Catching the Big Fish

Summer is almost here and classes will soon end. As early as now, let's gear up for some adventure!

One of my greatest memories of summer is catching a big fish. It was not captured in a photo because it happened so fast, but it is forever captured in my mind. It was one of the most enjoyable summer vacations I ever had.

Here's how it happened.

My cousins and I were invited to the farm of a family friend, who had several tilapia (a popular freshwater fish in Luzon) ponds. She had one pond drained of water so that the children could get down and catch fish. We were each given a pail with a cover in which to place our catch.

The shallow water was just up to our knees so we could see all the fish jumping all around us. Some tickled our legs and some kept leaping and we kept yelping, enjoying the splashes of water. Getting wet and sliding in the mud was part of the fun.

It was hard catching fish with our bare hands, so some of us tried to scoop the little fish with their pails. Soon, some of them had caught many fish.

I didn't want to catch just any fish, I wanted the biggest one. So I chased the big ones, making me slip and trip along the way. I could hear the adults laughing so hard above us.

Finally, I was so close, very close, to a big fish - and so I carefully had my pail ready to trap it. One . . . two . . . three - oops it got away!

I tried for another one. I held my breath . . . counted from one to three - and gotcha!

As soon as I trapped it in my pail, I put the lid over it. It was moving vigorously inside, so I had to keep my balance, trying to stand erect.

Wow! For me, catching a big fish was like winning a gold medal in a race or in a contest.

My cousins were told to return the little fish into the pond to allow them to grow. But my fish - my very own big fish - was roasted on coals together with the other big fish that someone in-charge had caught in another pond. We all shared them for lunch!

Consider going fishing this summer. If you can't go to a pond, there are many other places - hotel, resort, sea - which allow people to fish. Most of those places provide all you need (rod and bait) to catch your choice fish.

But in case you go to a place - a brook, stream, or river - where fishing is allowed, but you have no fishing gear with you, here's how you can do your own quickly.

Improvised fishing gear:

Rod:

any piece of long, thin wood picked up from anywhere or you can cut a thin branch from any tree

Line:

string, yarn, twine, thread, or long, strong grass

Hook:

paper clip, broken soda top, sharp twig, hairpin, or piece of wire

Bait:

dead insects, plastic beads, or tiny leaves

If you prefer not to use a fishing rod, you can use traps: a piece of cloth, a plastic bag, or pail.

What to wear: your oldest jeans or shorts and t-shirt; rubber shoes or slippers; a hat to protect you from the sun; and maybe sun glasses to protect your eyes from the glare.

Ready? Now, go and catch the big fish!

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