Fishing in the Central Valley: It’s no fun to be on the wrong end of the bite

In our family, I’m the crazy fisherman, while my wife Elaine is on the other end of the spectrum. A former nurse, she is a true people person and not a crazed angler.

Opposites do attract, which has worked for us, but the issues of perspective and communication about fishing are still a work in progress. Elaine has always been very supportive, but at times she’ll ask me hard fishing questions that I can’t quite answer.

Here is a recent example:

It all began when I recently decided to cancel a fishing trip I had planned on doing for over a week. Elaine wondered why I was staying home, and I told her that after carefully evaluating all the factors - it was best to stay at home.

There was a full moon, some wind and the water was stained from the rain -- better to wait a few days.

She agreed, and that was that, or so I thought.

I usually try to let her know what I’m doing so she’s comfortable with me taking the trip.

However in this case I also could build up a few positive points in my honey-do tank by not going.

But I oversold it.

The day before I canceled my trip, the forecast had improved.

And then, my buddy Mike calls to tell me he and others had just gotten off the water and they did well!

“Roger, you need to go tomorrow,” he said.

Oops, I had done such a great job of explaining why I shouldn’t go, that I couldn’t.

Thinking, thinking, thinking of what to do.

Should I eat crow and try to give Elaine a reason why my plans have changed?

I finally decided that the direct approach was best- with a few key modifications.

“Elaine, I know I told you that I wasn’t going fishing tomorrow -- but the wind forecast has changed, and my buddy Mike did real good today. He says I gotta go !”

She’s looking at me sideways and says, “but the full moon that you said was bad for fishing hasn’t changed, has it?

“Ouch!” The one point I hoped she wouldn’t remember - and there it was! “Yes Hon, good point, but once in awhile it’s good anyway. Mike doesn’t seem to think the moon is that big a deal this time,” I said.

After a short pause my lovely wife filets me with: “ I know, you have all these fancy reasons, but the bottom line is you just want to go fishing tomorrow good, bad or otherwise, right?”

Yikes, that was too close to home.

I surrender, hope for mercy and fall into silence.

She tells me to go anyway.

I try to act calm but am doing handstands on the inside.

And I thank God for an understanding spouse.

The next evening, I get home. Tired, I walk in the door when she casually asks about the fishing.

I know a trap when I hear it, so I told her that I did very well and it was a great day.

“So why didn’t you think it was going to be good, the first time you canceled, since you’re a so-called expert?” she asks.

I hadn’t considered her asking that.

I sputtered through a few weak answers before admitting defeat.

Later I realized that if I had done badly that she would have correctly noted that I hadn’t followed my own advice. Yes, I had set myself up nicely.

It’s hard to get intellectually body slammed, but she always sees through my contrived reasons because she’s lived with an obsessed angler for quite awhile.

Don’t get me wrong - she is my cheerleader, too. But it is funny how similar conversations happen in other fishing households, too.

I have found that in the end it all seems to work out.

As long as people keep talking and never give up.

Roger George: rogergeorge8@protonmail.com, Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars.