The first fish
I don't care what my weather app says, Winter is over. I know this because today I caught a bass. You can't catch bass in winter, after all. Not up here, where the ponds are iced over and they're so crystal-clean and devoid of life that they look more like high country glacial pools. You're lucky if you even see a fish between November and March at this elevation.
But today I caught a bass. The first fish of the year.
I always make a point of giving thanks for the first fish. It's madness to take it for granted. So much can happen in the space of a few months, either to you or to the fish, that it's always sort of relieving to feel that tug on the line again. After the relief comes the realization that it's just beginning; these ponds are full and the fish are going to be very hungry for the next few months and the high country hasn't even begun to thaw out yet. Everything is on the upswing and there is much to look forward to.
So, I give thanks. Because today I caught a bass.
But today I caught a bass. The first fish of the year.
I always make a point of giving thanks for the first fish. It's madness to take it for granted. So much can happen in the space of a few months, either to you or to the fish, that it's always sort of relieving to feel that tug on the line again. After the relief comes the realization that it's just beginning; these ponds are full and the fish are going to be very hungry for the next few months and the high country hasn't even begun to thaw out yet. Everything is on the upswing and there is much to look forward to.
So, I give thanks. Because today I caught a bass.
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