The sea is clear and calm. The sun in the early morning slowly begin rising. Fresh cold air touched the face due to morning mist. The early morning is foggy and you feel peace around the place not even a song of the bird. When I throw the fishing line along the bank of the river, there was expectation what I was doing. It was a moment of waiting, seeing, expecting that fish are hungry and deceive by the lures.

A sudden excitement creep me when a big fish caught in the tackle line wriggling, trying to escape away but the hook caught its gill pressing him hard and his effort was in vain. I smiled with triumph thinking it will be a good breakfast of the day a fish called banak.

Sparing time to do fishing especially during Sunday off from work is a wonderful experience. We can smile out from the stresses of our work relaxing our feeling and calming our nerves. It will clear our mind, lighten our mood. We can think clearly devising ways how to catch a bigger fish.

Even when I was in my younger years, I really loved fishing. We have a river not far from our house. After school, we go there along with my neighbors. With our tackles made of bamboo, we used small insects and earthworms as lure. Sometimes we cannot catch any single fish but we were not discourage. We repeatedly done it several times in several occasion until luck favored us to caught enough fish for a better meal. The lesson is.. never give up if there's still time, continue expecting..

Fishing became a big business in some region. Businessmen have their own fishing vessels used in a big time fishing venture. They are were there not for leisure but for making a big profit when sold to market. Owning a vessel alone need enough investment. They have to maintain enough persons to handle fishing using seine lines or other methods to lure fish in volume. They have to stay in the sea for several weeks looking to the surface for any sign of the presence of the school of fish. Waiting is not easy. Sometimes they feel bored but when the activity started by falling the seine lines, circling the fish to the spot where they confined, they were all happy, boosting energy going here and there with pleasure, excitement and experience. The calm sea give them peace of mind. At night, what they did is to group together talking, singing to ebb away the boredom.

Then suddenly, the wind lashes them. The boat is in constant motion going from left to right side, creaking when hit by the waves that started forming. The bigger waves is now forming. All of them now busy maintaining the boat in a steady motion not to fish but to save their lives. Hooking the lines secured with fear in their eyes, trembling from cold water and rain. It hit them without let up, but they able to managed with determination to keep alive from the storm. Exerting all their energy, using all the limbs hanging to their lives. It took hours for the sea to calm its fury slowly fading but smaller waves and lighter wind were still there. The feel exhausted, tired and afraid. Their luck did not run-out. Maybe it is not yet time for them to leave us.

This is the life of the sea when you go fishing. They fish because they wanted to earn a living. They faced the risk of being taken by the sea if luck will not favored them. But it did not deter them to stop joining the group in fishing again because they live a life of a fishermen. It is now their lives going to the sea to earn something for the family.

Tags & Keywords : fishing