Species #3
**The picture depicted here may not necessarily represent my first catch of this species. It is simply the clearest and most beautiful picture I've taken of this species. The picture of my first catch of some species may not exist.**
After my first two experiences of fishing, I was completely absorbed in the hobby. Later that summer in 1993, I went to the Canadian National Exhibition where there was a small fishing section at the back of the hall. I remember tried to catch a trout from the kiddie pond, introduced to the urban fishing opportunities in the Toronto area by one of Toronto Region Conservation Authority's publication, received my first set of fishing regulations and consumption guide, and, most significantly, designed my very first fly with the help of a volunteer fly tier. I was an 11 year old kid in a fishing store!
CFMT was the only TV channel at the time that delivered news in Cantonese during the 9pm slot. With my parents occupied, I would take advantage of this time to read the urban fishing opportunity booklet in bed. I fell asleep with images of all the different species of fish that I wanted to catch and had yet to catch. Even at that young stage in my fishing career I was keenly interested in catch all the species of fish.
My mom was probably sick of my feverish obsession about fishing by that time, but I think my dad secretly rejoiced to see my inclination toward the outdoors. He loves to fish as a child and told me stories of abalone picking and sea urchin diving in Hong Kong.
The next opportunity I received was in the summer of 1994, almost a full year after I caught my first fish. That summer, my dad took me to a storm water management pond in Streetsville called Lake Aquitaine. It was one of the urban fishing locations I had read about from the booklet. At the time, the lake was fairly well managed and the habitat was quite healthy. I remember meeting a boy fishing a secluded little spot hidden away beside the concrete lookout. He and I caught a lot of sunfish that day and I learned more about habitats that fish love to use.
While most kids were free or had sport practices on Saturdays and Sundays, my weekend mornings were occupied by Chinese language classes and Sunday masses. I never had the same opportunities as other kids to fish on the weekends. There were two important things that were missed on Saturday mornings - cartoon shows that kept you "in the know" and fishing shows. On the rare occasions when there were no class on a particular Saturday (or during the summer), I woke early to watch fishing shows - with the volume set low I would not wake my parents up. Their arrival was certainly the end of my fishing education. Kids should not spend too much time in front of the television.
Through the limited exposure to fishing shows, I learned that one rod was simply not adequate to catch the different species. My beefy Daiwa rod and reel was designed for saltwater fishing. I needed something lighter and shorter for the freshwater opportunities in Ontario. Somehow, I was fixated on getting an ultralight rod to catch some of the smaller, easier species like Yellow Perch, Black Crappie, Smallmouth Bass and Largemouth Bass.
After I had spoken endlessly about an ultralight rod for months, my parents finally bought one as a gift for my 13th birthday. That was in 1995. Even at that young age, I was mindful of my family's expenses and I picked the cheapest rod available. It was just under $10 at the time, but this new rod gave me a new sense of fulfillment. I finally had the right tool to catch a lot of fish. This mentality is probably shared among all new anglers. As I learned later in my fishing career, it is not always the tools that makes the angler; but that's another story to tell later.
The quick and constant sunfish action at Lake Aquitaine prompted me to invite my buddies Mike and Andrew. Proudly armed with my new ultralight rod and wanted to show off my new gear, I fired the first cast toward a set of lily pads, confident that there was a sunfish hiding just underneath. Unfortunately, I had cast my line right in the midst of the lilies instead of the edge. My hook was soon firmly lodge into one of the stalks and it wasn't coming free. Using my dad's technique to free the hook was unsuccessful, and I soon started to pull back as hard as possible with my rod hoping to either ripped the hook out or break the line.
Well, that was probably the worst decision to make using an ultralight rod. I heard a loud crack and felt a complete loss of resistance from the rod. My very first rod that I could call my own had snapped in half. An incomprehensible loss fell over me. At the same time, I feared that my parents would be angry I was so careless with the birthday gift. I was scrambling for a solution. I needed something.
I had always been quite ingenious. The break was just above the ferrule. The rest of the top piece of the rod was intact and the break was fairly clean. I removed the 2" broken section that was inside the ferrule. Then, using the clear plastic bag that held our worm container, I wrapped it a couple of time around the thinner broken bottom end of the top piece and then jammed it inside the ferrule. The plastic bag wraps added just enough thickness to hold the top piece in place. I could continued to fish on.
I still wanted to cast close to the lily pads because I knew a fish was hiding underneath. So I purposely cast beyond the lily pad and then retrieved the bobber rig back toward the edge. The bobber didn't sit too long before it was pulled under and I caught my third ever species, a Yellow Perch, on my new, broken, but functional, ultralight rod.
I learned an important lesson that day. It was a lesson that I am still mindful today. I try to pass on that wisdom to anyone that I can see about to make the same mistake.
Lesson #3: Do not ever use your rod to free a snag! You can always use your hands to pull on the line.
I would see someone catch a Largemouth Bass from the dock that day. And my obsession to catch a bass started.
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