April Fools' Catch

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Fishing tales

This unusual and, as I believe, in many respects mysterious story happened on the first of April - on the day of jokes and deception … The fishermen, gathered in a small bay near Vysotsky, were delighted with everything: a warm, sunny spring morning, a friendly atmosphere around, because no one for I didn’t follow anyone, because everyone had a good peck.

Of course, the catches were not so hot, mostly small okushki, brushes, roach, but the main thing: they bite! There was no need to look sadly into the hole with a dumb question: "Fish, where are you?" The only pity is that the fishing happiness is so fleeting … As soon as the sky was covered with gray-leaden clouds, which soon began to sow fine, prickly snow grains, the biting immediately stopped.

It was in vain that my namesake Alexander Rykov and I changed the jigs, diversified the attachments on them, nothing helped: the fish completely ignored all our treats. In the end, we began to change the places of fishing: we drilled new holes, then returned to the old ones. Alas and ah … there were no bites. The neighbors were not doing better either.

Towards noon, a middle-aged man in a canvas jacket appeared on the ice. Without addressing anybody in particular, he said: "Hello!"

“No fish,” one of them replied, spreading his arms to the sides for clarity.

- Where did she go? - the stranger was surprised and, lowering the jig into the hole, added: - Now we will look for it.

And then the amazing began! As soon as he made several movements with the rod, a bite immediately followed. The man sharply hooked and pulled out a pretty decent perch. There and then another, then two roach, after which the perches pecked again.

Of course, such luck did not go unnoticed: the fishermen quickly surrounded the lucky man, clearly hoping to use his fort. However, it was not so! As before, only the stranger pecked. It is clear that all the fishing brothers who were nearby were in suspense: everyone was interested in the same question, why did the fish take only from a man in a canvas jacket.

- What are you catching on? - finally could not resist the neighbor to his left.

- Of course, on a jig, - and the stranger demonstrated a clearly homemade jig, very similar to the usual jig "coffin" (see fig.).

- And what do you put on the hook? - the neighbor did not calm down.

- Ordinary putty …

The people around smiled, considering it a good April Fool's joke. After all, it happened on the first of April! The man, meanwhile, continued to pull perches and roach out of the hole.

- Probably, you have some kind of dough with aniseed or vanilla drops, - suggested the old man with a wedge-shaped beard, who apparently paid attention to the fact that each time, before putting the bait on the hook, the stranger kneaded some white mass with his fingers.

- No, just window putty …

I don’t presume to judge how the events would develop further, but the nibbling suddenly stopped.

- Nothing can be done, the putty is over, - said the lucky fisherman, putting the catch in his bag. And, wishing everyone a successful fishing, he slowly left.

Soon we were getting ready to go home too.

“I don’t believe he really put putty on the hook…” Rykov said, shaking his head.

“I doubt it too. But then what was he catching on? Maybe really for dough? - But others tried to fish for dough, porridge, and the result was zero.

There was nothing to object. Time passed, but I still remember that fishing with putty and every time I ask myself: “What was that: really an April Fool's joke? Or maybe not?"

The question remains unanswered.