Summertime, and the living is easy....

Clouds over a mountain next to Henry's Lake

My friend, Tyson, invited me to go fishing with his father and uncle. I am not an avid fisherman, and joined them for the companionship. The sight of the local mountain wreathed in morning mist was breathtaking. The fish left us alone: we caught only one after eleven hours in the boat. I took home a sunburn, the single fish (that I didn't catch), and a stronger opinion that fishing isn't about catching fish, it's about getting away.

Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day...

One summer years ago I worked in a salmon fishery in Alaska, cleaning and packaging fish. I've probably gutted more fish than most any sport fisherman will ever see. However, this one was more difficult - broken bones are difficult to remove.

Perhaps most useful was that I learned how to tie a decent fisherman's knot, and some about the proper use of spinners, weights, hooks, bait, and casting technique.