Does the Simplicity of Fishing Still Exist?

By Rodney Hsu

A boy holding a cane with a fishing line attached at the end, dipping his bare feet into the water as he sits on a wooden deck by a quiet pond. Just staring at that little float is satisfying enough for him, it's entertainment that does not have a price tag. It's a scenario that we do not see often these days, except in a childhood scene of Hollywood movies.

What is it about fishing that can attract millions of people around the globe? Is it the fact that you can gather food for yourself like our ancestors? I do not think so. It's a challenge, an adventure. The aquatic world is mysterious, whether it is a pond, lake, river, bay or ocean. The first question that emerges when seeing a piece of water is "Are there fish swimming in the water?"

It is as close as you can get to exploring a new planet. There are many unknowns. My first few fishing outings did not really involve fishing. I simply tagged along with my father who spent his weekends trying to entice a few carp in a pond. I often sat by him and stared either at the float or the nearby water pumps, hoping to see something that would pop out of the water. Most of the time it was uneventful, but once awhile the float dove underneath the surface and I would scream with excitement. It sure beats television!

The simplicity of fishing is slowly fading away. Today, if you want to fish, you don't just pick up a rod and venture down to your favorite pond. There are so many factors that need to be concerned before an outing. Do I have a valid fishing licence? Are the waters closed for fishing? If it is a weekend, then I better not go because it maybe crowded. The popularity of the sport has increased, and the trend has certainly made a huge impact on how we fish today.

Regulations become a necessary yet unfortunate component of fishing. It's necessary because without it our waters will be fished out. It's unfortunate because human are greedy beings that can not control ourselves when it comes to sharing public commodity.

Beside concerns that we have toward the environment, there are political and economical aspects of fishing when it is regulated. Often we see rivers that are closed not because concerns of overfishing, but to satisfy all user groups. Some waters are flyfishing only during certain times of the year, because our belief is that flyfishing tends to create less negative impact in a system. With gasoline price sky rocketing, we juggle our fishing trips and finance. Is it really worth spending a tank of gas to acquire two sockeyes per outing during the opening season?

We also become defensive when we fish. Human are territorial animals after all. Often when we see someone arriving at our favorite spots, we begin to monitor the newcomers' action and appearance. Is the person's techniques up to my standard? If it is not, then he or she might disrupt my day. If it is, then he or she might catch all my fish. Either way, it's not too pleasing. The psychology of an angler is baffling, there should be an university course that focuses on this behaviour.

The kid with a worm on the end of the line is in every single one of us. We fish because we still need that tiny stimulation to decorate our lives. A tap on the rod tip will always tickle our nerves. It's an exciting activity that has been carried out by so many generations. Unfortunately it is slowly deteriorating by greed and politics. As more people decide to take up this fantastic sport to expel their daily stress, we can only expect it to become more competitive. The fundamental goal of fishing, to have fun, seems to have disappeared sometimes. Let the kid inside you explore the waters next time, it's the only way to have a satisfying fishing trip fully.

Fire Arms Registry: Waste of Money

Good Morning,

For those of you who support the federal Liberals' firearms registry, there is no sense reading any further. I wish you a good day.

For the rest of you I hope you are aware that while you were watching CNN and the war in Iraq, the federal Liberals recently approved an additional $59 Million expenditure for what will go down in history as the most significant waste of taxpayer money ever. That is for a piece of legislation that has absolutely nothing to do with safety and everything to do with politics. I refer of course to the FIREARMS REGISTRY now required by law. The additional expenditure is ABOVE the estimated $1 BILLION dollars already spent. Remember we were initially told the program would cost $ 2 MILLION.

Before you go back to the T.V., I strongly encourage you to let Prime Minister Jean Chretien know that this whole program is unacceptable and you are disappointed in his government's complete disregard and disinterest in doing what is right. You can express this quite easily by e-mailing him. You can also express your delight to each M.P. His or her e-mail address is available at www.canada.gc.ca. Expressing your dissatisfaction costs you nothing but a little time.

Thanks for reading. Have a good day.

A Concerned Citizen