A Focus On the Fishley Dilemma

“Hold it,” FisherSpouse said, warily. “What are you doing to that snell?”

A snell, Fishergarten has found, is a piece of line with a hook tied to one end and a loop tied in the other end. They come in all hook sizes and line lengths, and are used in such fishing-related hazing rituals as, “You didn’t need to spend all those weekends learning to tie knots and loops, and toying with your sanity. Someone sells those pre-made.”

Now, Fishergarten was making good use of this cutting-edge fishing technology.

 

“I’m putting a lure and bait on the same line,” she said. “It’s to celebrate the First Annual Terminal Tackle Double-Up Day.”

He stopped. “The what?”

Lake Pueblo, Pueblo, Colorado

“First Annual Terminal Tackle Double-Up Day, or FATTDUD for short,” Fishergarten said, patiently. Honestly, FisherSpouse might just need to get his hearing checked.

“Oh no,” he said, looking a little bleak.

“I just registered it,” Fishergarten continued. “I’m still waiting for the thumbs-up from the National Day Calendar people, but I’m sure it’s a go. The website goes live this week and the logo is ready, too, which by the way, I got it for a measly 750 British pounds whatever that comes to after Brexit. We’re in business!”

FisherSpouse sat down a little hard in his folding chair.

“Sometimes,” he said, slowly, “I don’t think you take fishing seriously.”

But he was wrong. Fishergarten takes her terminal tackle

FATTDUD Entry. Look hard.

quite seriously. And on the sweltering shale-enriched shore of a placid Lake Pueblo peninsula, she was ready to debut her FATTDUD entry.

Proudly, she fashioned a tantalizing length of fishley toys and snacks, sporting a gleaming green spinner lure that dangled invitingly over a standard hook and PowerBait imitation minnow. It was ready.

Eagerly, she drew back her rod and cast. With an awkward twirling motion, the terminal tackle flew into the air and landed about 20 feet out. She reeled it in. Empty. Have patience, she counseled herself.

Carefully, she cast again, further this time and closer to where she guesstimated would be the Lake Pueblo Peninsula Trout Towne Square. Steadily, she reeled it in. Still nothing.

 

An hour later, her shoulder aching, Fishergarten reeled in the contraption. Evidently, hit-and-miss terminal tackle combos weren’t working and she needed a better strategy.

Carefully, she went over the basics of the Fishley Dilemma:

• Fish #1 and Fish #2 could bite or not bite.
• Biting would bring a painful hook in the mouth, but the fish would live.
• Not biting meant the fish would have to forage in pond scum forever to eat.
• Fish #1 could hold back while Fish #2 greedily went after bling and bait, even though both already were fat from foraging. Fish #1 could then have more foraged food to itself while Fish #2 recovered from an ugly hook wound to the mouth. Vice versa for Fish #2.
• Both could bite at Fishergarten’s line, since her FATTDUD entry held a hook for each, and could produce a really cool photo for Fishergarten.
• No fish had even tried to bite the FATTDUD entry, indicating that the fish must be sharing bait info down there.
• Fish were working together, not out of self-interest.

“I’ve got it!” she shouted downshore to FisherSpouse. “We’ve purchased enough bait and fish bling to otherwise buy a house, and we’re never going to catch anything!”

FisherSpouse motioned that he couldn’t hear, picked up his gear and moved further downshore. Fishergarten made a mental note to set up that hearing test. She tried one more time.

Random 1284 shot

“The fish! They’re all in it together, against us!” she shouted. “There is no rational self-interest!” FisherSpouse was out of hearing range. Possibly. Out on a nearby boat, a fisherperson saluted with a bottle.

“Exactly!” he shouted back, and tilting back, took a big swig.

Slowly, Fishergarten sat down in her folding chair and recalled the wisdom of the FisherSages. 

“We go to enjoy the scenery and have fun,” she could hear them say in that puzzled way they always had with Fishergarten. And they were right. She stood up.

"Game! On!" she hollered to the no-doubt listening fish.

Resolutely, she picked up her rod and reached for another snell.

And what about you, FisherFriends? What would be your favorite lure/bait combo? Let us know in the comments section below.