Fate of the Throw Backs

Fish Lake in NE Washington

Oregon is a fisherperson's paradise. The waters of Oregon provide habitat for over a 100 species of freshwater fish, including trout, bass, salmon, shad, sucker, and the list goes on and on. Sadly, I have not fished the waters of Oregon myself in spite of being in a boat many times. I have enjoyed the rivers and lakes without a pole so my fishing memories are tied to my younger days where I fished alongside my Dad or Grandpa. 

In Oregon (as in most states) there are rules for fishing. Criteria for keeping fish include length, species, or an indication that the fish is from a hatchery. At some lakes, native fish and very young fish are returned to the environment to protect habitat and the species.  The state imposes a limit on the number of fish that can be taken in a day. Once a fisher reaches the limit, additional fish are required to return to the water. 

Back when I fished with Dad and Grandpa, the "throw backs" were the undesirable catches. Often a carp, a pike, or a fish too tiny to be worth eating. I sometimes heard other animals and even people referred to as "throw backs".  Nobody wants to be a "throw back." 

However, consider the point of view of the fish. The young fish, the native fish, the undesirable fish and the one caught after the limit is reached, get to live!! They escape certain death and swim away. That fish is never the same because it has been on the hook and/or in the boat if only for a minute. It returns to the water knowing something it didn't know before. 

We have all heard stories of a giant fish in a pond that nobody could ever catch. Perhaps that fish was a throw back. Now he is the stuff of legends since he learned to avoid the hooks that could have ended him. 

My little fish. It's not Nemo!! It's a goldfish. 

If you ponder a moment and remember a time when you thought you were an undesirable "throw back," then perhaps you can understand the state of the that little fish. Take the time to be grateful for a little pain that taught you something important that saved your future. 

Here's to the throw backs: . Swim!! Swim!! Swim!!

lw