01-20-2008, 01:57 PM
You've got to wonder why someone would decide to slip into a ice cold river just before dawn when the windchill is hovering at a mere twenty degrees below zero .I know my family and friends ponder this question on a regular basis , there conclusion , the boy lost whatever common sense the Lord gave him or there's a few too many cobwebs in the attic .
Truth be told , I sometimes like the look on their faces when they hear my outings for the weekend , I try not to lead a normal boring life .
Steelhead fishing is something I dream about . Your never quite sure when that first hookset will take place .
The peaceful sounds of the river are suddenly interrupted by the sound of your reel peeling off a few dozen yards of your line , your rod doubles over as you fight to keep it in your half numb fingers and every transient thought that occupied your mind seems to disappear leaving a crystal clear sense of focus of what life is all about .
I do from time to time partake in ice fishing , but that can be slightly boring , sitting and waiting for something to happen has no thrills for me . Watching a ten pound flash of silver burst threw the rivers ripples somersaulting into the crisp winter air , oh man , you just can't get that feeling from anything else in this world .
Life offers us a few challenges to better ourselves , sometimes however challenges are substituted and diminished to give ourselves a false sense of acomplishment . The electronic age of x-boxes and I-pods are just such a curse . Each person must take the primal spirit in ourselves out once in a while to discover who we really are . Steelhead fishing is a true test of self worth , the ability to explore your limits of endurance , to challenge your mind , to test your body and your sole all at the same time . Real accomplishment , you can't get that in a video game , you have to live it for yourself .
I know some of you are thinking "how hard can it be to catch a fish "? , Steelheading isn't your regular type of fishing , luck never comes into play in this sport . You have to have a sharp mind , quick reflexes, patience , the ability to out think your quarry and to contemplate all the hazards the river will throw your way , few possess these qualities at first but like anything else , when exercised you can achieve it .
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]. It certainly gets my blood moving.