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Be Safe, Be
Ready!
Skipper Bruce
decided to put me on one path of least resistance, a tributary near the shore
that looked like a perfect spot through which fish could swim. It was safe for me to stand on the rocks
instead of having to wade out into the turbulent current of the “weedy hole” as
we used to incorrectly call it. (The
“weedy hole” is actually another pool further up the river.) Skipper Bruce was very safety conscious in
everything that he did. “Always be
safe,” he would say, “Because safety must be a top priority in life.” How right he was in times when companies
placed profits above employee safety.
Many times the employees lived in fear and did not stand up for
themselves, thus making unsafe decisions.
Far too often, we see people make careless decisions costing them too
much, sometimes the ultimate cost - life itself. “Work hard, play hard, but, be safe” was a
major component of Skipper Bruce’s daily philosophy.
I stepped up near
the river and was ready to cast my fly.
I remember the fly well. It was a
“thunder and lightning” pattern that we bought at the local drug store in Placentia
Having ensured my
safety on the river bank, Skipper Bruce proceeded to fish the major river stem
in the main pool. As a new salmon
angler, I was not efficient at casting the fly across the current. Through years of experience, I have now
learned that presentation is the most important part of Atlantic salmon
fishing, unlike fly-fishing for trout, where presentation is usually not as
important as the fly you are casting.
Trout take the fly for hunger or territorial purposes. Some of my fishing colleagues refer to trout
as “dumb fish”. I disagree. No fish, like no human being, can be labeled
“dumb.” No one really knows, however, why
the Atlantic salmon rises to the river surface to take an artificial fly. It is part of the mystery of life itself, but
one can speculate that “fishy” instinct underlies this tendency.
After six or eight
casts in this flow of fresh water, my rod bent over like I had hooked into a
Boeing 747, and my reel started to sing like a chainsaw on overdrive! ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz!!! I was looking away as this happened but my
focus immediately shifted back to the splashing and jumping in front of
me. The fresh silvery torpedo had taken
my fly unexpectedly and it proceeded to muscle down the river as if shot from a
cannon! Before I had a chance to yell to
Skipper Bruce, he was rushing over to see what the commotion was. The fish made one final springing leap and
the fly line and leader came back and hit me in the face. Fish #1 was gone, just like that! As a rookie angler, I did not have time to
lift my fly rod when the hook was set.
It was both upsetting and startling.
What a rush!
That first
presentation was, no doubt, a fluke.
Whatever I did to attract that fish it worked. What excitement to have the feel of a leaping
Atlantic salmon on the end of your rod, solidly hooked and fighting to be
free! Skipper Bruce estimated it to be
seven or eight pounds, a far cry from the “big” half pound trout that we
sometimes angled; and a far cry from the small pan-size “sardine trout” that my
brother and father often brought home. J That day I was “hooked” to a
new activity that has taught me so much about life itself and all the twists
and turns we each face on a daily basis.
Do you have such an activity that has changed your life? Now is the perfect time to get hooked.
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