Diary of a fisherwoman, take three.
It’s Fishing 101: always be careful when casting. You want to hook a fish, not a person. Well, my pride took a big hit when I failed this important lesson. I finally showed my lack of fishing experience while in a boat.
My fishing partner, Tim, and I were having a great time. The water level was high because of the rain the previous night, so the fish weren’t biting as much as usual. We had both caught a few, but we weren’t getting the same amount of hits. Tim steered the boat to another part of the lake to try a different area with a different lure, hoping for better success.
He pointed out a place I should try. I had to turn my body in my chair a little more than I had been. Without thinking much about it, I brought my fishing pole behind my head to cast out.
I knew instantly when it happened. You normally don’t get resistance when you bring your arm forward. I had too much forward momentum to stop completely, but I took my normal umph off the cast.
Something solid flew over my head and splashed in the water. It was Tim’s Cedar Rapids Kernels hat. Yep, I had just hit him in the head with my lure.
Three things went through my head:
1. Oh my god, did I really just snag him?
2. He’s going to be mad at me.
3. Oh no! His hat!
Answer to the first, yes. I had indeed just hit Tim in the head with my lure. As for Tim, he wasn’t mad — only slightly stunned. And the third, the lure was stuck in his hat so I reeled it back in successfully.
In all of my youth, I can’t ever remember hitting anyone with a hook. I would have remembered this feeling. I looked back to check on him to assure myself he was still conscious. He was, thankfully, just had look of disbelief on his face.
It was minor. Only a small scrape and a very wet hat. He was the one bleeding, yet I was the one crying. I was so sure I had hurt him bad. I could barely look at him after that first glance. I was ashamed of myself — such a rookie mistake, and I’m not a rookie anymore.
I asked if he was OK, and he said he was. I handed him his hat, eyes still fixed on the bottom of the boat. Tim freed the hat from the lure, wrung it out and put it back on, saying he was glad he had it on otherwise the hook would been in his head.
My heart sunk, imagining that very thing happening. He asked if I was OK, which was ridiculous. He was the one hurt, this shouldn’t be about me. At that point, I looked him in the eye and said “as long as you’re OK, I’m OK.”
We fished for a while longer with me being extra careful when casting my line. He caught another fish, and after a few more tries with no bites, we packed up and headed for shore.
I felt a lot better when I got a good look at the cut and cleaned it up, and I realized he didn’t need the hospital or stitches, just a little Advil for the bump on his head.
His biggest worry was not about his head, but if I would now stop wanting to go fishing with him. Well, I may have scared myself but not that bad. That should have been the least of his worries.
A hard lesson was learned, but that’s not going to keep me from fishing or going out on the boat. It’s too much fun. However, now he talked about wearing a hard hat or a helmet instead of a ballcap. Very funny, Tim.
Contact Pam Rodgers at
prodgers@newtondailynews.com