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Phirst Phish
By Levi and dad
Dateline 09/14/98
A great story about Levi, a five year old, catching his first fish. Check out his site - great log of all Levi and his dad's fishing trips this summer. Also visit the story page and scroll down to the end for some pictures.
My Phirst Phish
(How will I ever learn to read with all these phunky spellings?!?)
This weekend my Daddy and me went fishing in the creek close to my house. I was soooooo excited to get to go! Daddy borrowed a rod from our next door neighbors. We went down to the bridge that crosses over the creek and found a shady spot to phish. Daddy rigged up my rod and showed me how to do it. I know how to cast already, but Daddy wanted to do it since there was a real hook on the line.
After throwing it in a few time my Daddy caught a phish. A VERY little phish...about 3 inches! :) I threw him back and Daddy said it was my turn. He cast the line in for me and told me to keep the slack reeled in. Then he told me what slack was! Then he told me what slack was again (this slack thing is hard to understand!) He said not to worry about it and just reel it in a little when he told me and watch the bobber.
After a while I saw the bobber move....then again...then Daddy said to reel it in. As soon as I got the line up I saw it...a big old empty hook! Those rascally phish stole my worm! So Daddy broke out the corn and loaded my hook up with three pieces. He cast, I watched, he said reel in the slack, I said what is slack, he said not again, then he said YOU HAVE A HIT! I said, "What is a hit?" "Reel it in fast" he told me. So I did.
As the bobber approached bobbing furiously in the rushing waters I reeled with all my might and pulled back on the rod. Feeling the line about to break from the fierce tugging against it I eased of just enough, then it happened, he jumped! I will admit that all my experience phishing didn't prepare me for the sight of my aquatic opponent bursting the surface of the water like a missile launched from a nuclear sub. This was one HUGE monster of a phish. The sun light sparkling on his side as he arched easily a full yard out of the water.
I recovered from my trance just in time to whip my rod down to the water to keep this wise old varmint from throwing the hook. He hit the water with a crack that sent birds to flight and children running to their mothers. But I stood firm cranking that reel for all I was worth. The sweat stinging my eyes, my muscles fatigued, my jaw clenched, "Oh no you don't" I muttered as he shot down for deep water. I pull back bending my rod like a bow at full draw turning his nose to the surface again, he was getting tired, and so was I. "You can do it buddy!" my Daddy encouraged with a gleam in his eye. We were bonding.
I started working him side to side as Daddy got the net and the club to smack him with. "Bring him on in and I will knock him out." Daddy smiled knowing this beast was soon to be ours. "No, this time it's personal Daddy. When I am done with him he is going to beg me to jump in that net!" I said with a grin. He was wearing down now, just three feet away, I had won, it was only a matter of seconds before....then with a burst of energy that came from deep in his gut he soared out of the water again. Splashing me as if spitting in my eye he threw the hook and curved his body to make his escape.
For me I will always remember that moment where everything was in slow motion. The feeling of the rod letting lose, the grotesque beauty of his gigantic girth and wide fins sprawling through the afternoon stillness like poetry. These are the times that try men's souls. As I reflected in this timeless vision I wondered if he also would regard this moment as a chance meeting of warriors. Then I saw it. The net. Daddy swung the net up under him and shouted, "Gott'im!" I took a breath, it seemed the first since this battle began. As if waking from a dream my senses were assaulted by sound, smell, gravity. I was like a capsule re-entering the atmosphere of reality.
"You did it Levi!" Daddy said with a smile so wide it almost touched in the back, "Yeeeeha!" I smiled, I did it. "He sure is big! You did it all by yourself. Let me get him off the line now. Levi....Levi, are you ok?" "Yeah, I did it Daddy!" "Yup, your Mama is going to be sooo excited when she hears about this." "Yeah, she will because he is so big! She won't even believe it!" "Well ,I bet she will cause he swallowed that hook deep. It ain't coming out. We might as well take him home. Guess we should have listened to Mama when she said take a bucket." "It's ok, just dump out that bread for the ducks and use that bag."
