3_moore

T. Moore

Composition

Fishing for Direction

A boy and his father stand on the shore of a lake, the boy holding a small fishing pole with a squirming worm occupying a simple straight hook. The youngster looks to his father as he presses the reel release, swings the pole back, and then quickly forward to send the hook into the water with a small plop. The successful cast brings a smile to his face and a nod of approval from the father. They notice an older man standing waist deep and alone in a nearby cove. He whips a bright yellow line back and forth in the air from the tip of a long slender pole and casts forward with a single flowing movement. The cast is completed as a boat bristling with equipment, coolers and two young fishermen pass in front of the two on the shore. The boy looks down at his small pole, and then to his father, wondering where he fits in.

The boat continues along the shoreline, dragging lines that each young man easily casts and reels as they sit on raised and padded seats. The short straight poles, clear fishing line and weighted specialized lures hit imaginary targets as they continue, guided by sonar and up to date weather reports. The battle between man and nature is fought with all the tools that can be collected at the local sporting goods store.

The boat is the expensive extension of straight-rod fishing. The straight-rod cast requires a small amount of space and is easy to control. It has inspired the growth of tournaments that create camaraderie and fish stories at the end of the day. It is a group activity in preparation and execution. This is in direct contrast to the fly fisherman who battles nature with artistic simplicity.

The old man in the cove stands waist deep in the water with a simple pole and lures of feathers tied together and moved over and through the water in a complex dance to catch the attention of fish. The complex cast of fly fishermen requires room and concentration, removing the social interaction. This simple artistic approach to the sport is, however, deceiving because the small amount of equipment can be expensive and difficult to find.

At that moment the boy yells in surprise as his pole tip bends with the weight of a fish. The father helps him reel in his catch, remove it safely from the hook and release it into the water. The boy grins and looks up as the old man waves his congratulations, and the two young fishermen give congratulatory thumbs up as their boat passes. The memory of that first fish unites all sportsmen regardless of equipment because that simple pole, hook and first fish are in each fisherman's memory. It is this simple first encounter each fisherman works to recreate, no matter the method.









			T. Moore Composition Fishing for Direction A boy and his father stand on the shore of a lake, the boy holding a small fishing pole with a squirming worm occupying a simple straight hook. The youngster looks to his father as he presses the reel release, swings the pole back, and then quickly forward to send the hook into the water with a small plop. The successful cast brings a smile to his face and a nod of approval from the father. They notice an older man standing waist deep and alone in a nearby cove. He whips a bright yellow line back and forth in the air from the tip of a long slender pole and casts forward with a single flowing movement. The cast is completed as a boat bristling with equipment, coolers and two young fishermen pass in front of the two on the shore. The boy looks down at his small pole, and then to his father, wondering where he fits in. The boat continues along the shoreline, dragging lines that each young man easily casts and reels as they sit on raised and padded seats. The short straight poles, clear fishing line and weighted specialized lures hit imaginary targets as they continue, guided by sonar and up to date weather reports. The battle between man and nature is fought with all the tools that can be collected at the local sporting goods store. The boat is the expensive extension of straight-rod fishing. The straight-rod cast requires a small amount of space and is easy to control. It has inspired the growth of tournaments that create camaraderie and fish stories at the end of the day. It is a group activity in preparation and execution. This is in direct contrast to the fly fisherman who battles nature with artistic simplicity. The old man in the cove stands waist deep in the water with a simple pole and lures of feathers tied together and moved over and through the water in a complex dance to catch the attention of fish. The complex cast of fly fishermen requires room and concentration, removing the social interaction. This simple artistic approach to the sport is, however, deceiving because the small amount of equipment can be expensive and difficult to find. At that moment the boy yells in surprise as his pole tip bends with the weight of a fish. The father helps him reel in his catch, remove it safely from the hook and release it into the water. The boy grins and looks up as the old man waves his congratulations, and the two young fishermen give congratulatory thumbs up as their boat passes. The memory of that first fish unites all sportsmen regardless of equipment because that simple pole, hook and first fish are in each fisherman's memory. It is this simple first encounter each fisherman works to recreate, no matter the method.