When fish are a bonus: Why time on the water is the best gift a Father could ask for
In these days of busy lives and digital distractions, it’s priceless to be able to get outside and enjoy quality time with the family. With Father’s Day coming up, it’s a great time to reflect on the memories and the powerful bonds that fishing can bring to a father and his children.
A question commonly asked throughout fishing circles is, why do you like fishing? Or what got you so into fishing? What is it that draws someone to spend hours on the water knowing you might come back empty handed?
Like all meaningful hobbies, the answer to these questions changes from group to group.
Some use it as a chance to relax and escape, some to get a rush of adrenaline or catch a feed of fish for dinner, proudly sharing their achievements with their family. And for others, it is a chance to spend time and learn alongside the people they love.
For many of us, there is a deep emotional connection to fishing and it sparks moments with dads, stepdads, male role models and best mates who may one day turn into dads.
Fishing is an age-old pastime, and whilst the technology, the tackle and techniques have changed throughout the decades, the reasons why people love and dedicate so much time to it, have not.
Whether it is off the local jetty for the first time, landing a personal best fish, sitting in the garage learning to tie knots, or down at the local pub chatting about that time it all went pair-shaped, fishing has always been a chance to get outdoors and share a common interest with family and friends.
There is an old fishing saying that goes, “when fish are a bonus”. Perhaps born from the lips of an unsuccessful angler, the saying has morphed into a catchphrase for those moments when the people you’re with and places you visit are greater than the joy of catching a fish.
Without going any further, you’re already starting to picture it, aren’t you? The image of a father and son dangling their baits in a known spot with a couple beers on the bait board. Or, the image of a father untangling his child’s line which is in a mess and handing over his rod so they can keep fishing.
Whatever the case may be, both situations are moments that warrant the phrase, “when fish are a bonus,” because any time a father can spend time on the water and learn alongside their son or daughter, is a time to remember.
“There are few things better than fishing with your kids. It’s not about the catching but instead about teaching them to understand their impact so they can grow up in tune with nature” – Al McGlashan
With fishing being a generational hobbie, one of the true joys a father can have is seeing the transition from being the ‘teacher’, to the ‘student’.
In the early years of a father’s life, a fishing trip may have been defined by knot tying, bait collecting, and entertaining their children to keep the enthusiasm ‘high’.
As the years roll on, however, that effort is rewarded as the father is gifted the chance to go fishing with his children who are repaying the favour that he once gave them… and the pattern repeats.
As we approach Father’s Day for 2021, in a year that’s different for all of us, many may not be able to visit their dads or perhaps get out on the water.
The smile you see on a child’s face when they finally land that fish, catch that worm or scoop that prawn is priceless. Most of the time I am happy to just sit back and see the magic unfold – Michael Guest
It is a chance for us to celebrate our fathers and their impact on our lives. Fishing dads have taught us patience and perseverance, finding the right moment, problem solving, friendly competition, thinking before acting and most importantly, being present in the moment.
This Father’s Day, why not consider an OzFish membership and give yourself and your dad another reason to get outdoors.
An OzFish membership isn’t about the cap or the stickers or the cool gift you get in your membership pack.
It is individuals and families and even young kids proudly saying, “I want fishing to be around for my kids and for their kids and I want to be part of giving back to what has given me so much.”
OzFish is the perfect place where you can have just that.