I live a 10-minute walk from one of the premier trout fishing rivers in the Pacific Northwest--The Trinity River.
Last December a few weeks before x-mas, I got a hankering to go fishin'.
A neighbor is an avid fisherman and he supplies me with all the fresh-caught trout & salmon I want, and I hadn't been fishing all year.
So I hadn't bought a license for '04. I called the only store within 20 miles and they were all out of 3 and 5 day license's; all they had left were a few yearly ones (which expires 12/31).
Well, I didn't want to pay for an entire year to fish once. Where I fish is pretty remote so I decieded to fish anyway.
So I put my pocket fisherman in my backpack, grab a bucket (I like to keep the fish alive until just before I cook them) and head off for the river.
I had pretty good luck and within 2 hours I had 3 plump 14" 'bows swimming around in the bucket.
I figure that's enough, so I put my pocket fisherman back in my pack, grab the bucket to go home, when a Fish And Game guy drives up in a truck.
Uh-oh.
He sees me and walks up.
"I don't see a fishing license" he says.
"I don't have one" I say.
"Do you know what the fine is for fishing without a license?"
I had to think fast.
"Oh, I wasn't fishing."
He looks down into the bucket at the 3 trout then back at me.
"Those are my pet fish" I said.
"Say what?"
"Yeah I keep them at home in a tank, and every once in awhile I feel they're homesick so I bring 'em down here, let 'em swim around in the river while I smoke a cigarette, then I whistle and they jump back into the bucket and I take 'em home."
"Yeah right."
"Look, I'll prove it" I say. I empty the fish into the river and sit down on a rock and light a cig.
When I finish the cig I get up and start to leave.
"Hey when are you gonna call them back?" he says.
"Call who back?" I say.
"The FISH" he says.
I say "WHAT fish?" and leave.
Last December a few weeks before x-mas, I got a hankering to go fishin'.
A neighbor is an avid fisherman and he supplies me with all the fresh-caught trout & salmon I want, and I hadn't been fishing all year.
So I hadn't bought a license for '04. I called the only store within 20 miles and they were all out of 3 and 5 day license's; all they had left were a few yearly ones (which expires 12/31).
Well, I didn't want to pay for an entire year to fish once. Where I fish is pretty remote so I decieded to fish anyway.
So I put my pocket fisherman in my backpack, grab a bucket (I like to keep the fish alive until just before I cook them) and head off for the river.
I had pretty good luck and within 2 hours I had 3 plump 14" 'bows swimming around in the bucket.
I figure that's enough, so I put my pocket fisherman back in my pack, grab the bucket to go home, when a Fish And Game guy drives up in a truck.
Uh-oh.
He sees me and walks up.
"I don't see a fishing license" he says.
"I don't have one" I say.
"Do you know what the fine is for fishing without a license?"
I had to think fast.
"Oh, I wasn't fishing."
He looks down into the bucket at the 3 trout then back at me.
"Those are my pet fish" I said.
"Say what?"
"Yeah I keep them at home in a tank, and every once in awhile I feel they're homesick so I bring 'em down here, let 'em swim around in the river while I smoke a cigarette, then I whistle and they jump back into the bucket and I take 'em home."
"Yeah right."
"Look, I'll prove it" I say. I empty the fish into the river and sit down on a rock and light a cig.
When I finish the cig I get up and start to leave.
"Hey when are you gonna call them back?" he says.
"Call who back?" I say.
"The FISH" he says.
I say "WHAT fish?" and leave.
