Blog Minx

Well, I have already fulfilled one of my 2008 resolutions: I went fishing (not to be confused with phishing) for the first time in my life. I didn’t catch anything, but that was okay. Why would you want to catch anything? It’s one of the few times that it’s fine to simply sit in silence and wait for something to possibly happen. Watching the time roll away, as Otis Redding sang. Or was it tide?

Five steps to masterful fishing:

1. Purchase fishing rod (unless you’re adept at catching with hands or harpoon, or the power of attraction).
2. Bait the hook with something the fish will like to eat. Pancakes? Must ask them.
3. Cast line out but be careful not to fall in the water.
4. Sit for ages and watch the world go by.
5. Repeat Step 4 until you catch something/fall asleep.

The rod cost $50 (NZ), and it’s quite a good one with a reel and everything. We bought smelly squid as bait – yuck. Perhaps that’s why we didn’t catch anything. Other fishers on the pier had just picked mussels off the rocks, so I’ll try that next time. It was handy watching and learning from the other fishers; some looked like they lived there permanently, all salt-licked and sunbaked with all the time in the world.

All in all, fishing’s a cheap hobby and very relaxing because my dinner isn’t relying on catching food. And it sure beats running round the malls during the New Year Sales, which is what everyone else seems to be doing. Didn’t they get sick of all the Christmas shopping? I do like to shop but I have finally managed to figure out that if you buy something that’s 30% off in the sales you are not saving money if you weren’t planning to buy it in the first place.