Skip to content

Enjoying a fishing trip

This past summer I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon sitting on a dock with a friend of mine

This past summer I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon sitting on a dock with a friend of mine. He was fishing and I was watching him fish. It was a new experience for him; myself, well fishing is a big part of who I am. We sat out there for a couple of hours watching the bobber attached to his baited line not doing much of anything really. We talked about the types of birds perched in the cattails and the variety of ducks on the lake, and the turtles basking on the logs near shore. We saw two fish jump not far off from where he had cast his line. There were no fish caught that day, not even a nibble, really. It was all very exciting.

A couple of weeks later I learned that my friend had spent the past weeks talking about that day on the dock, about how he wanted to go again and how he wanted a fishing rod of his own. This all may seem like an average story about an average day, and perhaps it is. What makes it special is that my friend is a little boy with special needs. This lake, right in the heart of our town, was the perfect place to introduce him to  nature, to learn about patience and observation. Fishing was how I learned when I was his age and it has been fundamental in forming my identity.

I hope that this city, its residents and visitors recognize McGuire Lake is a great resource. The trout-stocking program provides a chance for children and their families to access fishing close to home with no need for a vehicle or boat or expensive equipment. There are no other places anywhere in the area with the kind of access offered to people from all walks of life. With a public education program, enhancement to the habitat, signage about sensitive species and ethics and proper supervision by adults, this sanctuary in the city can benefit everyone and provide a needed gateway to nature for all of us.

 

 

Nathan Meakes