Most of us have seen the bumper sticker that says, “A bad day fishing beats a good day at work.” This is undeniably true most of the time. A sunny day in God’s great outdoors always beats a day working at some job you may not like.
But anyone who spends much time outdoors has had some miserable days afield, days when it rained a deluge all day, days when they were wet, cold, tired, and hungry. Usually on these days the fish don’t bite or the birds don’t fly. Days like this simply make us appreciate the good days we have a whole lot more. They don’t qualify as bad days.
What then, qualifies as a bad day outdoors?
Tommy Locke told me of a fly fisherman who had graced the bow of Tommy’s skiff while casting to tarpon. The gentleman wore nothing more than a Speedo thong for protection. The unfortunate man sank a 3/0 tarpon fly to the feathers right between his family jewels, painful just to think about. That fellow had a Bad Day.
I once read a tale about a steelhead fisherman. This poor soul was fly fishing when he had what at first he thought was a bite. He quickly realized the heavy weight at the end of his line, although moving, was not a fish. He managed to swing whatever it was near to the bank down below him, then walked down to see what it was.
To his shock and dismay it was a young woman, quite dead. His fly was hooked on a finger of her glove. Our angler was suddenly having a Very Bad Day.
On an otherwise lovely day, a former local guide went to grab a tarpon at boatside. Not only did the fish choose that moment to jump one more time, breaking the guide’s nose, the fish also managed to bury a hook in his neck, necessitating a trip to the hospital. This was a Bad Day.
Fishermen have accidents sometimes. They get stung by catfish, stingrays, and jellyfish. Their boats sink. They get hooked. They get bitten. They get struck by lightning.
So any day that you get home safely, without the use of a first aid kit (You do carry a first aid kit, don’t you?), a trip to the hospital or police station, or worse, is not a bad day, regardless of how few fish were caught or how miserable the weather was.
Count your blessings, and remember, life is great!
John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com
All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.
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