My First Fishing Experience with My Dad
This Saturday we are leaving for our yearly fishing trip to Barkley Lake, Kentucky. This will be our fourth year to Barkley and my fourth year of fishing. Each year I bravely tell myself I’m going to take the fish off the hook but when it comes down to it there is a part of me that is haunted by my first fishing experience with my Dad and my fear comes rushing back…
When I was younger my Dad would go fishing a lot and take my brothers. I don’t remember him ever asking us girls to go until I was about 12 or so. I have no memory of where we went or who was there but I had caught my first fish. I was so excited. I carried my pole and line, being sure not to touch the fish, over to my Dad and asked if he could please take it off the hook. Being all fatherly and wanting me to learn for myself, he nicely explained that I could take the fish off the hook myself. Looking down at this slimy thing and then looking back up at my Dad with a puzzled look, I don’t remember that being the deal when I agreed to go fishing. I don’t remember agreeing to even put a worm on the hook let alone take a fish off the hook. I’m a girl and we don’t do that.
We argued back and forth and that argument went nowhere. He wasn’t going to help and he explained I needed to learn to do it myself. It’s just a little fish and it isn’t going to hurt me. He continued to calmly ask me to take the fish off the hook. I squirmed and squirmed like the worm on my hook until I heard “Jody, take the *&^%^&& (the D word) fish off the hook!” I quickly grabbed the fish to take it off the hook and yes sir, full hand straight on fish and the fish poked me.
I screamed and screamed and remember saying “That fish poked me! I am never going fishing with you again. EVER!” And I didn’t. I never went fishing again with him or anyone else.
Until I met my husband.
This is my Mom and Dad fishing at our canal at the river. As you can see I am not in this picture because I refuse to fish with HIM!
Have a great day all!
April 17th, 2008 at 5:29 am
I almost didn’t want to go fishing with my husband at first after we got married because my mom used to bring fish home, put them in the sink and have me cover them with ice when they were still alive and flopping around and it freaked me out - I can deal with it better now, but I still don’t take fish off my hook - my hubby does it for me!
April 17th, 2008 at 5:33 am
Blessed, I am surprised. Especially seeing that you hunt. I would think a little fish wouldn’t bother you like it does me.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Suck it up and take the fish off the hook!!! Hehe…or, I think I’ve told you this before, but you can use my wife’s method. You pull your hand up inside your sleeve and then take the fish off the hook that way. It works for her even though I can constantly pick on her about it.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:12 am
Cute story! I wouldn’t want to do it either.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:23 am
Yeah, I hate that part too. I think it’s the slime, coupled with the fact that a dangerous little hook is in its mouth, and somehow I convince myself that thing is going to dig into me. I’ve taken fish off the hook a couple times, but I’m quite happy to have someone else do it.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I don’t take my fish off the hook either. So far, I’ve always fished with my father or my uncles and they take the fish off for me. I suppose I should really learn to take the fish off the hook myself, but I don’t see why I would want to if there are other people willing to do it.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I can’t help it - fish are freaky, I like to catch them but I can’t handle touching them or cleaning them. I also can’t field dress a deer - or a rabbit or a squirrel. Once the guts are out, the head is off and the fur is gone I can deal with it. I can handle the birds start to finish - ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasant, quail - I just can’t do the mammals or the fish. Needless to say - there are certain types of hunting I just don’t do alone and when it comes to cleaning the birds - I get most of the responsibility to make up for it!
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