Fishy Thoughts

Been seeing political ads a lot again lately. They used to capture my attention. They used to stir this strong urge within me to jump into the fray and get involved. To me it's not so much the personalities but the issues that get twisted and warped to suit someone's campaign. It just drives me nuts when I know something is being pounded deliberately out of whack to make someone look good or bad depending on whose side you're on. I just want to go out and, like adjusting a skewed picture frame on a wall, just set the record straight.

I'm old enough to know, though, that that's like wishing that the Niagara would flow upwards.

So now, knowing that it's an election year and the airwaves will be filled with political stupidity again for the next several months, I am bracing myself for a whole stretch of boredom until it's all over and done with---at least until the next election comes around. Talk about a cycle being vicious.

That's why on days like this, my mind just tunes out and drifts to thoughts of fishing. Out there by my favorite lake, seated on rocks in the warm sun, pole in hand and line in the water, no political ad can reach me.

Not exciting enough for you? Well, have you ever heard of bounty fishing?

Try this quote on for size:

Caldwell has been bounty fishing since the program started in 1991, full-time since he sold his gas station and tackle shop three years ago. His best day was 141 fish…

''For some people this gets pretty competitive,'' he said. ''There's been problems with people where they want to fight over spots to fish. I mean bad enough to get the police involved. I've actually had my life threatened.''

Out in Oregon, it's a federally funded program that pays sports fishermen to catch pikeminnows, a voracious fish that preys on baby salmon trying to swim their way out of the river to the sea.

It can be good living. There are people who really work at it, 12 to 18 hours a day and seven days a week, and they can gross $20,000 during the May-to-October season. Last year, two of the 1,800 people who collected bounties got paid close to $40,000 each.

Read all about it.