Soluble Fish

Fish Tales

 Fish฀Tales Radtke,฀an฀avid฀angler,฀was฀fishing฀at฀-foot฀depths฀with฀฀ a฀lead-head฀jig฀rigged฀with฀a฀twister฀tail฀and฀a฀stinger-hooked฀฀ minnow฀on฀a฀four-pound฀line฀.฀.฀. ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀—Eric฀Sharp,฀Detroit฀Free฀Press .฀.฀.฀and฀so฀Bob฀Radtke฀is฀surprised฀to฀find฀himself struggling฀with฀a฀five-foot฀sturgeon฀hooked while฀fishing฀for฀walleye฀on฀the฀Detroit฀River. It’s฀a฀cold฀April฀day฀and฀he฀clasps฀the฀fish฀tight against฀his฀camouflage฀jacket฀before฀releasing฀it. It฀is฀slippery฀as฀love฀and฀his฀chest฀heaves for฀he’s฀fought฀the฀fish฀for฀an฀hour,฀wearing฀it฀down slowly฀while฀buddy฀Todd฀managed฀the฀trolling฀motor to฀follow฀the฀biggest฀fish฀of฀Bob’s฀life two฀miles฀upstream฀to฀a฀spot฀near฀Mud฀Island. And฀there’s฀a฀picture฀to฀prove฀it฀because฀these฀are modest฀men฀not฀braggarts,฀not฀given฀to฀exaggeration, not฀like฀those฀characters฀on฀the฀fishing฀shows columnist฀Sharp฀calls฀Two-Bubbas-in-a-Boat. And฀if฀Stafford฀says฀writing฀is฀like฀fishing and฀if฀Simic฀says฀he฀believes฀in฀a฀soluble฀fish, I฀guess฀Radtke฀could฀tell฀us฀a฀thing฀or฀two฀about dropping฀a฀line฀into฀the฀depths฀for฀whatever฀might฀come and฀how฀easily฀a฀-pound฀test฀line฀can฀snap, the฀fish฀dissolving฀right฀in฀front฀of฀your฀eyes. I฀must฀admit฀I฀believe฀in฀fish฀stories—ice฀fishermen who฀stick฀their฀frozen฀catch฀upright฀in฀the฀snow to฀form฀a฀pike-and-perch฀picket฀fence฀around฀the฀shanty, a฀hint฀of฀home฀even฀in฀the฀wild.฀And฀how฀those฀fish, thawed,฀have฀been฀known฀to฀come฀to฀life฀in฀the฀very฀face of฀the฀filet฀knife.฀Life฀will฀find฀a฀way,฀says฀Goldblum in฀Jurassic฀Park.฀There’s฀the฀bamboo฀shark฀in฀Motown’s  Belle฀Isle฀Aquarium,฀after฀years฀without฀a฀mate giving฀birth.฀Who฀knew?฀Fact฀is,฀I฀owe฀my฀very฀life฀to฀fish, to฀fish฀luck.฀Catch,฀and฀release.฀In฀’฀my฀not-yet-father on฀leave฀in฀Australia,฀the฀fish฀wild฀for฀the฀bait฀and฀he฀so฀keen on฀catching฀them฀that,฀unlike฀his฀buddy,฀he฀decides not฀to฀sign฀up฀for฀duty฀on฀the฀coveted฀new฀sub. On฀its฀maiden฀run,฀never฀again฀heard฀from.฀Old฀timers will฀tell฀you฀it’s฀all฀just฀fish฀luck.฀What฀lures฀you,฀hooks฀you, reels฀you฀in.฀What฀magnanimous฀hand฀lets฀you฀go. ...