The Spontaneous Fishing Experiment | Anchors Aweigh

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The Spontaneous Fishing Experiment

Using the word "spontaneous" in the title of two blog posts in the same week sounds a little redundant and excessive, but we did have a fishing experiment, and it was, indeed, spontaneous. Parker is an outdoorsy guy and loves to fish. The problem is, he knows surprisingly little about the subject. I think he fished a few times as a kid and a couple of times in college (once he and his friend decided to clean and gut the fish they caught on my kitchen counter- it. was. disgusting.), but he is by no means proficient in the art, and he will fully admit that.

"act like you have no idea what you're doing"

I didn't grow up fishing and quite frankly prefer to let the little Nemo's and Dory's just keep swimming, but Parker rediscovered the idea of fishing recently and got excited about giving it a shot. If there is one thing I have learned about Parker, it's that he has a one track mind. When he thinks about something or decides he wants to try something, he doesn't just forget about it. This is a great mindset in the academic world since it enables him to stay determined and achieve what he sets out to do. In the world of activities I halfheartedly agreed to do in the first place, it's less than ideal.

That said (sorry, this wasn't supposed to sound so negative!), I am always down for a little adventure and to try something new. So off we went to the local Walmart to buy the cheapest fishing poles they carried, a package of frozen shrimp bait that grosses me out every time I remember it's in my freezer, and a fishing license (thanks to the military, this was free. Yahtzee!). We rounded up our little fishing assistant (Jenny, of course) and headed out to our backyard to fish over the dock.

And that, my friends, is where it all went a little south. Parker worked at stringing the poles (is that even the right terminology?) and Jenny and I walked around to smell things. She was doing the smelling, I was doing the walking. Thanks to a little Youtube tutorial, he was able to string the pole with fishing line, attach the bait, and attach the little thing that looks like a buoy.
 


Long story short, it didn't go so well. I did manage to catch a crab, but the line got super tangled and the reel jammed up. I guess you get what you pay for with those cheapo fishing poles. After about an hour, we called it quits. I think fishing would be really fun, and Parker is eager to learn and develop this skill, but we needed help! Next time we decide to fish, we will seek supervision from a grown-up. It was a fun little Saturday afternoon experiment while it lasted, though.


maybe next time, guys

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13 comments :

Karla said...

Haha! I have never been good at fishing. I've caught seaweed before but not not an actual fish! It's tough stuff... and you have to be SO patient (not one of my best qualities!!) =D

Emily Stewart said...

Drinking my morning coffee and reading this is probably the perfect combination. "Jenny did the smelling, I did the walking" hahaha! Glad you guys had fun!

Stephanie said...

Tom loves fishing. And he only buys the cheapo poles from Walmart. He has a pole in each of our cars so if he sees a prime fishing spot, no matter where we are, he can stop and dip the line in for a few. I just don't get it, if there is water, I would much rather be swimming (which is not the best combo with a fisherman).

Jen said...

Sounds like a fun time still. I haven't been fishing in a long time, I used to love it.

Kenzie Smith said...

Sounds like you guys still had a fun time :) I know a little bit about fishing.. enough to set my pole up, cast, and catch a fish. But anything else, nope! My uncles and cousins are pretty big into fishing. Definitely don't buy a cheap pole from WalMart though. Cheap poles are more hassle than they are worth (in my experience anyway!).

Ashley said...

Haha that sounds like something that would happen to me. John loves to fish, I just sit there with him and look pretty.

Cramer Coffee and Jesus said...

haha I LOVE this! I love that y'all didn't not go because of not knowing how to fish. Hey, I grew up fishing but because my dad did it all for me, I still don't know how to do all the stuff....all I know how to do is cast the line out in the water and reel the bad boy in. haha. cute pics by the way :)

Kerry @ Till Then Smile Often said...

I can't stomach putting the worm on the hook so fishing will never be my jam, but smelling in the ocean water is always a good day!

Semper Ag said...

My husband is an "expert fisherman"...I, on the other hand, like to stand with a pole by the water, but I refuse to bait my own hook or touch the fish I catch....lol. I'm a little squeamish.

Jamie Hart said...

What a fun trip.. even if you didn't catch much! Catching crabs is awesome. I'm actually great at fishing-- catching, cleaning, etc! Although I do not agree with cleaning them in the kitchen nor on the counter! Jenny is an awesome helper, just as Levi is. He's the keeper of the fish on most of my trips!

Amy said...

i was going to talk about the story.
then i got to the last few pictures.
can we discuss how incredible y'alls skin is?
tell me your secrets ;)

Angie said...

I love to fish but always take my dad along. He is the fisherman around here so he does everything pretty much. I just hold the pole!

Anonymous said...

I am horrible at fishing!

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