Did something tap the line?
Anticipation is why the journey is half the fun

The line had relaxed as the plastic lure eased through the water and paused by the fallen log. The world held its breath in anticipation. It was one of those perfect moments when you know what is going to happen, but are still unable to fully prepare.

A weightless worm will dart this way and that if allowed the right amount of slack. A beautiful, easy to catch, tasty morsel moving into position not only rouses memories of other fishing trips, but taps a deeper place in the angler’s mind. Where for a few moments the realm of possibility is greater than reality. Our mind’s eye rarely pictures a small fish about to attack the bait … on the tee box we never picture a bad shot. Anticipation always produces perfect moments. (Even for a pessimist, anticipation produces a perfectly bad feeling.)

In reality, those perfect moments don’t happen every cast. If you have the perfect swing every time and know exactly where the golf ball will land – you wouldn’t play for fun, you would golf for money. With fishing there is always the spontaneity of another species. Drag a lure in front of a fish nine times and he won’t bite. On the tenth, you’d better hold on. It is the journey to that perfect swing or the tribulations leading up to the big fish that make the moment extra special.

But certain times, when you really get into the zone of hunting the fish, everything just seems to click; the perfect cast to the perfect spot at the perfect time of day, the feeling is so real that for a moment, there is nothing else in the world. There’s your line, your bait and the fish that’s down there thinking. The only connection is the anticipation. Like your favorite BBQ on the grill … staring at it, forcing yourself to wait until just the right moment; makes it taste all the better.

Sure the tug and the tussle are what you tell your friends about. The explosion of a hungry fish bursting from a hole and tearing off with your bait is the reward that all anglers seek. Tall tales after a great trip don’t end with. “ I thought he was the biggest fish of my life.” They end in hands outstretched marking the gargantuan size of the monster conquered.

But that special moment when your years of angler training are put to the test and you feel that little something tap your line is what really teases your brain. Pages of conversation, remembering all the other fish caught and one gut reaction happen in a split second. Even if you have done more fishing than you should, even if you have caught a bass every day of your life, the precious moments between when a bass decides to take your lure and when you feel the fish take your lure still make the hair on the back of your neck standup. Whether your worm fishing real slow or bringing in a crankbait, the anticipation of a bite is as a remembered experience as the catching itself.

Now don’t get me wrong; the eating of the BBQ is much more satisfying than the watching it get ready, but relative to the moment, the anticipation is just as powerful. That’s why every spring, like one of Pavlov’s dogs, I salivate for big bass. Just remember, when the anticipation is over – set the hook!