The ONE that didn't get away!
There is a wise saying
"Give a man a fish and he has a meal. TEACH a man to fish and he has a livelihood."
People love handouts. I do! It cuts all the corners and one can sit back and enjoy.... whether it be a sandwich or an anorak. The big question is whether or not it isn't simply easier to hand a person in need a donation, rather than investing the time in teaching him or her a skill that will indeed help them on a long term basis.
I personally have to be convinced that there is a long term future for a scheme whether it is teaching the underprivileged, computer skills, to sew, or indeed how to fish. Projects that spring up in a needy community like flowers after rain and die just as quick a death when the rain ceases, are damaging ........for everybody. Sustainability is key.
I have been involved with both. I've experienced the joy and the disappointment. More on the plus side thank goodness.
On a lighter note........
Don't teach me to fish. I tried to catch a trout once in a beautiful Drakensberg river. I loved the balletic style of swooping the flexible rod back and forth in an attempt to emulate a dragonfly tipping the water's surface. I put all my energy into it and managed, to my horrible embarrassment, to connect the tip of the rod with a rock and I broke it.
Please just give me a fish and I will prepare it in a mouthwatering way to tempt one to lick the plate when the food is gone. I obviously think I'm a better cook than I am a fisherwoman. (I have never taken to putting slimy smelly bait on hooks.)
My husband had been taught to fish by an uncle and it gave him an excuse to go down to the coast, ANY coast, sometimes in the company of a gang of guys for a week. The aim? To get 'the BIG one!"
So our family holidays were always in the winter season so that 'Himself' could fish. The fun of it was going in a group of like minded friends all in our caravans. On the south coast of Kwa Zulu Natal, winter is the season for the marvel called The Sardine Run and these little fish attract a wide variety of game fish. 'Himself' has certainly caught his fair share of salmon, musselcracker and grunter, but my personal best is Shad.
The 'boys' would leave the caravans of sleeping women and children to go fishing at 5am. A heavenly silence would reign until they returned a few hours later. If shad was in the bag and it usually was, the skottel cooker would be fired up and a heavenly breakfast of crispy golden fried fish would take me into 'heaven'. My best treat ever!
In conclusion on this natter about fishing, is my question "Is fishing a male dominated sport?"
Certainly in our small group of caravaning friends the answer was YES. But in the world out there, NOT so much. An annual big prize fishing competition off our Silver Beach in Port Edward regularly has women in the top 3.
I can barely imagine how a dad or a patient grandpa taught little girl fingers the skill of putting bits of sardine or prawn on hooks and even more unlikely to me, how to love the sport of casting and reeling and to my mind, the endless hours of untangling kilometres of tangled line in the common 'overwind'.
But on those long ago golden holidays, we women loved the chance to sunbathe, read, chat, swim (even in the winter) and enjoy our girl children as we waved a fond and relieved farewell to our menfolk in their pursuit of the ONE that didn't get away!
What a lovely story @justjoy and a familiar one! I come from a family of 4 brothers, everyone loved fishing except me, even my Mom fished! We also used to have winter holidays down the KZN South coast, 3 weeks at a time, our favourite being TO Strand & Glenmore. Fishing was quite a science for Dad & my brothers, and they'd be at the waters by day break. Mom would casually stroll down much later and would often land the big one much to the men's disdain ;) I agree with you, shad still is the tastiest fish of them all!
Hi Lizelle we have a lot in common...........holidaying on the south coast of KZN was and still is priceless.
My husband and I christened our new caravan at TO strand recently and loved it. I love that your mom had the gift of fishing and put the boys to 'shame'. My daughter is also enjoys fishing. she tiptoes across the rocks with her long lean legs and hooks a fish quite often from amongst a goggle of men! Makes me smile.
I ate a shad, a gift as my husband has stopped fishing, recently and it was just as delicious as those I remembered from way back. Gorgeous memories!