Reel Love
Elisha Coleman and her father Ron Coleman pull into a parking lot at the Bay of Quinte. The lot is empty aside from one or two cars that look almost abandoned in the cold. Its not particularly sunny, but the air is crisp and the bite of winter air is evident.
A few boats bob up and down in the marina, they creak and bump against the docks rhythmically. Their flags flap gently in the small amount of wind coming straight along the shoreline. The docks are nowhere near full capacity and just like the cars in the parking lot, the boats look lonely and forgotten.
Elisha Coleman with a fish she just caught on the left, taken in 2001 when she was 20. Coleman tries to catch more fish with her 3 year old daughter Alexis in 2013.
The Bay looks freezing cold; the water dark and rippled. Another fisherman sits at the end of the concrete and stone pier huddled around his rod. He remains there waiting for his catch of the day.
Elisha and Ron prepare their rods and walk to their spot by the lake. Following tradition, they carefully choose their perfect spot on the rocks.
Elisha baits her hook with a rubber worm as her father closes his tackle box. As she casts out her line, she reminisces the days when she would wager with her father over who would catch the first fish. Elisha said that when she caught the first one, earning herself a dollar, her father promptly offered her double or nothing.
“For the Coleman family, fishing isn’t necessarily about catching fish.”
For the Coleman family, fishing isn’t necessarily about catching fish. It’s about casting your line into the water waiting, chatting and making memories. Sometimes a big fish will bite and the Colemans will celebrate. Other times, they won’t catch anything at all. To the Coleman family, the important thing about fishing is to have fun and make some memories. Elisha remembers betting her father five dollars she would catch the most fish and winning after she caught a staggering twelve fish when her father only caught three.
A parent teaching a child is always memorable and as Elisha and Ron share a glance, they remember why they began fishing in the first place.
Elisha reels in her line, careful of the rocks beneath. They disassemble their rods, organize their tackle box and make their way back to the warmth of the car with their coffee in hand.
Stretching their now numb fingers, Elisha and Ron decide that today the fish have won. However, they will go home with a smile and the satisfaction of dangling that line into the water and making some memories. As Elisha and Ron share a glance, they remember why they began fishing in the first place.