed Adam needed a companion. So, He also created woman for Adam (Genesis 1 & 2). It is my observation in life that everything is better in community. Even fishing.
I’m sure there are other lessons, too. But these are the ones that stood out for me that day.
All in all, it was a glorious day!
James
AKorDian 