How to Catch a Human

I went fishing and the fish caught me.  That’s right.  Somewhere in a remote lake in Canada, there is a fish who tells his buddies a whopper of a human story.  I doubt they believe him though because thankfully, I am “the one that got away.”

It happened late one afternoon many years ago.  I was on a fishing trip with my dad and several other family members.  Dad and I were in a small boat, putting the finishing touches on a wonderful afternoon, when I decided to cast my line out one more time.  Tightly tied to the line was a “Rattle Trap” lure with a couple of mean, fish-grabbing treble hooks dangling from the bottom.  Evidently, it was just the perfect bait.  It wasn’t long until that lure attracted the attention of Mr. Large Mouth Bass.  He went after what he thought was a tasty meal.  Instead, what he got was a mouth full of hook and a trip to the surface.

When the fish took the bait, I began excitedly reeling him in.  At the time, I was hoping he wouldn’t get away before I could haul him into the boat.  Now, I wish he had.  He made one last final jump before I got him to the edge of the boat.  I think on that last jump out of the water he was scoping out the situation; planning his fishy strategy.

I reeled him up to the top of the water and leaned over the edge of the boat.  He pretended to be worn out.  As I pulled him out of the water, I put my thumb in his mouth so I could get a tight grip on his lip and lift him in.  That’s when Mr. Fish went human hunting.  He winked his fish eye at me, gave a big fishy flip-flop, and stuck one of those treble hooks deep into the side of my thumb.

Now that one hook was stuck in the fish and the other was stuck in me, it was no longer apparent who was caught by whom.  The fish wiggled, the hook dug deeper, and I screamed.  The situation had quickly changed.  Suddenly, it wasn’t a matter of the fish getting away from me.  Now I was trying to get away from the fish, which is really tough to do when your trying to one-handedly manage a fishing pole, a tight fishing line, a fish, a lure, and a hook, all of which are now connected to the thumb of my other hand.  The hook was stuck in way below the barb.  I yelled for help.

Fortunately, my father was there.  My father taught me to fish and has been my favorite fishing partner ever since . . . well ever since the beginning.  He worked quickly and calmly to deal with the rod and line, free me from the fish, and remove the remaining, dangling hooks.  The fish took off to tell his buddies how he caught a human.  Dad cranked the boat motor and headed for camp while I rode in the front of the boat, trying not to think about the fact that I had a hook in my thumb.

In the end, it all turned out OK.  A nearby doctor came to the rescue with some novocaine and the expertise to push the barbed hook through.  I have survived with a minute scar and a unique fish story.  The fish survived with the same.  I don’t know what lessons the fish learned from this experience.  Probably none.  For myself, I try to learn from such things.  Thus far, I have come up with at least three lessons learned.

Lesson 1:  When fishing, consider leaving the treble hooks at home.  Jesus encouraged Peter to use a net.  I am sure He knows more about fishing than I do.  Perhaps when fishing, the best approach is to seek and follow the advice of the one who created the fish in the first place.

Lesson 2:  When trying to get a fish out of the water, don’t get too complacent.  There are real dangers.  Take precautions to make sure the fish doesn’t take you down while you are trying to lift him up.

Lesson 3 (Most Important):  Never fish without your Father.

He told them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”   So they threw the net, and were not able to pull it in because of the large number of fish.
   – John 21:6

Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” They left their nets immediately and followed him.
   – Mark 1:17,18  Netbible.org