Fish Rescue in Walden

My friend Tommy and I were swimming in Walden after work yesterday. It a cool, cloudy day, but according to our thermometer the water had warmed a few degrees, 60F. As we swam through the first coves on the left side, we stopped to look at the fish. I tried, as I always do to catch one, but the fish got away, as they always do.

We stopped to look at some smaller fish in a shallow cove. We had just started swimming again when I noticed another fish. Something about the way he was moving didn't see right. I stopped and went back to get a closer look. Even though I couldn't see a hook or fishing line, I could tell by the way he was struggling that the line was wrapped around a branch. Tommy stopped swimming and looked back. I called, "he's stuck."

Ducking under water, I located the line while Tommy tried to untangle the fish. The line was wrapped too tight so we broke the some of the branches so we didn't have to work underwater. For the next 5 mintues, we stood in shallow water trying to free our little fish. I held the fish while Tommy tried to work the hook free from the fish's mouth. The hook was in pretty good and getting the last bit out without trying to hurt the fish anymore was hard.

When we did get our fish free, I set him underwater. At first he didn't move. The we watched as he swum along the bottom, doing corkscrews toward his injured side. He didn't seem to have much fight left.

We didn't have any pockets or any place to put the line, hook and bait that was still on the line. Tommy dug the hook into a piece of wood so it wouldn't be exposed and we threw it into the bushes. Then I checked under water and saw our fish lying in the leaves and muck on the bottom. He didn't make it after all.

Now I was cold because I didn't wear a wetsuit so we had to start swimming again so I could get warm. I felt tight from the cold while I was swimming. We didn't make any more stops until we got back to the beach.

We decided to nickname that spot Fish Hook Cove. I'm sure Thoureau had his own name for the cove across the pond from his cabin, but I will remember it as the place we freed a fish.