The First Fishing Guide
| Cavemen were hunters by trade. They tracked giant dinosaurs twenty-four/seven and seldom took any time off. In fact, hunting was not a sport as we know it today, but was very hard work. Think about it! How much fun would it be to kill a Tyrannosaurus Rex and then have to drag it for miles back to a cave? As time passed and they tired of the hunt, some cavemen became artists of sorts. Paintings are preserved on walls of caves around the world. Even when the caveman took an infrequent day off, life was boring without television, football and NASCAR. The hunter stayed holed-up in his cave and sharpened spears and axe heads for the next day's hunt. One day, a tall slender caveman named Lur, found himself standing at the edge of a mist covered sea. Until that moment, the only water he had ever seen was flowing in a brook that ran near his one room cave. Lur threw his club at a low flying winged dinosaur and missed. The club landed in the water with a big splash. The commotion frightened a school of fierce looking fish. One jumped onto the bank and landed at Lur's feet. He grabbed the flopping fish with both hands, but it slipped away and swam back out to sea. Lur was quite excited. He hurried back to Caveville and articulated his tale. "Articulate" might be a poor choice of words since the language of the day consisted mainly of grunts, groans and a few hand and face motions. His tale became the first fish story ever told. Lur claimed that the fish he called "Bas" were larger than any Zorrontosuarus-X roaming the planet. The clansmen listened with interest. The following morning, the cavemen threw rocks and sticks into the sea, hoping to duplicate Lur's experience, but the "Bas" had either disappeared or were not jumping that day. As they walked back to Caveville, the elder clansman, a man named Rod, grunted, "I guess we should have been here yesterday." That evening the cavemen gathered around a fire to eat the remains of a wild chicken. Two brawny cavemen fought over the breast and broke it at the wishbone. The next day, Lur found the broken wishbone and took it with him to the water's edge. He baited it with a chunk of dinosaur meat and cast it into the sea. Unknowingly, Lur had invented the first fish hook. The best was yet to come! A fish took the bait and Lur hauled it to shore. This time he was able to hold on to the slippery "Bas". Lur spent the remainder of the day bragging about his catch and showing it off. That night he cooked it over the cave fire. One of the so called "artists" painted a rendering of Lur's bass on his cave wall. The picture lives in history and symbolizes what was to be the beginning of man's favorite sport - bass fishing. Word spread quickly that fish were fun and easy to catch, and were much tastier than dinosaurs. Finally, Lur ceased to hunt and became the world's first fishing guide. He fished by day and made hooks by night. He was held in high esteem by the other cavemen and had given them a reason to enjoy life. "Bas Fishin" became Caveville's favorite pastime. Lur befriended the artist who painted the fish on the walls of his cave. The artist became well known to other cavemen who soon came from near and far to view his works. Caveville became the beginning of what was known as the Fishin' Age. Steady streams of tourists lined the mountain to view the fish art inside the cave. Many, many years later, a theme park was opened and pictures were drawn on T-shirts that featured a mouse that fished with a goofy looking dog. The fishing business prospered. Lur's Fishing Guide Service is still in existence. Only the name has been changed. Could it be."Fishin' With Gus!"? Be reminded that small fish have...................... LARGE TALES Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association and a full time Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' with Gus! at http://www.fishingwithgus.com/ or call 704 617 6812. For additional information, e-mail him at Gus@LakeNorman.com. |
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| March 2006 |