A Catch to Remember

► by Gwyneth Ozar

“You want to try?” He asked, holding out the rod.

“Yes please!” I took the fishing rod and clambered down the shore. Pebbles crunched under my feet and loose stones scrambled away from me. The roar of the water thundered in my ears. Crystal clear and breathtakingly gorgeous, churning and sucking endlessly, driftwood and debris being swirled downstream by the powerful current. The shore was a misshapen tumble of sandy-coloured rocks, and a steep wall of dirt loomed beyond. On the road above the wall, the roar of the cars was drowned out by the endless rushing of the creek. The silhouettes of scraggly pine trees stabbed at the sky. I took it all in, my mind as clear as the water.

I was out on a day trip with some family friends. My friend, Siara, crouched by the water’s edge, her line drifting into the water; her mother, Elmira, standing nearby, preparing her cell phone camera; and her father, Lance, beside me, showing me how to cast.

“All right, you’re going to cast your rod right over there,” Lance directed me. “Let it sink and it’ll drift that way. Now wait for a moment. Pull it out if it starts to drift too far under that fallen tree. We don’t want to lose a hook.”

I nodded eagerly and cast the line. Plunk! It hit the water a few inches away from where I wanted it.

I reeled in and tried again. After a couple tries, the hook finally landed in the right spot. I waited and watched it disappear under the trunk just slightly. Suddenly, the line tightened and I yanked it back. It resisted, and I realized it was caught on something.

“Looks like you caught a tree,” Lance took the rod and managed to pull the line in. “Darn it, we lost the hook.”

“Oops. Sorry,” I replied sheepishly. He quickly fitted another hook and passed me the fishing rod, “Here, give it another try.”

I took a deep breath and cast again. This time I was careful not to let the hook be pulled under the tree. As I tugged the line back into the shadows, a fish surged up from the depths and snapped at the hook. I sprang back startled and it disappeared into the shadows.

“Darn it,” I thought to myself. “Come on, it’s just a fish. I’m supposed to catch it.”

I cast again and watched my line float into the shady patch of the creek, just beside the fallen tree trunk.

Suddenly a fish chomped on the hook. “I got one!” I cried, elated. “I have a bite!”

“Quickly, flick the rod to set the hook in his mouth!” Lance instructed, and I jerked the rod to the side. “Reel it in!” He called. I began twisting the lever as fast as I could. Yes! I caught my first fish!

Lance brandished a small net and scooped up the fish. He let it sit in the water, and I bounded over. He was removing the hook from the fish’s jaw. Sunlight glistened on its dripping scales. “It’s a rainbow trout.” He told me. I grinned, admiring the small speckles on its multicoloured sides.

Elmira crouched beside us. “Smile for the camera!” She told us. “Here, want to hold it?” Lance asked. “Uh,” I glanced down at the fish. It thrashed around in his hand, jerking and twitching. “Sure, I guess…”

I leaned over and seized my catch, careful to hold it over the net. Its slimy body writhed in my grip, and I winced. I adjusted my hold, but it flailed suddenly and I dropped it back into the net. “How about I just hold it?” Lance suggested. I nodded earnestly.

Elmira Olson

Laughing, I beamed at the camera and flashed a thumb’s up. Elmira took several photos and then we carefully nudged the fish back into the water. It dove into the shallows and disappeared in the murky deep with an irritated flick of its tail.

I can’t believe it! My very first fish! My heart was singing. This is definitely a catch to remember.

The First of Many Fish Tales

Hi there! My name is Gwyneth and I’m 12 years old. On a recent vacation to the Shuswaps, I went on a day trip with my good friend, Siara, and her parents. I didn’t expect to fish when we arrived, but I’m so glad I gave it a try! It was a great learning experience. I now know how to cast a rod and what to do when you catch a fish. I was a little nervous to hold the fish, but it wasn’t bad at all—just a little slimy. During the trip I caught two rainbow trout, and Siara caught a rainbow trout and a mountain whitefish.

I’ll never forget this trip and catching my first fish. It was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to fish again!