Today's weather was just perfect for any outdoor activity. The sky was clear, a bit hot, but overall really nice! Since morning, my wife had been nagging me to go fishing. At first, I didn't feel like going. I had a lot of things to do at home. But then I thought about it... In just two days, she would be back to her busy routine, teaching preschool kids. Teaching 5- and 6-year-olds is a different level of stress! So after considering it, I finally agreed to take her fishing at the river, which was about 25 km away, 50 km round trip.
I started looking for earthworms at around 11:30 AM. Yeah, right under the hot sun, close to noon! But that didn’t stop us. My wife prepared food for our kids since they weren’t coming with us. Instead, we left them at their grandmother’s house, which is nearby, so she could take care of them while we went fishing.
By 2:30 PM, we were all set and left home. The drive was smooth, and we reached our fishing spot in about 30 minutes. Lucky for us, no one else was there yet! On a good weather day like this, this place is usually crowded. Not long after we arrived, two groups of people came but turned back when they saw us there. The spot is a bit small, so maybe they didn’t want to squeeze in. Either way, we got lucky!
We brought along our usual fishing gear, including two foldable fishing chairs (bought from a fishing store), a flask of hot coffee, bread, snacks, a big umbrella (since it was quite hot), and of course, our fishing rods. I also made some homemade bait before we left, just a mix of wheat flour, egg white, and shrimp paste. It worked pretty well, but it came off the hook easily. Still, nothing beats earthworms! On top of that, I managed to pick four young pandan coconuts, so we each had two to drink. Perfect for a hot day!
We caught a few fish, mostly lampam, a type of freshwater fish with scales. The biggest one was about the size of my palm. We fished until around 9 PM before heading home.
Overall, it was a good catch, enough for the whole family. But we’ll probably cook them tomorrow instead. Fishing is one of the ways we both unwind from work stress. Whenever life feels overwhelming, fishing always helps to clear the mind. Maybe it’s the peaceful riverside atmosphere, it’s still a kind of magic for us. And I’m really grateful that my wife enjoys fishing too! She fully supports anything fishing-related, including buying new fishing gear. 😆🎣