Back on the Water

[Bajema]

Went fishing this morning for the first time in years. Hit up a familiar stream. Had a nice time, even if my casting was a little rusty. I even managed to catch a fish. What a great way to spend the morning!

 

[PhilR]

That's awesome. Great to hear it

 

[Otter]

Congrats! I love good news! Hope you get out again real soon.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Cool! Hope you fished one of your bamboo rods......

 

[Bajema]

Cool! Hope you fished one of your bamboo rods......

I did not, I brought my tenkara rod to keep things simple. Next time I’ll fish the bamboo.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Tenkara is fun too! Have you seen my Frankenkara rods? Here’s some.......

 

[Bajema]

Tenkara is fun too! Have you seen my Frankenkara rods?

Yeah, those look fun

 

[Otter]

Tenkara is fun too! Have you seen my Frankenkara rods? Here’s some....View attachment 22369View attachment 22372View attachment 22373View attachment 22370View attachment 22371..

Those rods look excellent! Great idea.

 

[Josh]

So awesome to hear @Bajema. Lake or stream?

 

[Bajema]

So awesome to hear @Bajema. Lake or stream?

This was a stream.

 

[dirty dog]

Tenkara is fun too! Have you seen my Frankenkara rods? Here’s some....View attachment 22369View attachment 22372View attachment 22373View attachment 22370View attachment 22371...

Nice stick

 

[Bajema]

Here's the backstory on why I haven't done much fishing in so long. My wife started getting sick about 9 years ago. Her health began declining and at first, I was still able to find time to fit in some fishing, and honestly, it was a big part of helping me process and grieve what was happening. After a while though it was harder to get away as I was spending more and more time caring for her and just trying to keep up with life. The low point of all this was a three year period where she was basically bed-bound. That was hard.

Fortunately over time, we've gotten some diagnoses and found some treatments that have helped her significantly. She's still chronically ill and is quite limited in what she can do, but it's night and day from those years she spent in bed.

As she found some improvement though, my own mental health really took a nose dive. I've lived with depression and anxiety for a long time, but these last few years have not been easy. Then this past fall I was put on a project at work that was orders of magnitude more stressful than anything I'd worked on in my career. It was a real struggle and I reached a point where it was clear something had to change.

At the end of June I decided to take a ~12 medical leave for my mental health. So far it looks to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. The huge weight of work has been lifted and I have so much more space to rest and just be. I've also gotten the itch to get back out fishing during this break. I'm hoping to get up in the hills and visit some old haunts as well as do some exploring to find some new ones. I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad to be part of this community as I get back on to the water. It's a great resource and I hope to have more to contribute in the coming weeks as I get out and do some fishing.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Wow....sorry to hear of your life’s challenges. Hopefully you both come out on top! You both have youth on your side. Our thoughts and prayers for speedy recoveries from my family to yours.

 

[Bajema]

I’m with my family camping along side a lake in Eastern Washington. Went out in the tube after dinner and lost three but landed one, my first largemouth bass! You could feel every one of its six inches in its fight . I was going to take a picture, but it slipped through the holes in my net

 

[Pink Nighty]

I’m with my family camping along side a lake in Eastern Washington. Went out in the tube after dinner and lost three but landed one, my first largemouth bass! You could feel every one of its six inches in its fight . I was going to take a picture, but it slipped through the holes in my net

View attachment 23442

Bass on boo? Sounds like a hoot!

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Way to go! Is that one of your bamboo rods?

 

[Bajema]

Way to go! Is that one of your bamboo rods?

Yeah, it’s my only bamboo rod that’s actually complete. It’s the one I built from an Anglers Roost blank.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Did you ever get a chance to make any of your own bamboo blanks? I remember you were gathering tools to build your own......I’m still on your waiting list!

 

[Bajema]

The bamboo blank I was working on lay dormant for a while, but I did get started back up knit earlier this year. I’m hoping to make some more progress on that and hopefully be fishing with it later this year.

 

[Bambooflyguy]

Looking forward to seeing that! Hope all is well with your family.