Just yesterday, the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) stocking trucks made their first visits, of the season, to many streams and rivers across the U.S. to begin preparing for the long-awaited opening day- the 19th of April.

In many cultures, important hunting or fishing excursions are traditionally preceded by days of preparations, and ceremonial activities. In some cultures, like that of the people in Cape Verde, a boy’s first fishing trip is considered a key part in his transition to manhood. In early Lithuanian culture, it was customary for villages to socialize for days while mending and preparing fishing nets for the beginning of fishing seasons. Although, here in the U.S., there are no specific, regional traditions associated with ‘opening day,’ fishermen must not neglect this important time of preparation; a lesson that I learned at a very young age.

When I was a young boy, it was tradition in my house that the night before opening day, I, along with my little brother, and two of our close friends, would camp in a small tent near the Natchaug River. Although the idea was to get a good night’s sleep before the big day, the anticipation of the coming morning was too much to bear, and sleep was hard to come by. Hours would tick away, as we sat wide-eyed and brag about the fish that we were going to catch, come sun-up.

Although our usual catch was a handful of crappies and shiners, with the occasional six-inch rainbow (caught by our father, and simply reeled in by one of us), we would spend hours bragging about the ‘monster’ fish we were going to catch, and how we would one day have our own television show on ESPN, and be famous world anglers. Around 5 a.m., we would burst forth from the tent in search for our fishing gear, which was always strewn across the campsite, untouched since around May the previous year.

While trying to untangle, and restring our knotted reels, there was always the inevitable fact that would be drawn, and expletives thrown, before we were actually ‘ready’ to begin fishing. It would not be until about 5 of 6:00, that we would be heading out of the campsite, skipping toward the river, in our oversized waders, accented by our flashy yellow tackle-boxes, and Scooby-Doo fishing poles, coupled with the traditional ‘bacon-egg-hash brown-pancake sandwich’ (a forced alternative to a home cooked hardy breakfast).

Although we were full of excitement, our creels seemed to always be empty; an unimportant fact at the time, but a fact that would cause me to understand the important of preparation for the ‘big day.’ After looking back on the many years that I had to wake up hours before 6:00, simply to gather together tackle, and make drastic repairs on equipment, I learned that it is better to have everything in line, and ready to be used, long before it is actually time. This year, I have already begun to prepare my reels, and weed out old flies from my boxes, so that I might be thoroughly equipped for catching fish.

There are many important things that can be done to adequately prepare oneself for an effective and enjoyable season of fishing, starting from day one. Throughout the next few days, I will discuss the importance of proper maintenance, and share many different ways to achieve the maximum satisfaction, and endurance from ones fishing gear.

- Reino de Pescado

Tags: Cape Verde, DEP, Department of Environmental Protection, Fishing, Lithuanian culture, traditions

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