9 9. Paddling And Fishing On Ase Creek (1/2)
IGHO had been pestering Ufuoma to take him to the open river for fis.h.i.+ng. He was fascinated each time he saw people fis.h.i.+ng in the river. It was a wonder to him and he wanted to experience what it felt like to be inside a boat and fish. Ufuoma was reluctant; although he knew Igho could swim, but swimming in the open water is different. You couldn't go to the river to fish if you were not a good swimmer. It was too much risk to take.
Besides, the flood had begun to rise fast and there were occasional windstorms that set big waves rolling on short notice that could capsize even big canoes. When such waves begin, they rise in volume and violence quickly. It is usually no sight for little boys.
But after a while, Ufuoma relented since he would not fish far away from sh.o.r.e. He was determined to make the city boy enjoy his holiday to the full. Eventually, he indulged Igho. But he had to take Onome along as well. He didn't want to be unfair to the girl. After all, they had both come from the city to spend the holiday. As they say, what is good for the gander is also good for the goose. He knew many women who fished in Ibedeni and in neighbouring Ase, Asafo and Ivrogbo towns. So, why couldn't Onome also fish or at least be part of the fis.h.i.+ng?
Luckily, it was the season of the multiple hooks on a single, long line. Ufuoma unfurled his line and fixed new hooks to replace old ones and dug up earthworms as baits. The worms scared Igho; although he went with Ufuoma to dig them up, he couldn't touch any of the slimy creatures. He was amazed at the ease with which Ufuoma handled them.
”So, you want to fish but can't touch an earthworm?” Ufuoma laughed at him.
”They are so slimy and they move fast!” Igho protested.
”Well, that is the fun part,” Ufuoma said.
”Are there no other forms of baits?” Igho asked.
”Yes, there are,” Ufuoma replied. ”Like eba and fufu, but not for this kind of fis.h.i.+ng.”
”What kind, then?”
”It's for the ones they call ojoghoro, but mostly by children,” Ufuoma said. ”It is cast wide and it spreads out like a parachute just before landing on water.”
”Oh, I've seen them do it!”
”But you can only do that for small fish close to the sh.o.r.e, not for those in the open river,” Ufuoma told him.
”Oh,” Igho said.
They set out early and Igho and Onome watched him unspool the long line, as he fixed baits on the hooks that were at arm's length apart from each other and dropped them into the water. He expertly did it as he also controlled the canoe in a particular direction against the current. Igho and Onome watched with fascination as the long line was dropped into water with the occasional bricks Ufuoma hooked onto the line.
”What are those for?” Onome asked.
”The bricks get the line to sink to the bottom of the river fast,” he told her.
”What if you allow it to float on top of the water?” Igho asked.
”Well, in that case we may not make any catch.”
”Why?” Onome asked again.
Ufuoma took some time before responding, as he took a small plastic bowl to remove water that had collected in the canoe from a small, leaking hole.
”If the hooks don't sink deep fast enough,” he said, ”there are some small fish called ezeze that would s.n.a.t.c.h the worms from the hooks before they get to the bottom of the river for the main targets. Ezeze are very crafty fish; they know how to eat up baits and still not be caught. Besides, they are too small for anybody's use. That is why we try to get the hooks to sink down fast before they get to the baits.”
”Ezeze,” Onome called them by their name, ”how do they look?”
”They are those small, silvery fish that you see as you take your bath at the edge of the water.”
”Oh,” Igho said, ”they know how to tease. They come so close to sh.o.r.e but you can't catch them.”
”That is true,” Ufuoma replied.