The joys of a simple fish.

[Damned67]

Sometimes life can be a real drag.
Wife recently left. Getting used to being a single Dad with my son and trying (in vain) to get used to only seeing my little Princess half of the time.
Then there's the financial side of the divorce....
Works been crazy and stressful. Trying to write grants, which if are unsuccessful will mean that half of my team will be without a job next year.
Then on top of all that, there was a death in the family.

Now, I'm not here for condolences or pity. This is life. Sometimes it's awesome, and sometimes it's the complete other end of the scale!
And let's face it, I'm far from the first person to go through this, and far from the last person.

I fell in love with fishing a few years ago. It's a great way to spend quality time with the kids (my son is with me 90% of my trips), and an outstanding form of stress relief.

The weather of late has prevented me from taking the boat out, and I've been going insane. So today, I said 'screw it all', and tossed my new rod (1-3kg 7' Strudwick Sofbodz) in the back of the car along with a bag containing a small container of jig heads, a couple of packets of plastics, and a couple of lures. I bailed out of work at about 3.30 and headed down to the Spit. Kicked off my shoes, grabbed my rod, and went walking along the beach on the back side, tossing lures as I went. Sand between the toes, and gentle waves lapping at my ankles.

I'd completely forgotten how relaxing this could be. With the boat, it's often about trying to catch fish (and enjoying the day, of course). Today, it was nothing other than relaxing. I wasn't even trying to catch anything. Just relaxing. I had a walk along the rock wall, and lost a few jig heads, but that's OK.
Had a couple of decent strikes, and landed one small flathead, which would have been very lucky to hit the 30cm mark. Hey, at least I 'blooded' the new rod! Can't complain about that!

No worries about fuel, bait, or cleaning the boat and gear. I think I'll be doing this again! Indeed, I think I'll be keeping a two-piece rod in the car from now on, just for when the world can kiss my ass!

So, the tally for the day:
1 massively undersized Flathead
and 1 very relaxed, and very pleased, fisherman.

[robvee]

yip .... that's the way i like it ...... minimum fuss ...... just me and the ocean, and hopefully a strike or two that come good :-)
Sorry to hear abouth the "life stuff" .......
Keep at it mate!!

[vertico]

good stuff mate thats what its all about sometimes for me as well....

[Coochin]

Hi Damned67,
I know exactly how you feel . There is nothing more relaxing than fishing , better still if you can do it with good friends and family. Coochin.

[Rainbowrunner]

was there myself a couple of years ago . . . but geez its good now!!!!!
My young fellas even catching bigger fish than me now

[FNQCairns]

Couldn't agree more, waiting in anticipation for the cooler months up here to do the exact same thing frequently.

cheers fnq

[Lapras]

Damned67,

I can relate to your story and understand the pleasure of "basic" fishing when stressed. Make sure you remind yourself how good it feels - I know your story served to remind me.

Thanks,

Dave

PS. Good luck with the grants - that's high on my to-do list today, maybe should change it to fishing!

[LostNearBribie]

Nothing better than walking along a bank flicking lures.
Catching fish is secondary sometimes.
Can be the best way to 'clear the head' there is.

[Apollo]

Use to do a lot of simple landbased as a kid, but forgot about it as I grew older. This year, I too am rediscovering the simplicity of just grabbing a rod, a pocket full of gear and going for a wander.

Great post and I hope the other things in your life start to sort themselves out. Gives us a yell, next time you are heading up to Kauri and we'll share some campfire smoke and a quiet beer together again.

Steve

[danners]

glad you enjoyed yourself mate, i hope you have more such good moments from now on

cheers
Dan

[Midnight]

Good onya mate!

Make it a once a week thing, at least!

Cheers,
Myles

[tailorboi99]

Good report, I enjoyed the read apart from the first paragraph. Sent you a PM.

Thanks Thomas

[Damned67]

Cheers to All!

I'm certainly hoping to make it a weekly escape. An extended lunch hour from work!
I live in BrisVegas, but work on the coast. From my office, I can be on the 'beach' out the front of Runaway bay in about 10 min, and the Spit in about 15 min :)

Now, do I pack a 2-4kg rod for luring around Runaway bay, and the backend of the Spit, or a 6-10kg for tossing Raiders off the Seaway wall? I know, simple answer, I keep both in the car!!!

[chief]

Great read mate , reminded me of Soul surfing in the 70s before the world went Mad ;D

[breambandit]

AH The old Salt Water therapy. I can feel it my veins.

Best prescription for stress relief and really works well for me.

I regularly visit Dr. Jacobs Well on my RDO's to get all the Salt Water and SP lure therapy necessary to keep my sanity for the weeks between visits.

My mates also use Drs. Tweed and Broadwater when they feel unwell and they tell me Salt Water therapy is even better during a sickie.

It looks like you found a cure for your problems, so keep going and best of luck.

Cheers

[Jurkyjj]

Good on ya mate!!
Sometimes just getting away and clearing your head can make all the difference.
Hope everything works out for ya in the future.

Cheers,
Jason.