Keep Your Line in the Water

Many years ago my friend Steve invited me to go fishing in Alaska. I thought that sounded fun so I decided to give it a try. It was just a year or two after I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail so I was still in Trail shape. I decided to make a big vacation out of it.

Prior to fishing I went up into the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada. What a trip it was. I chartered a little plane to fly to the Arctic Ocean and I actually stood in the Arctic Ocean. I spent the summer solstice in an Inuit village. They had a celebration that started around 10:00 PM and went till the early hours of the morning. Except that the early hours of the morning looked like early afternoon.

I backpacked in Kluane National Park. When I got my permit they asked for an emergency contact. But they also asked for the color of my tent and the color of my backpack in case that’s all that was left. It was an exhilarating hike. The mosquitoes were thick. I ate my supper about a mile from where I eventually set up my tent so that the smell wasn’t close to my campsite. When I went to set up my tent it was difficult because I couldn’t put my tent stakes in the ground. Permafrost.

I worked my way south and finally got to Prince of Wales Island where we were fishing. Jeff Larson was our boat captain. As we left the dock I was really worried because it seemed like a tiny boat and we were going out in the big ocean.

When we got to the first fishing spot I was so frustrated because I couldn’t keep my line from tangling in the reel. Eventually Jeff showed me how to keep my thumb gently on the line as it released. The first fish I ever caught was a 44 pound halibut.

I fished in Alaska for one or two weeks for many years. I listened to everything Jeff told me about fishing and eventually I got pretty good at it.

The most important lesson I learned was to keep my line in the water. I saw so many other people fiddling with their line or watching the fish radar or not even fishing. I just listened to Jeff about where he saw the fish and that’s where I kept my line. And that’s how I caught a lot of fish.

Keep your line in the water is a lesson for more than just fishing. It certainly applies to birding. When you are stalking a skulker you have to stay with it and wait for the bird to come out. There is no other way. You have to keep you line in the water.