How Far Do You Go?

In order to get to some of our favorite fishing holes we have undoubtedly walked gingerly through poison ivy, scraped through briars, or stomped through stinging nettles.  We have had to suffer blisters on our feet from wading in the wrong shoes.  We have swatted at teems of mosquitoes and deer flies.  Worst of all, we have had to deal with wrath of our wives or mothers as to why we were coming home late... again.  We suffer, but manage, through many adversities all in pursuit of fish.

The aforementioned conditions are something I have become accustom to.  I have learned to identify potential hazards while out fishing and I try my best to avoid them to prevent any unnecessary pain or discomfort.  This is achieved fairly easily since Pennsylvania is not even close to being on the "Things that want to kill you" list.

So I wandered up my local stream, not worrying about being mauled by a puma or infested with an exotic parasite in search of dumb fish that like to eat small plastic fish (I call them dumb because I have yet to fool a smart fish).  I found a fish willing to eat my offering on the edge of a brush pile which then promptly turned and dove back under the tangle of tree limbs and vines.  I figured it would pop itself off the hook and I would have to drag out a limb to retrieve my bait.  After half a minute of yanking and the fish still fighting, I came up with a second solution.  I could go in after the fish.  I don't recall thinking much on this, so I took my shirt off, dumped out my pockets, and I waded in up to my stomach.  I tugged some more with out any luck, held my breath, and went noodling for an already hooked, thirteen inch largemouth.  I touched the fish, found the hook and did some blind untangling of line.  The fish was free of the limbs and after two more seconds, my hook.

Truly wet wading

Afterwards, I thought I may have gone a little further than most people would have to catch a fish.  Especially after seeing the dead goose floating twenty feet upstream.

How far have you gone, or are willing to go, to catch or land a fish?