Day 77: A Day at the Laughing Pond - Survival of the fittest

September 14, 2016

Even a master must rest. Today I am definitely out of action, as I feel something between an excess of protein and the personal revenge of the dead salmon in my intestines. So I will keep it short and give Gudi the opportunity to describe our extremely exciting day. And I hope that she, now that I am finally defenseless, will give me a "golden shot" as a small revenge for the lyrical humiliations of the past weeks and months, so to speak. So I hand over the word and hope that my beloved will solve the puzzle of who "The Killer" is and much more. Just so much is revealed: my original theory that salmon fishing in organized waters is similar to the ability to "get the beer can out of the fridge" is crushingly refuted.

So the time had come that day: We were going fishing for the first time with professional equipment. Anatoki Salmon, a salmon farm operated by the Dutch, advertises that they provide equipment free of charge and, after successful catch, prepare the fish fresh and to your liking. We only had to pay for the weight of the caught salmon. An irresistible offer, as Matthias thought and looked forward to proving his male hunting and survival instincts to me shortly - but we'll come to that later.

After a brief introduction to the fishing rod, net, and "murder weapon" (a long nail - the fish should be spared an extended death struggle), we found a suitable spot by the pond. Matthias skillfully cast the fishing line. Standing wide-legged and with his head held high, he posed with his new toy for some suitable blog photos. But fishing is a "lesson in patience," as we were told, and Matthias quickly got bored and it was my turn. A few salmon nibbled at my hook, but none of them bit. So it happened that we alternated between holding the fishing rod and posing for photos in the next two hours.

Just when no one expected it, it happened: a salmon bit. Excitedly, Matthias started reeling in the line and giving me instructions. "Make a video! Have the net ready! Have you taken a photo yet? Where is the murder weapon?" he called out to me. The battery was, as always in such cases, empty and the requested equipment was scattered far and wide, but I tried to help as best I could. After the daring hunter finally understood that the line had to be secured first before reeling it in, we saw the salmon lying in the provided box in front of us after an endlessly long struggle. Now the animal had to be killed as quickly as possible with a stab between the eyes. But while it thrashed for its life, Matthias jumped up and down and made a far more hysterical impression than the fish itself. A few "ughs," "ewws," and a "eww, it's still alive" later, I analyzed, "That won't work today." As the daughter of a veterinarian and a biologist, practically raised among wolves, it didn't bother me to grab the salmon and put it out of its misery. Since the fish had a strong survival instinct, several stabs were necessary. Eventually, Matthias also decided to help me and stabbed the fish himself - heroic and selfless, of course. However, I still had to hold it. It took some persuasion and a clearly dead fish for the "breadwinner of the family" to dare to touch it with a finger in the end. (Note from Matthias: Come on, I was just cautious, these fish have almost all got the plague when they live in such a confined habitat!)

As disgusted as Matthias was with the animal in its original form, he seemed satisfied when it came to eating. The self-caught meal couldn't have tasted better in the form of sashimi and salmon steak. Even though my dear friend insists that he caught and killed the fish all by himself, I believe that the world has a right to know who the true "Killer" of the two of us was that day.

So, at this point, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for this guest comment. The descriptions were indeed concise and sometimes extremely questionable, but everyone is entitled to their own version of the truth. In the end, I dared to attack the fish, although I could have been a bit more relaxed about it. I hope the wrong tense (I usually write in present tense) didn't bother too much, and I apologize that "Gudi's glorious laws" will have to be skipped today. However, I think she has added enough of her two cents today.