Glory Days

I couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old on the most glorious fishing day of my youth life. I was excitedly changing positions from a boat, the Kimbra Susann, to the docks of a marina in my East Tennessee home. These were the days when bobbers were still deemed appropriate for me and no one minded baiting my hook. Sometimes, in an effort to avoid those slimy, yucky worms, I just used spam and that worked just fine. Ft. Loudon Lake fish just aren't too picky. This very fact spoiled me for years. To this day, I still look back on my glory days when catching twenty fish on a single Saturday was just another day's work.

Don't believe me? Well, it's true (at least I think it is) and it's no fish tale. Perhaps I caught the same single fish over and over again because that sure is what it felt like. I remember catching a fish, throwing it back, and having another bite on my line in no time. This is just how it was and I remember thinking fondly of the sport. I seemed pretty darn good at it!

Let's fast forward to Captain J's R&R, shall we? In May of 2009, he was home for a couple weeks from the sandbox. Of course, he looked forward to his favorite pasttime: fishing. We loaded up in the bass boat and sped off to find a quiet fishing hole to relax, get some sun, and catch a fish or two. Those were my motives, anyway. J caught the first fish and my father-in-law and I chalked it up to it being J's day. The universe was somehow recognizing he was temporarily home from a deployment and it would be nice to give the ole veteran the first catch of the day. But the second, third, and fourth came with not so much as a nibble to MY line. Discouraged isn't quite the word. Where were the days when, Mrs. K -Fisherwoman Extraordinare, could cast a line and reel it back in with a good size slippery sucker at the end?



Gone, I tell you.

I haven't caught a fish since. I mean- sure, I've reeled some in but only because Captain J will hand me the pole after having already felt a tug. It's becoming very frustrating and simply typing this out makes me want to grab a line and head out to the Chena and see what I can find. My luck, I'd catch one without an eye witness or proof in a photo. That's my goal for this summer. Some people my age want to find a job or exercise or plan a wedding or a baby shower. Me? I just want to catch a darn fish!