paying for it

It was still early morning, at least a good couple of hours before the sun would show it’s face. The cool October air greeted us, and you can smell November in the dark. The ground was damp, and it breathed when we stepped on it. The hike was a going to be a tough one, bush whacking through thick brushes. The lake sits in a picturesque setting, the edges of the banks almost unnaturally trimmed. The fish fight hard here, and they are gullible, as flies they are used to are good to eat, and have no hook in them. I went to my usual spot, and they sat at the far back, under the slanted tree. Third cast, fish on. The sting of the hook sends the rainbow 3 feet into the air….

I would have loved to write such a story… unfortunately, this story plays out only in my imagination. I went to a trout pond (the kind where you pay by the pound), caught some big farm raised rainbows, took them home (catch and keep only), and then cleaned them to place onto the grill. I never caught so many trout in such a short amount of time, I never threw trout I caught into a bucket, and I never cleaned a fish before…at least not until this past weekend. Trout pond is kind of strange, like a self serve fish market. You know what to expect, you catch big trout, and still you are somewhat happy. For me the fun lasted until I got home and looked into the plastic bag filled with ice and trout. Then I dreaded the thought of having to clean the fish, almost a sense of guilt. The only way to get rid of the guilt was to eat the fish, put to some good use and not waste it. As I cleaned the fish, I thought about how this would come in handy if I were fishing somewhere wild, and I decided that I would eat the catch. In that case, the fire will be made of twigs, and the only ingredient would maybe be salt. I cleaned it all right, removed the head, tail, and fins. I cleaned out the inside and was surprised how clean the cleaning was. Kids were freaked out, wife just passed by whispering “we’re not eating that”, and I had fish guts to remove from the sink. I might go back someday, probably sooner than I imagine, but for now I’ll stick with bluegills I can place back into the lake. Unless I find someone to keep my catch, as the cleaning wasn't that fun.

Maybe this entry freaks out the trout lovers out there, who can't stand the sight of dead trout... so be it. I felt all primative and I kind of liked it. Rhaaaaa-