This week Beth hosts the challenge asking us to feature sports activities. I thought about it all week; the different sporting events I’ve been to (football, baseball, basketball, formula 1 auto racing, rodeos, hydroplane racing…) and all the competitive and fun runs I participated in, and the years of bicycling with my husband sometimes camping, other times on day rides, all happy memories now. Although I walk every day, it’s for my health and socializing, not competitive. The only true sport I am involved in these years is fishing with my family. We don’t compete with each other or with other boats. For us fishing is a team sport that requires the expertise of all who are in the boat!
Most important is having the boat and all the gear required to be successful, which my brother-in-law and sister provide. They also know how to operate it and where we might have luck catching fish, and with what!
Once the lines go in the water, the anticipation begins!
My niece Marie knows how to catch fish. Her expertise has been cultivated by her parents who make sure she has opportunities to put a line in the water every year. Her faith, based on indigenous beliefs, includes a ritual of kissing each fish she catches with a blessing of thanks, before slipping it into the icy cooler.
“I want to make sure the fish spirits know that I honor their sacrifice,” she told me when I asked about her motivation. “I need those spirits on my side!”
As she pulled in a third Kokanee while I had none, I mused about this. In our family there is a multi-generational ethic of respecting the earth and her creatures. We leave places we visit in better condition than we found them, and we are stewards of the waters and land. We process what we harvest and share it with our family and friends. My husband Creighton, who is mostly vegetarian, calls the fish I bring home “honest food.”
Before long, I had a strong strike and with the help of my sister Diana’s expert netting, my first fish of the day was in the boat.
“Let me kiss it,” Marie exclaimed. “It doesn’t matter who catches it, I like to kiss all the fish we catch.” After she blessed it, I too kissed my fish and then placed it on ice.
Moments later, as I was letting my line out, Marie shouted, “fish on,” and started reeling in. I had just set my line, when it popped off and to my amazement I had a fish as well! Diana netted Marie’s and then mine for our first “two-fer” of this fishing trip. Marie and I each kissed both fish, put them in the cooler and bated our lures. Within a few minutes after getting our lines down, it happened again; I had a strike and was reeling in when Marie got a strike too. Diana steadfastly managed the net to help us get first one fish in the boat, empty the net of fish and lure, and turn around for the second one. This happened at least 7-8 times – maybe more – we lost count, but all agreed this was a new “two-fer” record for our boat!
Lindy Low LeCoq 
Lindy, thank you so much for sharing the joy you and your family have with fishing! I enjoyed all of the images – especially kissing the fish! Your smiles say it all! I love the tradition of kissing the fish to thank the fish spirits for their sacrifice. Such happy memories with your family. Wonderful post!
Thank you, Beth!
A happy day! I don’t fish, but my son did when he was younger. My father in law used to catch eels and smoked them. No longer done because there are to few of them.
My parents were kids during the depression, so being able to hunt, fish and gather were not only sport, but also survival. Now we still eat what we keep, though it isn’t how we survive!