Well, not you. My grandfather and my uncle.
One of our volunteers at work fishes as a hobby. I told her about the one and only time I went fishing - at age 5, my grandfather and my uncle (who are Rush Limbaugh and Rush Jr. respectively, on the likability scale) took me on a fishing trip.
I was a chatty kid - I didn't become an introvert until later on. Come to think of it, I expect 5-year-olds to be chatty, don't you?
They didn't.
"Don't talk!" they yapped, rather loudly, now that I think about it. "It'll scare the fish away!"
You have probably guessed that I have always been opinionated, and when I was little, I liked to challenge adults. I was usually right, and that pissed them off even more - because even then I knew that if a tall person said "because I said so," it was not a real reason.
So back to the volunteer - I found out she fished and told her the story.
Me: "Is that true about scaring away the fish?"
Her: (with strange look on face)"Um. No."
Me: "I knew it! They just didn't want to hear me talk."
I think that is why I became a reporter - I got to challenge and ask why, and got paid to do it. My entire family said I should be a lawyer because I "liked to argue" so much - but it was just a desire to get to the bottom of things.
I couldn't wait to grow up and ask as many questions as I wanted to, watch R-rated Eddie Murphy movies and eat DQ whenever I wanted. And then I did!
14 comments:
I have no idea where that phrase came from, but it is very normal to hear that in amateur fishing circles. There is a real fear that talking scares the fish.
I was fortunate to have a Dad and Grandfather who used the time to talk to and with me when we fished. I was also fortunate to never actually catch any because I was scared to take them off the hook, but that is another story. Why anyone would put their Dad or Grandpa on the hook in the first place is a real question...
Here's to asking why!
I have met several adults who have commented that my son tells them what's what. He is not afraid to correct an adult if they are wrong (hmmm, I think he is a lot like me). I think that they are offended just because they feel so stupid about trying to snowball a little kid...the best time was when my minister grandfather attempted to tell my son that there was proof that the dinosaurs existed at the time of Noah's ark. My son, dinosaur expert, did not buy it and I just snarkily asked why that asshole Noah didn't put two dinosaurs on the ark.
I know that some people just love fishing, but you'll never catch me sitting in some boat messing around with yicky earthworms and slimy fish. I was made to go once or twice as a child, and when I caught a couple small fish, I kept them as pets til they died lol.
I don't see any problems with the "inquisitive" people. Look where we are today, and all the questions that NEED to be asked. Of course actually obtaining a sustainable answer is like pulling teeth at times. Have a great day.
I think the no talking thing has a bit of truth to it. Fish have ears and they are very sensitive. Some people fish with dynamite, right. It isn't the explosion that kills the fish, it's the bang that kills the fish.
Above water talking doesn't usually reach the fish though. It's more so for other fishers who fish, not to catch fish, but for peace and tranquility. That's why I fish. Just for the peace. No bait, no worries about catching a fish. Just the peace and quiet.
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Gawd Bless 'Murka, where even yakkity females have the right to DQ!
You can't do THAT in your Islamofascist countries like, uh, Nohburghurstan.
It did used to be widely held that any sort of noise, including talking, would scare away the fish. I dunno. Fisherfolk are a superstitious lot, as there seems to be a lot of luck involved in catching anything. It's also a very peaceful past-time for most, and a way to get away from all the noise of "civilization." Or, it might have just been you, RK.
Personally, I like to talk, too. But I also like my quiet time. It's nice when you get to that point in your life or in a relationship or on a Sunday afternoon when you can just enjoy the silence, and not feel like you always have to be filling it with something. Or, as the Mahatma used to say to his most saintly and devoted followers, shut the f**k up.
; )
And please, whatever you do, don't f**k the fish! Leaves an aftertaste.
Great blog. Rave on!
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Oops I quite often tell my younger daughter to stop talking. She goes on and on and on and on. I love her to death but she never shuts up. :D There again my partner never stops either.
I wouldn't' lie and say the fish were scared though, I'd just say "Shut up you are doing my head in!"
Is that ok? ;)
Hey - I was always told I should have been a lawyer, too. Because of my steely stare that most adults would look away from at 13. And I'd whisper to make my point.
Have I told you lately that you rock? Let's go lou fishing. We'll sing "God Save the Queen!" at the top of our lungs!!
It makes perfect sense. I like to get to the bottom of things myself...and that pisses a lot of people off, not just adults. :)
It's true--you do rock! Fuck em and the fish they came in on!
What's lou fishing?
And technically, I did join the CT Bar Association without being a lawyer.
Just to clarify - I walked off in a huff and waited in the car...so no fishing or fish guts or nasty stuff for me!
You...opinionated....I would never have been able to tell. LOL
Yeah, it takes a lot more than a yappy little kid to scare the fish away. If that were true, me and the kids never would have caught any fish. The youngest daughter (about the same age) started talking as soon as she woke up and didn't stop til she went to sleep....all one sentence with no punctuation.
I asked my brother who is a fisherman and he said no talking in the boat is just a crabby old man rule.
Yes, Mae got the cute card with the stickers a few weeks back. Thank you! I'm pretty sure I sent you a comment thanking you when it arrived, but maybe not. My memory has been on vacation lately. :)
My Dad believed that practically anything above a low voice would do that up until we were at a seminar a few years before he died with Bill Dance and Jerry McKinnis and some other pros and they explained that the surface tension of the water acts like a reflector and that unless you actually smack it or impact it somehow, voices and music won't bother the fish.
It was very hard for him to let go of something he'd believed his whole life...
alan
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