Jerked back to reality by the tugging on my line, I started to reel. My husband is an avid fisherman and I was pretty excited to think that I would be the first one to catch a fish. As I reeled, images of a large trout fighting and pulling against the line flashed through my mind. Then, I caught sight of it. Rob had dropped the rod he was working on and came to my aid, net in hand. He clamored down the rocky bank where water was being splashed by the ongoing battle and with expertise that only a seasoned fisherman could, he scooped up the season’s first catch.
“How’s it look?” I asked expectantly. Pushing a low bush aside, I strained to see my fish. Well, okay, it might not have been the biggest fish in the lake, but it was definitely a keeper. Or I thought it was. The old fishing net had seen better days and as Rob attempted to pull the fish from the net’s hold, it slipped out of a stretched opening near the bottom. “Whoa!” The slippery prey flip-flopped on the bank and started to slide back into the pond. With keen reflexes, Rob grabbed him just in the nick of time. That was a close one! As Rob was taking him up the bank, I reached for the worm container that we had purchased along with our lunch. The sun beat down on my back and with the warmth came a small surge of black flies. I picked out a plump worm and proceeded to squeeze him onto the end of my hook. By the time I was done, Rob had taken care of the fish, finished prepping his rod and had tried his luck with a few casts. A cool breeze, enough to push back the on slot of black flies, had picked up as I cast for the second time.
“I got a bite!” With a determined look on his face, Rob was reeling hard. The rod was bent and the reel whirred as he brought his catch closer and closer to shore. Meanwhile, I quickly reeled in my line and with the old fishing net, I scampered down over the rocks. At the end of the line, a dark form cut through the water. Lowering the net into the cold water, I tried to keep an eye on him, but the glare from the sun made it difficult. Through splashing water and rays of sunlight bouncing off the water’s surface, I managed to maneuver the net under the struggling fish and bring him safely up onto the bank. Triumphantly Rob reached down to help me. He lifted the net where we beheld a beautiful speckled 14” trout. Speckles of gold, red, green and blue sparkled in the sunshine. Pride and joy flooded the atmosphere.
Picking up his prize, Rob twisted and turned until the hook came free. Carefully, so as not to let the captive slip and drop back into the lake, Rob brought it up and laid it beside the fish I had so quickly caught a few minutes earlier. Coming up behind, I hardly dared to look. Rob stepped aside and I got my first look at David and Goliath. Not wanting to detract from the happiness of the moment, I tried to hide my slight disappointment in apparent inadequacy of my catch. Rob beamed like the sun on a midsummer’s day.
His rejoicing quickly turned to a determination to continue with the day’s task, catching our limit. His hook was quickly baited and his line in the water before you could blink an eye. Now some say that I have a slight competitive spirit. Not wanting to be out done, I baited another hook. With a look of confidence, I settled in, chicken salad dagwood in one hand, pole in the other, waiting for the Big One!
To Be Continued…
You are working hard to include sensory details in your piece. "The glare from the sun made it difficult" and "Speckles of gold, red, and green sparkled in the sunshine" are word choices that helped me paint a picture in my mind of this fishing expedition. You are using vibrant verbs and awesome adjectives, too. Your voice comes out with funny comments like, "That was a close one!" and "Now some say I have a competitive spirit". Not being one who goes fishing, I wonder what reeling is. Would it be important to include some information about that somehwere in your piece? Again, something tells me there's more to this story!!
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