Night Fishing

Recently, since I was on a break from med school, I went night fishing. And yes, it is done exactly like it sounds: you go out to the coast at 10-11 PM, chill in the dark with a spotlight, and fish all night. it should look something like this, maybe (see image).

Night Fishing, at its best.

To be honest, I had a few things going against me going into the night. First, and probably most importantly, I have never really stayed up all night by choice. There was that one time I had to stay up writing my BIOS 311/protein lab write up, but I'm pretty sure I ended up dozing and drooling on the fondren keyboard around 4:30 AM (see image, no drool visible). And it was definitely not by choice, so not sure if that counts.

My best attempt at an all-nighter.

Secondly, I am a mediocre fisherman at best. The last time I went out to fish with any intention of actually catching fish (as opposed to just getting a shiny "fishing" badge for my boy scout uniform) was probably in 6th grade. It was in a pond. I used a Mickey Mouse fishing pole. I don't remember catching anything.

But, a few of my friends are really into fishing - they go every few weeks - and I thought it would be fun to get into their inner workings and see what all the fuss was about. Here's what I learned:

1. fishing is easier than it seems, and harder than it seems.

I guess it depends on who you are - if you're me, then you can cast and re-cast, and get nothing. then when you do get a pull on your line, you can try to set your hook like a robot hyped up on caffeine, only to feel stupid for being duped by the waves. out of frustration, you might go to the other end of the spectrum and commit to waiting for stronger nibbles before setting the hook . . . and end up reeling in empty shrimp shells for an hour since you waited too long and lost all your bait to the fish.

But if you're my friend (hypothetically, let's just call you "sung"), you might go on ridiculous runs where you get bite after bite. if that's you, then the only thing that can stop you is another friend (we'll call him "louis") who pole jacks you mid-reel and gets all the fun. if that happens to you, you might end up joining me on the shore to chew sunflower seeds to have something - anything - to do.

so it depends.

2. the ocean is way more peaceful than I remember.

There is something immensely peaceful about the cadence of the waves, the way the steady tide energize as opposed to lulling to sleep. i can't say that it made me reflect on life and all that's good - because it didn't - but it definitely is different than sitting in front of a computer for 8 hrs. or even sitting in a forest for 8 hrs (and yes, I've done it before - but only to get a boy scout badge). Weirdly, I don't remember much time passing as I sat on the shore watching the waves . . . maybe they numbed my mind or something, but I don't remember thinking about or contemplating anything. There was me, and the water, and the sound of crashing waves. i liked it.

3. without the fish, fishing isn't fishing.

i've had people tell me that fishing isn't really about the fish, it's about going and hanging out with people, about the conversations, the atmosphere, the down time. and while that's true - there are elements of that - i don't buy it. fishing, and especially night fishing, is fun really only you catch fish. i'm no math whiz, but here's how the algorithm seems to work:

you catch a fish --> you have something to talk about --> you crack open a brew to celebrate --> you talk more --> repeat.

OR

you get a bite and almost catch a fish, but it breaks free --> you have something else to talk about --> you drink water --> you get ripped by the guys (more talking) --> you learn how to fish better --> hopefully you move up to the first algorithm.

really, it's about the fish.

4. i will probably suffer as a resident in whatever speciality i go into.

remember the whole "not being able to stay up all night" thing? yup, failed again. and the worst part was that as i was waking, i remember thinking how somewhere in some hospital, there was a lucky patient who didn't have to be seen by me in that condition.

morning along the coast.

All in all, night fishing was fun. but not all that fun because i didn't catch any fish. but fun in a sit-on-the-shore-and-forget-time-passed way, and fun in a beautiful-sun-rise-after-the-night kind of way. either way, i have more appreciation for the process of fishing, and for men who can stay up all night.