Good morning. It is April, the birds are singing and building nests, the lakes have lost their ice, and fishermen are beginning to dream of trips past, present, and future. I thought I would tell you about a past fishing experience. Now, there is some speculation that stories that are written by fishermen regarding their past fishing experiences have to be taken with a “grain of salt,” which is to say that there can be a measure of expansion of fish lengths and story details. But I will tell you right now that the stories from this particular trip are the truth, and nothing but the truth. No, really…
Tom, Bill, Warren, and I had been looking forward to the Canadian fishing opener. We had a spot in mind that we knew should hold vast numbers of fish. Being that this spot was in the Quetico, a paddle only area of the southern Ontario wilderness, only added to the promise of adventure. We set out in our two canoes, laden with fishing tackle and camping gear, and in a day and a half of hard paddling and portaging we found our way to “the Spot.”
“The Spot” was a small island nestled between two waterfalls. It was a place where a river split in two to pass on either side of the island and the waterfalls created a twenty-acre pond at their base. In the spring of the year (we were there for the opener in mid-May) the walleye were known to run up to the base of the falls in their annual spawning journey, only to be blocked by the waterfalls from going farther. That meant they lingered for some time in the pool in front of our island.
We were all experienced fishermen, and we wasted no time getting organized and getting our lines in the water. The fishing was…disappointing…at least at first. Apparently, the walleye weren’t there yet. However, it wasn’t long before one of us had a good bite. Immediately we all knew it wasn’t a walleye. This fish was big, way too big to be a walleye. It was, in fact, a lake sturgeon. This first fish was about 30 pounds, and we celebrated it with lots of pictures, after all, you don’t often catch a sturgeon. Except on this trip.
On this particular trip, while the walleye were scarce, the sturgeon had filled the pool beneath the falls. We started catching 50-60 pound fish regularly. There were bigger ones (lake sturgeon can easily get as big as 150 pounds) but they would break our lines. That is when I had my first bad idea. My scheme was that Tom and I would each try to hook a big sturgeon, and instead of pulling it in we would have it pull our canoe around in circles until it got tired. Everything went perfectly, for a while. Tom hooked a 100 pound or so sturgeon and it pulled us round and round the pool for 30 minutes or so. The fish didn’t get tired, but we did. I steered the canoe towards shore, reached down and grabbed the beast’s tail, and tried to lift it into the canoe. Instead, it pulled me into the 37 degree water. I didn’t give up, trying instead to wrestle the thing to shore. I nearly drowned, and nearly froze, but didn’t come anywhere near getting the fish in.
Not to be bested by a fish, I knew we’d try again the next day. That day, Warren and I paddled into a pool area between rapid water stretches on the river. The pool was fairly deep, and I had another bright idea on how to land a 100 pound plus sturgeon. Warren hooked one and the fight was on! My plan was to slip a rope around its tail, and another one over its head. Tethered in two places, I assumed the fish would be more easily handled. I got the first piece of rope over the tail but as I tried for the head it slipped out of the noose. It turned out that all I had done was make the thing mad. The sturgeon began to jump mostly out of the water alongside the canoe. We were very close to tipping. Soon, when it did the same thing but this time making contact with the bow, we took on a lot of water. It was in that moment that humility…or maybe it was fear…took over, and I cut Warren’s line. We never did figure out a way to land one of the big ones, but we have some nice pictures of 50-60 pounders!
The reason I share such a story, other than that I like to reminisce about fishing adventures, is that such times have taught me lessons that apply to the rest of my life.
It is when I get carried away with my own ideas that I find myself in trouble. Trusting the Lord’s way is the best way, the safe way, the only way. Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
It is when I get carried away with my ego and pride that I find myself in trouble. I am reminded of Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
It is always a good idea to pray things through and to wait for the Lord to show the way. When I get excited about an idea or strategy of my own, I may launch into something that will turn out…badly! Psalm 33:20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
God bless your day, your thoughts, and your prayers!
Vern