Lured to the Mississippi

The sun was in the east, casting shadows before hubby and his buddy starting casting their lines in the waters of the Mighty M.

That was yesterday.  Today we eat the bounties of their casts.  Nothing compares to fresh fish, filleted, seasoned with salt and pepper, dredged in flour, and fried to sizzling crisps.  Frying fish is an ancestral ceremony at our house.

The fish has been a symbol in Christianity since its origin.  The fish symbol is based on the Greek word, ichthys, meaning  fish, and is an acronym in Greek which translates into English as  "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior."  According to tradition, "when a Christian met a stranger in the road, the Christian sometimes drew one arc of the simple fish outline in the dirt.  If the stranger drew the other arc, both believers knew they were in good company."  (Christianity Today)

"Going fishing" with a buddy is a non-denominational communion.  Fishermen are quick to admit to the old saying, "The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad."  For those of us who enjoy the sport, fishing is spiritual, with biblical roots.

When the guys get home from a day of fishing, I always get a kick out of listening to them tell where they put in the boat, what area they fished, what they used for bait, what fish bit on what bait, what kinds of fish were biting, and, of course, the size of the "one that got away."

Fish stories are a lore of their own.  If a fish story is told enough times, it's acceptable for the fish to keep growing.  It's simply more proof that the fun of fishing doesn't end when the boat comes back out of the water.  One day of fishing can last a lifetime.

Before

Yesterday's catch included these crappie, bluegill, perch and bass.  The guys released the bass back into the river because they didn't meet the legal length of 14 inches.

After

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing
 poles."  ~Doug Larson