Gone Fishing--part 16--The End

[Central Scrutinizer]

 

 

Gone Fishing--Another Village Life Tale--part 16--The End

 

 

 

 

 

To All,

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as the lure struck the water I gave it a 3 second count to drop a bit into the water and started to reel it back in. I could feel the spinner kick into spinning and jigged the lure to simulate the dying throes of a fish in distress. I was now in my element. Fishing!! Fuck that netting shit! Too laborious and dangerous, and hell on the back. I was doing what I am best at now. True fishing. Using lures instead of live bait is to me the real test of a fisherman. To be able to take an inanimate object and fool the fish into thinking it's something alive and tasty requires some skill, some knowledge of fish and their habits, and for me seperates the men from the boys.

 

 

 

It's a Zen thing. A mind meld with the fish. It's relaxing, yet exciting. The anticipation of the strike. The fight to come. The repititious casting and retrieving while concentrating on the moves that you send through the line to the lure through subtle movements of your own body casts a spell on your mind and soul. You become one with nature. You are the hunter, the provider of meat for the communal fire, pitting your skills against the wily beast. Modern society be damned!! If the big one drops you'll survive and feed the clan. Your belly will be full when the Makro down the road has been stripped bare by the starving mobs. You are man, the ultimate hunter!! Errr..........well, something like that anyway. It's fun.

 

 

 

Halfway back on the retrieval of my first cast I had a strike. A good one too! I snapped the pole back setting the hook deeper. This bastard was mine!! He made a run for deeper water. I played out the line as the drag whirred and hummed. Let him run, there will be no escape. I am the master of this game baby!! It's like chess. Move and counter-move. Planned strategy and memmories of old battles fought, and won and lost. Experience counts. The grey matter now matters. I had become this one fish's vengeful and terrible God. His gluttony was his downfall. My plastic bag his purgatory. My frying pan his hell. It was time to alter his reality. He was dinner!!

 

 

 

I reeled in furiously. He ran again, now a bit tired and probably wondering if he had bit off more than he could chew. I let him run, but a little less this time, and once again reeled him closer to his doom. He broke the surface, and thrashed the water into a foam of futile anger at his predicament. He was close. One more run and he was mine!! My redemption as the alpha male hunter/fisher/provider of meat for the family was at hand. This falang could fish! Ya can't joke about the fishing ability of the guy whose fish is filling your belly now can ya?!! Hahahaha!

 

 

 

Wife and daughter had come up next to me finally. Daughter laughed and clapped her hands when she saw I had a fish on the line. Yes look sow, father is a fine provider. Your meal is coming. "What you do darling?" the wifes asks. "I'm catching your dinner dear! Now shaddup a minute so's I can land the bugger will ya?!!" She smiles and said, "Okay. You want beer?" Wimmin!! Ya jes can't take 'em fishin'!!! "Not now dammit!! I'm catching a fish!" I grumbled, as I concentrated on my catching the damned thing.

 

 

 

Finally the fight was out of the Isaan aquatic prey. He came in easily, a beaten, and to be eaten, fish. I pulled him from the pink tinted sunset waters. He was a beauty. A good pound and a half, maybe. A meal for one no problem! I held him up in the dying sunlight for the wife and daughter to see. "Can eat." was the wife's smiling comment. Daughter clapped her hands once again and smiled, then started playing around with my lures and gear. The three rowdy boys came over to examine the farang's catch, seemingly impressed. Yeah! Let's see your daddy catch as fine a fish you little disrespectful scamps!! I took a beer Chang and gulped it down. Yessssssssssss.

 

 

 

Within a half hour I caught three more fish before it was too dark to see anymore. One more, as large as the first one. One maybe a pound, and a little bugger, who upon examination by the wife was deemed edible enough. I don't think there is too much "catch and release" going on in Isaan. If you catch it, you eat it, it seems.

 

 

 

We took our catch and walked slowly back toward the house. Look sow was showing off my fine catch to all the neighbors along the way. I was happy, and tired, and my fucking skin felt as though it was on fire. Sis came over and inspected my fish. "Wow! Good fish!" she exclaimed, "Now I cook, okay? We eat?" Yes my talkative wench, now you can cook and eat the damned things. And remember as you are chewing your meal who caught them!! Me! The falang fisherman.

 

 

 

She gutted the fish, stuffed them with herbs, what looked to be lemon grass, parsely, and young bamboo shoots I think. The bamboo shoots were left sticking out of the mouths of each fish by a few inches and used for turning the fish over on the charcoal grill as they cooked. My fish fed the wife, Sis, daughter, and old Mama too. Accompanied by rice and peppers, some sticky rice, and vegetables, it was declared a fine feast. I only had one small bite, wanting them to eat it all. Tasty it was. I was pooped, and too tired even to eat. I just sat at the cement chess table at Sis 2's shop and drank more beer. Later my wife brought the still hot charcoal grill over by me and cooked me some pork and shrimps, which I ate with some sticky rice while I quaffed my beers and relaxed.

 

 

 

Sis came over later and sat with me, and as we all sat around drinking and chatting I admitted to all that Sis had not pushed me into the rice fishing pond. It was all just a big falang joke on her. This brought about much laughing and joking and teasing of Sis, who good naturedly beat the crap out of me. I was too tired to run and didn't want to spill my beer Chang. Sis couldn't figure out exactly why really I had played my trick on her, and fuck it, why should I explain the strange mind of the farang to them. I'd rather remain a bit of an enigma. I prefer to remain a mysterious and somewhat inscrutable foreigner. It's my allure. I am a part of this family, yet have different and strange ways sometimes, which is accepted by them for the most part. It also helps when I want things to go my way. I just say it's the falang way, and my will be done, please. I AM the head of the household. No further arguments will be heard!! Haha! Yeah, sure. I ordered a couple of bottles of Lao Kao to be dispensed for everyone around the table by Sis 2 and a party broke out.

 

 

 

As I sat there contented, a bit drunk, fed and watered, and feeling my just oats over my awesome fishing skills having been able to feed four people, no matter that I'd spent enough baht on fishing gear to have fed half the village a feast that night, I cast back in my mind over the day. It was hard to believe all I had done in just one day. And what a day it had been! With more to come I imagined, here in the village, back later in the week in Surin, some days also to be spent in Pattaya with friends and family, and more days and nights left to amuse myself in Bangkok, I couldn't wait. Yet I dreaded the passing of each day which brought me closer to having to leave. Here in Thailand I am at my happiest and most content for some strange reason. Or maybe not so strange when I think about it, and try at times to understand it.

 

 

 

I asked for a glass of the Lao Kao to be poured for me. The wife gave me "the look", as I rarely imbibe this foul swill, and she seems to have bad feelings about this beverage, having seen too many Thai men become complete abusive assholes and morons after drinking it I suppose. I calmed her fears by saying softly to her in her ear, "Only one small glass darling, then we go off to bed. Where you can slap on some lotion on my lobster red aching skin. And maybe we can keep each other awake for a while. Hehe." She laughed sweetly in the darkness and poured me a small one. She has such a sexy laugh.

 

 

 

As I sat there sipping my drink over my shoulder I noticed a bright full moon rising over the house behind us, our house. The black velvet skies above were strewn with stars. God's awesome handiwork was displayed above us all. Over the roof of Sis 2's shop stood the eerie stark branches of the Golem Tree, a strange backdrop of ghoulish silhouette for the sparkling stars in the night sky. I can see it now in my mind's eye. I finished my drink and stretched and yawned. Time for bed. I was tired.

 

 

 

Fishing is just so damned relaxing ain't it? Especially in Isaan!

 

 

 

The End.

 

 

 

 

 

Cent

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------

 

 

 

"Count the day lost whose low descending sun

 

Views from thy hand no worthy action done."

 

 

 

Author Unknown, From Stanford's Art of Reading

 

 

 

----------------------------------------------

 

 

[Guest]

That made great reading i enjoyed every part,i do a bit of fishing myself while in Thailand,i wish i could put it in such a well written way.

 

Boris

[Guest]

Cent,

 

 

 

I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every installment of your fishing odyssey. Made me think back on a few outings of my own where I was going to successfully catch some fish come hell or high water and everyone else be damned! Sounds like a wonderful life you're living and I envy you, maybe something as grand is waiting for me somewhere down the road? Maybe I'll rent your little fishing hut someday and we'll swill a few cold ones and let life slip on by...

 

 

 

Watch out for Sis, payback can be a bitch!

[Guest]

Cent:

 

 

 

Excellent story and ending. Sorry for all the badgering for you to finish it.

 

 

 

Looking forward for many more to come.

 

 

 

Handy

[Central Scrutinizer]

Boris,

 

 

 

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. Where have you done the fishing in the LOS? Have you ever tried the stocked ponds where you pay to fish? I understand they stock the catfish....pla duc?..pla somethinoranother. One is the native Thai catfish, one an african native catfish brought to the LOS for it's larger size and sweet meat, and one is a hybrid of the two species. I read in the Nation or BKK Post an interesting article on these catfish. Supposed to be decent eating. I'd be interested to see if there are any in the lake by the villae house. Next time I might try some bottom fishing around dusk. (Dawn would be good too but to hell with the early rising!!) If there are none there I'd like to see if I could buy some frys to stock the lake with these. If I can convince the locals to let them grow and mature and propagate for a season or two. See if I can get a catch and release program going to build the stock up. I'll be doing a post script on this Gone Fishing tale because there are a few more things I'd like to report about what I saw and experienced at the lake fishing a few days after my initial day out fishing the area, and other info I came across since then.

 

 

 

Cent

[phoenix]

Great story Cent!

 

 

 

Makes me all nostalgic again. In spite of knowing my experience with "Nok" is now all in the past, it makes me sad to know I'll never again live in her village, and get the close exposure to village life you're having. I can smell and hear it when you write, visualise it.

 

No matter what someone else on another thread wrote a few months ago, degrading the "Visiting her village" experience, it is a unique experience, and one I'll remember forever.

 

 

 

Keep writing, please.

[Central Scrutinizer]

Handy,

 

 

 

Hey, thanks for the badgering!! :-) Without it I'd have taken longer to finish the damn thing! Flog me occasionally when you think I need it! Hahaha! Always nice to see someone is interested enough to want to read the rest.

 

 

 

And thanks Handy for the great url's you supplied!!

 

 

 

I'm almost finished with part one of "Under a Full Moon and the Golem Tree". I'll post it in the next day or two.

 

 

 

Thanks Handy,

 

 

 

Cent

[Guest]

All of my fishing has been done in stock ponds, there is a great one in Jomtien half way down the beach road, turn left at the sign for the Welcome (i think) but any bus driver should be able to take you just ask for Jomtien fishing park.

 

There is two lakes the big one is stuffed full of Pla Sawai (tiger catfish) up to 25kg and the smaller one is stuffed full of catpans,small carp and small catfish great fun if you like tiddler bashing.

 

The other little stock ponds i fish i tend to hamer out loads of captan,carp and banin, i take my own gear and fish it like i would for roach in the UK, breadflake or paste fished on the drop feeding little and often, the Thai's all sit there getting pissed off as the Falang and his mrs hammer the place lol.

 

September/October time i will be travelling around and my mrs sais the lake and the river near her village Phimai is full of fish, so i can't wait, i want to try some lure fishing and see if i can catch a snake head.

 

I will do a fishy report although it won't be in your great stile.

 

One more thing i want to try and fish Bang Sam Larn lake outside Bangkok, people i have talked to say it is full of Mekon catfish and saimes carp from 50kg upwards!!!!!!

 

If you give it a try i would love to hear about it.

 

Happy fishing

 

Boris

[Central Scrutinizer]

KWW62,

 

 

 

You wote:

 

"Cent,

 

I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every installment of your fishing odyssey. Made me think back on a few outings of my own where I was going to successfully catch some fish come hell or high water and everyone else be damned! Sounds like a wonderful life you're living and I envy you, maybe something as grand is waiting for me somewhere down the road? Maybe I'll rent your little fishing hut someday and we'll swill a few cold ones and let life slip on by...

 

Watch out for Sis, payback can be a bitch!"

 

 

 

I reply:

 

 

 

Thanks KWW. Glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for telling me. It's appreciated and helps me resolve to write more about my times in the LOS.

 

And I know exactly what you are saying brother fisherman!! I've had many times when I just refused to give up until I caught a damned fish!! Not that I caught one, but I did give it my all, above and beyond the call of duty, or any good sense. :-) I always try to rise to the challenge thrown down by said aquatic Houdinis! Hahaha!

 

Not so much a grand life really. Especially as for the past few months I've been stuck here in the states getting a bad back "cured" by the medicos, supposedly. But yeah, when I'm there I usually have a great time. I'll be back at the end of June for as long as I can stay before having to head back to the states to conclude my medical and legal problems with this injury.

 

 

 

If and when the fishing lodge/study-library/computer room comes to pass I will definitely post the fact here, and let everyone know the details and times available for rental opportunities. As I have a house in the village, and a rental in Surin, most dates would be available for those that might want to stay there. I'd be very flexible, and I will definitely leave the Surin Elephant Round-up week open for those who want to spend a week or two up there to enjoy this spectacle of elephant hijinks and check out the area. I'll know more about it over this summer.

 

 

 

I'd love to have another farang to join in some fishing and quaffing a few brews up in Isaan!! Hopefully we can meet one day and do some of this!!

 

 

 

As for Sis. Ahhhh, no problem. :-) She keeps me on my toes! Good for the circulation she is. Hahaha.

 

 

 

Thanks KWW,

 

 

 

Cent

[Central Scrutinizer]

Phoenix,

 

 

 

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. So you and your lady are split now? Hell, if my wife and I split up I really do think I'd miss the village and some of the people there. It wouldn't be the same somehow going there and staying there. But even so, the memories will last forever. I've had a blast there. Hey, if you need a village life experience fix once in a while you can come vist me once in a while. Probably the village ladies will all be trying to fix you up with one of the lasses there!!

 

 

 

Haha! I can't wait to get back next month!! I miss it all!

 

 

 

Cent