The Beauty Of Fishing

It occurred to me the other day while inviting a friend to go fishing with me that every time I talk about fishing, I also end up talking about one or more of my children. The reason behind it is that I usually take either one or two of them with me whenever I go fishing.

While my eldest son has already loved the activity and eventually makes it his hobby also, I am still teaching the rest of my children, my other sons and daughters, to fish. In doing so for the years which I have, I have come to believe that this simple act of sharing this wonderful pastime with all of them has been more than just fun for me and my children.I strongly believe that the time that we have spent together when we are fishing has greatly taught them lessons in life that they still can use for the other pursuits in their life.

The first of which is preparation. Before we proceed to any of our fishing trips, we always find time to prepare our things and check on things that will be needed for the trip. We have to make sure that the line is check for any frays, and if we find one, the line must be cut off and the lure must then be retied. There are also times when it is needed to respool the reels before we proceed to our next destination.

Constant and regular checking on the hooks is also necessary to check whether they are still sharp and when found that they are not, we have to replace them. We also need to check on the rest of the equipment, like the settings of the drag, to find out if there is a need for any adjustments and the like. The point being that while it can get tedious for the youngest of the brood, they all understand that preparation is one of the keys to ensuring a good experience. This lesson is applicable to so many other areas of their lives including school, sports, testing job hunting, job promotions and on and on. The fishing activity and the preparation that is involved can greatly help them the value of preparation.

The next most important thing in my opinion that children learn from fishing is delayed gratification. The first bite can never be gotten immediately, and my children were able to learn this and the fact that you can never catch a fish without having to throw a line on the water, and consistently, they throw the line out even if it means waiting for several hours more because the bites are very slow. The hope that perhaps the next cast will already produce their first catch of the day is always present in the minds and keep them going and moving and is enough to keep them casting and winding. This, I believe is one of the greatest lessons in life that every one of us must be able to learn. And that sometimes, you still have to put in a lot of loads of work in order for them to be paid off. It may be that this wonderful, simple little hobby can teach us all some life lessons that for whatever reason, seem to be more easily learned when you are outside, next to some body of water pursuing that first bite of the day.