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After getting back from work on Thanksgiving Eve, I determined that I had until 10am before I needed to hit the kitchen and start roasting the bird. For whatever reason, I had assumed that I would not be able to fish on Thanksgiving, so this small window of opportunity seemed like a stolen moment.
I was desperate to replicate the success I had only two days prior. I quickly checked the winds and the tide and saw that, while they were not optimal, the conditions were more than acceptable.
I had the boat in the water well before sunrise and was blessed with the final arc of the full moon’s nocturnal path. It illuminated the mouth of the Magothy River with majestic grace. My excitement was palpable as I could already feel the tug of the big fish waiting for me a mere quarter mile away.
Almost immediately, I started noting things that were not right. I hadn’t changed my baits from my daytime stock to something more appropriate to the low light settings. The fish were suspended throughout the water column instead of cruising the bottom as I expected, making my current box of bucktails less effective. Duck hunters were everywhere trying to bag birds for their holiday table....
As I trolled two lines in exactly the same manner as I had 48 hours ago, my frustration grew and I started questioning and berating myself for making preventable mistakes that were going to cost me the fishing experience I coveted.
I continued to punish myself for about 45 minutes when I stopped staring at the “uncatchable” marks on the screen and looked around. I was blown away by the beauty that I had been ignoring to that point. Looking to the west, I soaked in the final stages of the full moon set. To the east, the sunrise heralded the promise of a new day.
I quickly snapped out of the self-imposed funk and realized that, while my day wasn’t going as planned, I really had no cause to complain. Everything I was hung up on was, what my brother calls, “First World Problems.”
The paradigm shift changed my whole outlook on my experience. It was Thanksgiving morning and I was doing what I loved, in a setting that was breathtaking. I had nothing at all to complain about.
When I came to this conclusion, I laughed out loud and kicked myself at the same time. I was taking so much for granted in my world, that I had forgotten the meaning of the day. The meaning of everyday - to be thankful and express gratitude.
I immediately stopped fishing and just soaked it in while the natural world did what it does. As the diurnal transition faded from spectacular to merely beautiful, I resumed fishing, but with a new perspective. I didn’t bury my face in my electronic’s screen, but instead observed and appreciated my surroundings.
That’s when I noticed telltale sign of wings reflecting the low light of dawn. A building flock of seagulls was starting to work in the distance. It was the opposite direction from home, but I had time and a revised set of expectations - to just enjoy each moment of the experience. Catching fish would be a bonus.
I headed out into the bay in pursuit and, low and behold, I quickly started catching fish. They weren’t big or numerous, but they were some of the sweetest fish I caught all year.
As I paddled back to my car, I reflected upon my morning and realized that my “problems” were of my own making and clearly of the first world nature. I firmly believe that my moment of Zen had more to do with my catching fish than all the technique I could muster.
It is a lesson in perspective that I keep needing to remind myself of. Gratitude begets positive results while negativity just breeds lesser outcomes. Remembering that is what I am most thankful for on this Thanksgiving day.
As we role headlong into the madness of the upcoming holiday season, I have a simple wish. It is that you find yourself surrounded by those that make you smile and in circumstances of your own making.
Enjoy!
I was desperate to replicate the success I had only two days prior. I quickly checked the winds and the tide and saw that, while they were not optimal, the conditions were more than acceptable.
I had the boat in the water well before sunrise and was blessed with the final arc of the full moon’s nocturnal path. It illuminated the mouth of the Magothy River with majestic grace. My excitement was palpable as I could already feel the tug of the big fish waiting for me a mere quarter mile away.
Almost immediately, I started noting things that were not right. I hadn’t changed my baits from my daytime stock to something more appropriate to the low light settings. The fish were suspended throughout the water column instead of cruising the bottom as I expected, making my current box of bucktails less effective. Duck hunters were everywhere trying to bag birds for their holiday table....
As I trolled two lines in exactly the same manner as I had 48 hours ago, my frustration grew and I started questioning and berating myself for making preventable mistakes that were going to cost me the fishing experience I coveted.
I continued to punish myself for about 45 minutes when I stopped staring at the “uncatchable” marks on the screen and looked around. I was blown away by the beauty that I had been ignoring to that point. Looking to the west, I soaked in the final stages of the full moon set. To the east, the sunrise heralded the promise of a new day.
I quickly snapped out of the self-imposed funk and realized that, while my day wasn’t going as planned, I really had no cause to complain. Everything I was hung up on was, what my brother calls, “First World Problems.”
The paradigm shift changed my whole outlook on my experience. It was Thanksgiving morning and I was doing what I loved, in a setting that was breathtaking. I had nothing at all to complain about.
When I came to this conclusion, I laughed out loud and kicked myself at the same time. I was taking so much for granted in my world, that I had forgotten the meaning of the day. The meaning of everyday - to be thankful and express gratitude.
I immediately stopped fishing and just soaked it in while the natural world did what it does. As the diurnal transition faded from spectacular to merely beautiful, I resumed fishing, but with a new perspective. I didn’t bury my face in my electronic’s screen, but instead observed and appreciated my surroundings.
That’s when I noticed telltale sign of wings reflecting the low light of dawn. A building flock of seagulls was starting to work in the distance. It was the opposite direction from home, but I had time and a revised set of expectations - to just enjoy each moment of the experience. Catching fish would be a bonus.
I headed out into the bay in pursuit and, low and behold, I quickly started catching fish. They weren’t big or numerous, but they were some of the sweetest fish I caught all year.
As I paddled back to my car, I reflected upon my morning and realized that my “problems” were of my own making and clearly of the first world nature. I firmly believe that my moment of Zen had more to do with my catching fish than all the technique I could muster.
It is a lesson in perspective that I keep needing to remind myself of. Gratitude begets positive results while negativity just breeds lesser outcomes. Remembering that is what I am most thankful for on this Thanksgiving day.
As we role headlong into the madness of the upcoming holiday season, I have a simple wish. It is that you find yourself surrounded by those that make you smile and in circumstances of your own making.
Enjoy!
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