One of my families favorite spots to get away when we lived in Kenya was a place called lake naivasha. Dad bought a small boat so that he could take Adam and I fishing. The lake has large mouth bass and tilapia. One of the best spots to catch fish was near the Crescent Island, more of a peninsula than an island, situated on the edge of the lake. There were several large trees submerged in the water just off the edge of the island. We frequently got snagged due to the intricate systems of roots, but the fishing was great!
My brother Adam was learning how to cast in this area one day. He successfully casts a couple of times before he announces to dad and I that he was really snagged. No big deal. This happened just about every other cast. Dad gave him the same instructions he had given me just moments previous. "Pull back on the rod really hard and see if you can pop it out." Adam obeyed. Nothing happened. So dad instructed him to pull harder. By now his pole is almost bent in two from the torque. Still nothing is happening.
What happened next is a bit of a blur. Suddenly, two spouts of water spray into the air some 80 to 100 feet from our boat. In a split second everyone realizes what has happened. My brother is a better fisherman than he has ever dreamed possible. He has managed to hook a hippo in the mouth. And our new friend is not happy about it! Dad yells "throw the pole in the water," as he races to start the engine. Adam throws the pole, dad hits the outboard motor, and I almost pass out from fear all in the same split second.
Sadly, my brother lost his shiny fishing pole somewhere in the bottom of lake naivasha to a hippo, but we lived to talk about it. Now that's a real African fishing story!
My brother Adam was learning how to cast in this area one day. He successfully casts a couple of times before he announces to dad and I that he was really snagged. No big deal. This happened just about every other cast. Dad gave him the same instructions he had given me just moments previous. "Pull back on the rod really hard and see if you can pop it out." Adam obeyed. Nothing happened. So dad instructed him to pull harder. By now his pole is almost bent in two from the torque. Still nothing is happening.
What happened next is a bit of a blur. Suddenly, two spouts of water spray into the air some 80 to 100 feet from our boat. In a split second everyone realizes what has happened. My brother is a better fisherman than he has ever dreamed possible. He has managed to hook a hippo in the mouth. And our new friend is not happy about it! Dad yells "throw the pole in the water," as he races to start the engine. Adam throws the pole, dad hits the outboard motor, and I almost pass out from fear all in the same split second.
Sadly, my brother lost his shiny fishing pole somewhere in the bottom of lake naivasha to a hippo, but we lived to talk about it. Now that's a real African fishing story!
Wow, no kidding! Glad you guys got away from that hippo - that must've been super scary!
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