Good Friends

Fishing is, for the most part, an individual sport.  There are exceptions, such as marlin fishing, where a team works together to catch fish.  Even though our accomplishments when fishing are individual, there is a lot to be said for fishing with others.

I, for one, appreciate having the presence of another to share experiences and successes.  There’s something about having someone witness your catch, especially “trophies”, that makes those memories all the sweeter.  Plus, they are far more believable if your fishing partner is kind enough to record the event with a camera.  Note, ideally both you and the fish should be in the picture.

Another benefit to company while on the water is it often increases your chances of success. With two or more people fishing, everyone can try different techniques and methods.  This can result in figuring out a productive pattern far more quickly than a single angler can.  Once a pattern is established, everyone can join in catching fish.

Maybe the best reason for fishing with others is simply the comradery, especially if your fishing partner is also a friend who you enjoy spending time with on and off the water.  There’s nothing quite like having someone to share recent events with while fishing.  Or to share fishing tales with on those occasions when you fished with others.  Or simply to just enjoy each other’s company.  Yep, life is great when your best friends are also fishing buddies.'

Over the years I’ve had the good fortune to fish with many other anglers, and with luck, I’ll get to fish with many more.  Yet for all the folks I’ve fished with, only a handful have become regular fishing buddies and good friends.  In fact, I still don’t need two hands to count all the anglers with whom I not only fished with frequently, but also spent time with whenever possible off the water.
Several years back I lost one such friend to an accident.  The news hit me hard, and there are times when thinking of John that I still get emotional thinking about the times we had together, joy, happiness, sadness, and yes, even anger. But life goes on and I continue to fish, enjoy life, and fish, both alone and with friends new and old. 

At some point after John’s parting I met Bill, who I’ve written about and shared many of our exploits through this column and other writings.  While Bill no longer lives in the area, ever since we met and started fishing together our friendship grew and we spent time on and off the water together whenever we could.  Even after his move, we’ve made the effort to get together whenever possible to visit and fish. 

This upcoming year we’d planned to fish together on at least three outings, a Lake Mead bass trip, a Canada muskie trip, and a Texas coast redfish trip.  Unfortunately, none of those events will occur.  For whatever reason, Bill has developed cancer and its spread throughout his body.  As a result, my friend won’t be with us much longer.

I’m taking some of the time we’d planned to fish together to spend with him these next few months.  I don’t know if we’ll get to fish together again, but it matters not as we’ve spent many hours together both on and off the water. I simply wish to be part of what remaining time he has.
Yes, fishing is, and always will be, an individual sport.  But time spent fishing is greatly enriched when spent in the company of great friends, such as Bill.  I hope you’re as fortunate as I’ve been to have friends like John and Bill.

Originally published in the Fort Collins, Coloradoan on January, 31, 2016.