Aren't you going to put bait on that?!

For Song Min's 35th birthday in May, I bought him a rod and reel, a tackle box, a multi-purpose tool, a filet knife, and all of the other little things that go along with being a successful fisherman...well, minus the boat (maybe another year dear!). At the same time, I bought a second rod and reel that I could use, or another family member or a friend (but, let's face it, he's really not allowed to go anywhere without me, so it's MINE!...joking).

Since Song Min's birthday, we've been out fishing a handful of times. The first couple of times we went out, we had no success. While on a picnic with Song Min's family, we made another attempt at catching something...anything. One of the guys on the dock told us that he hadn't ever seen anyone catch a fish with artificial lures from the dock. So, being the friendly person that I am, I politely asked the man sitting next to me if I could try using one of his live creatures. I would write exactly what it was, but I really don't know. It was a worm-esque creature, but not really. I did my best to NOT look because I really didn't want to see it. Obviously, I don't bait my own hook!



Well, luck was on my side...I caught my first fish (maybe four of them). They were tiny and were tossed back into the lake. My mother-in-law took a turn and also caught several little fish. Poor Song Min didn't catch a thing. The positive though was that now we knew the secret.

I should go ahead and let you all know right now, I actually am EXTREMELY sensitive about living things. I really have no interest in seeing something alive, only to see it on my plate later on. I'm no vegetarian, but if I were introduced to Bessy the morning of a big steak dinner...I would probably stick with a nice salad and baked potato. Heck, I can't even kill bugs. When I do HAVE to do something about a bug, I wrap it loosely in toilet paper and flush it with the words "good luck" whispered to it (you never know...it could live!).

You may be asking yourself, why did Rachel get herself a rod and reel if she doesn't want to hurt the fish. The answer, I really don't like catching fish. I like the whole casting and reeling in process. So, while Song Min uses live bait...I stick with the never catch artificial jobbies.

So, about two weeks ago, Song Min caught his first fish of the season. By the end of the night, he had five decent sized fish. These bad boys were deemed "keepers". Song Min put them into the cooler that was in the trunk of our car and we drove to find the nearest store to buy ice. The entire trek to the grocery store, I could hear those poor little fish flopping their bodies around in the cooler. In fact, I was so disturbed by the slow death taking place in our car, that I turned on the radio to muffle the sound. Song Min put ice over the fish and we were on our way again. I managed to convince Song Min that taking these fish to his mother's house would be a GREAT plan. She would make soup out of the fish...and I wouldn't have fresh death in MY freezer. We dropped off the fish at my in-law's place and we drove home.

The next day, Song Min let me know that he was no longer just a fisherman...he was an angler (which I'm pretty sure, in "fish" language, means murderer). I'll still claim him as my husband, but will likely never eat any of the fresh fish that comes our way.