Creek Fishin'

I told someone yesterday that I had this weird urge to go fishing.  It's weird because I can't remember the last time I went fishing, because I don't really like it that much.  You have to be...quiet!

And when I do go fishing, I want it to be creek fishing, like we did when we were kids.  We had 40 acres, with a creek running through it.  We could go fishing anytime we wanted, which we only did when we were extremely bored, or unless my dad took us.  But it was a fun way to kill an afternoon, and a good excuse for playing in the creek, which was cold even during the warmest part of summer.

The water was only knee deep in most places, but full of rocks and fast-moving.  The fish liked to hide in the deeper pools under banks and behind rocks, so creek fishing was more like hunting - you had to know what to look for.  You dropped your hook, baited with a worm, into the edge of the pool where the water moved a little more slowly.  You let it drift past the pool, hoping for a bite.  When the hook got past the pool, you swung it back to the beginning and repeated it until you felt a tug.  As soon as you felt the pull of the fish heading back into the deep, you flung it as hard as you could up onto the bank.  If you were lucky, the fish hadn't swallowed the hook, or had it even set, and you could throw it back into the water.  We didn't really care if we caught anything, because if you kept them, you had to carry them, and clean them, and eventually, you know, eat them.

Creek fishing was not only a great way for two bored kids to pass time when summer got long, it was also amazingly simple.  All it required was a pocket knife (to cut a willow pole), some fishing line (6-8 feet was more than enough), and a Skoal can (if you wanted to get all of your worms at once).  It required an ability to withstand water the temperature of just-melted snow; equal amounts of skill, patience and luck; and only a moderate amount of quiet between the splashing and crashing and laughing.

And honestly, I am not sure why in the world I feel the desire to go fishing!  Will post more if I come up with a good explanation.