Gone fishin'

The Lemon of Pink - I can't think of any sports enthusiast perhaps more committed to their practice than the salmon fisherperson.

Each season the rivers of Bay St. George and Bay St. George South are populated by residents and non-residents out to catch perhaps sometimes a most elusive prize - an Atlantic salmon.

Unlike probably a lot of other girls - and I'm generalizing here, because I really don't know who did or didn't - I pretty much grew up around salmon rivers.

Both of my grandfathers were avid salmon fishermen and my dad is also a very capable angler in his own right.

I've fished salmon off and on since I was a kid. Whenever we'd get a family licence my brother and I would give it a try. My sister was too young at the time to even hold a rod.

I remember early on hating the flies (the kind that buzz) and having to get up so early or be at the river so late, but I did it because it was time spent with our family and really, when you're eight or nine you don't get much of a choice.

I trout-fished for a lot of years and really enjoyed that as well. Enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I spent one whole spring and summer trying my luck at it - almost every evening. My friend Janice and I had spinning rods ready to go at a moments notice and spent many a night at our favourite fishing hole. I don't remember catching anything, but I do remember the fresh air, good conversation, and relaxation time. Things just seem more peaceful when you're fishing.

So this year I decided to give salmon fishing another good try - a serious try. I have the proper boots, a brand new rod and best of all, my own reel.

But my first trip out this year didn't go exactly as planned. Dad and I went to a spot we had fished at when I was young, but the river was really low at the time.

My first few casts resulted in the following: a fly to the back of the head, a fly to the back of my coat, and a fly to the back of my right ear. The last one hurt the most.

But with a little re-instruction on how high to lift my arm, how long to hold the rod up before casting out and how much line to let loose it got a little easier. Before the trip was over I even got a compliment - that my grandfather would be proud of the way I was casting. This was a big deal, as I could just hear him giving me the same instruction as my dad.

Since I started fishing again I've been excited by the number of women I've heard discuss taking up the sport as well. It may seem intimidating at first, but as we gals know, there's nothing we can't do.

At 30, I haven't yet caught a salmon, but I'm sure going to try to change that over the course of this season.

If you're looking for something new and exciting to do during this Bay St. George summer, I'd encourage anyone to give the sport a try. We can't all be William Bailey's (see page ?) but we can sure have fun trying.