In 2012 I got out fishing roughly 75 times. That’s a very rough estimate and most likely on the low side, but for the sake of argument, I’ll say 75. I don’t keep records like I used to.
When you live a two minute walk to a river and a ten minute drive will get you another 20 miles of river and access to five creeks, getting out fishing is relatively easy. I recall going out seven days a week a few times in 2012, sometimes for no more than an hour, but it was enough to lower my blood pressure and help me forget the world around me, even briefly.
Of all those times out fishing, I recall fishing with another human being five times.
So for 2013 I resolve to try to get out fishing with another human being six times, fishing with my daughters doesn’t count.
Anything more than that would be intolerable.
The reasoning is simple, at the last minute I may change my mind and choose to watch the squirrels running around in front of my house. Or my back hurts and I can’t be bothered. Or it’s hot out, or cold out.
Or I simply just don’t feel like it.
If I had made plans with others, now I have to call them and make up some lame excuse why I can’t go. Or if I choose to go, now I have to wander around making small talk, giving up the best fishing spots because I do get out all the time and I’m sure whoever I’m with doesn’t get the opportunity to go fishing much and the gentleman in me says, of course, go ahead, you fish it first, I get to do this all the time…
I hate being a gentleman.
Fishing with others also interferes with my fishing plans for the day. Which is, I have none. Sure, I go to a spot, but as my wife likes to say, great, I’ll know where you’re car is, after that finding you would be impossible.
I make decisions as I walk. I have no real interest in having a discussion about that as I walk. I feel like going that way. I don’t want to hear, no, I don’t want to go that way, or, why are we going that way. I feel like going that way, that’s pretty much it.
While on the water, I want to go fish over there, not have a discussion on why I want to go fish over there. When I get over there I may not even want to fish. Something on an island may have caught my eye and I might want to go wander around the island for awhile. Maybe I just want to sit on that boulder over there along the shore and… watch the river flow. I don’t want to talk about watching the river flow, watching it is enough.
So that means for 2013 I should make an effort to get out fishing with another human being once a month.
I might be able to accomplish that.
But if at the last minute I call and make some excuse as to why I can’t go, I’m probably lying to you.
There’s a good chance I’ve decided that sitting out in front of my house hand feeding peanuts to the squirrels is time better spent.
Or, if you want to catch me in my lie, you can call my wife.
She always knows where my car is…